What is Shugendō?
The term "Shugendō" (修験道) is written with three characters: "cultivating," "effects (of practice), and "way." We might string this together in English as "A path of cultivating spiritual effectiveness," or, more colloquially "The way of becoming spiritually useful."
This "way" is exemplified by the semi-legendary founder of the tradition, a 7th-century figure called En no Ozunu. Written historical information on En is sparse, but contemporaneous records recount that he lived in modern-day Nara Prefecture at the foot of a mountain now called Mt. Kongō, and that he developed a following as a healer and sorcerer, capable of binding spirits do his bidding. This power earned him the suspicion of the Imperial Court, and he was eventually banished to an island off the coast of modern-day Tōkyō.
Though this sketch of En's life in the records leaves much to be desired, we can assume from the rapid development of local devotion to him that he was beloved by the people in his area. Why might this be?
As we can see from En's reputation as both a skilled apothecary and what we might now call a faith healer, people of the past expected a healer to be able to address both the physical and spiritual aspect of an illness. Healers were, then, a combination of the priest, physician, pharmacist, and social worker, respected, and even feared, for their unusual skills. Their interaction with numinous powers in the mountains, then viewed as the realm of spirits and deities, gave them firsthand knowledge of how to cozy up to and, when necessary, subdue the non-human powers that cause misfortune. Their experience fending for themselves in the wilderness gave them unparalleled understanding of the mountains' herbs and creatures. Their seasonal wandering to places of power meant regular stops at villages where access to such knowledge might have been scarce. In other words, En was an eminently helpful person to all he met.
This basic portrait of En, equal parts hermit and healer, is what gyōja ("practitioners") of Shugendō aim for; training in communion with nature gives us what's necessary to interact as a spiritually useful member of our communities. En no Gyōja, as he later came to be known, was himself born at the end of two centuries of heavy cultural diffusion from mainland China which had revolutionized Japanese art, culture, and religion. His legends have him retreating deep into the mountains like a Daoist sage, accompanied by helping spirits who aid in his practice of esoteric Buddhist rituals. Though we cannot be certain of the extent to which this eclecticism reflects En no Ozunu as a historical figure, disciples of his Way have drawn from indigenous Japanese religions (collectively known as Shintō, the way of the Kami), traditions from mainland East Asia such as Daoism, and Buddhism, especially the ritual approach of the Shingon and Tendai schools.
Due to regional and historical factors, Shugendō practitioners have continually approached the tradition with varying degrees of emphasis on each of these aspects, making it very difficult to pin down a definition for it. There is no "one true Shugendō," only a set of traditions with the shared characteristic of pursuing wisdom by interacting with nature as a sacred space, and implementing that wisdom on behalf of others. The similarity of this approach to that of Mahayana Buddhism meant that Shugendō was sometimes regarded as a third path alongside Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism. Many practitioners, including myself, practice both Shugendō and Buddhism; in both history and in individual practice, the two traditions influence, deepen, and reinforce one another to their mutual benefit.
We can say, however, that Shugendō is a tradition that values firsthand experience and transformation above all else, so rather than getting bogged down in these details, let me share the advice my teacher gave me when I asked how I should get started on the Way of Cultivating Effectiveness:
"Go outside, even a park near your house is fine, and listen to the birds, the wind; tune into nature."
In a world where technology and consumerism have left us so alienated from nature and our place in it, starting with the basics in this way is essential. On this site, you'll find articles about Shugendō practice, thought, and history to help you integrate this incredible tradition into your own daily life on behalf of others.