Protection of the Soul

You find them at almost every temple and shrine in Japan: small fabric pouches in red, gold, white or purple. They are called omamori お守り, which simply means "protection", and millions of people carry them on a key ring, in a bag or keep them next to the bed. Some are for safety in traffic, some for exams, others for health. At first glance they look like a souvenir, but the talisman tradition behind them is very old and reaches into Daoism, Shugendō, Shintō and Shingon Buddhism.

What I find interesting is how protection is understood in this tradition. It isn't so much about building walls against a hostile world. Protection means being accompanied, by protective beings, by the ancestors, by the purifying effect of fire and fragrance, and above all by your own inner strength that grows through practice.

Fudō Myōō, the immovable protector 不動明王

When people in Japan talk about protection, one name comes up first: the Immovable Wisdom King Fudō Myōō 不動明王. He looks fearsome, with a sword and a rope, surrounded by flames, and with a face full of determination. If you see him for the first time, you might think he is angry at people. His wrath, however, is directed at everything that blocks the spiritual path, such as delusion and inner and outer obstacles.

His sword, the kurikara-ken 倶利伽羅剣 with a dragon coiled around it, cuts through ignorance. With his rope (jap.: kensaku 羂索) he catches those who are lost in delusion, not to punish them but to bring them back. And the flames behind him are the fire of wisdom that burns away what is impure. In Shingon temples Fudō Myōō is invoked through kaji 加持, with mantra, mudra and inner focus.

You can read more about him in the article on Fudō Myōō. In Shingon Reiki the connection with Fudō Myōō is part of the deeper practice, for example on the Master Path, where one of the monthly initiations is into his power.

Incense and purification 香

When you enter a Japanese temple, the first thing you notice is often the smell. Sandalwood, sometimes aloeswood, the smoke rises and fills the space. In front of many halls there are large bronze incense burners, and visitors light incense sticks and waft the smoke over themselves. It is a simple gesture with a long history.

In esoteric Buddhism incense is much more than atmosphere. It is one of the six offerings (jap.: rokushu kuyō) that are made to the Buddhas, together with water, scented ointment, flowers, food and light. In the big rituals of the Shingon temples, such as the Goma fire ritual or the morning service, incense is as much a part of the ceremony as mantra and mudra.

Mugwort (jap.: mogusa 艾) also has a special place in Japan. In moxibustion, dried mugwort is burned on certain points of the body, a method that has been used in East Asian medicine for centuries. In spiritual practice mugwort is known as a purifying plant. So in Japan the connection between fragrance and protection runs through everyday life, from the temple ceremony to the family altar at home.

Protection through practice 行

In my view the most important protection doesn't come from outside, but from your own practice. If you meditate regularly, recite mantras and practice Reiki, you strengthen your own energy. Many people who have practiced for years describe that they feel more stable inside and are not thrown off balance so easily anymore.

In Shingon Reiki this happens on several levels. Daily Reiki strengthens the flow of energy through the body, meditation with Siddham characters (Bonji in Japanese) connects you with the beings of light they stand for, and mantras work through sound. If you have read the article on negative influences, you know why I see it this way: the point is not so much to fend something off, but to become so clear and stable that disturbing influences have little to hold on to.

Purification with water, misogi 禊, is another practice in this context. At Shintō shrines people purify themselves before entering, and in Shugendō there is the practice of standing under a waterfall. The idea behind it is easy to understand. Water carries away what doesn't belong to you.

For highly sensitive people in particular, regular practice can make a real difference, not as a retreat from the world, but as a way of staying anchored in your own center.

The ancestors 祖

In Japan protection doesn't stop with the visible world. The ancestors (jap.: senzo 先祖) are present in everyday life. Many Japanese households have a butsudan 仏壇, a home altar where rice, tea and incense are offered to the deceased. It is a way of caring for a connection that goes beyond death.

In Japanese belief the ancestors accompany their descendants through life. If you care for this connection, think of your ancestors regularly and thank them, it becomes a source of protection too.

The yearly Obon festival お盆, when the souls of the deceased are welcomed home, is a beautiful expression of this. Lanterns are lit to show the ancestors the way, people dance the Bon dances, and in the temples monks recite sutras for the deceased. Put simply, protection comes not only from the beings of light, but also from those who walked the path before us.

Who in your family do you feel connected with when you think about protection?