Vince Horn
Hokai Sobol
Ryan Oelke
Episode 111: Japanese Shingon: The True Word School
In this episode we are joined by one of our favorite
Buddhist Geeks, Hokai Sobol. Hokai who is a teacher in the Shingon
Buddhist tradition--a form of Vajrayana found in Japan--joins us today
to speak about the Shingon school. Hokai shares with us a brief
history of Shingon tradition and its main teacher Kukai, the artistic
dimension of Shingon, and also begins to explain the basic teachings
and practices of the lineage.
Similar to the Tibetan
Vajrayana approaches Shingon harnesses things like mudras (gestures),
mantras (sounds), and mandalas (visualizations)--which lines up with
the three-fold Body, Speech, & Mind. Speaking about mantras
specifically Hokai brings us through the three distinct dimensions of
mantra practices and shows us how we can understand and practice with
the basic mantra of "om"-"ah"-"hum."
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Vajrayana in Plain English.
