Ryōbu Shintō understands enlightenment through a consciously blended Shintō–Buddhist vision. The basic framework remains that of Mahāyāna and esoteric Buddhism: awakening is a radical realization of ultimate reality, a seeing-through of duality and the recognition of one’s identity with the cosmic Buddha, especially Dainichi Nyorai. At the same time, this realization is not set over against the world of nature and ritual, but is discovered within it. The world of seasons, land, and community is viewed as already permeated by sacred presence, so that enlightenment does not mean fleeing this world but discerning its true, Buddha-natured character.

Within this synthesis, the kami occupy a central place. Ryōbu Shintō adopts the honji suijaku perspective, according to which Buddhas and bodhisattvas are the original ground, while the kami are their trace manifestations. To awaken is therefore to recognize that the deities revered in shrines and landscapes are expressions of the same ultimate reality that Buddhism names in figures such as Dainichi. Worship of the kami, when understood in this light, becomes a legitimate and effective path toward Buddhist enlightenment, rather than a separate or competing religious aim.

This vision also reinterprets traditional Shintō concerns such as ritual purity, harmony with nature, and the pursuit of blessings in this life. Practices of purification and reverence for the natural order are seen as preparatory disciplines that refine perception and disposition, making the mind receptive to deeper realization. Earthly benefits and protection are not dismissed, but they are treated as partial or preliminary expressions of a more profound awakening that transcends ordinary suffering. In this way, the sacred and the secular, the visible landscape and the invisible mandala, are drawn together into a single field of practice and insight.

Ultimately, enlightenment in Ryōbu Shintō is a non-dual realization that the everyday world of kami, mountains, shrines, and human communities is already the dynamic display of the cosmic Buddha. The sacred geography of Japan, in this view, functions as a living mandala in which each feature can serve as a gateway to understanding ultimate reality. To awaken is to see that the divine presence honored in Shintō and the wisdom sought in Buddhism are two aspects of one reality, and to live in accordance with that insight.