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The art of Tenchi Seiki Te-Ate is an essentially Japanese one, yet one which acknowledges strong Tibetan roots - those roots running back via the disciplines of the Japanese Mikkyo mystical tradition - and by way of China to its Tibetan origins. It is from the Mikkyo traditions that Tenchi Seiki Te-Ate has received its more esoteric or mystical disciplines, including practices involving the use of jumon (Sanskrit equivalent: mantra), nenriki (yantra / symbol / mandala) and ketsu-in (mudra / mystical 'finger-weavings' - special ritual gestures formed by knotting the fingers is various complex patterns) The
triple-discipline of jumon, nenriki and ketsu-in
is generally referred to as: sammitsu [or: san-himitsu]
meaning: "The Three Secrets" or "The Three Mysteries",
and it is through the study and practice of this discipline that adherents
of 'mainstream' Japanese Mikkyo Buddhism seek to awaken direct experience
of Enlightenment. However,
in the hands of more 'avant-garde', shamanic-like, ascetic practitioners
of Mikkyo - various groups such as the Shugenja, Gyoja,
Senin, Sohei and Yamabushi (lit:
'mountain warriors') - sammitsu evolved into a synergistic discipline
of wideranging and profound practical and mystical application. Possibly the most famous outgrowth of sammitsu is the kuji-in [or:kuji-no-in], also referred to as kuji goshin ho: "spiritual protection by the nine syllables of power", and sometimes as ju jutsu, or jujitsu (no relation to the martial art of that name - except in the meaning of the words: soft techniques). The kuji-in is a method of focusing the mind, the will & the subtle energies to specific intent, and a means of temporarily 'powering-up' the practitioner's 'psychic' senses. In its
complete form, the kuji-in involves the fukushu (recitation
or repitition) of the sacred nine-word jumon: "Rin-Pyo-To-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen"
combined with the performance of nine accompanying ketsu-in, and
relevant nenriki visualisation; however, each of the nine component
'segments' of kuji-in has its own specific attributes and function
and acts as a triggering mechanism for a very specific given intention. While there are said to be in total 81 different ways of intertwining the fingers, the use of kuji-in within the art of Tenchi Seiki Te-Ate (as is the case with most other practitioners of this focussing technique) is generally limited to the core sequence of nine signs mentioned above, formed in smooth-flowing succession - the number nine being considered a highly potent number in Japanese mystical thought. There are however a further five ketsu-in used in Tenchi Seiki Te-Ate (as distinct from the formal kuji-in sequence) - each of which, along with specific name, attribute, jumon, and imagery, has a special shugi or 'seed' character which enhances the vibratory power of the particular finger sign. In Tenchi
Seiki Te-Ate the kuji-in is used primarily in developmental meditative
and energy-strengthening & grounding practices.
Copyright
© 2002 James Deacon |