A Study into the Thought of Kogyo Daishi Kakuban: With a translation of his ‘Gorin kuji myo himitsushaku

Kakuban (1095-1144) is an important figure in the history of the Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism. This work contains a biography and a discussion of Kakuban’s works with a focus on his doctrines. Although it is widely believed that Kakuban incorporated Amidist ideas and practice into Shingon, this study asserts that Kakuban’s aim was to explain the practices of other schools from an orthodox Shingon point of view. The translations of his major works, the Gorin kuji myo himitsushaku and the Amida hishaku support this idea.