Monday, December 15, 2008

Misc. Thoughts, Notes, Observations (begin.)

I've noticed that when I engage even a little of the Kuji-In practice right before bedtime, I awake the following morning with much greater mental clarity and focus immediately upon awakening, even if I subsequently hit the "snooze" button on my alarm. And that clarity and focus remain with me even if I repeatedly hit the "snooze" button for the next 20 minutes until I get up.

I find this a fascinating little development and wonder if other practitioners experience the same thing.

I don't engage the Kuji-In explicitly every night before I retire for the night (or at least have yet to do it consistently every night over an extended period of time), but when I do, here's what my practice consists of:

  • I approach my Buddha altar and place my hands in gassho.
  • I kneel, Japanese dojo style (dropping to my left knee first), before my Buddha altar, then assume the seiza kneeling posture with my feet flat out behind me, toes flat and pointing away; I place my hands in gassho and chant "Om mane padme hum" once to cultivate compassion for others as a way of reminding myself that others come before me, and that in true Bodhisattva fashion, alleviating the suffering of others is to come before my own efforts for complete enlightenment.
  • I take in three deep breaths and feel the energy that flows throughout my being, and letting that awareness deepen a little bit more with each breath.
  • I then take my hands and place them in the first mudra to support the "rin" aspect, then slowly chant the Japanese mantra, "On bai shi ra man ta ya sowaka," once. I like to draw this out -- in this instance, over the course of four exhalations -- and feel how the mantra makes my entire being vibrate, or at least see if I can extend the vibration throughout my entire being. I have found that if I let my rear upper teeth remain in contact with my rear lower teeth, the mantra can easily vibrate right up the back of my neck and into my lower rear skull area. I try to extend this vibration this way as much as I can -- especially if I work each of the nine aspects three times, thereby chanting each mantra three times in succession. My hope is that this will work the spirit of the mantra most literally into my brain. I expect that once I switch to the original Sanskrit, that this effect will be significantly more pronounced.
  • I repeat this process through the remaining aspects of the Kuji-In, at least as far as I have gone through them to date. I'm currently working with the sixth, or "jin," aspect.
  • I finish my mini evening Kuji-In practice by putting my hands back into gassho and chanting "Om mane padme hum" once -- again to remind myself that eliminating the suffering of others takes priority; that my practice is to begin and end with the elimination of the suffering of others; that my practice is to be devoted towards the elimination of the suffering of others.
  • Then I stand up in strict Japanese dojo style (with my right knee rising first), place my hands in gassho again, and "bow out" before before my altar.

I would be interested in hearing the perspective of others on this, so I invite readers to opine by submitting a comment.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Taking my Kuji-In Practice to the Next Level

Yesterday, I purchased the electronic version of Rev. Francois Lepine's Kuji-In Teacher's Guide, which comes in an Adobe PDF format that is very easy to download, and of course, to read on your 'puter.

It's only about 36 pages long, which makes it a quick read. In fact, I read it last night right before going to bed. But don't let the shortness of the document fool you. It's a very good complement to his existing published works on the subject, all of which I have purchased and have read, and am now in the process of implementing into my practice.

I purchased the teacher's guide not because I'm interested in teaching the practice anytime soon, but mostly because I'm trying to do everything I can, in my own insulated private practice at home, to flesh out my grasp of the Kuji-In practice.

I'm hoping to attend one of Rev. Lepine's seminars in the near future, and perhaps to connect with one of the teachers he has certified to pass on the Kuji-In. I'm sure my practice will quickly advance when that happens, but in the meantime, I'm trying to augment my practice prior to undergoing the initiations and empowerments Rev. Lepine suggests.

One thing I have yet to decide is whether to engage in an initial exploration of the related Kuji-Kiri practice, and then do the initiations and empowerments? Or do the initiations and empowerments before moving onto the initial exploration of the Kuji-Kiri.

Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.

Peace.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Kuji-In: Other Effects

In my initial blog entry, I discussed some of the benefits associated with the practice of the Kuji-In.

In this follow-up posting, I'll summarize some of the other potential side effects of utilizing this spirtual technology.

First, from an overall perspective, you might just find the practice amplifies part(s) of your personality, or perhaps intensifies all of it. I once described it this way: if I was a glass of orange juice, I would have more 'concentrate' as a result of the Kuji-In.

And if you have some issues, don't be surprised if they intensify or become more visible or active ... ''on their way out.''

Also: using the Kuji-In means you will be using parts of your body or other parts of your being in ways you're not used to, so be advised to start slow and give yourself time to adjust to the practice. Parts of your body might get sore. For instance, from time to time, I find my right forearm is stressed from putting my hands into mudra postures they are unaccustomed to. Others might find some stress to their fingers if they push them too aggressively into positions they are not yet used to.

Now, onto some other side effects that might show up as a result of specific Kuji-In aspects or sets...

When you begin working with the RIN aspect, for example, you will begin stimulating and exercising your base chakra, which exists at your perenium, encompassing your rectum as well as your reproductive organs. As a result, you might see a change in the functioning of these organs.

For instance, you might notice a change in your body's eliminative practices or an intensification of your sex drive. Or you might notice an increase in your sex drive prior to a purification in the way your sex drive expresses itself.

Or consider the KOH aspect, which focuses on the generation and circulation of energy. You might experience a dramatic increase in your awareness of your system's energy. So you might prefer to work with this aspect of the Kuj-In in the morning, or before you go to the gym, as opposed to right before bedtime--unless you want to have a lot of energy in bed...but we'll save the tantric sex implications for a future discussion... ;-) ...

Then there is the TOH aspect, which facilitates harmony, both within your self as well as between you and the universe. Expect to see your relationships smooth out thanks to this practice--but, as with one of the RIN side effects, don't be surprised if you experience a jolt or two along the way. [We may elaborate on some of the side effects associated with some of the other aspects in a future post. These are provided as examples of the kinds of hiccups you might encounter as your work to digest this kind of stimulation to your being.]

This isn't unusual, as far as I'm concerned. I liken it to the growing pains your body might experience as you struggle to get back into physical shape after allowing yourself to get out of shape and overweight. This is the same temporary phase you have to just endure, only on a psychological/spiritual level.

Put another way, expect the Kuji-In to work. You are awakening your chakras, meridians and internal organs. Expect to see evidence of such awakening. This awakening will likely effect change in you, in your life, in your environment and in your relationships. And don't be surprised if things are shaken up a bit.

Lastly, it should go without saying that your motives should be sincere and not aimed at having power over others and otherwise directed toward manipulating or exploiting others. You are given this sacred knowledge in order to be a better servant and defender of others, not to take advantage of them. Violating this sacred trust that the universe is establising with you will expose you to potentially serious and extremely unpleasant karmic effects.

"Karmic retribution" might not be out of the question.

In other words, piss off the universe at your own risk, comrade...

Friday, December 5, 2008

First Entry: The Benefits of the Kuji-In Practice

I started my Kuji-In practice at the end of August and have been taking my time incorporating the various teachings -- mostly from the venerable Buddhist priest, Francois Lepine, as well from the "first American ninja," Stephen Hayes, and others -- and spending plenty of time with each of the nine aspects or sets, beginning with "Rin" and moving progressively through each subsequent one.

So far, I'm on the verge of wrapping up my initial exploration of the "Kai" aspect, the practice of which facilitates the development of intuition and the perception of premonitions of danger.

Overall, I would say I'm getting a tremendous benefit from what I like to call the Kuji-In "technology." For instance, I feel a profound sense of harmony within myself and my energies; like all of my internal forces are synchronized and working together.

(I have felt for some time that within the human body, the different organs are in conflict with one another, just as the elements of the Earth are often in conflict with one another. Over an extended period of time, the planet's conflict manifests a certain harmony, but in those instaneous moments when the elements of the planet collide -- when there is an earthquake, or a tsunami, or a hurricane -- that conflict is sudden, massive and violent. So, I feel, that as the literal children of the Earth, born of the Earth's elements, we too experience the same type of conflict within our individual selves, just on a microcosmic level, and of course, certainly among one another.)

But now with my Kuji-In practice, especially in conjunction with my Bujinkan budo taijutsu practice, I feel all of my internal elements are being wooed to work together. As a result, on a mental, psychological and spiritual level, I feel much more at peace within, much more focused, less vulnerable to being ensnared by the various attachments that, as Buddhists, we are advised to relinquish.

And my body feels much healthier too. I'm noticing that nagging, years-old martial arts injuries are fading away. My old right toe's arthritic-like stiffness and crackle are gone. Ditto for my right ankle. The pain from a lot of accumulated pressure in the joints and ligaments in my right elbow are gone. The stiffness in my right shoulder from an old hockey injury is greatly diminished.

And my body recuperates more quickly from the bumps and bruises I'm currently sustaining in my taijutsu training, even tough I'm getting older. And I think my body is increasingly responsive to the medications I'm taking for my high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I'm losing excess weight too and fitting into my non-fat wardrobe more easily.

Oh, and before I forget... my carpal tunnel-like symptoms have all but vanished. I used to squeeze a handful of some progressive resistive exercise putty -- or sometimes those neoprene balls you find in the computer geek department, or even a good old fashioned baseball -- to help relieve the stress on my fingers, hands and wrists from all the time I have to spend on the computer. But not anymore.

This after three months of Kuji-In and budo taijustu.

Now, I'm not saying you will immediately heal all of your ills, reverse the aging process in its entirety, permanently ward off old sick, sickness and death itself and live as an immortal from this time forward. I haven't grown back any of my lost hair. And I still need to use my eyeglasses when I read. And I'm still taking my prescribed meds.

But don't be surprised if, over time, your need for medications and supplements diminishes. But make sure you let that be something your doctor or other credentialed medical professional determines, not some guy you never met on the Internet.