Negative Influences

Few topics in the spiritual world cause as much fear as "negative influences". People talk about energy vampires, black magic, cursed places and possessed objects, and the explanation usually points outward: something foreign has attached itself, and now it has to be removed with a protection ritual, an amulet or a smudging.

I don't want to wave this away. In the Shingon tradition there are very old rituals for protection and purification, and I use them myself. However, when people come to me because they feel burdened, it often turns out that the cause is not an attack from outside. Much of it has to do with their own patterns and imprints, and with what Buddhism calls the three poisons.

The three poisons 三毒

The three poisons (jap.: sandoku 三毒) are greed (ton 貪), anger (jin 瞋) and delusion (chi 痴). In Japanese they are often said together as tonjinchi. In Buddhism they are seen as the three roots of suffering, and the interesting thing is that all three are inner forces.

Greed doesn't only mean wanting material things. It also means holding on to people, to outcomes, or to the wish to always feel a certain way. Anger is not only rage at others, but also the constant resistance against what is, which you can often feel in the body as tension. And delusion is not stupidity. Put simply, it means not wanting to see something, and holding on to stories about yourself that are no longer true.

So if someone feels burdened for a long time, it makes sense to look here first. That doesn't mean outer influences don't exist. My own view is that the three poisons prepare the ground on which outer influences can take hold in the first place.

Layers of burden 煩悩

Energetic burdens rarely have only one cause. Very often several layers come together. The first and most obvious layer is negative thoughts and habits, such as brooding, self-doubt or a harsh inner voice. Many people feel this as heaviness or tiredness.

The second layer goes deeper and comes from childhood. What you were told as a child about yourself and about the world shapes you, whether you like it or not. Sentences like "You're too sensitive" or "You're imagining things" are a good example. If you grew up as a highly sensitive person and had to push your perception aside for years, you often still carry that with you.

The third layer is belief systems, and I don't only mean religious ones. Some convictions create constant fear, for example the idea that dark forces are lurking everywhere. Others create shame, for example the idea that spiritual abilities are dangerous or forbidden. Beliefs like these can feel like a real burden.

Then there are old wounds such as loss, violence or broken trust. They leave traces that some people perceive as foreign energy, as something that doesn't belong to them. In many cases, though, it is their own pain that hasn't had any space yet.

And finally there is what many people call "energy theft", the feeling of losing strength around certain people. In the esoteric scene this is often blamed on energy vampires. I see it more soberly. Often the other person touches something in you that hasn't been processed yet. In other words, the other person is less of a thief and more of a mirror.

Places, objects and atmosphere 場

So are there no outer influences at all? Of course there are. Japanese temples have performed purification rituals for places and objects for centuries, based on the experience that rooms and things can hold an atmosphere. A place where something heavy has happened can feel heavy, and an object that has been charged with strong emotions can carry them on.

But here too it is worth asking why you react to it. Two people walk into the same room, and one feels nothing while the other feels a weight. The difference lies partly in the room and partly in what the room touches inside that person.

For protection and purification, Shingon has mantras, mudras and rituals that go back more than 1,200 years. You can read more about this in my article on protection of the soul. The central figure here is the Immovable Wisdom King Fudō Myōō 不動明王, the wrathful form of the Great Sun Buddha Dainichi Nyorai. With his sword he cuts through attachments, and with his rope he binds what needs to be bound. In my book on the Reiki symbols I wrote that removing all kinds of attachments is one of Fudō Myōō's main functions, and I still see it that way.

Purification starts with yourself 浄化

What I appreciate about the Shingon tradition is that it doesn't dramatize these things. Nobody has to be afraid of dark powers, and nobody has to depend on a healer who drives out evil spirits for them. The basic idea is that you carry the ability for purification and protection within yourself, and the rituals of the tradition help you to use it.

The fire ritual Goma 護摩, for example, burns what is no longer needed, both symbolically and energetically. The mantra of Fudō Myōō is used to cut through entanglements. Meditation brings the mind into a state in which you can recognize the three poisons and let them change. And with Reiki you can work on the atmosphere of a room or on your own energy.

However, all of this only has a lasting effect if you are also willing to look at your own shadow side. Practicing protection rituals without ever looking at your own patterns is a bit like building a wall around a house that is on fire inside.

I know this sounds less exciting than the story of a dark curse that only a powerful healer can break. But I find it encouraging, because if much of what burdens you comes from within, then the power to change it is also within you. In Shingon Reiki we work with purification rituals, protection practices, meditations and the three mysteries of body, speech and mind, level by level. Which of your burdens would you look at first if you knew that the key was in your own hands?