In Dialogue with Ellis Amdur on ‘Tengu’ Spirit Possession by Bjorn Saw

In Dialogue with Ellis Amdur on ‘Tengu’ Spirit Possession

by Bjorn Saw 2021

In Dialogue with Ellis Amdur on ‘Tengu’ Spirit Possession.

B: “Hi Ellis, I'm intrigued by the spirit possession initiation in Koryu, and if they are similar or the same as Chinkon Kishin? Is this something we can nd an equivalence of in spirituality or religion? I have read up on the Shamanistic practices of Japan, are they in the neighbourhood?”

E: “Shamanism is pure primordial entering into ‘other’ realms, and inviting the powers from other realms into our own. Shinto is a development from Shamanism. Mikkyo is an amalgam of shamanistic rituals with Buddhism. Shugendo is an amalgam of mikkyo with Shinto, Taoism and folk religion. And that’s where the rituals in the koryu I've trained I referred to, came from. Chinkon-Kishin is a ‘reimport’ of mikkyo and other esoteric practices into neo-Shinto. In Shingon mikkyo, one materialises a deity or other entity and then from a Buddhist perspective, sees its ‘non-existence’ - that it was created by MIND. The CK ritual, as O-sensei did it, sees the deities as real. O-sensei used do this. There are descriptions of spirits -kami- manifesting around him and him praying for them to leave and not harm his visitor.”

B: “Thank you Ellis. Now my interest stem from the spiritually implied parts of the Koryu transmission. I’d love to learn more about it.”

E: “What do you mean be spiritually implied?”

B: “That it refers to ‘spiritual’ insights in contrast to ‘martial’.

I question the whole secrecy thing in our time as in my mind it hides the signi cance of a spiritual perspective that is actually available at an early stage if one so chooses. To keep it under disguise only superimposes an utterly unnecessary mystique around the subject of spiritual revelation.”

E: “What do you mean by spiritual insights?”

B: “Experience of Self without attributes. Revelations and insights into our essence of Being, of who and what we are.”

E: “I am a fully licensed initiated individual in two koryu. We use such practices to acquire power to more e ectively kill people, when that is the appropriate thing to do. There categorically is nothing in Araki-ryu or TodahaBukoryu like you are referring to.

Another way to put it. In koryu, one takes an image of the Buddha and we use it to smash someone’s head in.”

B: “Ok. So then, what is the spirit possession initiation?

E: “To invite nature elementals into yourself to take you over in combat -similar to berserker mind.”

B: “Ahh ok that I understand. Fearsome, or erce.”

E: “There is a speci c ‘technology’ to do this. Includes starvation, privation, sleeplessness, and other etc.”

B: “Yes I understand. They do this in the army, special forces?”

E: “Similar. What mediates conduct among warriors, either in the past or present, are a. one's own society codes b. codes of military combat. By the way, psychopaths do not, for the most part, last in spec ops, because spec ops requires discipline of mind and support of one's fellows--you'd die for others, a concept alien to psychopaths. Berserker doesn’t mean like TAZ in a cartoon, that’s merely unconscious animalistic lizard brain action - a violent hysteria, if you will. True berserker mind is conscious and detached ...it is simultaneously being in ow state, but operated by something apart from you. ‘Tengu’ is not Ego.”

B: “Good distinction.”

Part 2.

B: “Hi Ellis,

Would you say that tribal warfare and preparation generally follow these methods of initiation, transmission and possession? Like for example the Haka of the Maori? I can see how this would make perfect sense in tribal warfare where one would move as a group, empowered by this otherworldly force. And I can see how this could be appropriated by an individual but it feels slightly out of place? Why would one ght alone when part of a tribe or clan society?

E: “Collective consciousness/tribal mind is something very di erent. Yes, in tribes, there are initiation rites to bond one into the tribe, teach lore, etc. But this is not the same as what shamans go through at all. Nor is it the type of initiation I have alluded to in reference, at least to the koryu I have studied. They are di erent phenomenon. The tribal consciousness is actually quite base - in the sense of primal. Little di erent from chimpanzees beating the ground before ghting others. In terms of group mind, that's something I've resisted my entire life. Perhaps to my loss”.

B: “Ok let’s see, ‘berserker’ or spirit possession is individual and I can understand that. But that cannot somewhat be ampli ed into a collective? Like in the Haka? Is it that it needs the individuals sacri ce for it, the tempering as it were?”

E: “Again, berserker mind, as I am using it (and, as I believe from my reading of the literature, the Vikings did) is a cold operational mind, that of a sniper, so to speak. The Haka is simply collective battle mind.

I am talking about a state of a consummately trained individual, superlatively skilled, with an adamant mind tempered by years of gruelling training, and then

introduced to very speci c rituals to carry that individual’s soul to another realm where entities that may be divine, maybe not, certainly other and they enter into you.

The only thing that keeps them from ruling you - battle madness, seeing red mist is the adamant mind (fudoshin). As I’ve already said, shugyo creates a container, which includes mind, morals, body, to contain the equivalent of ball lightening.

The shaman is never part of a collective - each shaman goes alone into these realms and brings something back for the community that she/he serves. Shamans are not ghters. What is unique in some koryu is that rituals similar to those in shamanistic rites were used to enhance the abilities of warriors. This is entirely di erent from haka or anything like that.”

B: “Thank you, that is very clear.

Do you think that these initiations happened when the warrior was ready for it, or when he needed to be prepared for battle? As in t for purpose.”

E: “You are glomming together a number of things that should be considered separate.

1. There are the male initiation rites when becoming a man. The boys are terri ed, there is a rupture created between childhood and adulthood (usually, with an alienation from the feminine), accompanied by very painful or traumatic actions where the boy has to be brave and stoic. In that process (followed by comfort afterwards, if one passes through this rite) a traumatic bond is created with one’s elders.

2. Beyond that, there are initiations within special ’secret’ societies, moieties, in which one is now a part of a leopard group, a snake group, whatever. These were prominent all over the world, once upon a time.

3. There are also group dances to create a “one-mind” within a tribe: for battle, for harvest, for healing, for all sorts of things

4. There are sacri cial rites, usually involving blood, to satiate a god, to bring the rain, stop a ood, heal the sick, etc.

5. And there is shugyo: I am including everything from basic training through such elite units as SAS or DELTA, thinking of modern times, and in a di erent form, but similar nature, classical Japanese martial traditions.

6. APART from all of these - 1 through 5 - are shamanic initiations. Shamans can carry others, at least in some tribes, to the other realms (drugs, privation, drumming, chanting, all help). Primarily, though, the shamanic initiations are to break through the ‘veil’ of this world so that the shaman can ascend or descend to the other world.

7. By the way, vision quests are a more general type of shamanic-type initiation for the Plains Indians - and surely other peoples (they are, in my view, an ‘outer circle’, of shamanic initiation, of the same nature, but not to the profound depth.

And then, quite unique, there is a specialised type of training-rite that seems to be a very sophisticated amalgam of shamanism/folk religion with Buddhist rituals (used to organise and possibly amplify the power of the ritual) which was only given to a bugeisha who is viewed as already being a completed fully initiated member of the school. This person may be already menkyo-kaiden. Most koryu

have lost this, or abandoned this. For example, in one famous ryuha, there is one or two guys who do these rites - the rest, menkyo kaiden though they are, do not.

Returning, then, to your question ("Do you think that these initiations happened when the warrior was ready for it, or when he needed to be prepared for battle?”). If, for example, if you were my associate, and the battle was coming, I would not o er you such an initiation. Why? Because you haven’t gone through all the steps I outlined. In our hypothetical, I would try to do everything possible to make you battle ready, were I in the teaching role. But you are not an Araki-ryu man. And the rites I am referring to are speci c to someone who has become “Homo Araki.” Remember, someone who is superlative within the ryu—in a sense, we now try to pull greater power from beyond the ryu.

It is my view that Ueshiba’s chinkon-kishin was a disorganised sloppy version of this. (That’s just a total guess on my part). His path in martial arts was meandering, due to the chaotic experience he had as Takeda’s student. And then, through Omotokyo, he came upon chinkon-kishin - a version of it, at least - and went where he went. But he obviously didn’t pass it onwards - for example, 22 years as Saito Morihiro’s teacher, for example, and Ueshiba clearly didn’t o er that training to him, or at least Saito didn’t pick it up and practice. There is no doubt that Saito would hit a tire until his bokken wore out, but he wasn’t going to do chinkon-kishin himself.”

B: “That’s brilliant, thank you.

Do you think that the world is slowly loosing these initiations and manifestations? Reading the old Vedic/Buddhist teachings it seems (to me) that powerful practices like mantrayana as spells and similar esoteric ancient practices are being lost? Is there or should there be a revival? Or will they be re-discovered when and where people will investigate them? Or are they alive and well preserved within the traditions? Are we loosing touch with the spirit world?”

E: “Not slowly - very rapidly. I cannot conceive of a revival. They are culture bound. Perhaps new ritual activities will evolve. But long after I’m dead. The culture of the Western world is becoming at and super cial and the culture of China is becoming totalitarian and fascist, and . . . . . Maybe there will be some kind of renaissance. A new way of hacking the nervous system and consciousness. I know there are people on the fringes trying to do things like that, but there is a relentless attack on anything unique or challenging in modern media, social media, and in our education system. I don’t think my views matter very much - but for what its worth, that’s what I see.”

B: “Yes it’s a pity. But I wonder if the Tibetan linages are keeping their traditions alive? They certainly have enough numbers to select from.”

Thank you Ellis.

Just to round up with a short story:

When in Dharamsala I stayed in the Zilnon Kagyeling Nyingma Monastery in McLeodganj. The Nyingma branch of Tibetan Buddhism is the oldest of the four schools and the monks are allowed to marry and are known to grow their hair and beards long. They told me about the challenges of their Tibetan Buddhist community moving into a Hindu area where Shaivism was practiced, the lamas had to ‘compete’ with the resident yogis that practiced Shiva Tantra on the same mountain. Seemingly the di erent deities would contend for supremacy. I found the Nyingma lamas full of cheer, easy going and heart warming.

Ellis Amdur has worked to integrate the ideas of classical martial traditions into the modern world through his books: www.edgeworkbooks.com

Signed/Numbered Edition of Ellis Amdur’s novel: THE GIRL WITH THE FACE OF THE MOON https://edgeworkbooks.com/the-girl-with-the-face-of-the-moon/