The distinction made in Japanese Buddhism between "open teachings" (kengyô) and "secret teachings" (mikkyô) is often seen as the crucial element in the classification of different currents of Japanese Buddhism. The typology of the esoteric (mikkyô), however, did not remain static through the centuries. Already in the Heian period it was subject to transformations and evolutions, which affected the very understanding of the boundaries between kengyô and mikkyô. A discussion existed within Buddhist circles on the nature of the esoteric and on which teachings possessed "esoteric" qualities. One interesting outcome of such reevaluation was the enlargement of the category mikkyô, by which teachings originally classified as exoteric were given the status of esoteric teachings. These semantic and hermeneutical operations confront us with the pressing question of what should be understood as the defining element(s) of the esoteric.
This paper aims at reconsidering the meaning of mikkyô in the Heian and mediaeval periods, focusing on the distinctive construction of the esoteric operated in Taimitsu (Tendai esoteric Buddhism). It first looks at how Tendai scholar-monks reformulated the "secret teachings" by employing concepts of "secret" (himitsu) and "three mysteries" (sanmitsu) previously elaborated in the (exoteric) Chinese Tiantai tradition. Secondly, it looks at the major elements of the esoterization of the Lotus Sutra, which may be considered the characteristic of the Taimitsu discourse on the esoteric, and it presents one example of the liturgical application of this discourse, the hokkehô, that is, the esoteric ritual of the Lotus. This practice, today little known among esoteric specialists, enjoyed great popularity in the mediaeval period, within and outside Taimitsu circles, and was also part of the liturgies performed for the worship of the kami of Mt. Hiei, the Sannô deities.
Lucia Dolce is chair at the Centre for the Study of Japanese Religion, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London