24 Apr Kūkai: Japanese Spiritual Traditions
The philosophy and teachings of Kūkai are another tradition that has been identified as sex-positive, although it cannot be said that it was. Kūkai lived in the 9th Century and was a Japanese Buddhist monk. Yuasa (1987) stated that while there was no theoretical analysis of sexuality, Kūkai’s teachings were an attempt to break through the darkness of carnal desire. He identified desire, hatred, and ignorance as the three poisons, and felt he needed to protect his body from the “mud of the five desires.” Similarly to Saivic tantric ideas, he felt enlightenment could be reached through the transcendence and sublimation of sexual energy. The central idea was to become a buddha through the cultivation of the body away from its natural tendencies.
Legend states that Kũkai introduced homosexuality to Japan (I do not understand how someone could “introduce homosexuality” – hasn’t it always existed?). This legend appears in at least three texts (Schalow, 1992) but cannot be taken as fact because Kũkai’s life was shrouded in mystery. However, this interpretation of his work affirmed same-sex relations between men and boys in monasteries in a similar vein as seen previously in the work of Kripal. This introduced a unique “priestly mode” of male homosexual practice.
© 2024 Catherine Auman
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