Man’s journey is one which interprets the divine language into the language of symbols. Throughout man’s civilized history and perhaps even before, there has existed the notion that the divine world was instrumental in shaping life as we know it on earth. This symbolism is layered in that certain elements of their practice have a history that spans multiple East Asian cultures over thousands of years. Their meaning lies largely in their symbolism which is spiritually and culturally rich. By doing this one gains a context which gives completeness to why the Kuji-In have such powerful effect and why they have and will always have profound meaning that will seem to change as times and cultures change. Since not all Buddhists practice anything even similar to Kuji-In, it then becomes necessary to study Esoteric Buddhism in particular. To understand the Kuji-In it is necessary to learn about Buddhism. Certain relationships and connections became apparent to me that I would not have known otherwise.
You might say that by practicing the Kuji-In one can gain insights that are not possible in any other way. I have shared in this book what I have learned from my research, but also what I have learned from practicing the Kuji-In.
So, I have always approached the topic as practitioner and a scholar. I have never felt it to be my calling to become a monk and study Buddhism as a vocation. The answers would come from a variety of sources. These questions would gnaw at me until I found the answers. I knew that the Kuji-In were for protection, spiritual balance, and empowerment, but I had no idea why or how. I found the whole topic fascinating, and from then on I would little by little over the years continue my research and practice of these hands seals and the incantations known as Kuji-In. In some of his books in the early 1980’s he had mentioned certain hand positions used by ninja of the past and the incantations that went along with them. Hayes who was at the time the foremost teacher of Ninjutsu in the United States. The combination of these interests led me by way of a friend to the writings of Stephen K. Coincidentally, I also started studying martial arts around the same time. At that time I was curious about all world religions and was particularly fascinated with Buddhism and Taoism. Preface My interest in Kuji-In started more than 30 years ago. Dedication This book is dedicated to Richard, my teacher and friend.Ĭopyright Kuji: A Spiritual Path 2nd Edition Copyright © 2012 James Clum All rights reserved.