The Siddham syllables — A, Vaṃ, Hrīḥ and the Buddhas

In the Shingon tradition 真言宗, individual Siddham syllables (Bonji in Japanese) stand for a Buddha, a bodhisattva or a principle. They are recited, contemplated in meditation and written on talismans, and if you know what stands behind them, you also understand one of the roots of the Reiki symbols better. In this article I'd like to introduce a few of the most important seed syllables.

What are seed syllables? 種子

In Sanskrit they are called bīja, "seeds", and in Japanese 種子 shuji. The image fits very well. Just as a whole plant is already contained in a tiny seed, a single seed syllable holds the whole power of a Buddha. It's a kind of shorthand for that being.

We usually think of a symbol as a stand-in, a heart that stands for love, for example. In esoteric Buddhism it works a little differently. There the seed syllable of a Buddha is so closely tied to that Buddha that it is seen as the Buddha himself, in the form of sound and writing.

A, the primordial syllable 阿

The syllable a is the first sound of the Sanskrit alphabet, and in many languages it is one of the first sounds a child makes. You only have to open your mouth and let the breath flow out, without using your tongue or lips. In Shingon a is more than the first letter. It is seen as the origin of all sounds.

The contemplation of the syllable A, ajikan 阿字観, is the central meditation of Shingon. The object of meditation is usually the Siddham character a, written in gold on a moon disc above a lotus. On Mount Kōya there are temples that offer ajikan sessions to visitors. Ajikan is also one of the foundation practices in Kuji Kiri 1, and I've written a separate article on ajikan (article in German).

Vaṃ and a, the two faces of Dainichi 金胎

Dainichi Nyorai is shown in the two great mandalas of Shingon, and each of them gives him his own seed syllable.

In Shingon both mandalas always belong together, which is why they are called the mandalas of the two realms (jap.: ryōkai mandara). Put simply, wisdom and compassion are two sides of one reality, a bit like the right and the left hand that come together in gasshō 合掌.

Hrīḥ, Amida and Kannon 弥陀

The syllable hrīḥ stands for two beings of light at once: Amida Nyorai 阿弥陀如来, the Buddha of immeasurable light, and the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva of Compassion, Senju Kannon 千手観音. In Japanese the seed syllable is read kiriku, and you often see it on graves and wooden grave tablets, where it connects the deceased with Amida's light.

This syllable is especially interesting for Reiki, because the Reiki symbol Sei He Ki was originally the seed syllable hrīḥ, which Usui probably altered slightly. I found its original form during my research in Kyoto. In the article on Sei He Ki I explain how the syllable can be broken down into its individual sounds and what they mean.

Kannon, in Sanskrit Avalokiteśvara, is perhaps the best-loved being in East Asian Buddhism. Written out in full, the name is Kanzeon 観世音, "the one who perceives the sounds of the world". In Japan you find Kannon in temples, on mountains and at the side of the road, and it is said that Kannon takes on whatever form is needed to help the beings who are suffering.

The five wisdom Buddhas 五仏

In the Diamond Realm Mandala, the five wisdom Buddhas 五智如来 each have their own seed syllable and their own wisdom. Together they form a kind of map of the cosmos.

In Shingon the five wisdoms are understood as five aspects of the one wisdom of Dainichi Nyorai, a bit like white light that splits into colors in a prism.

Seed syllables and the Reiki symbols 靈氣

Of the four classical Reiki symbols, only Sei He Ki goes back directly to a Siddham seed syllable. Two are made of kanji, and Cho Ku Rei isn't a written character at all. The master symbol Dai Ko Myo 大光明, "great bright light", leads straight to Dainichi Nyorai, the Great Sun Buddha, and so to the same light that stands at the center of ajikan.

In Shingon Reiki the symbols are practiced together with their background. Further along the path there are also initiations into the Siddham characters of great Buddhas and bodhisattvas. How these syllables feel in practice is something you experience in the community and in the live events. Which of these syllables would you like to get to know better?