“Hate never dispels hate. Only love dispels hate. This is the law, ancient and inexhaustible” (Dhammapada 3–5). These golden words of Shakyamuni Buddha came to me as I witnessed the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s marvelous performance of Symphony Kūkai on 30 January 2026.
The concert was held at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre, a large performing arts venue in the centre of Britain’s capital, beside the River Thames. It marks the second visit of Symphony Kūkai to London, a concert having previously been held in 2024.
The symphony is a tribute to and meditation on the works of Grand Master Kukai—an eighth century Japanese monk best known in Japan as the founder of Shingon-shu, the primary Esoteric Buddhist school in Japan. Related to the more globally well-known Esoteric Buddhism of Tibet, or Vajrayana, Shingon emphasizes accomplishing union with a particular buddha through the use of mudra, mantra, and meditation.
Although the symphony is conducted by the Japanese maestro Takuo Yuasa (himself a Shingon practitioner), it is primarily a Chinese product. It was produced by Beijing Tianguzhiyin Culture Media, composed by Zou Ye (resident composer at the China Philharmonic Orchestra), was first performed in Beijing in 2023, and features a choral accompaniment to the music in Mandarin Chinese. The symphony was originally commissioned in part to celebrate the 1,250th anniversary of the birth of Kukai. Another motivation was to bring raise awareness in China of Kūkai, who travelled to Tang dynasty China in 804 CE, where he was initiated into Esoteric Buddhism.
In light of the fraught relationship between the two East Asian countries, particularly strained in the past few months, the togetherness exhibited by Symphony Kūkai was deeply heartening. Speaking to a volunteer helping to organize the event, it was clear that I was not alone in thinking along these lines. The Buddha’s compassion, as relayed by venerable teachers such as Grand Master Kukai, embraces all beings without regard for ethnic or national divisions. This was elegantly expressed that January night by the Chinese, Japanese and British elements in coming together to pay tribute to Kukai.
The evening’s program opened with a 20-minute talk from Emeritus Professor Ursula Tidd, a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order ordained with the name Dharmakarunya. Prof. Tidd first gave a brief presentation of the biography of Shakyamuni Buddha for the benefit of the non-Buddhists in the audience (of whom I expect there were many, the hall was full with a diversity of ethnicities represented, and less than 1 per cent of London is Buddhist). Thereafter, she gave a longer exposition of the life and significance of Grand Master Kukai. Consonant with our theme, she emphasized that Kukai had not only transmitted Esoteric Buddhism to Japan, but also important elements of Chinese culture.
Thereafter followed some brief but very moving words from Wen Wei, a representative of Tianguzhiyin. It was clear from Wen’s words and tone that she had been deeply moved by Kukai’s spiritual mission, although if she is herself a Shingon Buddhist (or a Buddhist of any description) I do not know.
The symphony was comprised of six movements without an intermission, lasting a total of 90 minutes. Each movement is dedicated to an important phase of Kukai’s remarkable life, as communicated by the lyrics of the Chinese chorus and the elaborations of the concert program.
The first movement represents young Kukai’s early Buddhist practices. The second movement is dedicated to his initiation into Esoteric Buddhism in Tang China. The third movement follows the masters return to Japan and his establishment of Shingon-shu. The fourth movement depicts his final years when, rather than dying, he entered a deep state of meditation in which he will abide until the coming of Maitreya. The fifth movement is a celebration of Kukai’s spiritual and secular legacy. The sixth and final movement summarizes the import of the Grand Master’s life as a whole as an instantiation of the great bodhisattva vow to liberate all beings from samsara.
I am in no position to evaluate Symphony Kūkai as a piece of music. It was very enjoyable and many passages of the symphony had a cinematic quality. It was also evident that traditional Japanese musical elements had been blended into the otherwise Western orchestra. I was also told that there were Chinese elements in the composition, but I could not detect these beyond the choir’s use of Mandarin. I do not possess the requisite familiarity with this kind of music to judge the quality of the performance from a technical perspective. However, as it was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (joined by some visiting musicians from China) there is no doubt that it was played to a very high standard.
Thematically, however, I can offer some more meaningful comment. It is clear that the relationship between Kukai and his Chinese master, Huiguo, is foregrounded in the symphony. The lyrics of Movement II consists entirely of a quote from Master Huiguo, while the final movement notes that Kukai and Huiguo encountered each other in many lifetimes, alternating in the master and student roles. Here we encounter the symphony’s theme of the Buddhadharma transcending boundaries. We also see how the Buddha’s universal compassion has helped forge bonds across borders, for example between Chinese and Japanese. We see this in masters Kukai and Huiguo’s relationship, and in the fact of a Chinese production being conducted by a Japanese maestro.
The volunteer organiser I spoke to mentioned a prophecy that as Esoteric Buddhism had been transmitted from China to Japan, it would one day be returned from Japan to China. Esoteric Buddhism having subsequently disappeared from China, some Chinese Buddhists have turned to Shingon as a kind of time capsule of this form of the Dharma. Awereness of Kukai in China has also been on the rise in recent years due to the success of the 2017 film Legend of the Demon Cat, a fantastical fictionalized account of Kukai’s journey to China. One sincerely hopes that Symphony Kūkai contributes to the international propagation of Shingon shu and to mutual understanding and fraternity between China and Japan.
Related features from BDG
A Tale of Wonder and Transformation: Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion
Religion as Practice: The Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan
Related news reports from BDG
Royal Festival Hall to Host Esoteric Buddhism-themed Concert in January
Japan’s Koyasan Temple Complex Hosts Two-Month Celebration of Buddhism and Art
