A long way up the mountain - Aiki & Ukemi

The dual path of Aikido: Aiki and Ukemi.

When you first enter a Japanese Shinto shrine-area you pass between two guardian deities on either side. They look ferocious, make sure you don’t take any liberties. They are like the hands of the shrine, the first line of defence, yin and yang, fire and water, able to deal with every eventuality. Then there’s the gate, the Torii, where you enter underneath, some say between the legs of a woman but I won’t be that explicit. More likely, you enter inside your own self. Then there’s a long path passage, often with bends that hides the heart of the precinct. Just before you cross the threshold into the main courtyard you’re asked to wash your hands and rinse your mouth. A brief misogi to clean our mind and body. We approach the main shrine and while we can’t enter we stop in front, throw a few coins into the large wooden chest to placate the gods, and grab hold of a thick coiled rope that hang down from the ceiling above, with a bell attached at the top. We twirl the rope around to get as much noise out of the ringer as possible—supposedly to wake the kami—hey I’m here! Then we fold our palms together, clap twice or trice and bow deeply. Surely by now we’ve shown our good intentions so on we go, curious we make our way around the main shrine and discover a hardly noticeable inner sanctum—a Holy of Holies if you will, the resting place for our inshrined kami. Not to be disturbed we leave this most tranquil place be. Returning to the main square I ponder the significance of the likeness to our own self —of how we approach our own inner sanctum—our heart and spirit. It’s an existential, esoteric and sometimes tantric exploration of who we are as human beings. Ordinary mortals can’t enter the inner room which is reserved for the priests, often dressed in pure white. The big coffer bar our way regardless of how much money we throw at it. When we take a moment to pray and peer inside we see our own reflection in the mirror on a stand—housing Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. I re fl ect upon all the visible imagery—the shimenawa, the twisted straw ropes that we see in various forms and sizes, used as delineation and boundary markers for the sacred sites and hallowed grounds. Sumo wrestlers wrap them around

their waist to indicate abdominal strength and power. The vertical coiled rope with the bell attached hanging in front of the main worship hall hark back the foundation of the universe and to the creation of the islands of Japan as outlined in the Kojiki—the record of ancient matters. How it all relates back to our own body—the outline and structure of the precincts, the square with its cardinal directions, the inner and outer spaces. The closer I look the more I see.

Our body is truly a temple housing the spirit within.

Aikido—a no fighting game.

If you want self-defence, combat skills, fighting prowess, don’t come to an Aikido dojo. MMA and BJJ, wrestling and boxing will serve you better. Learn how to use a weapon and carry a concealed gun. Aikido do not need help from those quarters. Aikido stands by itself. Our training should be informed by Aiki and if we must find it outside of Aikido so be it. But Aikido in and of itself, stands alone. We don’t need to be propped up by other martial arts, nor do we need their help to make our Aikido “work”. Really, we are in a different world, in a different paradigm and mindset. We are not martial artists nor combatants. We practice a body art; technical skill combined with internal connection. We train in a non-confrontational way where the emphases is on sensation—feeling deeply into ourselves so we can transfer this sensitivity into our partner. We don’t run them over but move them from our centre as we learn to move ourselves. We train hard but we do not spar. We pressure test but not as live fighting. Our jiu waza (randori) is not a free for all where anything goes. It’s a controlled set-up practice. Aikido is/should be an internal art, but not to the expense of its movements—its ukemi. Aikido’s strength lies in the Uke-Nage training; the sensitivity towards the other in giving and receiving. Soft but strong, strong but soft. It requires adaptability and non resistance. We learn to become more sensitive, not less. Aikido is not a solo exercise in the end but a combined adventure where you get as much out of it being Uke as well as Nage. This unity is what makes Aikido special.

Ukemi,

I say, has to be more or less perfected by the time of black belt. If it’s not, some decide to ‘close shop’ and tighten up never to be thrown again. I heard this from a student going to stay eight years in Iwama, the last years of Morihiro Saito’s life, that his goal was to become so “good” that no one would be able to move him (unless he allowed it), not even by the old hands in the dojo. He was a solid bloke but you must know that the heavyweights in Iwama were massive, solid pieces of steel. They just smiled as you tried to twist their arms, and as if being nice to you would slowly go down on one knee to do a little rocking-chair roll and come back up with a huff and a puff. No fun at all to train with, pretending that we actually were able to move them. Absolute useless training. The larger they came the more immobile they were, yet this was not always because they’d mastered Aikido but simply because they were stronger and heavier set, too rigid and stiff and they opted to strongarm you rather than take ukemi. Not all of course, we had genuine Aikidoka that had trained since O Sensei’s days—genuine and kindhearted and truly helpful in training. But rarely ever if at all, gave themselves to taking ukemi for you. The problem was not so much with them, they had the natural authority and depth of experience, but with the foreigners that were relatively new to the art. They saw this to be an excuse not to work on their ukemi, their suppleness or their pliability. Rigid like safety vaults they looked incapable of bending over. Sometimes beginners simply have gotten the wrong idea and believe it’s the right thing to do, to try to stop the technique being applied. Or more advanced Aikidoka deciding to “teach” you by locking down on you, sabotaging any meaningful interaction. That’s why I tell all my students to work on their ukemi, their softness and flexibility, all the way to black belt and beyond. By third Kyu they should be proficient to take rolls from anyone.

It’s a skill all on its own. You want to be able to give a good solid attack, distinct and clear, yet be able to absorb and adjust to the response of Nage so he/she is able to proceed to train the given

technique in the manner prescribed. Keeping centred and balanced is key, and to receive with the whole body so you don’t lock or tense up any part in reaction. Then we’ll be able to stay with the technique as long as possible, remaining buoyant and strong, teaching our own body to absorb impact and force, enabling us to ‘return’ if the application is poorly executed. Which at later stages we use to our advantage in Kaeshi-waza (reversals). We adjust the pliability of course in relation to the ability and skill of our partner in training. We never ‘fall over’ or preempt the ukemi, we retain balance, not to block or counter but to be there for Nage to perform correctly throughout. To do this we have to be physically fit, connected, and sprung. We don’t make it overly easy for Nage but neither do we hold back and not allow access to our centre. We have to surrender our centre when we take ukemi to some degree, otherwise you’re just doing it on your own terms, and that feels for Nage like shit practice. He can of course try to take your centre but if you are resisting, it usually turn into a fight for the right. And since it’s a preset technique we train it becomes this futile macho competition of who can do what. Even if you only do it a little bit, it’s still the same combative mindset that triggers the resistance. Oh it’s realistic they say, but I don’t agree. If it was realistic for real I would change up. And we all know there’s no end to that. Until the superior one decides to hammer the point home.

As I understand it, in Japan, many students never resist a technique from their sempai. Simply because they know if they try, they will have their arm broken. Someone once asked Saito Sensei if he’d ever tried to stop O Sensei? His answer was something of the kind, “Are you mad? He would have killed me”. Some Westerners never had this social restraint in their DNA and would challenge freely, even if a teacher would demonstrate in front of class. This has lead to broken arms in the past. Not wanting to go there when I detect resistance I usually stop and wonder what’s the reason. Maybe it’s legit, maybe cheeky, or maybe just rigidity. So I teach how to receive with the whole body. I value the skill of Uke as much as I value the skill of Nage, and especially the ability to move between them at will.

Too often, stiffness is a major obstacle to good Uke-Nage practice. Free the joints up and let your body move friction free. The most

beautiful Aikidoka usually have the best ukemi, and if they are rigid in their ukemi usually they are rigid in their execution. Many don’t care but that give away their attitude—they don’t really care for Uke. It’s a fight for them, a winner and a loser. And yes, in a real life and death scenario that’s true, but not on the mat in training, nor in life in general. I train for life, not for death.

So how do we receive, train ukemi correctly? First establish your balance, then allow the technique to enter and touch your centre core of your body. Train slowly at first so to get the correct pressure, don’t be disconnected or you’ll collapse on impact. Don’t be too stiff or you will be toppled over and loose your footing. (This is actually the first part of a training method to establish balance from the core, and is not a martial consideration at all.) Having ‘found’ our core with the ‘help’ of the applied pressure, we then retain that centre balance when Nage begin to move us through the applied technique. We must be very supple in order to do this smoothly and unhindered. We must open our joints and use the full scope of our body to handle the incoming stress. Now we have to temper our firmness in relationship to Nages ability and strength, so we don’t make it too difficult nor too easy for them. With an experienced Aikidoka you don’t have to worry about that because they are able to assess your ability through their touch sensation, so all you have to do is to stay with them as long as you can. Remember, this is the practice of ukemi. Never give your centre away in a real fight. We do it in training to learn about balance and how to absorb and redistribute impact throughout the whole body. And it enables Nage to perform and learn the technique at hand without any undue tension and blocking coming back his way, though of course, we must learn to deal with that as well as we progress. But for now we’re only dealing with the ukemi side of things.

There’s an important distinction to be made, between on the one hand being incapable or unwilling (even unconsciously) to receive ukemi, and having the ability and skill of an immovable Aiki trained body that deflects upon contact. Both ‘avoid’ being moved, one is down to exceptional skill, the other to sheer resistance. Neither is

preferred when taking ukemi. Now the value of a perfected trained Aiki body comes in its application as Nage. Not as Uke.

—Do we need ukemi?

Ok, so we have two very distinct separate roles in our Aikido training that starts off at the very same place (in practice) at the centre core of our body. but then divides—one into receiving, into the centre with ukemi, with the body as Uke, and the other into the practice of creating an immovable Aiki internally connected body that repels incoming force upon contact, while directing it into techniques as Nage. Yin and Yang—one receptive, one proactive, their intent completely opposite and different from each other. As Uke, when we train ukemi, we receive force into our centre, and allow access, give, and adapt to the pressure movement applied from the ensuing technique made by Nage. We mould our body to be able to stay with the movement, connected and balanced, centred and pliable to the best of our ability. Therefore the more supple we are, the more flexible and strong we can be, the chances are that we will be able to remain with the applied technique as long as possible, either all the way to the pin or as we are released through the throw where we roll away (escape) in a controlled manner.

In Aikido we have three levels of progressive training:

1. Kihon (basic) Kotai solid static training.

2. Awase (matching) Jutai soft flexible training.

3. Ki no nagare (flowing) Ryutai fluid training.

Kotai is at practice level, not to be considered as a viable option in live encounters. We train in a basic Kihon static form to create an Aiki body, to learn to align, stabilise and balance. We utilise the incoming intent/force to gage our core centre, to structurally align with the help of the incoming pressure being applied either as a grip, push/pull or strike. Done in the corporate sense of a ‘push-test’ we use the Kihon-waza to ‘establish’ our hips, centre our body, and redistribute impact. Which then lead on to the next step of practice; Awase, where we redirect upon contact. This we learn from the gross ‘outer’ form of an applied technique, all the way in to its

subtler structure of a coherently connected Aiki body where redirection occurs upon touch. Having somewhat established the first two training methods we move into flowing application, using the principles from the basic two introductory stages, including perfect timing and correct distancing, to match and flow without receiving any impact into your own body. Depending on whether you are practicing as Uke or Nage your roles are very different, one active and one receptive. Though Uke are initially attacking and its intent kept up throughout the technique being applied (for the benefit of Nages practice) he/she quickly adapt to the change from being the attacker to becoming the receiver. As Uke we don’t want to stiffen up and react when the roles suddenly reverse. Instead we accommodate to the best of our ability Nages execution of the prescribed technique, remaining centred as much as possible in order not to collapse or to stiffen up. By doing so as Uke we endeavour to teach the body not go into reaction upon impact. We learn to receive and become pliable under pressure. We alter the muscle memory, the fiery reactive “fight or flight” pattern to one of cool receptivity, where your body automatically responds without fear or anxiety. Remember, this is Uke training, it’s not considered to be used in a live dangerous martial situation where we never give up our centre. But the lessons learned from a perfected ukemi will remain in our body to help to aid the establishment (I believe) of a connected body that ultimately is what we then utilise as Nage. Note, it is probably not needed to train nor perfect ukemi to be able to train and establish an internally connected Aiki body, which is in fact the most important task at hand when we want to learn Aiki. So here’s the crux for an Aikidoka, do we need ukemi? The training of the immovable body as in the internal framework of Aiki can be more than enough to gratify your senses but I find the ukemi to be a yin side to the ‘fortress’ of yang. A receptive part in my arsenal to deal with life where I’m ready to give up life in order to gain life. As Uke I surrender in order for you to flourish. I don’t die and collapse but I do give in. Yet in a soft pliable way that requires skill, trust and fearless devotion. Which in the end, might be the ultimate redeemer? Where you say, your will be done, not mine. Where we come to our senses. In the interchange of giving and receiving we

find life, not in one or the other but in both working interchangeably. Just as there’s a seed of yin in the height of yang, there’s a seed of yang in the prime of yin. The ‘need’ never to give up your centre core may not only reflect a martial attitude but indeed reveal an inability or unwillingness to part with a sense of who you are—the loss of your self. This will be reflected spiritually as the fear of letting go, of surrendering the ego. Ultimately pointing to a fear of death. Loss of self identity can be scary. That’s why in Aikido we invest in the practice of loss, ie ukemi. To give in, to the core of our being without fear. Yet we don’t do it in hopelessness and in near collapse, but retain the life spark in trusting Nage with our lives. We dare to surrender ourselves for something else to take over—a relationship that flows back and forth, ultimately seen as a unified process of human beings interacting seamlessly as one. A realisation not only of our own undivided self in excellence but in a shared experience where all division is obliterated. Utopia perhaps but if you have tasted it once you’ll know it’s possible. That is why Aikido is a mutually benefitting engagement and not only a solo exercise for building skill.

Uke/Nage training is NOT necessarily compliant.

Meaning, Uke does not just fall down or orchestrate his own ukemi as a response to Nages efforts. But Uke gives his centre to Nage so nage can correctly apply the Aiki technique through ukes body. In this sense, Aikido is NOT compliant, as uke is not going down unless his centre, his body, is taken correctly, which he/she allows. Why? Because it is training. Uke trains to be soft but firm, solid yet pliable, flexible and buoyant, strong yet sensitive. Uke trains to absorb to his/her core yet to remain in balance while being moved, all the way down to a pin or into a roll or high-fall. Nage does not overdo or overpower his/her projection or technique but stay in firm control while executing clearly the technical points. Firm but gentle Nage controls Uke without having to do violence on him or her, without hampering their ukemi. Uke does not resist his centre being taken as he trains to remain in balance, centred throughout the application.

If Uke resists and Nage persists we have a combat scenario. Even if it’s just a tiny bit. This conflict is what Aikido wants to avoid—force against force. That’s why we train Aiki—deflection upon contact. Ukemi means to receive with the body, so we practice to absorb impact without resisting the technique being applied to us—for trainings sake. We would never allow them to reach our centre core in a real situation. We would never let them in, in a fight.

But training is different. We condition the body not to react but to respond—in two different ways. One response as Uke and the other as Nage. Uke receives into the body, balanced and strong, while Nage directs out from his centre, connected with Aiki. Uke does not disengage but retain a constant incentive and intention for Nage to utilise in his/her application. Nage can/should take the initiative and preempt the engagement yet Uke is always the instigator and remain so throughout in spirit. If it were not so there would be no conflict. Nage is only preempting Ukes prior intention, and is not charging ahead without due reason, or under the misunderstanding that “attack” is the best defence. That is only appropriate and valid when there is a clear and present danger in a real situation. Not in the dojo.

“Resistance” training can be valid. If Nage and Uke both already are supple and strong, flexible yet firm. Then, appropriate firming up is a good way to increase your skill and general stamina. Making yourself more wiry without locking up and remaining movable so Nage still can perform the full technique. No blocking or counters are recommended as it generates the combative struggling-forsupremacy battle. Don’t go too fast or you’ll trigger the reactive muscle response to resist and fight back. Go slow and you’ll detect when you can release those reactive tendencies in your body, and align and find centre again, receiving into your body, taking the ukemi.

To reiterate, Uke does not protect his centre in practice. Yet he does not “collapse” nor “fold”. He does not stiffen up nor brace, he does not use Aiki to protect his balance, countering and deflecting or neutralising Nages attempts to practice technique. So in that sense,

Uke is compliant in allowing Nage access to his body, but only to the extent Nage is able to move him or her correctly.

Now can we do this not being afraid of giving up our centre as Uke? Being confident in our ukemi, in our ability to receive. If so, it will greatly enhance our prospects of learning Nages role, of executing from centre—from an aiki connected centred body, that does not allow forces to land on you while dealing with ukes attack.

I hope we are able to gain some clarity on the very different, but complementary, roles Nage and Uke play in the practice of Aikido. Ukemi plays a crucial role in Aikido and as such can’t be dismissed. If we downplay ukemi in favour of only creating a formidable connected immovable Aiki body, we’ll lose half of Aikido and end up creating immovable Nages with “immovable“ Ukes.

From an Aiki centred martial point of view, that doesn’t matter. Ukemi doesn’t really feature. But then, technique will break down as there will be no one there to receive it. And as much there is refinement in Nages application, so there should be with Uke. I remember in Iwama a young but strong new foreign student resisting all techniques in a very stiff manner, and as I pointed out that he’ll do a better job “resisting” and staying with the application by being more supple and receiving it into his body, he objected and thought that was not “being martial”. So he preferred being rigid and inflexible (and pig headed quite frankly) rather then teaching his body to be more receptive and therefore more capable. But hey ho, each to their own. Both aspects needs investing in.

This is the reason why I often say—“The teacher will never be better than his best student”. Nage will never be better than Ukes capacity to take ukemi. Ie. meaning, for the teacher to manifest his skill in Aikido, he must match ukes ability, so not to do ‘violence’ upon the interaction. A great Uke brings out the best in Nage. And a good Nage should be able to bring out the best ukemi from Uke.

Some reason that self-protection is necessary in taking/receiving ukemi—that there has to be some level of resistance in order to stay safe, and/or be martial. But the way I see it means I come to rely on my trained body to be able to receive without going into reactive behaviour, and automatically respond and absorb whatever is being done to me—learning that the body has a natural defence mechanism when not reacting in fear. This, for me, is what constitutes ‘ukemi’, receiving with the body.

This leaves of course a lot of responsibility with Nage, not to ‘abuse’ his advantage by overpowering his application. He/she will have to learn and monitor the amount of force in use, just right, to create the perfect technique. This is especially very important when a stronger party trains with a weaker party. Don’t take advantage!

Mitra-Varuna.

They are the twin paired Ādityas, aspects, deities of the Sun (Surya); and they are protectors of the of Rita.

In the Vedic religion, Ṛta (Sanskrit ऋत ṛta "order, rule; truth; logos") is the principle of natural order which regulates and coordinates the operation of the universe and everything within it.

The Adityas (Sanskrit: आिदत, romanised: Āditya, lit. 'of Aditi', Sanskrit pronunciation: [aːdɪtjɐ]), refers to the offspring of Aditi, the goddess representing infinity. The name Aditya, in the singular, refer to the sun god Surya.

Mitra is increasingly associated with the light of dawn and the morning sun while Varuna becomes associated with the evening, and ultimately the night.

The Indo-Iranian common noun *Mitra means "(that which) causes [-tra] to bind [mi-]", hence Sanskrit mitram, "covenant, contract,

oath". In post-Vedic India, the noun mitra came to be understood as "friend", one of the aspects of bonding and alliance.

In the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedic texts, Mitra is mostly indistinguishable from Varuna, together with whom Mitra forms a dvandva pair Mitra-Varuna, and in which Mitra-Varuna has essentially the same characteristics as Varuna alone. But Varuna is not only the greater of the two, but also – according to RV 2.12 –the second-greatest of the RigVedic gods after Indra.

Varuna (/ˈ vɜːrʊnə, ˈ vɑːrə-/; Sanskrit: वरण, IAST: Váruṇa) is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). In the Hindu Puranas, Varuna is the god of oceans, his vehicle is a Makara (crocodile) and his weapon is a Pasha (noose, rope loop). He is the guardian deity of the western direction. (Varuna is found in Japanese Buddhist mythology as Suiten, often associated with Fudomyoo.)

The theonym Váru ṇ a (Devanagari: वरण ) is described as a derivation from the verbal root vṛ ("to surround, to cover" or "to restrain, bind") by means of a suffixal -uṇa-, for an interpretation of the name as "he who covers or binds", in reference to the cosmological ocean encircling the world, but also in reference to the "binding" by universal law or Ṛta.

Mitra-Varuna are conceived as young, they wear glistening garments, are monarchs and guardians of the whole world and their palace is golden, with a thousand pillars and a thousand doors. They support (and are frequently invoked next to) heaven and earth, and the air between heaven and earth.

They are asuras, and (like all asuras) wield their power through secret knowledge (māyā), which empowers them to make the sun traverse the sky, and to obscure it with clouds. Their eye is the sun, and they mount their chariot in the highest heavens, which they drive with the rays of the sun as with arms. They have spies that are

wise and undeceivable. They are maintainers of order (ṛtá, “truth”), they are barriers against falsehood, which they punish.

The Varuna-Mitra pairing resembles the later Rudra-Shiva pair. Both have wrathful-gracious aspects in Indian mythology. Both Varuna and Rudra are synonymous with "all comprehensive sight, knowledge".

In the Atharvaveda, Mitra is again associated with sunrise, and is contrasted with Varuna's association with the evening. Agni (Fire) is kindled before dawn to produce Mitra, and when kindled is Mitra.

“Emerging Forth into the Light”.

The Duat was the region through which the sun god Ra traveled from west to east each night, and it was where he battled Apep, who embodied the primordial chaos which the sun had to defeat in order to rise each morning and bring order back to the earth. It was also the place where people's souls went after death for judgment, though that was not the full extent of the afterlife. Burial chambers formed touching-points between the mundane world and the Duat. The Akh (the conscious part of the soul) could use tombs to travel back and forth from the Duat. Each night the sun god Ra travelled through the Duat, bringing revivification to the dead as their main benefit. Ra travelled under the world upon his Atet barge from west to east; on the course of the underground journey, he was transformed from his aged Atum form into his young Khepri form – the new dawning sun. The role of the dead king, worshiped as a god, was also central to the mythology surrounding the concept of Duat, often depicted as being identical with Ra.

Along with the sun god the dead king travelled through the Duat, the Kingdom of Osiris, using the special knowledge he was supposed to possess, which was recorded in the Coffin Texts, that served as a guide to the hereafter not just for the king but for all deceased. According to the Amduat, the underworld consists of twelve regions signifying the twelve hours of the sun god's journey

through it, battling Apep in order to bring order back to the earth in the morning; as his rays illuminated the Duat during the journey, they revived the dead who occupied the underworld and let them enjoy life after death during that hour of the night when they were in the presence of the sun god, after which they resumed their sleep, waiting for the god's return the following night.

The rest of the dead journeyed through the various parts of the Duat to be judged, but not to be unified with the sun god like the dead king. If the deceased was successfully able to pass various demons and challenges, then he or she would reach the weighing of the heart. In this ritual, the heart of the deceased was weighed by Anubis against the feather of Maat, which represents truth and justice.

* Any heart that is heavier than the feather failed the test, and was rejected and eaten by Ammit, the devourer of souls, as these people were denied existence after death in the Duat. * The souls that were lighter than the feather would pass this most important test, and would be allowed to travel toward Aaru, the "Field of Rushes", an ideal version of the world they knew of, in which they would plough, sow, and harvest abundant crops.

Ida and Pingala.

The three principal nadis are ida, pingala, and sushumna. Ida (इडा, iḍā "comfort") lies to the left of the spine, whereas pingala (िपङगल, piṅgala "orange", "tawny", "golden", "solar") is to the right side of the spine, mirroring the ida. Sushumna (सुषुमणा, suṣumṇā "very gracious", "kind") runs along the spinal cord in the center.

"The nāḍis penetrate the body from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head. In them is prāṇa, the breath of life and in that life abides Ātman, which is the abode of Shakti, creatrix of the animate and inanimate worlds." (VU 54/5)

Ida is associated with lunar energy. The word Ida means "comfort" in Sanskrit. Idā has a moonlike nature and feminine energy.

Pingala is associated with solar energy. The word pingala refers to the “reddish-brown colour” in Sanskrit; Pingala has a sunlike nature and masculine energy.

Sushumna is the central and most important channel. It connects the base chakra at the nadir to the crown chakra at the zenith along its vertical axis.

Piṅgalā (िपङगला) (An attendant upon the sun. A fabulous being in the form of a Naga or serpent of lower regions) refers to one of the three channels (of vital breath) in the body hosting the deities Jyeṣṭhā and Viṣṇu.—In the Tantrasadbhāva we find the geometric shapes related to the energies, or aspects of the one energy, that constitute the Triangle. These three energies are the consorts of the gods Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara and manifest as a series of triads. At the microcosmic level they engender exhalation (equivalent to creation brought about by V ā m ā ), inhalation (equivalent to persistence brought about by Jyeṣṭhā) and retention of the breath (equivalent to withdrawal brought about by Raudrī). They are located in the corresponding channels in the body where these three forms of the vital breath function: namely Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumṇā, respectively.

Ila (Sanskrit: इल) or Ilā (Sanskrit: इला) is a deity in Hindu legends, known for her sex changes. As a man, he is known as Ila or Sudyumna (सुदुम) and as a woman, is called Ilā. Ilā is considered the chief progenitor of the Lunar dynasty of Indian kings – also known as the Aillas ("descendants of Ilā").

In the Vedas, Ilā is praised as Idā (Sanskrit: इडा), goddess of speech, and described as the mother of Pururavas.

Ila is usually described as a daughter or son of Vaivasvata Manu and thus the sibling of Ikshvaku, the founder of the Solar Dynasty.

In versions in which Ila is born female, she changes into a male form by divine grace soon after her birth. After mistakenly entering a sacred grove as an adult, Ila is either cursed to change his/her gender every month or cursed to become a woman. As a woman, Ilā married Budha, the god of the planet Mercury and the son of the lunar deity Chandra (Soma), and bore him a son called Pururavas, the father of the Lunar dynasty. After the birth of Pururavas, Ilā has transformed into a man again and fathered three sons.

As a man, Ila was Sudyumna (सुषुमणा) a king of the solar dynasty. Once, he went hunting in the forest, and was separated from his retinue. Tired, and exhausted, he waded into a pool in the forest along with his stallion and quenched his thirst. Unfortunately, that pool had been enchanted by Lord Shiva, so that any male who enters it would become a female. Sudyumna was turned into a woman called Ila and his stallion became a mare. He (she) took refuge at the hermitage of Budha, that was nearby. The sage became infatuated with her, and she reciprocated his affection. They had a son named Puroorava. Ultimately, the King was freed from his curse and returned to his kingdom, along with his son Puroorava, who is the first king of the Chandra dynasty.

Sushumna (सुषुमणा), the central channel. The word sushumna can be divided into three parts. The division is su-su-mna. Su is a prefix (that often changes to shu). It means “good, beautiful, virtuous, sweet, and well”. ‘Mna’ is an infrequently used verb root with the same meaning as its more common root form, ‘man’, which means “to think”(“mind” mana(s)).

Welcome back Manu! And enter Ueshiba Morihei, O-sensei described the great emptiness of being as Su-U-Yu-Mu. The creator spirit of the universe, from which all other word souls are born, is the kototama of Su. The beginning.

Archeology of the Soul.

Dig deep and we may be surprised. This goes thousands of years back—the entire human drama unearthed. At first sighting we see no more than a mound, then layer after layer of disclosure we discover evidence of life’s origin. Predating many other cultures the excavation of Indian myth reveal details sometimes lost in translation over several centuries when exported to surrounding lands. Traces of which we find in neighbouring Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Northwest Asia, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan, and even closer to home in the Near East.

Hinduism, or; Sanātana Dharma (सनातन धमर, “the Eternal Dharma”), a modern usage, which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, dating to the Vedic period of the Sindhu-Sarasvati (or Indus Valley) tradition.

In the closing verses of the Laws of Manu Manusmriti (Manava Dharmasastra, Sanskrit मानवधमरशास) it sums up: एवं यः सवरभूतेषु पशतातानमातना । स सवरसमतामेत बहाभेित परं पदम् “He who thus recognises in his individual soul, the universal soul that exists in all beings, becomes equal minded towards all, and enters the highest state, Brahman.”

This is in its simplest form, the essence of the Hindu Dharma: Tat Twam Asi—You are That! Expressed in the Advaita Vedanta literature as ‘Neti neti’—not this, not this! Comprised in the one sound of Om ॐ.

But as simple and singular the essence is, so more complex and diverse is the subsequent branching out.

Nārāyaṇa, is the cosmic name of Īśvara Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber on the celestial waters, and is considered the Supreme Being: Aka. the Purusha (puruṣa or Sanskrit: पुरष) which is the personal concept whose meaning evolved in Vedic and

Upanishadic times, it means The Cosmic Person—the soul of the universe, the universal spirit present everywhere, in everything and everyone, all the time. Purusha is the Universal Person that is eternal, indestructible and all-pervasive. Brahman (Sanskrit: बह) connotes its highest universal impersonal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe; from the root bṛh- "to swell, expand, grow, enlarge, to be or make firm, strong", and is a neuter gender noun. It has been variously described as Sat-cit- ā nanda (truthconsciousness-bliss) and as the unchanging, permanent, highest reality.

“I am Narayana, the Source of all things, the Eternal, the Unchangeable. I am the Creator of all things, and the Destroyer also of all. I am Vishnu, I am Brahma and I am Shankara, the chief of the gods. I am king Vaisravana, and I am Yama, the lord of the deceased spirits. I am Siva, I am Soma, and I am Kasyapa the lord of the created things. And, O best of regenerate ones, I am he called Dhatri, and he also that is called Vidhatri, and I am Sacrifice embodied. Fire is my mouth, the earth my feet, and the Sun and the Moon are my eyes; the Heaven is the crown of my head, the firmament and the cardinal points are my ears; the waters are born of my sweat. Space with the cardinal points are my body, and the Air is my mind...”

In classical Purāṇic Hinduism, Hiraṇyagarbha is the term used in the Vedanta for the "creator", literally the 'golden womb', poetically translated as 'universal womb', is the source of the creation of the universe, the manifested cosmos in Vedic philosophy. Hiraṇyagarbha is also Brahmā, so called because it is said he was born from a golden egg.

“There was darkness everywhere. Everything was in a state of sleep. There was nothing, either moving or static. Then Svayambhu, self-manifested being arose, which is a form beyond senses. It created the primordial waters first and established the seed of creation into it. The seed turned into a golden womb. —the Hiraṇyagarbha floated around in the darkness of the non-existence

for a year of Brahma, and then broke into two halves which formed Svarga (heaven) and Pṛthvi (earth). Prajapati (Brahma) emerged from the golden egg, and created the earth, the middle regions and the sky.”

* the three worlds refer to, earth (Bhuloka), heaven (Svarga), and hell (Naraka)(or the netherworld (Patala)).

* The Brahmanda Purana conceives them to be Bhūta (past), Bhavya (future), and Bhavat (present).

* In Vaishnavism, the three worlds are described to be bhūr, bhuvaḥ, and svaḥ (the gross region, the subtle region, and the celestial region.

The universe emerged from darkness (tamas), which is Rudra (Shiva), first as passion characterised by innate quality (rajas) as Brahma which then refined and differentiated into purity and goodness (sattva) as Vishnu.

From the Kojiki: “At the beginning the universe was immersed in a beaten and shapeless kind of matter (chaos), sunk in silence. Later there were sounds indicating the movement of particles. With this movement, the light and the lightest particles rose but the particles were not as fast as the light and could not go higher. Thus, the light was at the top of the Universe, and below it, the particles formed first the clouds and then Heaven, which was to be called Takamagahara (⾼ 天原, "High Plain of Heaven"). The rest of the particles that had not risen formed a huge mass, dense and dark, to be called Earth.”

Brahmas four heads represent the four Vedas and are pointed to the four cardinal directions. He is seated on a lotus. God Brahma was forming ten men and a woman named Satarupa at the time. He was attracted to Satarupa after being awoken by the arrow of desire. She moved to God Brahma’s left, irritated by his fascinated look, and a new head appeared to stare at her. When she raced in all four directions, she was greeted by four amorous heads. Suddenly, she sprang above his head, and the fifth head appeared above the other four. She requested Lord Shiva’s assistance in

order to escape from his starring. Lord Brahma is the one who produced Satarupa, hence she is considered his daughter. As a result of the creator of the world’s behaviour, Lord Shiva got enraged and severed the 5th head. Lord Shiva is generally depicted holding a human skull in his hand, which is none other than Lord Brahma’s skull.

A four-faced linga is said also to represent the five aspects of Shiva, the fifth aspect in its centre, implied and often hidden, is the shaft itself or is assumed to be emerging from the top of the shaft and denotes the formless Absolute. Thus, a four-faced mukhalinga can be also called a pancha-mukhalinga ("linga with five faces" of Shiva). The five faces relate Shiva to the classical elements, the directions, the five senses and five parts of the body. These represent Shiva's five aspects: Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Ishana.

The five may be represented as simply as five kinds of stones called a Pancayatana puja set, or just five marks drawn on the floor. This arrangement is also represented in Smarta Pancayatana temples found in India, with one central shrine, and four smaller shrines at the corners of a square.

Pañcāyatana pūjā, the worship of five interchangeable deities are set in a quincunx pattern: ⁙ Shiva, Vishnu, Surya (the Sun), Brahma and Adi Shakti are aspects of saguna ("with qualities”) Brahman, a means to realising the abstract Ultimate Reality called nirguna (“without qualities”) Brahman.

Chatur-vyūha ("Four emanations"), is an ancient Indian religious concept initially focusing on the four earthly emanations (Vyūhas) of the Supreme deity Nārāyaṇa (Cosmic MahaVishnu). This "Vyuha doctrine" (Vyūhavāda) developed out of the earlier Vīravāda cult of the Vrishni heroes also referred to as Pancha-viras "Five heroes", are a group of five legendary, deified heroes: Saṃkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Samba, Aniruddha.

Vyūhas are the first beings created, and they represent the effective parts of a coherent whole. Here, vyūha means – projection; the projection of the svarūpa ('own form') as bahurūpa ('manifest variously'). The Chatur-vyūha forms of Vishnu are related to four of the six causes of creation which six are Brahman Himself as the final cause of creation and His five aspects – Narāyana (thinking), Vāsudeva (feeling), Samkarśana (willing), Pradyumna (knowing), and Aniruddha (acting) successively.

The seven (or eight) Rishis (sages) who are the sons of Brahma, born out of his mind, are called gotrakarins, from whom all 108 gotras (of the Brahmins) have evolved. These Manasaputras 'mind-born sons' (Sanskrit: मनस पुत, created the first man, Svayambhuva Manu, and the first woman, Shatarupa. After the great flood, in the Shatapatha Brahmana, Manu, the only surviving human, performed a fire-sacrifice in order to have children. Idā emerged from the sacrifice. She lived with Manu and together they initiated the race of Manu and had five children; two sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada, and three daughters, Akutii, Devahuti and Prasuti, who went on to populate the earth. Their descendants are called manushya, the Sanskrit term for mankind.

Manu is the ancestor of the "Five Peoples", or "Páñca Jánāḥ" (the five tribes being the Anu, Druhyus, Yadus, Turvashas, and Purus) to whom all Hindus ascribe their ancestry to.

Pancha Bhuta, the five elements are:

1. Prithvi/Bhudevi (पृथी:, Earth)

2. Apas/Varuna/Jala (आपः, Water)

3. Agni (अिग, Fire)

4. Vayu (वायु:, Air)

5. Akasha/Dyaus (आकाश, Space/Sky/Ether)

The Five Wisdom Buddhas are a development of the Buddhist Tantras, and later became associated with the trikaya or "three body" theory of Buddha-hood. While in the Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra

there are only four Buddha families, the full Diamond Realm mandala with five Buddhas first appears in the Vajrasekhara Sutra.

The representation of the five elements/phases (wu xing) in China, either written or illustrated, presents ‘Earth’ in the centre of a cross/ quadrant at least until the 12th century and only later are depicted in the five-pointed pentagon star.

The Five Elements (Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire), possibly more appropriately called the ‘five relationships’ for their coherent inter-dependent structure. Conceived of as the building blocks of the first human being—as our first relationship is vertical between ‘heaven and earth’, simply standing tall. Thereof a tree (Wood) as our ‘head’ indicating a rising structure from the ground up, held up by two ‘legs’; one absorbing into ‘Earth’, the other supporting as ‘Metal’. Each ‘foot’ relating and connecting diagonally to its opposite ‘hand’, and finally both hands find their coordinated relationship horizontally as ‘Fire’ and ‘Water’, balanced as yin and yang.

The vertical relationship between head to toe is primary, as an axis between heaven and earth, from zenith to nadir, which the horizontal secondary ‘twin-relationship’ between the fingertips finds its support and gain their balancing yin and yang, fire and water, and sun and moon interactive qualities from.

The Pandavas are the five sons of Pandu, a king of the Kuru dynasty. Yudhishtra, Bheema and Arjuna were born to Kunti, his first wife. The twins Nakula and Sahadeva were born to his second wife Madri.

Each of the Pandavas has a divine father, as Pandu was incapable of fathering a child as a result of a curse. The father of Yudhishtra is Yama, the father of Bheema is Vayu, the father of Arjuna is Indra and the fathers of the twins Nakula and Sahadeva are the divine Ashwini twins.

The Ashvins (Sanskrit: अ िश न् , romanised: A ś vin, lit. 'horse possessors'), also known as Ashwini Kumara, are Hindu twin gods, sons of the sun god Surya. In the Rigveda, they are described as

youthful divine twin horsemen, travelling in a chariot drawn by horses that are never weary, and portrayed as guardian deities. Why horse-possessors? The twins representing our two hands, are what hold onto the reins of the four senses, just as Krishna was the charioteer for Arjuna.

And who are these ‘twins’ in Japanese folklore? The first pairing is Izanami and Izanagi, and Izanagi can rightly be said to be the pro generator of the bloodline of the Japanese race by giving ‘birth’ to the siblings of Amaterasu (the Sun goddess), the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm god Susanoo. Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed his left eye, Tsukuyomi was born when he washed his right eye, and Susanoo was born when he washed his nose. Now the sun and the moon have the ‘twin’ connection here, while Susanoo rides aloof as the male dark central principle. Manu… and Ila.

The civilisations of Southeast Asia developed forms of Hinduism and Buddhism that incorporated distinctive local features and in other respects reflected local cultures, but the framework of their religious life, at least in the upper classes, was largely Indian. Stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata became widely known in Southeast Asia and are still popular there in local versions. In Indonesia the people of Bali still follow a form of Hinduism adapted to their own genius.

The spread of Hinduism in Indonesia is believed to begin in early AD—together with Buddhism—around the 2nd and the 4th century AD. Its when traders from India came to Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi, bringing their religion along with them.

Versions of the Manu-smriti were taken to Southeast Asia and were translated and adapted to indigenous cultures until they lost most of their original content.

The earliest material evidence of Hinduism in Southeast Asia comes from Borneo, where late 4th-century Sanskrit inscriptions testify to the performance of Vedic sacrifices by Brahmans at the behest of local chiefs.

The Samoan myth of creation, still passed on from generation to generation, is as follows:

In the beginning, there were only the heavens and the waters covering the earth. The god Tagaloa looked down from his place in the sky and considered creating a place on the earth where he could stand. So he made a resting place by creating the rock called Manu'atele [Greater Manu'a]. Tagaloa was pleased with his work and said, "It would be - well to have still another resting place." He divided the rock Manu'atele so he would have other places in the sea that would serve as stepping stones. From these pieces of rock, he created Savai'i, Upolu, Tonga, Fiji, and the other islands that lie scattered about the wide ocean.

In Samoan mythology, Ila was the first woman on Tutuila. She was created by Tagaloa and her husband was Tutu. In another legend, Tutu and Ila escaped a war in the Manuʻa Islands and repopulated Tutuila.

Tui Manu'a Empire of Samoa.

It is appropriate to address the topic of the Oceania empire of the prehistoric Tui Manu’a and the extent to which this influence permeated the social-political sphere of Samoa and Tonga at that time. Prior to and during the rise of the great familial titles of Savaii, Upolu and Tongatapu, the Tui Manu’a was the highest ranking title and office of all Samoa, Tonga and various other islands.

The sovereign of Manuʻa was traditionally called “Tui Manuʻa,” This title was the progenitor of many of the high titles used in other parts of the Samoan Islands. Manuʻa was the only part of Samoa that was never subjected to Tongan rule, because both the Tongans and the Samoans regarded Manuʻa as having sacred status.

According to historical Samoan oral tradition, Manu'a was formerly the ruling center of a large Polynesian empire that included the entire Samoan archipelago.

Tui Manu'a’s 41 unbroken successive generations of title holders, spans over 2,000 years.

The Manu’a Islands were the original HEADQUARTERS of the SA TAGALOA Clan hence Manu’a were considered sacred islands (MOTU SA) to all Samoa and Tonga. The sacred Chant, “TUI MANU’A LOU ALI’I E”, was once chanted in Tonga, Tahiti and other islands of Polynesia to honour the mysticism of royalty to the title. Still today the Tui Manu’a Chant can be heard in Samoa but only on special occasions.

Vajra

Japanese: ⾦剛 kongō: ⾦ metal; gold; money. 剛 hard; firm; strong.

From the Sanskrit वज (vajra): “strong, lively” "the hard or mighty one", a thunderbolt especially that of Indra, said to have been formed out of the bones of the rishi दधीच (dadhīca) and shaped like a circular discus. On account of his skill in wielding the vajra, some epithets used for Indra in the Rigveda were Vajrabahu or Vajrahasta (holding the vajra in his hand).

The vajra in later times was depicted as having the form of two transverse bolts crossing each other, like two outstretched arms and hands with fingers spread apart (as if holding a wide discus) and then doubled to become a cross—vertical and horizontal.

Dadhichi is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for his sacrifice in the Puranas, where he gives up his life so that his bones could be

used to manufacture the Vajra, the diamond-hard celestial thunderbolt of the deity Indra, in order to slay Vritra.

Vritra (Sanskrit: वृत, romanised: Vṛtrá, lit. 'enveloper') is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (Sanskrit: अिह ahi, lit. "snake"). He appears as a human-like serpent blocking the course of the Rigvedic rivers, and is slain by Indra with his newly-forged vajra.

Vishnu revealed to Indra that only weapons made from the thundercontaining bones of the sage Dadhichi could kill Vritra.

Dadhichi had been asked to safeguard the weapons of the devas, as they were unable to match the arcane arts being employed by the asuras to obtain them. Dadhichi is said to have kept at the task for a very long time and, finally tiring of the job, is said to have dissolved the weapons in sacred water, which he then drank. The devas returned some time later and asked him to return their weapons so that they might defeat the asuras, headed by Vritra, once and for all. Dadhichi, however, told them of what he had done and informed them that their weapons were now a part of his bones. Realising that his bones were the only way by which the devas could defeat the asuras, he willingly gave his life in a pit of mystical fl ames, that he summoned with the power of his austerities. Vishvakarma is then said to have fashioned a large number of weapons from Dadhichi's bones, including the Vajrayudha (Vajra, the weapon), which was fashioned from his spine. The devas are then said to have defeated the asuras using the weapons thus created.

The Five-pronged Vajra. The five prongs symbolise the five fingers of the hand (thumb in the middle, but also indicating the axis from its forearm) and was originally spread open.

The Sanskrit vajra- (वज-) and Avestan vazra- both refer to a ‘weapon’ of the Godhead, and are possibly from the Proto-IndoEuropean root *weg'- which means "to be(come) powerful".

The vajra is represented by a type of mace with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, turned inward, or they may be separate spread apart and end in extended points. The vajra is the ‘weapon’ of Indra, the Vedic king of the devas and heaven. It is used symbolically by the dharmic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, often to represent firmness of spirit and esoteric spiritual power.

In Hinduism, an astra (Sanskrit: अस) was a supernatural weapon, presided over by a specific deity and imbued with spiritual and occult powers that caused its effect or impact. Later the word came to denote any weapon which was used by releasing it from one's hand (e.g. an arrow), compared to keeping it one's hand (e.g. a sword) (Shastra).

Buddhaghoṣa, a major figure of Theravada Buddhism in the 5th century, identified the Bodhisattva Vajrapani with Indra.

Vajirapāṇi, meaning, "Vajra in [his] hand") is one of the earliestappearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolise the Buddha's power.

Vajrapāni is also called Chana Dorji and Chador and extensively represented in Buddhist iconography as one of the earliest three protective deities or bodhisattvas surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolises one of the Buddha's virtues: Manjushri manifests all the Buddhas' wisdom, Avalokiteśvara manifests all the Buddhas' immense compassion, and Vajrap ā ni protects Buddha and manifests all the Buddhas' power as well as the power of all five tathāgatas (Buddha-hood of the rank of Buddha).

Vajrap ā ni is one of the earliest Dharmapalas of Mahayana Buddhism and also appears as a deity in the Pali Canon of the

Theravada school. He is worshiped in the Shaolin Monastery, in Tibetan Buddhism and in Pure Land Buddhism (where he is known as Mahasthamaprapta and forms a triad with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara). Manifestations of Vajrapāni can also be found in many Buddhist temples in China, Taiwan and Japan as Dharma protectors guarding monastery and temple gates. Vajrapāni is also associated with Acala, where he is serenaded as the holder of the vajra.

In China, Vajrapāni, known as the "vajra-holding god" (執⾦剛神 Zhíjīngāng shén), is widely venerated in his dual manifestation as the "vajra warriors" (⾦剛⼒⼠ Jīngāng Lìshì) or "Benevolent Kings" (仁王 Rénwáng), two muscular guardian deities that usually stand at each side of the shanmen in Buddhist temples and monasteries. The statue on the right side is traditionally named "Guhyapāda" (密跡⾦剛 Mìjī jīngāng), while the one on the left is traditionally named "Nārāyaṇa" (那羅延天 Nàluóyán tiān.

In Japan, Vajrapāni is called Shukongōshin (執⾦剛神), the on'yomi reading of his Chinese name. As in China, his image was the inspiration for the Niō (仁王, Benevolent Kings), the wrath-filled and muscular guardian of the Buddha, found at the entrance of many Buddhist temples.

Vajrapāni is also associated with Acala (不動明王, Fudō-myōō); the mantra for Fudō-myōō references him as the powerful wielder of the vajra.

In Aikido it is the body connection that creates internal coherent strength, and is called ‘Kokyu extension’ in Aikido when we open and extend and fill our arm and hand and fingers spread wide. Sometimes likened to the spiral opening of the five petals of an Asagao flower, or ‘morning glory’.

The Vajrā is often displayed as the crossed-vajra extending in two opposite directions or in its double-vajra displayed cross extending in four directions. The former refer to our span between our both hands, from fingertip to fingertip, horizontally spread out. The

double-vajra can then be seen as the aiki-cross; head to toe and hand to hand.

Vishnu is often seen with a vajra in one hand and a lotus flower in the other, representing the In Yo (yin/yang), fire and water (Ka-Mi) balanced relationship wherewith an internal opposing spiral connection is physically created between the hands and out from its central column, or pillar, our vertical body axis.

The Hindu sagas should be read as descriptions of esoteric knowledge trained and accomplished through the body. Symbols, metaphors and narrative, all support an internal understanding of our body and mind. They are not only metaphysical mental images but real possible physical realities if understood and trained. So when we read about these ‘weapons’ being used, we must find their equivalent in our own body. Then, and only then, will the storytelling begin to make sense.

Weapons of “Truth”.

The Hindu Scriptures are filled with bloody warfare. Fascinating tales and epic battles that employ weapons of mass destruction by the gods and demigods that wield them. The understanding of which in modern times is surely lacking, as the interpretations tend to believe that the figurative immensely powerful weapons were actual realities or just mere fiction. That is not so. The Mahabharata, the largest compiled poem ever written, is a text describing the spiritual nature potentially existing within all of us. All battles and trials, victories and defeats, can be found within our own body, mind and heart. The tools and weapons they use; their armour, clothing, the vessels, all point to spiritual truths and their symbolic meaning. Do not think for one moment the gods are literally killing each other, nor are they using made-up weapons that have supernatural powers. The over-the-top narrative invokes a sense of grandeur and instills awe, whilst we have to dig deep to extract its profound meaning. It’s well worth it because the exercise to try to make sense out of it and to finally understand it within our own body and

mind reaps rewards in that it makes us understand ourselves better. It’s a self reflective trial, to examine our soul and engage together with the heroes of the saga to come out victorious in the end, to stand shoulder to shoulder to the likes of Krishna and Arjuna. It’s a self transformation in the making. Read it, or better, listen to it, as if your life depends on it. Just to examine these ‘weapons’ they are in possession of; an astra (Sanskrit: अस) was a supernatural weapon, presided over by a specific deity and imbued with spiritual and occult powers that caused its effect or impact. Since the target faces fi erce annihilations this was used on the army or an individual enemy with the specific intent to uphold the dharma. Later the word came to denote any weapon which was used by releasing it from one's hand (e.g. an arrow), compared to keeping it one's hand (e.g. a sword or bow)(Shastra). In the Mahabharata, Rama had more astras than any other warrior. It is believed that Rama possessed all astras. Various texts have stated that Arjuna possessed almost all astras except Brahmandastra and Narayanastra. To summon or use an astra required use of a specific incantation or invocation. The deity invoked would then endow the weapon with supernatural powers, making it impossible to counter through regular means. Specific conditions existed involving the usage of astras, the violation of which could be fatal. Because of the power involved, the knowledge involving an astra was passed in the Guru-shishya tradition from a Guru (teacher) to a Shishya (pupil) by word of mouth alone, and only following the establishment of the student's character. Certain astras had to be handed down from the deity involved directly, knowledge of the incantation being insufficient. Arjuna was a master archer that never failed to hit the intended target. His charioteer was Krishna, God incarnate, who steadied his four senses during battle. The bow and selected arrows were his weapon of choice, making it a perfect analogy for our body and mind. The bow, finely and correctly tuned with its string taught between its opposite ends, battle ready; utilising different sorts of arrows for various purposes for its intended target. Now see it as our own body prepped for engagement, finely tuned and ready. Remember, Arjuna was from the warrior caste (as was Shakyamuni) and unlike the Brahmins (the priest class) was educated in the arts of war; physically and

mentally. His body had been prepared and was fit for purpose like the bow. Now using the bow, his inner strength, he released his arrows to vanquish his foes. These arrows left his bow and swiftly reached their target with often devastating consequences. Very much like the words we use to affect the other. Words spoken with power and authenticity often lands and hit home its message. If your words are backed up by authority and truth, and even ingested with spirit, they will cause significant change. Your ‘arrows’ will serve their purpose. Words carry power and the closer you are to Truth the greater the impact will be. Spot on, we say, when you nailed it.

What’s so beautiful with this narrative is that it demands scrutiny, and moral and ethical resilience in order to get it right. Certain weapons can only be deployed fitting the exact circumstances, restrained within its moral and just confinement of the executor. The usage of these very powerful weapons carried enormous responsibility for its bearer. According to descriptions, an Astra is like a modern day missile, it can be released using a spoken mantra as from a bow with its arrows.

“Drona was pleased with the alertness and quickness of Arjuna and blessed him with the Brahmasiras weapon. Dronacharya taught him how to release and return it. Arjuna was told to use the arrow only against a superhuman foe.”

The divya ("divine") astras were generally invoked into arrows, although they could potentially be used with anything. Ashwatthama invoked Brahmashirsha astra using a blade of grass as his weapon. Arjuna was capable of shooting all of his celestial weapons including Pashupatastra by the power of his mind alone.

The Narayanastra (a celestial missile, affiliated to the Hindu deity, Vishnu, in his form of Narayana) fires a volley of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously, the intensity of which rises in proportion to the resistance of the target. The only way to defend against the Narayanastra is, therefore, to show total submission before the missiles hit, which would cause them to stop and spare the target. It is one of the six 'Mantramukta' weapons that cannot be resisted. It was also said that it could be used only once in a war; if one tried to use it twice, it would devour the user's own army.

This exemplifies how powerful the truth can be, and also the redeeming quality of the admittance and submission in the face of it. Yet this power cannot be used in excess as it is strictly used in accordance to the situation. If you ever have felt that enormous surge of truth-giving at times of dire need you know how powerful it can be.

Kototama ⾔霊

True Words —“Speak the Truth”

‘Word Spirit’, or Spirit-imbued words, are true words spoken with selfless conviction and abandon, filling them with soul and power. An empowered utterance of a sound, word or sentence will resonate deeply at the core of your being, simply because it is the truest, the most authentic expression there is. It’s fully aligned with Truth and therefore manifests as power. Powerful, this exclamation is often surprising because it feels like it’s not coming from you, but from beyond you and you become like a witness to your own voice, speaking in a tone rarely heard. You will be greatly impressed by its force and truth-hood. This is recognised in many religions as divine revelation of the Spirit coming through inspired communication. Spirit possession and speaking in tongues can have the same authenticity and gut-felt realism added to it. Now there’s a very important distinction to be made; ‘Truth-words’ are significant in that they reveal an underlying reality that are for many of us hidden. That ‘world’ is so often drowned in the everyday drama of the individual and sadly is only recognised in moments of intimacy and clarity, or in events of great danger and stress. Then the true nature pushes to the forefront to make us come to our senses. Suddenly we wake up from our nightmarish daydream and see reality as it is, raw and unadulterated. In such times we may find our voice resounding from down below as we’ve never heard it before. We may find our body grow an inch or two taller. This momentary transformation is often an response to an acute distress needing immediate attention. Truth is forced forward to reveal the true nature of things and set things right. Your authentic being is being expressed in times of need or in times of deep revelation and intimacy to your spirit—An infilling that animates your soul; that IS

your soul. Embodied and alive you feel, maybe for the first time, that you’ve come home to your own body. You may practice and train this state of being. Through personal growth, deep reconciliation and surrendering; to enlighten hidden areas, to awaken dormant qualities, to release pent up strongholds. Yet it’s not a ‘skill’ we train. It’s a personal unfolding of a natural ability that is fundamentally universal. It is in fact, becoming more real, more true, more loving. It’s ‘situational’ in as much it’s not, it’s never, meant for personal gratification. It’s always portrayed within a larger context; it fits the scene. It is a coherent response addressing the situation at hand. It comes in many shapes—sometimes wild like the wind, sometimes mild like a soft touch. But always resounding with truth, revealing what’s really there, good and bad. A word of caution please, all authentic expression are not always coming from a good place. The Devil himself can be sincere in his acts of destruction, and real force will emanate from it. So beware and have discrimination when listening and seeing. Don’t be fooled by great force alone. True Kototama is a force for good; for truth and love. It is a conscious force that cares for life and that creates life. It’s a sound that reverberates from the centre of the universe whilst being utterly new. Kototama expressed is like new words come into being, born anew each time, holding within them the deepest connection to God him or herself.

The concept of Mantra is found in Indo-Iranian Yasna and the Rigveda, where it is considered ‘structured thought’ in conformity with the reality or poetic (religious) formulas associated with inherent fulfilment. Mantras are a religious thought, prayer, sacred utterance, but also believed to be a spell or weapon of supernatural power, based on codified esoteric traditions, passed on from a guru to a disciple through prescribed initiation. Mantras are melodic phrases with spiritual interpretations such as a human longing for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, love, knowledge, and action. Some mantras without literal meaning are musically uplifting and spiritually meaningful.

The term "shingon" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese transcription of the Sanskrit word "mantra", 真⾔ (zhēnyán). Kūkai

classified mantra as a special class of dharani and suggested that every syllable of a dharani was a manifestation of the true nature of reality – in Buddhist terms that all sound is a manifestation of shunyata or emptiness of self-nature. Thus rather than being devoid of meaning, Kūkai suggests that dharanis are in fact saturated with meaning – every syllable is symbolic on multiple levels.

One of Kūkai's distinctive contributions was to take this symbolic association even further by saying that there is no essential difference between the syllables of mantras and sacred texts, and those of ordinary language. If one understood the workings of mantra, then any sounds could be a representative of ultimate reality.

Konjin (⾦神, "God of metals")

is an itinerant Kami from Onmyōdō (a traditional Japanese cosmology and system of divination based on the Chinese philosophies of Wu Xing (Five Elements) and Yin and yang theory). Konjin is associated with compass directions, and said to change position with the year, lunar month, and season.

There's quite a lot of information for you here, which also relates to the konjin. The old compass was the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, with the direction of the rat being north, the horse being south and so on. That means there's no NE, SE, SW or NW. Instead, for example, you have the direction of the ox (ushi) and the direction of the tiger (tora). In between is the kimon. It was supposed to be an unlucky direction, which if you travelled towards would bring you to ushitora no konjin, whom I think you might be familiar with. In Omoto-kyo, this was the kami who would restore the world. Often depicted as an Oni; in Japan, a horned demon wearing a tiger-skin loin cloth.

Konjin was said to be at tremendous power when residing as Kimon Konjin ("Konjin of the demon's gate") at either of the two demon's gates (the northeast "front" gate, called omote-kimon, and the

southwest "back" gate, called ura kimon. These directions are called Ushitora and Hitsujisaru respectively).

Late in the Edo Period, in the province of Bitchū (western Okayama Prefecture), Konkō Daijin (Akazawa Bunji) began to learn a spiritual way later called Konkōkyō which began in spiritual experiences with the deity Konjin. However, he stated that Konjin was not an evil kami but a deity who could bestow virtue.

The Oomoto-kyo of Nao Deguchi was influenced by Konkōkyō. In 1892, Nao was possessed by a spirit called Ushitora no Konjin, who prophesied that the world would soon end and that a saviour would come and create heaven on earth.

The fundamental narrative is that Ushitora no konjin, by whom Deguchi Nao was possessed, is actually Kunitokotachi no mikoto, who made the earth and was the original ruler (the original man, like Adam or Manu) of the world. Many years after Kunitokotachi no mikoto had made the earth and started to rule the world, other gods who learned to be bad made him retired, drove him away to the Northeast and started to call him the worst god. This is the reason why the world is full of evil, and Deguchi Nao’s prophecy was the beginning of the second rule of Kunitokotachi no mikoto, therefore a change of the world would begin soon. Having this as a pretext, her son-in-law Onisaburo Deguchi would claim to be an incarnation of Miroku Butsu (Sanskrit: Maitreya Buddha), the future Buddha, the Saviour returning.

Omoto (and Osensei's) view of the universe eschews relative terms like ‘good’ and ‘bad’. It's more to do with onmyo (yin and yang). Mt. Atago in Iwama is known for onmyodo, and I wonder if this is one reason Omoto followers settled there, even before Osensei. I recently heard that Mt. Tsukuba is on the 'kimonsen' (demon line) from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, and given Deguchi's predilection for dressing up as the Emperor, I wonder if that had an influence too. On the map, it looks like you can follow the line past Mt. Tsukuba straight to Iwama. I once asked about the konjin in relation to the hokora (small shrine outside the Iwama dojo). I was told that

if you have Ushitora no Konjin, you also have Hitsujisaru no Konjin too (at the opposite kimon in between the ram and the monkey). These konjin represent not just the directions, but yin and yang, solid and void.

Kunitokotachi (Ever Standing Land, 国之常⽴神 (Kojiki), then, was the 6th singular Spirit to come into existence in the Kojiki. Like the other Kami before it, the deity concealed itself after coming into existence, Ie. meaning its name indicates a principle, not an entity. ‘Kuni’ stands in relationship to ‘Ame’, in the sense of ‘Heaven and Earth’, or ‘Mother and Child’. Therefore, ‘Kunitokotachi’ is the first offspring from its ‘divine’ celestial parents. He then, represents the first human (like Adam, or Manu). Original Man, the blueprint of the unseen three original gods that had first appeared (five in total)(the ‘fourth’ being the principle potential inherent in the first three, while the ‘fifth’ simply sums up the first four and gives them a coherent and unified name representing ‘Heaven’. The first three comprised the One overreaching unitary Absolute Being with its dual opposing aspects (the primary being vertical, the secondary horizontal).

Kunitokotachi then, was the ‘firstborn child’ of its Heavenly ‘parents’, that came into manifestation through five dual-complementary pair of relationships, each couple depicted as male and female. As an independent singular entity he was given the generic name of Toyokumono 豊雲野神 to encompass these five kami couples, indicating their coalescing quality and interdependent relationships. They were composed in sequential order (from bottom up):

fifth

last couple we recognise as the couple that became the original ancestors of the Japanese race. Often depicted as brother and sister and as husband and wife they represent Fire (Izanagi) and Water (Izanami), Ka + Mi.

Two hitorigami, Kunitokotachi and Amenominakanushi, summoned the divine pair of Izanagi and Izanami into being and charged them with creating the first land in the swirling salt water that existed below the heavens.

They became instrumental in the further procreation of beings, including giving birth to Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess) and her two brothers.

A Pañcāyatana pūjā consists of the worship of five deities set in a quincunx pattern, the five deities being Ganesha, Shakti, Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. One of these deities is kept in the center and the other four corners of a square surrounding it. Either an iconic idol(s) or aniconic representation(s) or a combination for each deity is used. The five may be represented as simply as five kinds of stones called a Pancayatana puja set.

In the Smarta Pancayatana temples found in India, with one central shrine, and four smaller shrines at the corners of a square. An early forerunner of the five-pointed pentagram star, later used for the five elements, where the fifth, inherent in the four directions, comes to the fore.

The Pañchabrahmas are five specific aspects of Shiva collectively taken together. These aspects include Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Ishana.

Ishana (Sanskrit: ईशान, Īśāna), is a Hindu god. He is considered to be one of the forms of the Hindu destroyer god Shiva, and is also counted among the eleven Rudras. In Hinduism, he is the dikapala of the northeast direction.

In the Vastu Shastra, the north-eastern corner of a plot of land is referred to as "Ishana". Ishana also shares qualities with Samhara Bhairava and is therefore a part of the Ashta Bhairava.

Īśāna is synonymous with Pāpīyas as well as the Shinto deity Izanagi. The Jinnō Shōtōki also states that there is a theory that the

names of Japan's primordial creator gods Izanagi and Izanami are the same as the Sanskrit names Īśāna and Īśānī.

Ishana is described as having three eyes, a tranquil appearance and white complexion, dressed with a white cloth and a wearing a tiger's skin. On his head, a jata-makuta crown (features a tall pointed shape) which has on top of it the crescent moon. He is seated on a white bull. The crown, in its various forms, originated as headdresses symbolising the jaṭāmakuṭa, the matted hair of an ascetic formed into the shape of a crown, often found in the iconography of Shiva and Avalokiteśvara.

According to Vastu Shastra, it is auspicious for homes and offices to be situated in the northeast. North is the direction wealth resides, associated with Kubera, while East is the direction where knowledge resides, associated with Indra. For this reason, Ishana symbolises the culmination of both knowledge and wealth. Ishana is declared to be the form of Shiva presiding over the ear, speech, sound and ether as well as the "individual soul, the enjoyer of Prakriti".

The five-faced mukhalinga is called pancha-mukhalinga. The five faces relate Shiva to the classical elements, the directions, the five senses and five parts of the body. These represent Shiva's five aspects: Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Ishana. A four-faced linga is said also to represent the five aspects of Shiva, the fifth aspect is center, the shaft itself or is assumed to be emerging from the top of the shaft and denotes the formless Absolute. Thus, a four-faced mukhalinga can be also called a pancha-mukhalinga ("linga with five faces" of Shiva).

The linga is an aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva. Mukhalingas may be made out of stone. When a fifth face exists, it should be carved on the top and face the main front door, the east. The top face is known as Ishana or Sadashiva, who is rarely depicted and governs zenith and the sky (Akasha).

An Eight faced shivalinga is located at Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) along the banks of River Shivana locally known as "Ashtamukhi Pashupatinath" which is claimed to be unique in terms of its sculpture. The eight faces carved on the lingam exhibit eight moods / facial expressions facing the four directions, two each in one direction placed one above the other.

With the help of Astha Dikapalakas (the guardians of the 8 cardinal directions)(‘Ashta’ means eight, ‘dik’ means quarters or directions and ‘pālas’ means rulers), Lord Brahma, to save Triloka, ordered other Devtas and Asuras to pin him down on the earth with his head towards the northeast and feet towards the southwest. Brahma occupied the central part of Vastu Purusha. Vastu Purusha Mandala symbolises this human being or cosmic man.

Ashta Bhairavas ("Eight Bhairavas") are eight manifestations of the Hindu god Bhairava, a ferocious aspect of the god Shiva. Bha means creation, ra means sustenance and va means destruction. Therefore, Bhairava is the one who creates, sustains and dissolves the three stages of life. Therefore, he becomes the ultimate or the supreme. Together they guard and control the eight directions. From these Ashta Bhairavas and Ashta Matrikas, 64 Bhairavas and 64 Yoginis were created.

“The vastu-purusha-mandala represents the manifest form of the Cosmic Being; upon which the temple is built and in whom the temple rests. The temple is situated in Him, comes from Him, and is a manifestation of Him. The vastu-purusha-mandala is both the body of the Cosmic Being and a bodily device by which those who have the requisite knowledge attain the best results in temple building.”

The horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines we draw inside the mandala are the veins of Vastu Purusha through which the cosmic energies flow, make the plot a living entity.

So how does all this refer to O Sensei’s Aikido? Consider the theme of ‘protection’ and ‘structure’. Temples were built with safekeeping in

mind, our Aiki body align physically to certain principles of structure and employ angles to stave off danger. Slowly it all should start to come together…

Yatagarasu

The Tokugawa's clan symbol, Mitsuba Aoi 三つ葉葵, known in Japanese as a "mon" (family crest), has been a readily recognised icon in Japan, symbolising in equal parts the Tokugawa clan and the last shogunate. The symbol derives from a mythical clan, the Kamo Clan (賀茂⽒), one of the early Clans of Japan, (who are known to have taken charge of the Onmyōdō 陰陽道 —a concept in Japan which used the ideology of Yin and Yang) which legendarily descended from Yatagarasu, a three-legged crow and is a mythological creature in various mythologies and arts of East Asia. It is believed to inhabit and represent the Sun. In Chinese mythology and culture, the three-legged crow is called the Sanzuwu and is present in many myths. The earliest known depiction of a three-legged crow appears in Neolithic pottery of the Yangshao culture. In Japanese mythology, this flying creature is a raven called Yatagarasu (⼋咫烏, "eight-span crow") and the appearance of the great bird is construed as evidence of the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs. Yatagarasu as a crow-god is a symbol speci fi cally of guidance. During Emperor Jimmu's Eastern Expedition, he was guided from the Kumano Region to Yamato Province by Yatagarasu, who was sent by Takamimusubi, (in the Nihon Shoki, he was sent by Amaterasu). Yatagarasu ⼋咫烏, means "eight-span crow”. "Ata" is a unit of length and a length in which a thumb and a forefinger are expanded (⼋ ’eight’ can often refer to expanding or opening), but the "yata" in this context simply means 'big’.

In the Kumano Sanzan, (three mountains) there’s a three shrine complex which comprises Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速⽟⼤

社) Kumano Hongū Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha. They are connected to each other by the pilgrimage route known as Kumano

Kodō. In Kumano, Yatagarasu is worshiped as a servant of Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the Great Kami of Kumano, and also its three legs are a symbol of the three shrines. The crow is depicted on the Kumano Gyuuhoin, which was often used as an invocation before the Early modern period. According to Kumano Hongu Taisha, the three legs of the Yatagarasu represent heaven (Tenjin Jigion), earth (natural environment), and man, respectively, indicating that God, nature, and man are brothers born from the same sun. There is a theory that the meaning of the three legs originates from the fact that the number representing the sun has been three since ancient times, and that it has the same meaning as the Mitsu domoe of the crest of shrines (Himekoso shrines) such as Usa Jingu that worship the sun goddess Hime. In Chinese mythology, the three-legged crow lives in the sun. Based on the theory of the five elements of yin and yang, two is yin and three is yang, and three legs are more suitable to symbolise the sun than two legs. The legs represent the sunrise, daylight, and sunset.

The Kamo clan (賀茂⽒, Kamo-shi) is a Japanese sacerdotal kin group which traces its roots from a Yayoi period shrine in the vicinity of northeastern Kyoto. The clan rose to prominence during the Asuka and Heian periods when the Kamo are identified with the 7th-century founding of the Kamo Shrine (賀茂神社, Kamo-jinja): It is a general term for an important Shinto sanctuary complex on both banks of the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto. It is centred on two shrines. The two shrines, an upper and a lower, lie in a corner of the old capital which was known as the "devil's gate" (⻤⾨, kimon) due to traditional geomancy beliefs that the north-east corner brought misfortune. Because the Kamo River runs from the north-east direction into the city, the two shrines along the river were intended to prevent demons from entering the city. According to Chinese Taoism and esoteric Onmyōdō, the ways of yin and yang, the northeasterly direction is termed the kimon (⻤⾨, "demon gate") and considered an unlucky direction through which evil spirits passed. Based on the assignment of the twelve zodiac animals to the cardinal directions, the kimon was also known as the ushitora

(丑寅), or "Ox Tiger" direction. One hypothesis is that the oni's (demon’s) bovine horns and tiger-skin loincloth developed as a visual depiction of this term. Both the Kamigamo and Shimogamo Shrines carry yatagarasu associations and proudly sell yatagarasu T-shirts and other items. Why? Well, according to their folklore yatagarasu was in fact the clan founder Kamo no Taketsunumi. At the Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto the priests hop and caw like a crow at the Karasu Sumo festival in September each year.

Epilogue

The Power of Truth—on meeting my spiritual teacher.

“After one year in Japan I was eager to meet Andrew again to speak to him about everything I had understood. Before I could meet him privately he asked me to speak with him in the teachings in the evening. That was daunting as I was nervous to speak in public about these very personal thoughts. There was a text ("Be like a strong tree that cannot be moved") in his latest book "Enlightenment is a Secret" that spoke to me intimately so I started our conversation by reading that out aloud. That turned into this beautiful dialogue between us and at one point something else took over; it was as if a tunnel of light was created between us and our words flowed effortlessly back and forth. I was stunned as I watched and heard myself speak this clear language using words I didn't even know I knew, declaring the choicelessness of this choice of freedom. My passion was released.”

“The life in the community became a tug of war between Andrew and me. His relentless call to give everything pushed me to leave twice. Too immature to understand the demands of genuine spiritual life I opted to bail out when the going got tough. But I came back. I knew that we had unfinished business to take care of. I knew that I still hadn't surrendered my life to him. I had given up everything in my life to be with him but was still was holding back the ultimate sacrifice; my self. This would take two years of serious thought and

much soul searching to come to terms with. All doubts lifted when I saw clearly that Andrew only wanted me to be free and nothing else. I was now going to give him my life. We had all come to Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas, for the winter retreat. I was full of confidence as I had decided that this would be the place where I handed him my life. The two weeks were filled with unbelievable events, experiences relating to surrender filled my heart and I was coming to an end. One early morning as a few of us were chanting together I experienced that my spoken words turned into flames, the letters I read caught fire. In my whole inside there was a wild fire burning, coming out of my eyes and out of my mouth. This raging fire would burn anything in its wake. I found Andrew communicating directly into my heart as white heat filled my chest. Andrew gave me a treasure to safe keep. To honour this treasure was to be true to it, wanting to keep it pure. In the last days Andrew met with us and he straight away asked me what had happened. My inside was about to erupt; he knew what was happening, so I blurted out, ‘you already know it!’ With his sweet smile he still asked me softly if I wouldn't mind telling us a little. I could only shake my head, as it was too precious, too tender to speak. Then he asked me what I was going to do and I thought, but you know, my life is yours. He insisted and at last I understood that he needed me to speak it out, to say it, so it becomes real, not just a silent understanding. I said; ‘my life is yours!’ And as I spoke I felt as if I was handing him my life with my hands, and just as I let it go into his hands, he gave it straight back to me. That took me totally by surprise. He handed it right back to me, not hesitating one second. What a lesson, what a secret, what a wonderful truth; he never wanted my life, but in order for him to give it to me, I had to give it to him first. It all made perfect sense. Afterward as I walked down to the river the saying in the Bible came to me; "and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever". I looked upriver and saw my future stretch out into infinity, wide open.”

“Hiking into the foothills of the Himalayas I strode in through a small gate leading to a small clearing by the Ganges river, a small Ashram consisting of only a few huts for solitary contemplation, prayer and meditation run by a British woman sadhu named Nani

Ma. Me and my two friends walked into an atmosphere of heightened spiritual tension. There was a palpable sense of love and deep laying wisdom surrounding the place. We were expected and Nani Ma sat us down on a patch of grass next to the river and asked us our intention for our stay in the ashram. By this time my inner world was churning up, something was taken place that was beyond my comprehension but I loved it. The inner tension kept constant and our dialogue was almost as a quiet background to it. We were allowed to stay and we were shown our individual huts where we would live.

The next three months was just wonderful. Nestled among the peaks at about 10.000 feet altitude, the river running rapidly through narrow gorges, clean and drinkable, cool and refreshing for early morning baths, beautiful with green glacial waters. Here I read the Bible, meditated and chanted together with Nani Ma and just had time to think. One morning I found myself naturally falling into a spontaneous contemplation. Sitting outside my little hut enjoying the morning sun. A softness fell over me and I understood that "I have sole responsibility for the well-being of every single person and that I have sole responsibility for the welfare of the whole planet". Suddenly I dissolved, me as a historic person vanished and instead I was filled with glorious white light. I regained my body and I regained my voice, my real body, and my real voice. I started to praise all things, my voice no longer impeded but full and unobstructed. White light was everywhere. Now I saw what Jesus meant with "me and my father are one" and "but my father is bigger than me". This was resurrection into a glorified body. This was Holy and this was only by Gods Mercy. The ground I sat on became my closest ally, so close like my pillow, like my bed. The whole earth supported me and bore witness to what was happening.”