Practicing the “Threefold Mystery”: Rethinking a Shingon Ritual from Dichotomy to Dialectic
Journal of Contemplative Studies November 19, 2024 Richard Payne
Academic study of Buddhism has long prioritized doctrine over practice, but the relationship between them remains poorly understood. A common trope treats tantric practice as a separate ritual technology independent of doctrinal formulation, creating a false dichotomy. This essay argues that dichotomizing doctrine and practice is methodologically dysfunctional and proposes a dialectical relationship instead, illustrated by the Buddhist image of "the two wings of a bird." The argument is explored through examination of a Shingon homa ritual, showing how practice and doctrine are interdependent rather than autonomous.