Sinhyo-en

Sinnyo-En ( Jap. 真如苑 ) is a Buddhist order based on the "last teaching" of Buddha Gautama. The purpose of the teaching is to make the essence of Buddha’s enlightenment accessible by all means by cultivating in the hearts of every harmony and spirit of altruism inherent in the Mahayana. Sinhyo-En was originally created for the laity, but its practices and training are rooted in sacred Buddhism, accessible only to a narrow circle of followers.

Content

History

Shinyo-En was founded by a follower of Shingon Shinjou Ito and his wife Tomoji. Desiring to live for the sake of saving people, Ito Founder went through the training of Daigodzi, in the main temple of Daigo School, Shingon School. There he mastered all the training, getting the title Great Acharya ("Great Teacher").

Today Sinhyo-En is the only religious order whose canons (doctrines) and practices are based on the Mahaparanirvana-sutra.

Training

In Buddhism, there are many types of training that help cleanse oneself, comprehend wisdom and a higher mind, in other words, achieve enlightenment and salvation. In Shinjou Ito, basic daily training is known as the Three Practices. They help us cleanse our body, speech and mind. In addition to these practices, there is still meditation and doctrine study.

Three Practices

The Three Practices are Kangi, Gohoshi and Otasuke. They are the essence of the Six Paramit that are practiced in traditional Buddhism.

Kangi implies offerings filled with joy and is associated with the cleansing of the mind. Gohoshi means "service" and is associated with cleansing the body. Usually, performing Gokhoshi, the followers of Sinhyo-en voluntarily clean and clean the temple area. Otasuke means transferring knowledge and teachings to others in order to bring them to the Buddha; Otasuke is associated with speech purification.

Meditation

Sinhyo-nn practices meditation called sesshin. Zen Buddhism also has the practice of sesshin meditation. However, in Sinhyo-En, sesshin is carried out in a relatively short period of time and with the help of spiritual mediums (Jap. Renosya), which become for the practitioner a "mirror" reflecting his inner world. Everyone, having completed a series of training in meditation, can become a spiritual medium to help other followers more fully realize their karma and come to the true essence of Buddha.

At Sinnyo-En, temple training is combined with everyday life — life in the community, in the family, at work. This is an important and integral part of the practice, which leads to understanding and gaining true wisdom.

Special Meditations

Continuing the practice, those who wish to go further in their searches can devote their efforts to attending a special meditation - eza. During the Eze, the heart and mind are freed to attain a higher level of enlightenment. During this training, a practitioner can become a medium, a true follower of the Buddha, selflessly serving the good of others. Everyone has the opportunity to achieve a similar level, but each practitioner’s path is special and individual.

Doctrine Studies

In addition to meditations, selected followers can also attend a divine school where they will gain a deeper understanding of the essence of Buddha's compassion. Students study Buddhist doctrines and become initiated into the esoteric aspects of Sinho En teachings. After leaving school, graduates are given a spiritual title and formally they take a vow as followers of the Buddha. Such training was not only a privilege for many, but in Sinhyo-En, whose teaching is adapted for the laity, they became available to a wider circle of people.

Order Structure

In Sinhyo-En, everyone is associated with teaching through a “spiritual mentor.” He is a person who represents him or her in the Order and helps a new follower in practice. When the Order was still insignificant in size, Founder Ito and his wife directly led followers, helping them to feel like members of a large family. However, with the growing number of followers, this has become impossible, and now the “spiritual mentors” are responsible for their “spiritual children” in gaining the mercy of the Buddha.

Such relationships help both spiritual mentors and their spiritual children in studying the doctrine, in gaining a deeper understanding of it and better ways of practice. Through spiritual mentors, the Order is divided into groups - “lines” in order to maintain the same warmth of relationship that was inherent in the community in the days of the foundation of the Order.

Order Today

Today, the followers of the Order practice all over the world and their venues are concentrated wherever they worship the teachings - in the USA, Europe and Asia. From the main temple in Japan, the order is led by Shinso Ito (Keishu-sama), who went through all the training under the guidance of the Founder and inherited His knowledge and spiritual gift. Keishu-sama is assisted by Shinre-sama (Yoshu-sama), the deputy head of Sinhyo-en.