is a modern global Buddhist School for lay people. Its traditions can be traced back to the Daigoji branch of Shingon Buddhism. It was founded in 1936 by , and his wife in a suburb of metropolitan Tokyo, the city of Tachikawa, where its headquarters is still located.
The temples are characterised by the Nirvana image, a statue of the reclining Buddha. Central to Shinnyo-en is the belief, expressed in the MahÃÂyÃÂna MahÃÂparinirvÃÂá¹Âa Sà «tra, that all beings possess Buddha-nature, a natural, unfettered purity that can respond creatively and compassionately to any situation in life. As of 1989 the head of Shinnyo-en was Shinsà  Ità  (born 1942, also known as 'Keishu'), who holds the rank of Daisà Âjà Â, the highest rank in traditional Shingon Buddhism.
Shinnyo-en was established in 1936 by Shinjà  Ità  and his wife Tomoji in the Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa. In December 1935, Shinjà  Ità  and Tomoji Ità  had enshrined an image of Acala believed to have been sculpted by the renowned Buddhist sculptor Unkei and they began a 30-day period of winter austerities in early 1936. Tomoji cultivated her on February 4, inheriting it from her aunt.
In May 1936, Shinjà  Ità  was ordained by Daisà Âjà  and Chief Abbot Egen Saeki at Sanbà Â-in, a temple of the Daigo school of Shingon Buddhism. The Chief Abbot conferred to him the monastic name of Shinjà Â, meaning "True Vehicle", and the title of Kongà Â-in, which means "Vajra", in December 1938. Accordingly, he changed his name from Fumiaki Ità  to Shinjà  Ità  in April 1942.
The community was first named Risshà Â-kaku, then the Tachikawa Fellowship of Achala (Tachikawa Fudoson Kyokai, 1938âÂÂ1948). Formally registered in 1948 under the Religious Corporations Ordinance (Japanese: , enacted in 1945) the name changed to Sangha of Truth (Makoto-Kyodan) with Shinchà Â-ji as its Head Temple.
In spring of 1949, a young ambitious disciple, who worked in the temple office, filed formal charges against Shinjà  in 1950. He claimed he had been beaten during one of the sesshin trainings. Oishi, director of the Federation of New Religious Organisations of Japan, testified that sesshin training does not involve physical abuse, disproving the allegations.
The sangha was permitted to continue, but under a different name. It was reorganized and renamed Shinnyo-en on June 21, 1951, and Tomoji Ità  became its administrative head. After the revision of the Japanese Religious Corporation Act in April 1951, Shinnyo-en filed an application in the following year and received approval from the Minister of Education on May 16, 1953.
The first image of the reclining Nirvana Buddha, sculpted by Shinjà  Ità Â, was consecrated on November 3, 1957.
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, a Thai Buddhist temple, presented Shinnyo-en with à Âarëra (sacred relics of Lord Buddha) on July 30, 1966.
The first Shinnyo-en Sanctuary outside Japan was inaugurated on March 2, 1971 in Mililani, Hawaii, followed by the dedication of temples in Honolulu (1973), San Francisco (1982), Taiwan (1985), France (1985), Los Angeles (1990), Italy (1990), Belgium (1991), Hong Kong (1992), U.K. (1994), Germany (1994), Singapore (1994), and Australia (1999).
The principal sutras on which the Shinnyo teachings are based are the PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSutra, the Lotus Sutra and the MahÃÂyÃÂna MahÃÂparinirvÃÂá¹Âa Sà «tra. According to Shinnyo-en, the MahÃÂparinirvÃÂá¹Âa Sutra teaches four key points:
Junna Nakata, the 103rd Head Priest of Daigoji Monastery of the Shingon School, describes the teaching as follows:
The teachings integrate elements of traditional Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, cultural influences characteristic to Japanese Buddhism, as well as practices and rituals initiated by Shinjo Ito, the founder of Shinnyo-en.
The Shinnyo-en sangha is organised into âÂÂlineages" (Japanese: ), which consists of a group of members mentored by a "lineage parent" (Japanese: ). Practitioners usually gather at the temple and training centre for prayer, meditation and training, and, if they so wish, also at home meetings. The sangha as a whole encourages and participates in volunteer activities in the spirit of Buddhist practice.
The leadership in Shinnyo-en follows the Buddhist tradition of Dharma succession from master to disciple:
In 1982, Shinsà  Ità  (born 1942 as Masako Ità Â), the third daughter of Shinjà  and Tomoji, completed her Buddhist training. Shinjà  announced her to become his successor in 1983 and gave her the priestly name 'Shinsà Â'. After Shinjà Â's passing on July 19, 1989 Shinsà  Ità  becomes the head of Shinnyo-en. In 1992, Shinsà  Ità  was conferred Daisà Âjo, the highest priestly rank in traditional Shingon Buddhism, by the Daigo-ji Shingon Buddhist monastery. She also received an honorary doctorate from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University in Thailand in 2002 for her long-standing efforts to foster relations with Theravada Buddhism.
In Shinnyo-en's Dharma School (Japanese: ) members study Buddhist doctrine and learn ritualistic aspects. After graduating as a Dharma Teacher they can further qualify for undergoing Buddhist ordination (Japanese: ) and receiving traditional monastic ranks.
Shinnyo-en believes an individual's action can contribute to creating a harmonious society. Working towards this goal, the organization engages in interfaith dialogue, environmental activities, and disaster relief. Shinnyo-en also supports organizations such as Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), the Red Cross Society, and the World Wildlife Fund.
In an interview conducted by the Tricycle magazine, Shinso Ito stated:
Shinnyo-en also operates the Hanzomon Museum in Tokyo.
Shinnyo-en practitioners are encouraged to practice sesshin training and undertake the , which are a distillation of the six PÃÂramitÃÂ taught by Shakyamuni Buddha.
are:
Concretely, this means abiding by the principles of the Teachings, participating in volunteer activities, and donating small sums of money.
Sesshin (the word is composed of the two Chinese characters, "touch" and "heart") is the central element of spiritual practice for Shinnyo practitioners. This is not to be confused with the sesshin in Zen Buddhism. Whereas in Zen Buddhism, sesshin refers to a period of intensive meditation, with many hours of meditation each day, sesshin in Shinnyo-en has an entirely different meaning.
A sesshin involves receiving guidance from a , a person who has been specially trained and cultivated the Shinnyo . Sesshin lasts for about three minutes per person, and in most cases, takes place at a Shinnyo-en temple. Its purpose is to enable participants to identify and transmute karmic impediments, develop their Buddha nature, and cultivate permanence, bliss, self and purity, i.e., enlightenment.
Practitioners have the opportunity to further their practice by studying at Shinnyo-en's dharma school. After three years of classes and fulfilling various requirements, including passing a written test and assessment of everyday practice, they are granted priestly ranks (å§é sokai) and become dharma teachers.
According to the Shinnyo-en website they practice water and fire ceremonies. "While most traditional Buddhist fire rituals focus on personal purification and awakening, the Shinnyo-en ceremony is dedicated to awakening people to their innate compassionate and altruistic nature, transcending all boundaries of age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, and religious tradition, and directing the positive energy of the ceremony outward with the hope that all people can live in a world of hope and harmony."
Through mindful observance of events in daily life (muso sesshin), practitioners are encouraged to reflect on themselves and develop loving-kindness, compassion, equanimity and joy.
Shinnyo-en practitioners in pursuing the Path to Nirvana vow to abide by the Five Precepts (Pali: pañca-sëlÃÂni) and follow the Noble Eightfold Path, although no reference can be found of Shinnyo-en teaching Right Mindfulness, nor Right Concentration, these being the last two steps on the Eightfold Path and those which contain traditional Buddhist meditation practice.
By learning to identify with others (or "place oneself in the shoes of another"), practitioners aim to cultivate the virtues of a bodhisattva.
Traditional ceremonies, derived from Shingon BuddhismâÂÂmany of which can be traced back to ancient Vedic and Hindu ceremoniesâÂÂare an important aspect of Shinnyo Buddhist practice. Rituals are used as means to purify the mind, awaken compassion, or to express gratitude for the chance to develop oneself and practice the Buddhist teachings.
Prayers for ancestors and departed souls, such as the Lantern Floating ceremony, and O-bon (Sanskrit: Ullambana), are believed to also help cultivate kindness and compassion within practitioners.
With the wish of creating cultural harmony and understanding, Her Holiness Shinso Ito, Head Priest of Shinnyo-en, officiated the inaugural Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony on Memorial Day, 1999.
Traditional fire ceremonies such as homa are performed to help practitioners overcome obstacles that hinder their spiritual progress and liberation.