The Shunie Rite at Todaiji

Posted: March 14, 2011 | Author: Doug 陀愚 | Filed under: Buddhism, Japan, Religion, Travel | Leave a comment »

Note:I wrote this post before the Earthquake in north-eastern Japan, but I decided to continue posting it anyway, to express something positive in these difficult times.

March 15th in Japan is culmination of a famous Buddhist ceremony at Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan: the Shūni-e (修二会) Rite. This ancient rite is probably one of the oldest in Japan, started by an Buddhist monk named Jitchū (実忠, ?-824). At heart, it is a ceremony of repentance to Kannon, a great Bodhisattva in Buddhism, but also is a great gathering of people from all over Japan who hope to see the fire and water ceremonies, while gaining some blessings too. In particular, this revolves around Kannon’s “11-headed form” which symbolizes the bodhisattva’s efforts to watch over the world (one head is not enough for such a great burden ).¹

The ceremony takes place over several days, particularly at the February Hall at Todaiji, which I visited in April of 2010. There, I could see the public image of the Eleven-Faced Kannon, though per request of the temple, I refrained from taking any photos. It’s better to see it in person anyway, I imagine.

Anyway, every day for 11 days, a special group of 11 selected monks undertake a lengthy repentance ceremony six times a day, all devoted to Kannon Bodhisattva, including prayer, reciting mantras from the Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra and circumambulating around the statue per Buddhist custom. At night, they light torches and run along the hallway and wave these over the deck as shown above. People below hope to gain blessings as the sparks fall on them. Hopefully, no one catches fire either!

On the final night, March 15th, after the Fire Ceremony is complete, these monks travel down to the Wakasa Well, which according to legend was created as a gift to Kannon after a certain Shinto Kami was late for the gathering.² In that legend, the Kami split a great big rock, and water flowed forth. Anyway, the water is drawn into two buckets, with one bucket containing water from all the previous observances of the Rite. Thus, water in that bucket can date back as far as the 9th century! The water is offered to Kannon Bodhisattva and then to the general public, who seek to cure any ailments.

Having seen the February Hall at Todaiji, it was really great to see Jitchū’s legacy carry on for so many centuries. The Shunie Rite reflects a different style of Buddhism than what you see today, as it is strongly tied with Chinese Tang Dynasty Buddhism, which still had close contacts with India. Nara Buddhism in general is a fascinating subject to me, and represents some great things that were not preserved in mainland Asia through wars, and changes in government.

According to one legend, Jitchū was inspired to develop this Rite after a dream where he entered a cave and came to the Buddhist heaven of Tushita (兜率天, Tosotsuten in Japanese). There, he saw hundreds and thousands of Buddhist altars. At each altar, he saw countless bodhisattvas (bosatsu in Japanese 菩薩) running as fast as they could to each altar, to pay their respects, and to accumulate good merit. Jitchū was mesmerized by their speed, and they great devotion.

When I went to Todaiji, I bought some postcards that show this story visually. They’re quite lovely. This first one shows the legend of Jitchū encountering the Bodhisattvas in a dream running to one shrine after another:

This one shows the repentance ceremony where the selected monks circumambulate around the 11-faced statue of Kannon Bodhisattva:

This one shows the fire ceremony:

And finally this one shows the water ceremony on the final night:

The Shunie Rite is something I would love to see just once, but that will have to wait another day. If you’re in the Nara/Kyoto area of Japan in early March, definitely do not miss out on this rare and ancient Buddhist rite.

Also, for this year in light of the recent earthquake, Todaiji Temple posted this message in Japanese:

東北地方太平洋沖地震により被災されました皆様に心からお見舞い申し上げます。
修二会の行法におきましても、亡くなられた方々のご冥福とともに、　災害が終息し皆さまが一日も早く元の生活に戻られますようお祈り申し上げます。

My amateur translation of this is:

We would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to those impacted by the earthquake in north-eastern Japan.

Although we will carry on with the ceremony, to those who lost their lives, we pray for their happiness in the next life, and we pray that this calamity will end soon, and that people can return to a normal life.

Namu Kanzeon Bosastu

¹ This also explains another popular motif: Kannon with 1000 arms. Also, the name of Kannon is “he/she who hears the cries of the world”.

² Another example of how Shinto and Buddhism blend, especially in the olden days.

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