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Esotericism, is a religious classification for teachings that are intended to be kept secret:
I came to study the subject of esotericism after years of practicing Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist Monk who severely criticized esotericism, and yet paradoxically, embraced some of its methods and forms.2 His method of using literal, theoretical and actual proof in religious analysis involved a quite rigorous form of Buddhist logic, but also made his religion seem similar to other similar sounding religions founded on more emotional critiques such as Nembutsu. In this page I will try to show why Nichiren's nuanced attitude towards esotericism was a correct one (See literal.html or Nichiren for more on this)
Nichiren studied and practiced Buddhism as a child in a temple that was officially affiliated with Tendai school, had come to be affiliated with Shingon beliefs, but was currently full of monks enthralled with the teachings of Honen Daishi. Nichiren reportedly was deeply confused by all this and the numerous claims and counterclaims. He therefore travelled to the main teaching Schools within his reach and sought to find the truth. His findings on the religion of his time were quite critical. He came back from his studies and wrote the Rissho Ankoku Ron, severely criticizing Nembutsu, Ritsu, Zen and Shingon.
Early in life he seems to have studied Shingon so his earliest teachings include some Shingon elements. He even praises Kobo Daishi along with others in that work (the Rissho Ankoku Ron) who he later criticizes. But his attitude towards those teachings hardened after he read the Ebyo Sho, which was written by Dengyo Daishi shortly before his death. The Ebyo Sho outlines the general principles of incompatibility between Tantric Buddhism and the doctrines of the Lotus Sutra. Basically any religion that purports to have secrets, that witholds critical ideas from the masses, and that rejects sutras and treatises an insists on mind to mind transmission, contradicts the very spirit of the Lotus Sutra. Additionally, from the point of view of esotericism, efforts to teach all the secrets of enlightenment to everyone violate the "samaya" or pledge of secrecy that Tantric students take when they are initiated.
Therefore ultimately the two approaches to religion are like oil and water.After studying the Ebyo Shu and giving the subject some thought, his more mature writings particularly single out Shingon, critiquing both the formal Shingon sect and the "Mikkyo" elements within Tendai which had been transferred to Japan by the third prelate of Tendai in Japan, Jikaku Daishi. In critiquing these religions he used the methods used by Shakyamuni, Dengyo Daishi and Buddhism itself, but he also used Confucian and Taoist logic informally. While his basic method was the "three proofs" and "four assurances" in critiquing Shingon and Mikkyo, the subtext of his criticisms was that the founders of those religions had violated their filial duty to the truth. Kobo had promised at one time to promote the Lotus Sutra. Jikaku had sworn to uphold Tendai Buddhism and be Dengyo's disciple. Jikaku Daishi had as Nichiren put it betrayed his master.
In the Ho'on Sho he summarizes his argument as follows:
"You may pile up dung and call it sandalwood, but when you burn it, it will give off only the odor of dung. You may pile up a lot of great lies and call them the teachings of the Buddha, but they will never be anything but a gateway to the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering."
Nichiren's critique of Mikkyo and Shingon was nuanced and may seem ambiguous to someone who hasn't studied the subject carefully. While Nichiren severely criticizes esotericism, other works appropriate elements of esotericism, (indeed the Ho'on Sho itself has a warning not to share what was within outside a small circle). Nichiren warns repeatedly of not mindlessly attacking those schools in public and that "refutations" should only be done by a "person of wisdom". Part of this was because his own teachings owed a debt of gratitude not just to the "Tendai-Hokke" teachings that he openly embrased, but to the "Mikkyo"/"Shingon" teachings that he attacked. Part of this was that by criticizing esotericism Nichiren was stepping into a political mindfield where the "enemy" attacks secretly. The problem with esoteric thinking is that it relies on secret handshakes (literal or figurative) and seeks to guard its secrets, sometimes with violence. When the esoteric attitude enters religious affairs what is on the surface may not be reality, and even the authors of the religion may not be clear on the border between fiction, myth, and reality. When I was part of Nichiren Shoshu and the NSA there was a strong element of what I now realize was Esoteric type thinking present in the way they presented Nichirenism. Esotericism and the attitudes behind it are also present in most main-stream religions, including major Christian Sects. It is part of such varied traditions such as Hinduism, Tantra, Sufiism, Masonic temples, and even groups such as the folks behind the Da Vinci code. Many of the people involved are con artists and dissemblers, and esotericism encourages this behavior. When Nichiren criticizes Esotericism he isn't exaggerating. And the holders of esoteric beliefs, were often in powerful political positions, so they sought to get even with him often in a sneaky and treacherous manner.
And when Nichiren talks about the infighting and conflict that results from people who claim esoteric insights, he could be talking about the Present day. Such people generally don't accomplish much good. They just stir up trouble and sometimes try to make money from the trouble they stir up. They aren't unified enough to fulfil any fantasies of an organized conspiracy or even to be as competant and enlightened as they maintain themselves to be. Esotericism is mostly a con made up of a mix of legends, myth and yes, BS.
- For more on the subject of doctrines visit the pages
- "literal.html" and my discussion of the Three Powerful Enemies.
It is expecially valuable to study the methods of Buddhist Logic and religious analysis for the sake of having a more "wise" understanding of religion and its implications.
Early in my practice I saw similarities between the Tendai/Mikkyo teachings that Nichiren attacked and the teachings of the modern Day Tibetan schools. Nichiren and I took that as meaning that I should try to "Shakubuku" Tibetan Buddhists. But I couldn't do this because I knew only the most surface part of Nichiren Buddhism. Without understanding Buddhism such attempts at shakubuku can only be a source of mirth or incredulity. In World War II some Japanese Nichiren believers sought to spread the Nichiren Dharma in Asia, some by force in the Nichiren Shugi movement. The only thing they succeeded in doing was to cause many Asians to intensely hate Japanese. Only Nichidatsu Fuji had any success, and that is because he backed off of such kinds of shakubuku and started learning about life. He Hung with Gandhi.
However, when Nichiren taught the method of "shakubuku" he was teaching a powerful "religious deconstruction" which can be used to deconstruct any erroneous approach to religion. There really is something wrong with esotericism. This isn't because esotericism doesn't teach great secrets, but because esoteric teachers and schools keep things secret that ought to be made available to the whole world, or start making it up as they go along, which is simply dishonest. Nichiren's critique of Tendai and Shingon can as easily be applied to the reasons for the downfall of esoteric movements through-out time.
But that's not all. I initially approached the subject with a hostile attitude. Even so, like Alice in "Through the Looking Glass" things got curiouser and curiouser as I probed into the history and teachings of esotericism. I found ancient and ongoing, open and hidden, links between esoteric substreams of Western Religions as well as Eastern ones. The esotericism of ancient Gnosticism used similar methods and kinds of thinking as that of Buddhist practitioners. Esotericism is at once highly ancient and always very "modern" by its very nature. What finally gelled my understanding of what was happening was when I read a Book called "Kaballah and the Art of Being" and was introduced to the subject of the PaRDeS. Both the story and its associated acronym revolutionized my understanding of what was going on. Nichiren's critiques could be interpreted on a universal basis. And the story of PaRDeS is also a warning of the dangers of esotericism as well.
Fortunately esotericism and "conspiracy theories are not all they are cracked up to be:
- More:
- http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/theory/conspiracy.html
- http://www.publiceye.org/antisemitism/nw_domhoff.html
At the same time, a careful appraisal of Nichiren's teachings and method eventually leads one to abandon the simple triumphalism that might follow from a purely surface reading. Nichiren based his teachings on the Lotus Sutra, the teachings of the Tendai School, the notions of "Mappo" and the powerful notion of the "Three Powerful enemies".He also was an advocate for new practices based on exclusive practice of the Lotus Sutra. All of these things follow an Esoteric context. Indeed I kind of think of Nichirenism is a good "Esotericism for Dummies" way to learn "everything they wouldn't teach me in the Initiation Cave." Studying Nichiren is something that everyone should do.
His was a dual polemics designed to both advocate his own notions of how to practice the Lotus Sutra in that might endure to our own "later day", and to bring about a debate and a resolution of the issues in his own day. He made statements that may seem unfair until you examine that context. And while some of his arguments are stronger than others, on the whole he was highly accurate. Had he actually been able to engage in that debate, and been listened to, the wisdom of the underlying logic would have become more apparant and the stridency of some of his statements would have been shown to have the context which we will discuss.
As a result his criticisms seem heavily "outward" [as opposed to self criticism/inward criticisms] unless one examines them carefully. His criticisms were filtered in the context of his times and his "insular" situation. However, to apply his methods more universally requires one to examine his case carefully using his own methods. When one does that one can use him as one's "master" for mastering religious understanding in the present time. When one does that one can apply his critiques not just to the situation of his day but to the situation of ones own present day. One finds his critiques apply not just to "outsiders" but also to the lineages and religions developed by his own disciples. His specific teachings may be limited but the general principles used are universal and indestructable. Creating a genuinely peaceful world as he and others wish, will require this sort of careful distinction making. Only with great care can we do the sort of "distinction making" that allows us to transmit universal truths using the languages of the various cultures we live among.
Even had it not, it is up to us to interpret his teachings within our own time frame. Therefore, this approach can also provide a framework of critiques that can shed light on modern as well as ancient conflicts and controversies. Consequently, his own criticisms of the esoteric and exoteric Buddhism of his day, are best appraised in our own context as critiques of those traditions, and universal critiques that can be effectively employed to understand other religious traditions by employing the methods of comparison and contrast between them.
Nichiren himself understood esotericism thoroughly and had been initiated into its secrets. It was for that reason that he could criticize it so roundly. His appraisal of esotericism appreciated its wisdom, but ranked that wisdom as being less profound than that of the Lotus Sutra. Why was that? The teachings of the Lotus Sutra also form the grounds for "esoteric" or secret understandings. And prior to his time the teachers of his parent school, Tendai, had thoroughly mixed Lotus Sutra teachings with Tantric Esotericism and been very comfortable doing so. So why would he reject that approach. And why do we need to take his rejection seriously?
The reason that he rejected that approach is the reason of time. The premise of esotericism is that "wisdom" of its kind needs to be introduced in a one on one graduated style. The teaching of the Lotus Sutra tells us that in the "Latter day of the Law", which Nichiren identified with the here and now of his own time and ours, there would arise myriads of legions of "Bodhisattvas of the Earth." These people would be able to naturally enter and receive the truths of esotericism and would be ready for the message. Consequently religions that with-hold or dumb down that message are both incorrect. The "secrets" of the treasure tower are meant for the world of sentient-beings, and not only for an elect few. He attacked the very premise of esotericism as being inappropriate for our "modern times." The very premise of Mappo holds forth the hope that people are ready for what esotericism is really about. And what it is really about is not the magic of spells or demons, but the magic of the human mind and the influence our shared inward reality has over our external reality, and how to control that. In a sense it is a "science" of the imagination. The Lotus Sutra holds forth the prospect of the wisdom of the Buddhas transforming this "Saha World" into a pure land. I believe that Nichiren incorporated the two deities Fudo and Aizen in order to incorporate the power and insights of esotericism into his very exoteric religion.
Consequently, there is no need to "refute" esotericism, but there is an ongoing need to critique it and its practitioners.
Thus the criticisms that Nichiren levied at, Honen early on, and later at Jikaku Daishi and Kobo Daishi, among others,2 when one sees them as "critiques" one sees how appropriate they are. Nichiren's critiques of these people were entirely within the framework of Tendai Buddhism, and the assumption that there was but one Buddhism. Within that framework, all these teachers had made errors in logic and attribution. Given that he used some of the methods and symbols of esotericism himself, his criticisms were not aimed at all esoteric ideas but at general and specific abuses. Conditions have changed considerably since his day, but the importance of examining and weighing teachings and ideas has grown not lessened. It is still important to focus on those teachings that are "satisfying" "universal" and "complete" and not get lost in the "Garden" of abstract thinking or the dreamlike garden of fantasy. Therefore it is important in our own day that we understand the strengths and weakness of esotericism. That we use these sorts of methods "appropriately." And that we learn to make distinctions between "refuting" what is incorrect and the kinds of comparisons and contrasts that we need in order to navigate our own path in life. Starting with Nichiren's criticisms of Shingon and Tendai-Mikkyo we can learn how to use common sense and reasoning to critique modern religion and navigate this path. That way we can "depart" in peace.
Nichiren's critiques of esotericism are indeed universal ones. Esotericism has been abused, is still abused, and is often misunderstood even by its supposed masters and initiates. In examining other esoteric traditions I found that many of them deserve some kind of criticism. At the same time, I found that often the issues were far more complex than I'd initially supposed. Even within the framework of the notion of the "Three Powerful Enemies" one has to use caution in weighing judgements. The Buddha spoke of men with "twisted wisdom," not "no wisdom." This came into focus for me when I read a Talmudic phrase about a student of Rabbi Akher's (who allegedly was an apostate to Judaism) who nevertheless valued his teachings because he would "swallow the fruit while spitting out the seeds." Indeed understanding the story of the Pardes is key to understanding the Lotus Sutra and unlocking Nichiren's message as well. Please read that essay at http://www.geocities.com/chris_holte/judaism/pardes.html as soon as you can.
As we saw before esoteric means "secret" or "inner knowledge". People are, and always have been, attracted to the mysterious or hidden. And they are attracted for a variety of reasons. Some generally useful, and some extremely selfish and short-sighted. People have been creating, and sharing esoteric teachings and teachings, probably since man first started creating mythology in the first place. In the west esotericism has been present in any number of groups, from the ancient Pagan Mystery Cults to the Essenes, to the Early Christian Gnostics2, down through Kaballah teachers, Sufi's to teachers in our own time. In the east esotericism is represented by elements of Tibetan and Shingon Buddhism, and by the "mind to mind" transmissions that are taught within Zen Buddhism. Indeed, in my own investigation of esotericism I found that others have noted the similarity in imagery ranging from Joseph Campbell, to C.G.Jung, to modern day disciples "Doenmeh" of the Shabatean teacher "Shabatai Zevi." Indeed I found huge links when I studied the story of the Kaballah and the great warning myth called the "Pardes"
A classic example of the "esoteric attitude" is in some of the teachings related to the Kaballah. To quote:
...For though there are others, such as Etz Chaiim (The Tree of Life), that compile the Kabbalah they do not explain the concepts in tangible terms with physical analogies and so there is a great risk of misunderstanding the teachings presented there. This is why these teachings were, for a long time, not taught to the public - for fear that they would misunderstand them. For a time the Kabbalah was only taught to men at least forty years old who were fluent in the entire Tanach (the Jewish Bible, it is an abbreviation for the Hebrew name of its three parts the Torah-Pentateuch, Nevi'im-Prophets, and Kissuvim-Writings) and Talmud (Jewish law) and even then it was only taught privately one-on-one. There also existed another problem of being liable to fall into the evil side of Kabbalah or go crazy.page on Kaballah
Kobo Daishi is said to have said something similar:
"Furthermore, the deepest truth of the Secret Treasury cannot be expressed in writing. It can only be transmitted from one mind to another. Writing is dregs, nothing but broken tiles. If you receive the transmission of dregs and broken tiles, you will lose the ultimate truth. To discard the real and hold fast to the unreal is the way of the fool, the way you must not follow, the way you must not aspire to. Those of the distant past pursued the path for the sake of the path. Those of the present follow it merely for fame and fortune.
As can be seen in the above quotes, one which applies to Jewish Kaballah and the other to Shingon, esoteric knowledge is associated with "peril" and discovery, difficulty of comprehension and the need for long term one on one instruction. In otherwords, its premise is that the knowledge it is conveying is dangerous to anyone but the elite. It assumes that most people are like "children" and are unready for what it teaches. Misunderstanding what is being taught is associated with people being drawn to the "evil side" of a teaching or even going crazy.
Indeed, those worries are important. People do need to be ready for truth. Even critics of esotericism often acknowledge some of the truths within esoteric understanding. And even those within esoteric traditions know that if they'd been hit with some of the ideas before understanding their complete context and meaning, they'd have been confused or gotten it wrong. It is as simple as belief in Santa Claus.
What all esoteric schools have in common is a focus on disseminating and controlling knowledge to which the student has to be initiated to before he/she can be said to be enlightened or "saved." Much of this "knowledge" is highly figurative, and so some kind of ritual experience is often needed in order to internalize it for it to even make sense to the student. For that reason esotericism is often associated with "Master/disciple" interactions, and also with "messianism." For those "initiated" there is hope of equality with the master, however Esotericism always, by definition, creates an "elect" or "elite" of people who have been initiated into it's mysteries and whom often acquire perceived power and status by doing so. The consequences of this we'll discuss later. Because the language of dreams is heavilly attractive to students and others with the time, esotericism often resonates on levels that are archetypical and deeply emotional. Even the most mundane of things can yield "secret" or allegorical meaning by using its methods, and people can find themselves lost in seeking its secrets.
Thus at the heart of esotericism is "oral instruction" and face to face interaction. We can see this process at work in the interactions between Kukai and Dengyo (founders of Shingon and Dengyo instinctively, as did Nichiren four centuries later, rejected this notion. Dengyo wrote:
The esoteric Shingon Buddhist, the newcomer, went so far as to deny the validity of transmission through writing (hitsuju �4)� (DZ 3, p. 344)4.
At their best esoteric schools teach teachings that are meant to enlighten anyone and everyone who comes into contact with them. But often the understanding of esotericism is taught in such layers that those who teach them will have two versions of their religion. A "Esoteric" version for the initiated, and a dumbed down and usually faith based "exoteric" version.
This very dualistic nature of esoteric schools is what leads to a cycle of misunderstandings that lead to violence and even destructiveness. This cycle I call the "esoteric cycle" because one can see it at work in many streams of religion that begin with a well meaning effort to initiate a select few into their meaning. This cycle begins with necessity and ends with ruin because we humans have a limited capacity to understand things directly. We understand best using the language of dreams. However, it is easy to confuse the "water" of dreams with real water. Hence the warnings.
This seems to have happened during the evolution of Christianity. Initially Christianity grew out of the same Jewish Gnostic roots that later developed into Kaballistic teachings. But with time two teachings arose. One that emphasized child like faith as the initiation into salvation, and the other more "esoteric" understandings of virtually the same material. Eventually the esoteric teachings began to be seen as "heretical" and were suppressed in favor of literalistic understandings of the same material. Eventually the explicitly mystical, figurative understandings of Christian Myth (or legend), were identified with a faith that nevertheless the events recounted had actually happened. Christianity, when it became a state religion began to systematically erase any connections to more figurative interpretations of the same materials and to erase alternative versions of the same stories. Eventually surviving Gnostic groups like the Cathars were actually subjected to official murder by the state -- the inquisition. The Jewish and Persian roots of Gnosticism were stamped out in favor of literalistic interpretations of the same material. Any acknowledgement that the material was "literature" was grounds for burning at the stake.
The reason that this happened is that these powerful "figurative" interpretations came to be associated by the uninitiated, with literal powers and abilities. What might have represented a vision at one time to some sage, was later interpreted by the ignorant as an actual occurance. Those believing in religion were encouraged to understand these things this way by their teachers. They were taught to confuse the magical events of dreams with the events of dailly life, and to think that given enough purity of faith, these kinds of events could occur in real life. That is how the insights of these originally esoteric teachers came to over time become corrupted with the "faults" of literalism, authoritarianism, biases, and magical thinking. It was this tendancy to encourage "magical thinking" that made "Mikkyo" unhealthy in medieval Japan and that drew Nichiren's criticism of "shingon".
Legitimate Inspiration usually motivates most teachers. Few of them start out as "evil" or teaching things that are meant to hurt anyone. They are usually motivated by a difficult to convey insight, or by an insight that they want to share with the whole world. With difficult to convey wisdom, you get teachers of esotericism. With teachers with one bright shinging truth you get "exotericism." Both kinds of wisdom are often brilliant and inspired. And it is because of that that most teachers start off as "genuine" sages. For example, Honen Daishi of Japan began as a Tendai Monk who was inspired by the teachings about the Nembutsu chant and the promise of Amida Buddha to save anyone who repeated it. He was so inspired that he insisted on discarding all "difficult to practice" ways and embracing the exclusive practice of the Nembutsu as an "easy to practice way." For him the Nembutsu was a wonderful deep teaching that he wanted to share with the whole world. The result was he created a devotional school of exotericism that sought to share this inspiration world wide. Conversely, Kobo Daishi was inspired by reports of the esoteric teachings of Shingon, and travelled to China where he had the fortune to receive "Abhisekhas" or transmissions of those teachings. In six months he had mastered them and brought them back to Japan. In Japan he shared them with anyone who would come to visit him and take the time and make the vow not to share them with people not initiated into those teachings. His was a form of esotericsm. At the same time that he was introducing Shingon, his colleague Dengyo Daishi was introducing the Tendai Sect. His teachings emphasized face to face interactions and deep training.
Esotericism is attractive to elites, intellectuals, charlatans and others because it strokes the "egoism" of people, or can be a source of personal or even sectarian authority. Exotericism is usually attractive to ordinary folks and folks who have no time for deep learning or face to face interactions. Conversely, those leading a religion or school have very strong needs to survive their competition from within and without, and so they have an incentive to either infantalize their disciples, or to corrupt their teachings enough to prevent their rivals from challenging their authority by either keeping them in the dark about something, or appearing to have access to things the others don't have. In the Kaimoku Sho our founder Nichiren quotes from the "Great Concentration and Insight" commentary of T'ien-t'ai as follows:
"If one lacks faith [in the Lotus Sutra], one will object that it pertains to the lofty realm of the sages, something far beyond the capacity of one�s own wisdom to comprehend. If one lacks wisdom, one will become puffed up with arrogance and will claim to be the equal of the Buddha."The esoteric approach arrogates wisdom to increasingly select "realms of the sages", while the exoteric approach often errs in the opposite direction. In either cases, the trap that all teachers are in danger of falling into is to stop teaching new things, or sincerely what one already knows is true, and to start "pretending." The trouble with "pretense" is that one often comes to believe the lies oneself.
Nichiren, the founder of our school referred to "pretend sages" as the "Third of the Powerful Enemies" or "Pretend Sages." When real sages begin to keep others in the dark about elements of their teachings, to hold an exclusive lock on the fruits of such teachings (heaven, Buddhahood, God, you name it), then those sages are no longer teaching the truth and are beginning to "pretend". This is because such "locks" are lies. No one has exclusive access to truths that others can't get to as well, and if they do, they have a duty to share those truths. Once shared any pretense of continued esoteric wisdom is, by definition a lie. The negative side of esotericism is that people who should be demonstrating the wisdom behind myths and legends, begin to create their own myths and legends and to confuse people further even as they try to "help them."
When teachers and or their students involved start thinking that their "teachings" are more than a means to understanding life better, and that somehow, ones "privelaged" knowledge makes one better, smarter, wiser, than others, this is the next stage in the corruption of teachings that is esotericism. The motivation for this is in the need for teachers or their students to preserve their power relationships; money, food, attention, disciples, all go to those who seem wiser than they -- in fact -- are. Thus the next step in the esoteric cycle is to insist that the teachings of a shcool are either sacred, or that understanding them properly is only possible for the initiated, or for both. The result of this is that teachings get "canonized." To the degree that those teachings are -- in fact -- "canonical" or wise, begins to take a back seat to the need for the teachers to justify their increasing authority.
For instance, in Japanese Buddhism, Kobo Daishi turned his back on the exoteric Lotus Sutra in favor of the esoteric Dainichi Sutra and also went back on his word to propagate the Lotus Sutra because he had a real stake in founding a religion and in initiating people to the teachings of esotericism. He may have confused all the metaphorical and metaphysical notions he was learning with real enlightenment, or he may have become convinced that the deep insights he gained were the correct path to Buddhahood. But in any case, he began to maintain that people could only learn his religion if properly initiated by himself. After his last equal rival died, he insisted that only his teachings and those initated to them, could achieve complete enlightenment. And afte he died, his disciples created myths and legends about him that canonized his person and his teachings.
Esoteric lineages limit the numbers of people who have access to their deepest truths. For example in Shingon, it is a violation of the "Samaya precepts" to initiate the uninitiated in Shingon Teachings. This sort of authoritarianism within esoteric lineages leads to a strict elitism and a division between the initiated and uninitiated, and usually to a hiararchical organization led by people with increasing levels of "initiation." This fits perfectly with authoritarian inclinations. These in turn, over time, lead to further corruption of religion in general. As people find it unsatisfying to be left out of the general secrets, and so the tendancy of the religions is to give them "pap." But worse than that, the "initiated" have an incentive to start to teach that the powers and rewards of initiation are magical. In the case of Shingon Buddhism, the teachings of the Buddha were associated with magical practices. Shingon teachers were even encouraged to use their mudras and mantras to pray for the protection of the nation. Since Buddhism doesn't teach magic, this was a gross perversion of Buddhist teachings. But even those who criticized Shingon tended to substitute one form of magical thinking for another. The teachers begin to forget (or cease teaching to all but a select few) that these things are allegories, similes, and myths.
As the authoritarian spirit takes hold, the people in esoteric schools sometimes are encouraged in thinking that their metaphors and allegories are true stories or that their rites and rituals have applicability to the real world. The next step is when the "authorities" author texts and writings that "canonize" their opinions. In Japan, Esoteric Buddhist teachings were used for prayers to defeat enemies, cause rain, and to end epidemics. In every country where this was done the country was invaded and destroyed by invadors who didn't seem to notice they had been "cursed." Nichiren noted this in his Gosho, and we can see this at work with what happened to the Tibetan Buddhists in this century. In later generations, the stories and myths around the esoteric teachers themselves came to be part of the teachings. Even Nichiren's teachings became part of esoteric teachings as various monks and priests vied for power in his name.
Literalism leads to a return of magical thinking, superstition, belief in "literal" Gods and Goddesses (or angels and demons). Expecially when enough time has gone by for the myths and legends to gain a patina of "truth" through simple repetition. Personalization of the deity or Buddha, and debasement of the general level of scholarship and sophistication of the populace follows naturally as a result of this debasement of the literature by reporting mythic and legendary elements as if they had really happened. Teachings that are uplifting and enlightening when understood for what they are can be frightening and superstitious when taken literally.
There is evidence, for instance, that Christianity had it's birth in syncreticism between Christianity and Pagan Mystery Cults. The Pagan Mystery Cults were esoteric, but probably esoteric in a good way. Ancient philosophers referred to the profound insights they gained from undergoing initiations into the mysteries. These mysteries evolved over time and became an inspiration to ordinary people and the elite alike. When Christianity first spread, one of it's dominant streams was "gnosticism" which was such a mystery approach to the stories of Jesus and the teachings of Christianity.
Eventually, these myths and legends get written down by the "authorities" and become canon in their turn. This leads to them being interpreted. Christianity, for instance, is based on writings that were written down between 70 AD and 500 AD. When they became "canonical" is always under contention, but once they are written down, there are only so many ways they can be interpreted and they are subject to being spread exoterically. The spread of such half digested esoteric teachings leads to the spawning of a new kind of esotericism, one based on authority.
Eventually, the supreme danger of esoteric teachings and the "esoteric" attitude is that the authoritarianism and literalism it spawns can "turn on" the very teachers and their heritages themselves. In Ancient Eurasia, literalist and sectarian Christians turned on both their Mystery Cult, Gnostic, and Jewish colleagues. Myths and legends became "canonized" and particular interpretations became canon and "doctrine." Doctrine became "dogma" and alternative interpretations became "heresy." Thus both the ignorant and the learned interpretations of religious beliefs were punished. The adherents of the nascent church began "denying the validity of" the very exoteric and esoteric teachings that spawned the authorities in the first place.
In treating teachings public as if they were "literally true" teachings and actual events and histories and not simply "myths", stories, allegories and metaphors, used to teach the deeper insights and understandings of their schools, dogmatic religious teachers begin subverting the very teachings and teachers that they inherited their own insights from. This new kind of esotericism now pits itself against rivals. All pretense of real wisdom disapears and truth becomes "defined" by patriarchs, priests, or other leaders. The adherents ignorantly begin attacking one another, while the teachers are increasingly cynical and hypocritical. By starting to pretend that these things, that should be taught as myths and allegory, actually happened, the new teachers spawn simpleminded, or even fanatic and violent movements. This is just what happened at the dawn of both the Christian and Moslem movements.
There is abundant evidence that Christianity brutally suppressed it's rival teachings and those teachings that were more filial to it's roots in pagan and Judaic teachings. The "child" forgot the allegorical and mythical roots of it's teachings and started to preach that Jesus Christ was literally the son of God and that all the allegorical and mythical events recounted in the gospels actually and literally happened. They even took passages from the bible literally that were not considered canonical by their Jewish forbears. And there is evidence that they burned or did their best to destroy the roots of alternative interpretations as "heretical writings."
The early Christians brutally suppressed both paganism, and Judaism, they also fought even more violently with rival schools. The result of the esoteric attitude, is that as "authority" substitutes more and more for "wisdom" teachers and students begin to see disagreement more violently. Notions such as "slander of the dharma" or "sin" become narrowly defined and distorted as "disagree with me or my school". The result is that heresy stops being merely a matter of incorrect or unhappy beliefs, but becomes a matter of definition of the group. The "enemy" is heretical, and by definition, evil. My "friends" become those who agree with me. Because of this the actual "stories" may be reinterpreted in fantastic and deeply disturbing fashion. You can see this in any magazine from a fringe religion that uses "interpretation" to divine the meaning of "prophesy." Fanatical and literalistic teachers, in a strange irony, often miss the very points of the teachings they use to say something very different from what was intended. The result is sectarian violence and a cycle of misinterpretation and violence. Since the person who sees a lie can now be called a liar and a heretic, these groups have self-reinforcing delusions and there is a negative incentive to define the truth recursively. Definitions become circular. Proofs become convenient. If something good happens it is pointed out as proof of righteousness. If something bad happens, it too is pointed out as proof of righteousness. The self reinforcing nature of the authoritarian "child" of esotericism is such an evil thing that it has led to centuries of violence and mayhem, and to the perversions of teachings that originally were about very different things.
The result of religious violence and authoritarianism is that eventually even the teachers no longer deeply appreciate their own teachings. If they interpret their texts literally, they no longer find the deep meaning they once found there. If they are involved in money, politics, and other business, they no longer are concentrated on the sincere pursuit of spiritual truth. The result is that in countries where there is official doctrine or where esotericism has managed to destroy religious truth, people become deeply cynical and their spirituality, moral values, and sense of reality is distorted. How can you lead others to truth if you embrace a lie?
The result is that authoritarian, deeply esoteric, or ignorant societies, tend to suffer from internal and external violence. When the long ago Mongols invaded Baghdad, they found a lazy and rich Calliph and an indifferent populace. They were so offended by this indolence that they made a mountain of sculls outside the city and killed the Sultan after taking the city easilly. People don't always see the truth for what it is, but often lies are something they notice right off. If noe one admits to lying, they may later be fooled as well, but often our first impressions are the right ones. The mongols were eventually converted to either Islam or Esoteric Buddhism, and when that happened they vanished as a force in history.
many people, to this day, miss the deeper truths that were originally taught and cling to fanatic devotion to the subject of the Myth (Jesus). As mentioned the esoteric attitude tends to encourage the spawning of "authority." If teachings are "written down" they are available to anyone. But when they are kept secret, or part is written down, but their meaning is hidden. This spawns "authority." This cycle is such that that authority tends to become destructive, hypocritical, and perverse. When that happens it spawns new movements that either seek to "purify" or return to the original teachings, or to teach something more appropriate for a group or people who have been defined as "outside" of the "elect" within a population believing a particular religious authority. This is what happened with Mohammed in Arabia, Nichiren in Japan, and with other teachers through-out history.
As described above, Christianity shed it's "esoteric" roots, when it's authorities gained so much secular and religious authority, that they no longer needed to actually know the "mysteries" and wisdoms contained in their scriptures, but could simply assert their views or the views of selected authors as authority. This process started when those teachings became "canonized" by writing them down. This transformation came about as the myths were written down and their mythical or legendary elements were given the "gloss" of written authority. The teachers could write down one view and say that "this is what is written" or assert that their priests knew the truth and that people had to go along with that version of truth or else. This often took the form of a dialectic, as one group would practice or abandon practices based on what the other groups were doing. Thus early Christians took to reciting the ten commandments, while Jews abandoned doing so. Early Christians took to taking their hats off indoors. Jews took to wearing caps (kippas) all the time. Similarily Buddhists in conflict would define doctrines and practices in opposition to one another. The result is often petty.
Similarilly, Christianity and Islam defined themselves largely by their opposition. Islam defined itself as the "land of peace" while Christian countries were defined as the "lands of wars." The scatalogical teachings of Christians teach that a great Calliph would unite Islam, while the Christians taught that a great Antichrist would unite the anti-Christians. Jews taught that the "law" would be taught from Jerusalem, while Arabs were supposed to kill all Jews not protected by the "box tree" from their arrows and weapons. Among the ignorant adherents of such religions, the planting of trees thus became an effort to protect Isreal by magic, and the idea that it might transform the microclimates of the Mideast was totally lost on these people.
On a more positve note, the religious conflict often spawns the birth of movements that seek to harmonize elements in the teachings of both parents. Sikhism tried to do that with the contradictory teachings of Hinduism and Islam, with the result that it is a new movement often more violent than it's parents (though that is hard to manage). More modern religions also follow a similar path as the cry is heard "can't we all get along?"
Shingon gained it's authority from the "Samaya" or admonitions not to share the Shingon teachings broadly, and from the assertion that only the fully initiated could properly understand those teachings. Dengyo Daishi criticized this approach in his "Ebyo Shu." Gnosticism was suppressed because it represented a popular alternative to the literal interpretations advanced by the early church. Esotericism gained it's power over adherents by the power of "selected transmission." If only masters are initiated into certain mysteries, then others may come to think that these masters have magical or special powers. Thus in Japan and in other places where esoteric teachings were propagated, authority tended to coalesce in the hands of tiny elites, who often warred with one another over questions of ownership and territory, often putting those questions in the form of doctrinal disputes or setting aside doctrinal matters for the sake of naked exercises of violence. This arrogation of religious authority in the hands of the few results in the creation of a privelaged elite and unwashed majority, and eventually in literalism, dogmatism, sectarian violence.
Thus, we can see that the propagation of esoteric mysteries can spawn deluded versions of exoteric teachings, can cause teachings to "devolve" from teachings that are taught for one purpose to teachings used for quite another one.
The main problem with esotericism is that the mysteries that it usually embraces are universal mysteries and so people who embrace estreme "esotericism" are actually seeking to keep something to themselves that should be shared widely. Thus they attract to themselves jealousy and fear that may be quite inappropriate. If people can believe that the master of an esoteric understanding is a "Wizard" or "magician", then the same ignorance can cause them to see such people as "witches and warlocks," when the magic fails to benefit people. Thus in countries where esotericism has been propagated, and the proponants of esotericism have kept a tight lock on the mysteries of their teachings, those teachings have eventually been suppressed or even destroyed. The Mystery Pagan Religions were subsumed into early Christianity, which then suppressed those who still believed those pagan mysteries, and followed up the suppression of them, with suppression of the "Gnostic" teachers of esoteric Christianity. Esotericism in the Arab world was also suppressed in favor of fanatic exotericism with results we see to this day.4
The early ancestors of the Jews took the myths and stories of their temple and made them into a canon around 700-800 B.C. Some of those myths and stories may have been written down prior to those dates, but more than likely at least some of the books of the Bible were canonized at that time. After the destruction of North Isreal, Judea sought to get back to a "true form" of belief in the "one God". Despite those efforts, Judea was defeated and it's people carried off into captivity. The works of the teachers who had been most right come down to us as the works of prophets such as Jeremiah and Isaiah, while the ones who turned out to be wrong have been consigned to the dust bins of history. Because this process occured over a period of at least 700 years, there was no attempt to present the bible as a single uniform doctrine, though there were certain themes that developed centered around the ten commandments, and the notion of a personal (or impersonal) God as prime mover in human affairs.
While in captivity, their teachers (Rabbis) kept alive their traditions and teachings and began to develop a complex of teachings. Written law (the five books of the pentateuch) supplemented by the prophesies, supplemented by the oral law. Jews were able to avoid "authority" because they had no apex of a hierarchy which could dictate canon. They developed the oral mishnah and torah by using "committees" to pass on their doctrines as they developed and by developing these doctrines in the style of "midrash", which often employed opinions, dialogue, and even teachers disagreeing about things. Thus they could accommodate both mysticism, esoteric and exoteric, and a gamut of teachings and teachers while remaining a community linked by a common corpus of "canon." They did this by demonstrating that one should focus on teachings and not teachers, and that even the most saintly and wise of teachers, may not be right about everything. Consequently, when they developed esoteric notions, they developed them in a similar manner, and the result is that those notions have come down to us (in the form of the Kaballah) in a way that preserves the essential and important integrity of mystical teachings; that the teachers not mistake the myths and allegories for historical or literal events.
The final problem, Egoism. The attitude involved in extreeme esotericism short-circuits the process of conveying the inner truths that make up true esoteric wisdom. For that reason, most esoteric teachers tend to resemble charlatans after a while. One gets the feeling that one is being handled, when it takes 10 years of scrubbing floors before you realize that your teacher isn't telling you anything and that is precisely his point (Typical Zen type experience). For a student of Sutra or Talmud, the materials are available to anyone who can learn to read and discuss the teachings. For the student of "esotericism" a mentor/master assumes that he must initiate that student. While the purpose of most esoteric schools is to help students dump their ego attachments and awake to higher truth, the result of the esoteric attitude is that the ego of the "master" is often fed. For instance Kobo Daishi mastered the teachings of Shingon in less than 2 years, yet he insisted that disciples coming from his rival Tendai School Colleague, take multiple years and that it might even take a lifetime. In it's worst form, one has to enter layer after layer of initiation before ascending to the "highest level". Sometimes that "highest level" turns out to be pure fiction. Myths are wonderful in helping us understand the reality of life, but they are, in the end myths, and at some point teachings and teachers must confront and return to "reality".
In extreme esotericism it becomes up to the ego, subjectivity, of the master, as to how far the student can go in understanding the teachings. The one with the "inner knowledge" becomes and asserts his authority. These authorities get to decide what is "canonical" or not. Esotericism tends to both create elites and maintain them. The attitude also creates a mass of ignorant people who are sometimes encouraged to believe either in the magic of the teachers or that the teachings are literally true. The result is that esotericism creates a situation where conflict is inevitable and where the fantasies and delusions of rulers and common people are encouraged and reinforced so that such conflict when it breaks out will be played out in the worst possible way.
If you look at it, esotericsm, when it becomes the property of the elites, almost always spawns devotional, literal-minded, and simplistic movements, as the "initiates" come to believe that "ordinary people" are incapable of understanding the very "deep and wise" things that they are privy too. Worse, with time, the allegorical and fictional roots of teachings may become themselves a secret only available to the initiated (or worse be lost even to the elites). This results in a "split" between the initiated (usually high ranking priests of some-sort) and the uninitiated or "less initiated". The "inheritors" of esoteric teachings may eventually forget the roots of their own teachings and persecute those who try to explain them. Even though those people are actually only speaking the truth. It becomes a crime and a sin to see the truth. Like Christians did to the Gnostics, the result is a host of "Emperors" wearing fantasy clothes.
Worse, the avatars of esotericism, often begin eschewing the sources of their work and making it up as they go along. The result is forgeries (such as the appearance of sutras 2000 years after their author died) or complete abandonment of reliance on such authority (as happened with Zen). Because of the authority involved, the teachings are arbitrary and only as good as the teacher or the interpretation of the teacher.
In it's worst form such confusion leads to the spawning of exoteric devotional or fanatic movements, the abandonment of the original teachings of the founders in favor of fantasies, and pure chaos. The founders of such movements learn a "part of the truth" and are convinced that the teachings of their school are "really real" and even start living in a fantasy world of their own making. An example of this was Kobo Daishi of Japan, who came to believe that simply calling on the name of Amida Buddha would grant people admittance to heaven. Not seeing the underlying metaphor, they latch onto the "transcendence" of the teachings, while ignoring the body of work as a whole and the wider wisdom to be gained by a more comprehensive understanding. Their disciples may begin to think that the metaphors and myths used to make the uplifting allegories, are literally true. This results in "exoteric" teachings that preserve the myths and allegory, while asserting that these things are "literally true." And thus subvert the wisdom of the teachings (sophia) in favor of a literalistic subjectivity. The result, is that such teachers spawn movements of fanatic perversity, where the very wise and allegorical meaning of the original teaching is lost in favor of literal-minded belief. If one thinks that the world was actually created in 7 days, one may forget that the teaching is actually telling us that we need to rest on the seventh day. Worse, people can demonize or deify the persons and teachers, their opponants, and the teachings of those opponants. The danger of esotericism is that the "wisdom" teachings become such a secret, that even the, increasingly highly initiated, teachers aren't in on them. Eventually this leads to religions that discard the truth and embrace pure lies and distortions, while consigning the truth to the "work of the Devil. This is what happened both with the Jodo Sect and with Christianity.
Thus we get caught up with two extremes that lead to the same outcome and are thus related. In one literal-minded and thus false teachings, are clung to by adherents who believe their teachers are sages. In the other teachings are taught which claim deep knowledge, but are only willing to transmit this knowledge in it's full form to an elite. Talk about a prescription for misery!
The ancient pagan mystery religions eventually evolve to the point where their teachings were an open secret. Likewise the esoteric teachings of Kaballah have been written down and propagated among Jews to the point where they are almost accepted among orthodox Jews and are common beliefs among less orthodox reform or Conservative Jews. In Christianity and Islam, the lock of literalism is so strong, that esoteric teachings are still considered downright evil. People are expected to eschew a more metaphysical or metaphorical understanding for the expedient of a direct relationship with a personal (and thus anthropomorphized and idolatous) God. This fantasy God then becomes a powerful idol in people's fantasies and may command them to sacrifice their children for "his" sake or to completely subvert the foundations of their own religion. Thus we are caught between two extremes that really lead to the same outcome. On the one hand, esotericism in the hands of an elite causes mischief, and on the other hand, ignorance and literalism cause untold mischief. What is the solution to this?
Well the solution is to make the "esoteric" exoteric. That is, to share what has been taught widely and broadly. If Christians really understood the mystical pagan and Jewish roots of their religion, they might not be so quick to make war on others. Unfortunately, this too isn't so easy as it seems. People would rather cling to a convenient fantasy or lie than face reality as it is. So simply establishing the esoteric roots of religions doesn't mean an end to conflict. But we can make the myths and metaphors as intelligable as possible and "initiate" as many people as possible to the mysteries of their own teachings by studying those teachings deeply ourselves and sharing that understanding with as many people as possible. People react negatively to a critic, but they will accept a critique from someone who has equal love and reverence for their tradition. If we start out by loving our traditions enough to really root out our lies, mischief, and the lies and mischief-making of our parents and their parents, then we can share the "secret mysteries of the "secret storehouse" with the masses of human beings. To do that we first have to realize that there was and is a good reason for everything that has been done -- mistaken or not -- and that no one is either completely innocent nor completely to be blamed for the fact that this world is complex and difficult to live in. Rather, it is "our" job to live in it and not blame anyone else for the circumstances we find ourselves in.
- To continue:
- Three Powerful Enemies
- literal
- PaRDeS
- As I read more I find more material. These sites present "esoteric" materials and ideas:
- http://www.alpheus.org/html/contentindices/esoteric_history_index.html
- http://www.kabbalah.info/
- Dueling Websites:
- http://nemorensis.net/anthromyth/toc.htm
- http://www.pharo.com/home.asp
- Websters Dictionary page 443.
- A wonderful discussion of Nichiren's relationship with esotericism is in this nanzen page 552.pdf
- Also:Nichiren's criticism and appropriation of Mikkyo Teachings
- You need adobe: http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/pdf/438.pdf
- For more on the influence of pagan mystery religions on the rise of Christianity see: http://www.courses.drew.edu/sp2000/BIBST189.001/Jesusmys.html