Crystals have fascinated people for thousands of years, whether it is a clear quartz that breaks the light, an amethyst with its deep violet, or a rose quartz that feels warm in your hand. In modern spirituality crystals are mostly used as tools: you place them on the body, wear them or put them in a room. What I find interesting is that stones also have a place in Buddhism, and in Shingon you come across them in places where most people wouldn't expect them.

Three stones and their qualities 三石

Clear quartz, rose quartz and amethyst are among the best-known stones in spiritual practice. Many practitioners connect each of them with a particular quality. What you experience with them is, of course, personal, and nobody can promise you a particular result.

Clear quartz 水晶 has long been connected with clarity. In Japanese it is called suishō, made of the characters 水 "water" and 晶 "crystal" or "sparkling", so it is literally "water crystal". Many people who hold it while giving Reiki describe their perception becoming clearer, a bit like a lens bundling light. In Japan the stone stands for purity, and many Buddhist rosaries (jap.: juzu) are made of clear quartz beads.

Rose quartz is seen by many practitioners as a stone of compassion. In Reiki it is often placed on the heart chakra. What happens then differs from person to person: some feel warmth, some a sense of space, and some are moved to tears without knowing why.

Amethyst gets its name from the Greek amethystos, "not intoxicated". In spiritual practice it is connected with mental clarity. Its violet is the color usually given to the crown chakra, and in Japan it is also the color of the purple robes (jap.: shie 紫衣) that the emperor once granted to only the highest-ranking monks.

Fluorite crystal in violet and petrol-coloured structures · stone of transformation
Fluorite crystal · violet structure, stone of transformation

Precious stones in Buddhism 仏石

In Buddhist sutras precious stones appear again and again. In the Amida Sutra, for example, the Pure Land is described as being made of the seven treasures (jap.: shippō 七宝), among them lapis lazuli and crystal. Here are three examples that have to do directly with Shingon.

大日
Dainichi Nyorai 大日如来 is the Great Sun Buddha at the center of the Shingon mandalas. He embodies the light that shines through everything. Clear quartz, which lets light pass through it, can be a nice point of focus in meditation for this quality. More on Dainichi Nyorai
薬師
Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 is the Medicine Buddha. His full name is Yakushi Rurikō Nyorai, the "Medicine Master of Lapis Lazuli Light", and in the sutra his body is described as shining like lapis lazuli, deep blue and clear. In Japan he usually holds a medicine jar in his hand. More on the Medicine Buddha
金剛
Kongōsatta 金剛薩埵 is the bodhisattva whose name contains kongō, the Japanese word for vajra, which means both diamond and thunderbolt. In Buddhism the diamond stands for wisdom that nothing can destroy, and the vajra is one of the most important ritual objects in Shingon. More on Kongōsatta

So in the Buddhist tradition stones are symbols for qualities of the mind such as light, clarity and indestructible wisdom.

Fluorite crystal in violet and green tones · detail
Fluorite crystal · the fine geometric structures

Reiki and crystals in practice 実践

Combining Reiki and crystals is quite simple. Many practitioners hold a stone in their hands and let Reiki flow into it. Some feel the stone getting warm, others feel a pulsing or see colors. There is no right or wrong here, only your own experience.

One thing I'd like to mention, though. You often see crystals with Reiki symbols or other sacred signs engraved on them. I'm not a fan of this, because the Reiki symbols are not decorations. They belong to the inner practice and come alive through initiation and through your own connection with the beings of light they stand for, and not by being carved into a material object.

That doesn't make stones worthless at all. A crystal can be a lovely companion in practice, as an object of meditation or as an anchor for your attention. However, it doesn't replace the practice itself. Put simply, the force lies in you and in your practice, and the stone can remind you of it.

Fluorite crystal in Eileen's hand · crystal work in Shingon Reiki
Fluorite · crystal work by Eileen Wiesmann

Do you have a stone that accompanies you in your practice?

Tradition and practice

Discover Shingon Reiki

Buddhas, Siddham (Bonji in Japanese) and mantra: in Shingon Reiki the old tradition is part of the practice. If you like, take a look at which starting point fits you.

Your path into Shingon Reiki Mark & Eileen