Ajikan Meditation Practice Seikun Nannyo mo shiyoku ichiji wo jiseba, asa na asa na, hitotabi jishin no miya wo kuwanzeyo. Jishin wa mata kore sanjin no do (joudo) nari. Gochi no shougon moto yori yutaka nari. Priestly Counsel If men and women hold true to the Letter, every morning they shall see the inner Shrine within themselves. The Self becomes the land of the Trikaya (the Pure Land). The gravitas of the five dhyana Buddhas becomes the source of richness. -----------Meditation on the Esoteric Sanskrit Letter “A” The Truth of Heaven and Earth Ajikan meditation Ajikan meditation refers to meditation using the Sanskrit letter “A” (अ ) as a focus point. The letter “A” is a mantra representing the Truth of Heaven and Earth. The Truth of Heaven and Earth is the foundation of all things in existence, the foundation upon which humanity relies, the source of the eternal way (Tao). All living beings in the Universe – in fact, everything that exists, everything that we see and hear – arises from the Truth of Heaven and Earth. This Truth is the ethereal form of the
The Ajikan Image – The Focus of the Meditation The ajikan practitioner venerates an icon representing the Truth of Heaven and Earth. An icon with this image drawn on it should be mounted on a wall. This could be a drawing of a white lotus flower with eight petals superimposed ov er a round moon, with the Sanskrit letter “A” inscribed above it in gold. The letter “A” represents the Truth o f Heaven and Earth residing in the hearts of all mankind – that is to say, pure, enlightened Buddha-nature (a pure aspiration toward Buddhahood). The full moon represents the virtue of enlightened wisdom, brought about by Buddha-nature. The lotus flower is a physical representation of the virtue of pure compassion. This image is called the ajikan icon. Sitting Quietly, Breathing Rhythmically To put it simply, the way to proceed with ajikan practice is to first face the icon, clasp your hands reverently in prayer, and then quietly be seated. How to Sit You should sit quietly and peacefully, with correct posture. There are three ways to sit: heiza style, half lotus style, and full lotus style. The half lotus and full lotus positions are standard practice in zazen (sitting meditation) but depending on the situation, even heiza style will not serve as a hindrance. Heiza is the normal, everyday sitting posture among the Japanese: you sit on the floor with both knees facing down and with your feet tucked back; your toes are slightly tucked back; your rump rests between both heels; and your knees should be positioned about 10cm apart.
Your should fix your gaze on a spot about 90cm to 120cm in front of the cushion; it is important to just let your eyes rest naturally on that spot. How to Breathe To begin, you should close your mouth and peacefully take in a breath through your nose, mindfully letting it diffuse throughout your bod y. Open your mouth just slightly as you mindfully and gently exhale. Continue to inhale and exhale in this manner three times. Having done this, continue breathing through your nose, keeping your mouth shut. Allow each breath to be just as it is, without being deliberate about how to breathe or forcing an unnatural struggle over it. Ajikan: Your Mindset Let us briefly address the subject of your mindset when performing sitting meditation. There are various things to pay attention to, but above all else, the important thing is to approach meditation with a sincere heart and mind. That is to say, you must discard the mind that seeks and pursues or wants things. Once you have done this and made your mind sincere, the dirt and grime of your ego is naturally brushed off, transforming into a mind that is as pure and undefined as that of a child, removed from all intrusive thoughts. This sincere, uncorrupted mindset, by which you do not worry about anything, is the kind of mind that can reach out to the Buddha and achieve harmony with all things. Breathing and Chanting the Letter “A” Mantra While inhaling and exhaling, you should chant “Aaaaah…” between each breath.
your own self, and become one with the letter “A”, the lotus and the moon image; you become one with the Truth of Heaven and Earth, and you can live with ease in the ancestral home of the soul – a soul with no fixations, marked by harmony and peace. Finally, the essence of the letter “A”, lotus flower and moon image that has unfurled throughout the world, subsides and returns once again into your own heart. Then you sit for a while thinking of nothing at all, having forgotten your own self and your mind. Finally, you leave the world of asceticism and the ajikan session comes to an end. A-ji no ko ga a-ji no furusato tachi ide, Mata tachikaeru a-ji no furusato. A-ji no ko ga hasu no utena ni nori no fune, Tsuki no miyako ni ima kaeru nari. The child of the letter “A” returns to its ancestral home, The home to which its parent has returned. The child of the letter “A” rests upon the lotus, And now becomes the moon. Gachirinkan: Viewing the Full Moon In exactly the same way that one meditates on the image of the letter “A”, lotus and moon, it is also a good practice to meditate on the moon within one’s heart. This meditation is called gachirinkan — a meditation on viewing the full moon. First, imagine the bright, full moon right in front of y our face, at the very tip of your nose. Meditate on this image with your eyes half open. After a while, close your eyes gently and open them again gently, and keep repeating this during the meditation. Next, imagine the presence of the full moon within your chest and integrate the two within yourself, imagining them as a single entity. Then , envision this entity growing
chest. Depending on the situation, you can open your eyes and focus on them as if they were right in front of you at point-blank range, then close your eyes and focus on them being within your chest. Take some time to practice this continuously. After mastering this technique, you can proceed toward envisioning the expansion and contraction of the moon within your heart. Furthermore, as you approac h mastery of this technique, you do not necessarily have to envision this expansion and contraction, yet you can exist peacefully in a naturally occurring mental state of brilliance and freedom from mental obstacles. [Source text: Ajikan no jisshuu (Ajikan Meditation Practice), written by Ryuuzui Nakai, published by Ekouin Temple, Koyasan, Wakayama prefecture. Translated by Marcel Henrique Votlucka, August 2013]
