Essays From The Master

The lotus of enlightenment and the blade that casts its shadow
Komuso Nin Do like many martial “ways” has its foundation in Shugendo or the “way of cultivating supernatural power” whose primary focus is the development of personal power via the initiate exposing himself to the elements of nature as well as cultivating a relationship with the Kami or spirits. In some respects the training of a Shugenja, a practitioner of Shugendo, is not unlike that of a Shaolin monk. A major symbol of enlightenment is the eight-rayed lotus flower often shown with both Buddha and Shiva. One of the titles of Shiva is Acalanatha which is the Sanskrit name for Fudo the Kami of both warriors and ascetics. The sword of Fudo is known as Kurikara which is derived from Kulika one of the Nagaraja or “serpent kings” which he uses to slay demons. Susano the Kami honored by the Komuso Ryu withdrew his sword from the dragon or great serpent named Orochi, Susano being a storm deity has within him the power of Orochi as shown by his sword and the power of Raiden god of thunder and lightning. Raiden is said to chase away demons with his drum which is a symbol of the Kokoro or Heart of all things the ideogram for which when added to that for sword represents Nin. Nin can be read as stealth or as endurance which we have shown stems from being armed with the blade that comes from one’s spirit or heart.
In the cases of both Fudo and Susano we can see power through control of the serpent or dragon which symbolizes inner and outer power. The dragon is a symbol of the Kokoro and of the total inner self in the Komuso Ryu showing how one gains power over the outer through control over the inner, in balance the inner power is cultivated through exposing one’s self to the outer forces of nature. Nature is overcome not by force but by knowledge of how to flow with it, power comes from awareness of nature born of knowledge. Knowledge and power are the halves of truth which is symbolized by the lotus; it is this lotus or enlightenment that is defended and thus made possible by the knowledge and power. It can be said that the lotus of enlightenment conceals the dual blade of knowledge and power. The lotus has eight petals and a center for a total of nine aspects just as Susano has nine hands one hand for each of the nine cuts and mudra of the Silent Way.
In the Black Lotus Mandala of the Komuso Ryu we have in the lines of the Mandala the cuts with the sword or strikes with the hand. The arcs in the petals of the lotus show the blocks with the flat of the blade or with the leg or forearm. Each of the lines of the eight petals of the lotus when applied to the humanoid form corresponds to a vital center and target in the body. Each of the eight lines of the Mandala can be divided into eight segments for a total of 64 vital center targets that correspond with the 64 hexagrams of the I-Ching. It should be noted that the head goes in the top petal of the lotus with the arms and legs filling the other petals depending on how they are positioned. The Black Lotus Mandala shows the circulation of external energy or Chi, in the arcs, which produces as it moves Ki energy, in the strait lines, or internal energy. The union of Chi and Ki in totality is the collective that the Komuso Ryu calls the Kokoro showing how the outer is manifest in the inner.

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