Buddhist practice in everyday life

For me, Buddhism is less a philosophy you carry around in your head and more a practice you do, with your body and every day. Shingon has a term for this, sokushin jōbutsu 即身成仏, "becoming a Buddha in this very body." Kūkai meant this quite literally: awakening is possible in this life and in this body, and not only at some point in the distant future.

In this article I'd like to show what Buddhist practice can look like in everyday life, especially in Shingon and in connection with Reiki.

What practice means 行

The Japanese word for practice is gyō 行. The same character also means "to go" or "to walk," so practice is something you do, and not knowledge you collect. In Shingon, gyō covers meditation, mantra recitation, mudras, rituals and pilgrimage. In a broader sense, everyday things like cooking, walking or breathing can become practice too, once your attention is there.

Many people associate Buddhism above all with silent sitting meditation, and that's an important part of it. Shingon adds something, though. The whole body is involved, with the hands forming mudras, the mouth reciting mantras and the mind contemplating, all at the same time. This is called sanmitsu 三密, the three mysteries.

The three mysteries 三密

The three mysteries are body (shin 身), speech (ku 口) and mind (i 意). In Kūkai's view, the Buddha's body, speech and mind are present everywhere. When the practitioner forms the mudra, recites the mantra and rests the mind in contemplation, his own three activities come into resonance with those of the Buddha. Put simply, this isn't about imagining something, but about aligning yourself on all three levels at once.

A mantra in Shingon is understood as a "true word" (shingon 真言), which is where the school gets its name. The sound itself is seen as carrying the power of the Buddha, and that's why the original sound is preserved, rather than translating it.

Reiki as Buddhist practice 靈氣

Reiki isn't usually seen as Buddhist practice, yet its roots lie in esoteric Buddhism, Shugendō, Shintō and shamanic Daoism. Mikao Usui practiced in the Kurama mountains, a place where Buddhist and Shintō practice have been linked for centuries. And the second Reiki symbol, Sei He Ki, goes back to the Siddham syllable hrīḥ, a seed syllable of esoteric Buddhism.

In Shingon Reiki I bring these parts back together, so hands, mantra and contemplation all play a role in Reiki practice. Initiation, in this context, stands in the tradition of Buddhist transmission (denju 伝授).

Practice in everyday life 日課

Daily practice doesn't need to be long. Five minutes in the morning are enough to begin, ten are better, and thirty are wonderful. What exactly you do depends on which initiations you've received, so I won't describe a routine here. In general it includes a short purification, gasshō with the hands together, a mantra and a meditation.

The effect builds up over time. Many people notice after a few weeks that they react differently to stress. And at some point there are those moments in between, when you notice in the supermarket queue that you're inwardly in gasshō, or when your hands move to the place that needs them at night without you thinking about it. That's when practice slowly becomes part of life.

Mindfulness and Shingon 違い

Mindfulness meditation, Vipassanā and MBSR work mainly with the mind. You observe your thoughts and let them pass, and that's valuable. Shingon meditation always includes the body and the voice as well, with mudra, mantra and contemplation. I don't see this as a ranking. They're simply different emphases, and some people find that the bodily side gives their meditation more depth.

How to start 始

You don't need any prior knowledge, temple or equipment, just a quiet place, a few minutes and the willingness to sit down. Gasshō and a few calm breaths are already practice. What matters more than how long you sit is that you do it regularly, because five minutes every day go deeper than an hour once a week. What could your five minutes look like tomorrow morning?