Dancing the doctrine: honji suijaku thought in kagura performances

Abstract

In order to transmit his doctrine to the multitude of sentient beings, the Buddha preached his principle of upåya, skillful means. This principle stands behind the doctrinal claim, found especially in Mahayanic scriptures, that the Dharma can be taught not only through language but by means of all the senses, even directly from mind to mind. The idea of translating the Dharma into physical manifestations, among them dance and drama, is thus very old in Buddhism, and has been expressed in a rich variety of Buddhist arts and rituals throughout the ages.1 This chapter traces the influence of esoteric Buddhist ideas on the deep structure of the native Japanese kagura dance tradition. I will try to illustrate here how a complicated Buddhist doctrine like that of esoteric Buddhism was preached to the common people through the non-verbal medium of dance.