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Ennin
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== Thought == [[File:SIDDHAM_LETTER_A.svg|thumb|Letter A in [[Siddhaṃ script|Siddham]] script]] Ennin played a crucial role in developing the Esoteric Buddhist tradition within Japanese Tendai Buddhism, known as Taimitsu (台密). Drawing from his experiences studying in Tang China, Ennin sought to expand and refine the Esoteric teachings that Saichō had introduced but left incomplete.<ref name=":74">Asai Endō 浅井円道, [https://jstone.mycpanel2.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Asai-End%C5%8D.Lotus-Sutra-as-the-Core-of-Japanese-Buddhism-2014.pdf "The Lotus Sutra as the Core of Japanese Buddhism Shifts in Representations of its Fundamental Principle."] ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' 41/1: 45–64 © 2014 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture</ref> Central to Ennin's Esoteric metaphysics was his theory that [[A in Buddhism|the syllable "A"]], as the foundational vowel in the [[Sanskrit]] alphabet, represented the ultimate reality that is [[Anutpada|unborn]] and undying. This reality is equated with the inner enlightenment of the cosmic Buddha [[Vairocana|Mahāvairocana]] (Jp. Dainichi, 大日), the central figure in [[Chinese Esoteric Buddhism|East Asian Esoteric Buddhism]].<ref name=":7">Asai Endō 浅井円道, [https://jstone.mycpanel2.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Asai-End%C5%8D.Lotus-Sutra-as-the-Core-of-Japanese-Buddhism-2014.pdf "The Lotus Sutra as the Core of Japanese Buddhism Shifts in Representations of its Fundamental Principle."] ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' 41/1: 45–64 © 2014 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture</ref> Ennin identified the syllable "A" as the scriptural essence of key Esoteric texts such as the ''[[Vajrasekhara Sutra|Vajraśekhara-sūtra]]'' and the ''[[Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra|Mahāvairocana-sūtra]]''. In his commentary on the ''Vajraśekhara-sūtra'', he declared that the syllable "A" unified the sutra's diverse meanings. Citing the ''Mahāvairocana'', Ennin maintained that the Esoteric teachings in their entirety are encapsulated by the syllable "A." He asserted that this syllable is the source of all phenomena, and in response to differing conditions, it manifests either as the enlightened realm symbolized by Esoteric [[Mandala|mandalas]] or as the realm of delusion experienced by ordinary beings. This framework echoes [[Saichō|Saichō's]] doctrine of "Suchness according with conditions," in which ultimate reality manifests itself in response to changing circumstances.<ref name=":72">Asai Endō 浅井円道, [https://jstone.mycpanel2.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Asai-End%C5%8D.Lotus-Sutra-as-the-Core-of-Japanese-Buddhism-2014.pdf "The Lotus Sutra as the Core of Japanese Buddhism Shifts in Representations of its Fundamental Principle."] ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' 41/1: 45–64 © 2014 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture</ref> Ennin further linked the "A" syllable to the differentiated expressions of truth symbolized by the various sounds and characters in Buddhist [[Mantra|mantras]]. He claimed that the single syllable "A" expands into all syllables, reflecting the principle that [[Tathātā|Suchness]] manifests in accordance with conditions.<ref name=":73">Asai Endō 浅井円道, [https://jstone.mycpanel2.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Asai-End%C5%8D.Lotus-Sutra-as-the-Core-of-Japanese-Buddhism-2014.pdf "The Lotus Sutra as the Core of Japanese Buddhism Shifts in Representations of its Fundamental Principle."] ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' 41/1: 45–64 © 2014 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture</ref> In the question-and-answer section of his commentary, Ennin affirmed that the Buddha's enlightened realm—depicted in the [[Diamond Realm|vajra realm]] mandala—is established through the conditioned arising of the [[Dharmadhatu|dharma-realm]], which itself embodies dharma-nature. Here, Ennin emphasized that the syllable "A" manifests in accordance with conditions to produce the phenomenal world. He further maintained that this understanding aligned with the Tendai doctrine of the [[Buddha-nature]] of insentient beings (cf. [[Zhanran]]), reinforcing the idea that all things participate in the ultimate reality of Suchness according with conditions.<ref name=":73" />
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