Kuji No in (Hand Seals of The Nine Syllables)
The Kuji-in (九字印), "Nine Hand Seals," refers to the mudra (hand seals/gestures) associated with the nine syllables themselves. Whereas, kuji-ho refers to the entire ritual of kuji and encompasses the mudra, mantra and meditation. Kuji-kan (nine syllable visualization), is a specialized form of Buddhist meditation. Most of the original ku-ji no in (mudras) ritual evokes and invokes the Hindu deity Indra (Taishaku-ten –Jpn.; Zeus – Greek, Jupiter – Roman), King of the heavens, who holds vajras (thunderbolts) in his hands. Technically the word "Kuji no in" refers only to the hand postures (mudra), whereas “kuji no shingon” refers to the related incantations (mantra). It is important to note that there are literally hundreds of mudras in Shingon alone. Shugendō itself has hundreds of mudras, as does Taoism. Many of these mudras are shared, however, many are not. To further complicate this fact, there are also untold numbers of variations on a given mudra, and many mudras are associated with more than one deity or idea. Furthermore, a mudra may have more than one name, or one association depending on its purpose. Practitioners’ would be wise to keep this mind when practicing kuji ho.
Read more about this topic: Kuji-in
Famous quotes containing the word seals:
“Social and scientific progress are assured, sir, once our great system of postpossession payments is in operation, not the installment plan, no sir, but a system of small postpossession payments that clinch the investment. No possible rational human wish unfulfilled. A man with a salary of fifty dollars a week can start payments on a Rolls-Royce, the Waldorf-Astoria, or a troupe of trained seals if he so desires.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)