Myoe Kōben (明恵) (1173-1232) was a Japanese Buddhist monk active during the Kamakura period. He was originally ordained in the Shingon school, although in the latter half of his career he served as abbot of Kōzanji, a temple of the Kegon sect. In Medieval Japan it was not uncommon for monks to be ordained in multiple sectarian lineages, and Myōe alternately signed his treatises and correspondence as a monk of either school through much of his career. Myōe is perhaps most famous for his contributions to the practice and dissemination of the Mantra of Light, a scripture associated with Shingon Buddhism. Myōe also kept a journal of his dreams that was held in high regard by later Japanese Buddhists. During his lifetime he was a scathing critic of Pure Land Buddhism, which was developing under the influence of Myōe's contemporary Honen.

See also

• Schools of Buddhism
• Japanese Buddhism
• Shingon
• Kegon

References

• Mark Unno: Shingon Refractions: Myōe and the Mantra of Light. Somerville MA, USA: Wisdom Publications, 2004 ISBN 0-86171-390-7