I thought some explanation might be needed here.
This is a personal path based on the Kuji-in or 9 Syllable Seals which is a meditation.
Kuji-in refers to the nine mudras or hand gestures made.
This is an esoteric form that involves multiple religious paths and pathworkings.
It origin was first in India within Buddhism, then into Chinese traditional religion before being refined even further within Japanese Zen Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, Shugendo and even Shinto - so - therefore it is an adapted, syncretic system already with diverse cultural elements involved in the path. In this, it is not only multi-cultural and syncretic but also interpretative.
There are no strict dogmatic scriptures or established doctrines as such as there are in the established mainstream monotheistic beliefs and faiths for one to follow directly as strict guidance or guidelines.
Kuji-in lends itself more to shamanistic practices, elemental animism and polytheist doctrinal regions from my own observations although it is based in Buddhist traditions.
There may have been many writings on it in past, but these have been lost, deliberately hidden or concealed over time.
We do know that the mudras and mantras that established the 9 Syllable Seals have been recorded and written about throughout history.
One of the bases of the seals is contained within the so-called Mandala of the Two Realms or the Ryōkai mandara. One of the other formative bases is in Vajrayāna Buddhism also known as Tantric Buddhism.
Vajrayana is a complex and multifaceted system which evolved over several centuries. One of the distinctive feature of Vajrayana Buddhism is ritual, which is used as a substitute or alternative for the earlier abstract meditations.
Vajrayana Buddhism is esoteric, meaning that the transmission of certain teachings only occurs directly from initiation or empowerment and cannot be simply learned from a book. According to the Vajrayana tradition, for instance at certain times the bodymind is in a very subtle state which can be used by advanced practitioners to transform the mindstream. Such liminal times are known in Tibetan Buddhism as Bardo states and include such transitional states as during meditation, dreaming, sex and death.
This itself, while certainly interesting and compelling as background - is not the essence of the modern contemporary Kuji-in form or path however in my own opinion.
This is not the resurrecting of an ancient religion or path.
Its historical elements are worth usage as a visual aesthetic or intellectual stimulus perhaps, but the path itself is based firmly in the contemporary and now.
It involves certain venerations or observances - but not excessive bowing, grovelling genuflections or bent-kneed adorations and worship as such.
This older ideal, I feel is not its contemporary essence at all and we are empowered as physical and psychic beings to define it as it is a dynamic not a static thing. It changes from age to age and from time frame to time frame.
The essence of the Kuji-in form or path is to build a potent spiritual power and presence and to develop physical/mental self-control and mastery within the practitioner through exercises involving meditation, the use of mudras, mantras, mandalas and specific empowerment of symbols - and the linking of those concepts to the Kuji Kiri grid and the use of the mudras or hand gestures.
It is the development of the highest and most potent and potentially dangerous of magical and occult skills - consciously willed acts of magick and spellcasting by hand gestures and the active kinetic projection of astral/psychic thoughtforms.
This, is the creation of a modern unique, esoteric spiritual form.
I hesitate in using the term "religion" however instead preferring to define it as an esoteric philosophy with a spiritual basis, and I personally believe that direct experience or gnosis is far better than dry transmission of explicative lengthy doctrines and outdated, outmoded, invalid dogmatic religious tenets.
The Kuji-in provides a firm biophysical and a corresponding psychic framework for building upon with its focus in exercises upon the chakras, meridians and neural power centers within the body.
That being said one must also acknowledge that man requires spiritual ritual or some measure of psychodrama and circumstance, and that this too must have some element within the path itself. Ritual is required to bring substance and visual stimulus to forms and esoteric conceptualizations.
In this regard I am drawing upon certain thoughts, tenets and aesthetic concepts from Shinto, Tibetan Buddhism, Japanese Zen Buddhism, Vedic influences as well as various neo-pagan elements and my own experiences, occult and esoteric influences and aesthetics. Ritual is important and it should mean something to the practitioner in a deeply subjective sense.
A ritual should be something emotionally compelling, yet relatively simple in approach. One can have a complicated ritual schedule - or something more flexible and adaptable in its approach. Something simple - yet potent.
This is a tenet of Zen Buddhism and its numerous koans for instance well worth consideration insofar as its general purpose.
Since the path is based within an esoteric discovery approach of gnosis or direct knowledge through praxis the first place to start is within a set of exercises, forms or katas as in martial arts for instance. The practitioner within Kuji-in is a majutsushi which means in Japanese "ma = pure, jutsu = art, shi = user. "A user of the pure art" literally.
I have a working progress PDF that starts with kata one and progresses through successive katas or exercises with key concepts and instructional interspersed.
Kuji-in is based upon the seal mudras or symbolic kiri or "cuts" in each of the specific hand gestures.
However, the first place to start is in empowering the hands before beginning to memorize and master the kuji-kiri mudras and mantras.
It is important to first learn with a specific formalized form. This is where the esoteric portion begins to manifest or form a strong gnosis within the practitioner.
This while simple sounding, is at least a year's worth of regular exercises to begin to see its long term potential.
It requires dedication on the part of the majutsushi to perform the katas regularly and engage themselves.
Since the path itself is anchored in mudras and the use of hand gestures - this is the first logical place to begin - in empowering the hands. One has to be patient and persevere in this, as it is easy to become distracted or lose interest and initiative. This is a distinct problem with many religious paths in fact.
One should learn each kata in depth and in turn - as these will become part of an overall routine of exercises performed regularly. It is easy to adapt the katas as the mudras or the walking meditation can be performed in any place at any time and in almost any circumstances.
In fact real-life situations of stress or anxiety for instance are the best place and moment to practice the exercises.
One does not need nor require some idealistic spot or time for these forms.
Indeed, they were meant to calm the nerves of ancient warriors before they went into battle in their earliest formative periods of use. They are active and kinetic.
This is one of the tenets of bushido - "the way of the warrior" - a mental discipline and mindset meant specifically to overcome hardship, loss, fear, panic, anxiety and trepidation, although I hasten to add that this particular application is not a physical martial art, but rather a philosophical and spiritual development - one could say a "magical" craftwork practice so to speak. Some martial artists utilize kuji-in within their practice and development, but this is a more psychic and occult development and application of the form itself.
As one begins to practice the forms or katas, I feel it is critical for the practitioner to hand build and begin to craft a specific kuji-in altar.
This is the kamidana altar.
The term "kamidana" is respectfully borrowed from Shinto and means "spirit house" which to me is a perfect terminology for an altar.
Collecting the materials and constructing it is an exercise in and of itself.
The creation and crafting of a magical tool, amulet or object is a potent exercise indeed.
Whilst mental and physical exercises are emphasized and of primary importance an altar provides a visible physical material basis - vis a vis - a three dimensional manifestation outwardly of the practice and path. It is an item of potency or touchstone of focus, a place to meditate, perform rituals, katas and practice and develop relaxation of the mind and body. It is a physical object that becomes empowered with its own unique "kami" or spirit as it is used over time and as such is intimately linked to the practitioner. It becomes an amplifier, a foci, a psychic battery or storage of esoteric and psychic energies.
Here is a summation the current tentative material basis of Tenchi Kuji-In
1. Kuji-Kiri - the Nine Symbolic Cuts - the mudras and associated empowering mantras that accompany each hand gesture. This is the core practice and goal of mastery. This requires meditation as well as the physical practice and memorization of the mudras, mantras and asssociated chakras.
2. Development and cultivation of the knowledge of various earth elemental kami or spirits. The kamidana altar is meant as the symbolic "home" of the kami or spirit that the practitioner will cultivate a personal relationship with and develop a knowledge of over time and praxis. Many nature-based elements can be taken and suggested from the neo-pagan paths on this topic.
3. Incense rituals - this is borrowed from Japanese Shinto as well as pagan belief systems, and is the use of specific scents for specific purposes and learning the identification of the incense and its mystical correspondances. This too has connectives to neo-paganism practices such as candle magic, and scrying.
4. Chado - this is a modified tea ritual. The form here is simplified from the Japanese version, but it contains the same meditative purposes and earth elemental correspondances. It may sound odd, but it is a potent meditative practice that develops a calm, poised mind in the face of hardship and adversity. I also plan on developing a divinatory method within this.
5. Sigilization - This relates directly to kuji-kiri and the creation of empowered objects and seals. The practitioner should have some familiarity with this concept already or should become educated in the formation of compound magical sigils, bindrunes etc. Various candle magic techniques are important to know in this regard. Some knowledge of shodo or Japanese calligraphy is good to cultivate at least topically in this regard.
6. Scrying/Divination - this element of Kuji-in is dynamic. It will change and adapt and is likely to vary from practitioner to practitioner. It has relation to a couple of the kuji-kiri mudras. There is no set in stone method - but is a process of trial and error, and the 'in-vivo' testing of various methods within the context of the path itself.
I have my own preferred methods and it is a matter of bringing them within the overall contextual setting.
7. Zazen - this is seated meditation. This is important, but so is what is termed the walking meditation. Meditation is a very critical portion of kuji-in. This will be addressed as to form in the PDF book.
8. Sakazuke ritual - the ritual form for this is still under development. The intent of the ritual is the partaking of a drink and forming a ritual bond with someone or something. This will have some similarities to the chado or tea ritual.
The origins of this ritual are from Shinto practices.
9. Dai Kongou- this is an advanced practice - that interlaces kuji-in with the creation of an empowered sigil. The Dai Kongou is a compound seal that uses the kuji-in symbols as well as other glyphs to create a potent personal talisman or power object through deliberate empowering exercises or the use of malas - that is to say specific numbers or repetitions of mantras. In essence The Dai Kongou In is an image comprising various Japanese kanji and images, all drawn with black ink on paper typically. Each kanji and image is a symbol representing a spiritual concept. It is a part of the regular practice of the majutsushi. The Dai Kongou practice consists in invoking various spiritual forces and concepts that have been previously empowered in the user.
10. The development of specific tantric practices or rituals. This is an intermediate practice that will be written of in future - although the forms or katas will lend some suggestions as to the specific tantra forms.
11. The Ordeal - this is a critical ritual for the majutsushi practitioner.
It will vary from person to person in intensity, but is the undertaking of a real challenge. This is where the practice, katas and formations begin manifest upon the material planes and in the life of the practitioner.
This is where "the rubber hits the road" in plain terms.
As an aside, in my own strong opinion - almost all of the mainstream religions have far too many soft "adherents" who simply pay little more than meaningless lip service to their so-called faiths without any real demonstrations of that faith in real "put your money where your mouth is" terms.
One's faith should not be something that is spoken of annoyingly and arrogantly foisted upon and preached at others for the sake of appearances.
It should be something that is self-evident and observable in the person's life and actions - or - it is nothing but hollow and empty word and vile, false. foul-mouthed hypocrisy concealing an imperfect, insecure and weak individual.
Kuji-kiri is the exact opposite of such things in contrast.
An ordeal could take many forms and multiple working. It is making a difficult and challenging goal and achieving that goal.
There are no real limitations upon it I would say. For some it may be learning a particular thing. For others it might involve some manifestation of difficult personal self-mastery over a bad habit or personal trait.
Others it may involve physical pain and bloodletting.
It may be all of these. This takes a good deal of self introspection.
It is the taking up of a challenge, setting a goal and then focusing upon its achievement, through the direct application of techniques that one is learning and developing.
This is a personal path based on the Kuji-in or 9 Syllable Seals which is a meditation.
Kuji-in refers to the nine mudras or hand gestures made.
This is an esoteric form that involves multiple religious paths and pathworkings.
It origin was first in India within Buddhism, then into Chinese traditional religion before being refined even further within Japanese Zen Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, Shugendo and even Shinto - so - therefore it is an adapted, syncretic system already with diverse cultural elements involved in the path. In this, it is not only multi-cultural and syncretic but also interpretative.
There are no strict dogmatic scriptures or established doctrines as such as there are in the established mainstream monotheistic beliefs and faiths for one to follow directly as strict guidance or guidelines.
Kuji-in lends itself more to shamanistic practices, elemental animism and polytheist doctrinal regions from my own observations although it is based in Buddhist traditions.
There may have been many writings on it in past, but these have been lost, deliberately hidden or concealed over time.
We do know that the mudras and mantras that established the 9 Syllable Seals have been recorded and written about throughout history.
One of the bases of the seals is contained within the so-called Mandala of the Two Realms or the Ryōkai mandara. One of the other formative bases is in Vajrayāna Buddhism also known as Tantric Buddhism.
Vajrayana is a complex and multifaceted system which evolved over several centuries. One of the distinctive feature of Vajrayana Buddhism is ritual, which is used as a substitute or alternative for the earlier abstract meditations.
Vajrayana Buddhism is esoteric, meaning that the transmission of certain teachings only occurs directly from initiation or empowerment and cannot be simply learned from a book. According to the Vajrayana tradition, for instance at certain times the bodymind is in a very subtle state which can be used by advanced practitioners to transform the mindstream. Such liminal times are known in Tibetan Buddhism as Bardo states and include such transitional states as during meditation, dreaming, sex and death.
This itself, while certainly interesting and compelling as background - is not the essence of the modern contemporary Kuji-in form or path however in my own opinion.
This is not the resurrecting of an ancient religion or path.
Its historical elements are worth usage as a visual aesthetic or intellectual stimulus perhaps, but the path itself is based firmly in the contemporary and now.
It involves certain venerations or observances - but not excessive bowing, grovelling genuflections or bent-kneed adorations and worship as such.
This older ideal, I feel is not its contemporary essence at all and we are empowered as physical and psychic beings to define it as it is a dynamic not a static thing. It changes from age to age and from time frame to time frame.
The essence of the Kuji-in form or path is to build a potent spiritual power and presence and to develop physical/mental self-control and mastery within the practitioner through exercises involving meditation, the use of mudras, mantras, mandalas and specific empowerment of symbols - and the linking of those concepts to the Kuji Kiri grid and the use of the mudras or hand gestures.
It is the development of the highest and most potent and potentially dangerous of magical and occult skills - consciously willed acts of magick and spellcasting by hand gestures and the active kinetic projection of astral/psychic thoughtforms.
This, is the creation of a modern unique, esoteric spiritual form.
I hesitate in using the term "religion" however instead preferring to define it as an esoteric philosophy with a spiritual basis, and I personally believe that direct experience or gnosis is far better than dry transmission of explicative lengthy doctrines and outdated, outmoded, invalid dogmatic religious tenets.
The Kuji-in provides a firm biophysical and a corresponding psychic framework for building upon with its focus in exercises upon the chakras, meridians and neural power centers within the body.
That being said one must also acknowledge that man requires spiritual ritual or some measure of psychodrama and circumstance, and that this too must have some element within the path itself. Ritual is required to bring substance and visual stimulus to forms and esoteric conceptualizations.
In this regard I am drawing upon certain thoughts, tenets and aesthetic concepts from Shinto, Tibetan Buddhism, Japanese Zen Buddhism, Vedic influences as well as various neo-pagan elements and my own experiences, occult and esoteric influences and aesthetics. Ritual is important and it should mean something to the practitioner in a deeply subjective sense.
A ritual should be something emotionally compelling, yet relatively simple in approach. One can have a complicated ritual schedule - or something more flexible and adaptable in its approach. Something simple - yet potent.
This is a tenet of Zen Buddhism and its numerous koans for instance well worth consideration insofar as its general purpose.
Since the path is based within an esoteric discovery approach of gnosis or direct knowledge through praxis the first place to start is within a set of exercises, forms or katas as in martial arts for instance. The practitioner within Kuji-in is a majutsushi which means in Japanese "ma = pure, jutsu = art, shi = user. "A user of the pure art" literally.
I have a working progress PDF that starts with kata one and progresses through successive katas or exercises with key concepts and instructional interspersed.
Kuji-in is based upon the seal mudras or symbolic kiri or "cuts" in each of the specific hand gestures.
However, the first place to start is in empowering the hands before beginning to memorize and master the kuji-kiri mudras and mantras.
It is important to first learn with a specific formalized form. This is where the esoteric portion begins to manifest or form a strong gnosis within the practitioner.
This while simple sounding, is at least a year's worth of regular exercises to begin to see its long term potential.
It requires dedication on the part of the majutsushi to perform the katas regularly and engage themselves.
Since the path itself is anchored in mudras and the use of hand gestures - this is the first logical place to begin - in empowering the hands. One has to be patient and persevere in this, as it is easy to become distracted or lose interest and initiative. This is a distinct problem with many religious paths in fact.
One should learn each kata in depth and in turn - as these will become part of an overall routine of exercises performed regularly. It is easy to adapt the katas as the mudras or the walking meditation can be performed in any place at any time and in almost any circumstances.
In fact real-life situations of stress or anxiety for instance are the best place and moment to practice the exercises.
One does not need nor require some idealistic spot or time for these forms.
Indeed, they were meant to calm the nerves of ancient warriors before they went into battle in their earliest formative periods of use. They are active and kinetic.
This is one of the tenets of bushido - "the way of the warrior" - a mental discipline and mindset meant specifically to overcome hardship, loss, fear, panic, anxiety and trepidation, although I hasten to add that this particular application is not a physical martial art, but rather a philosophical and spiritual development - one could say a "magical" craftwork practice so to speak. Some martial artists utilize kuji-in within their practice and development, but this is a more psychic and occult development and application of the form itself.
As one begins to practice the forms or katas, I feel it is critical for the practitioner to hand build and begin to craft a specific kuji-in altar.
This is the kamidana altar.
The term "kamidana" is respectfully borrowed from Shinto and means "spirit house" which to me is a perfect terminology for an altar.
Collecting the materials and constructing it is an exercise in and of itself.
The creation and crafting of a magical tool, amulet or object is a potent exercise indeed.
Whilst mental and physical exercises are emphasized and of primary importance an altar provides a visible physical material basis - vis a vis - a three dimensional manifestation outwardly of the practice and path. It is an item of potency or touchstone of focus, a place to meditate, perform rituals, katas and practice and develop relaxation of the mind and body. It is a physical object that becomes empowered with its own unique "kami" or spirit as it is used over time and as such is intimately linked to the practitioner. It becomes an amplifier, a foci, a psychic battery or storage of esoteric and psychic energies.
Here is a summation the current tentative material basis of Tenchi Kuji-In
1. Kuji-Kiri - the Nine Symbolic Cuts - the mudras and associated empowering mantras that accompany each hand gesture. This is the core practice and goal of mastery. This requires meditation as well as the physical practice and memorization of the mudras, mantras and asssociated chakras.
2. Development and cultivation of the knowledge of various earth elemental kami or spirits. The kamidana altar is meant as the symbolic "home" of the kami or spirit that the practitioner will cultivate a personal relationship with and develop a knowledge of over time and praxis. Many nature-based elements can be taken and suggested from the neo-pagan paths on this topic.
3. Incense rituals - this is borrowed from Japanese Shinto as well as pagan belief systems, and is the use of specific scents for specific purposes and learning the identification of the incense and its mystical correspondances. This too has connectives to neo-paganism practices such as candle magic, and scrying.
4. Chado - this is a modified tea ritual. The form here is simplified from the Japanese version, but it contains the same meditative purposes and earth elemental correspondances. It may sound odd, but it is a potent meditative practice that develops a calm, poised mind in the face of hardship and adversity. I also plan on developing a divinatory method within this.
5. Sigilization - This relates directly to kuji-kiri and the creation of empowered objects and seals. The practitioner should have some familiarity with this concept already or should become educated in the formation of compound magical sigils, bindrunes etc. Various candle magic techniques are important to know in this regard. Some knowledge of shodo or Japanese calligraphy is good to cultivate at least topically in this regard.
6. Scrying/Divination - this element of Kuji-in is dynamic. It will change and adapt and is likely to vary from practitioner to practitioner. It has relation to a couple of the kuji-kiri mudras. There is no set in stone method - but is a process of trial and error, and the 'in-vivo' testing of various methods within the context of the path itself.
I have my own preferred methods and it is a matter of bringing them within the overall contextual setting.
7. Zazen - this is seated meditation. This is important, but so is what is termed the walking meditation. Meditation is a very critical portion of kuji-in. This will be addressed as to form in the PDF book.
8. Sakazuke ritual - the ritual form for this is still under development. The intent of the ritual is the partaking of a drink and forming a ritual bond with someone or something. This will have some similarities to the chado or tea ritual.
The origins of this ritual are from Shinto practices.
9. Dai Kongou- this is an advanced practice - that interlaces kuji-in with the creation of an empowered sigil. The Dai Kongou is a compound seal that uses the kuji-in symbols as well as other glyphs to create a potent personal talisman or power object through deliberate empowering exercises or the use of malas - that is to say specific numbers or repetitions of mantras. In essence The Dai Kongou In is an image comprising various Japanese kanji and images, all drawn with black ink on paper typically. Each kanji and image is a symbol representing a spiritual concept. It is a part of the regular practice of the majutsushi. The Dai Kongou practice consists in invoking various spiritual forces and concepts that have been previously empowered in the user.
10. The development of specific tantric practices or rituals. This is an intermediate practice that will be written of in future - although the forms or katas will lend some suggestions as to the specific tantra forms.
11. The Ordeal - this is a critical ritual for the majutsushi practitioner.
It will vary from person to person in intensity, but is the undertaking of a real challenge. This is where the practice, katas and formations begin manifest upon the material planes and in the life of the practitioner.
This is where "the rubber hits the road" in plain terms.
As an aside, in my own strong opinion - almost all of the mainstream religions have far too many soft "adherents" who simply pay little more than meaningless lip service to their so-called faiths without any real demonstrations of that faith in real "put your money where your mouth is" terms.
One's faith should not be something that is spoken of annoyingly and arrogantly foisted upon and preached at others for the sake of appearances.
It should be something that is self-evident and observable in the person's life and actions - or - it is nothing but hollow and empty word and vile, false. foul-mouthed hypocrisy concealing an imperfect, insecure and weak individual.
Kuji-kiri is the exact opposite of such things in contrast.
An ordeal could take many forms and multiple working. It is making a difficult and challenging goal and achieving that goal.
There are no real limitations upon it I would say. For some it may be learning a particular thing. For others it might involve some manifestation of difficult personal self-mastery over a bad habit or personal trait.
Others it may involve physical pain and bloodletting.
It may be all of these. This takes a good deal of self introspection.
It is the taking up of a challenge, setting a goal and then focusing upon its achievement, through the direct application of techniques that one is learning and developing.
Hello John, I practice kuji-in for 3 years, I am happy to read your posts on it. Thank you.
ReplyDeletewould you have readings advised me or as you specify in your article, you have a pdf. Do you share?
thank you very much