Sanmitsu
Thought, word, and deed are the three secrets of mikkyō. How mandala, mantra, and mudrā embody them, and why folding your hands into a sign won’t heal a wound.
- Chapter
- 5, Mental Powers
- Sections
- 4
- Reading time
- 5 min
Mikkyō 密教 recognizes three forces called the sanmitsu 三密 “the three secrets”
: thought, word, and deed. The mandala 曼荼羅 stands for thought, the mantra 真言 for word, the mudrā 印相 for deed.
Mandala
The Japanese counterpart of the mandala is nenriki 念力, focused intention. It embodies the will of the ninja.
Ninpō mikkyō 忍法密教 looks at the structure of the universe in two ways that are completely opposed to each other. Only those who practice both gain insight.
The View From Within
The first way observes the course of the universe from within. The ninja turns their attention to physical phenomena and seeks understanding from that standpoint.
This material world, the “world of the fertile ground”
, is represented by the taizōkai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅. The ninja contemplates it and reflects on the meaning of the artwork. In doing so, they realize that everything exists within this one universe: the galaxies, star clusters, star systems, stars, and planets, the animals and people, the words, colors, shapes, and thoughts.
Everything we do in our lives acts on this cycle. It is perceived because it takes place in God – and in turn, God is present in each of these things. The view widens to larger perspectives, and it may become clear that all opposites and paradoxes have their place in this universe.
The View From Above
The second way lifts the mind above the universe. The ninja lets go of the self and surveys the whole. This is how they recognize the cosmic laws and grasp the fine threads that tie all things in the universe together and make them depend on one another.
This spiritual world, the “world of the diamond”
, is represented by the kongōkai mandara 金剛界曼荼羅. Here the diamond stands for hardness, clarity, and pure knowledge: the ultimate truth.
The ninja realizes that the reality they see is only a subjective view of what is real. Everything around us has only the form that our cosmic laws give it and that our consciousness shapes. Whoever leaves the material world behind and experiences the cosmic laws attains kanjin kaname 肝心要, “the essential point”
. The teaching of the Togakure-Ryū equates it with shinshin shingan 神心神眼, “the mind and eyes of God”
. From this higher, enlightened plane, one looks down on the earth.
Both Ways
Practice only one of the two ways and you lose your balance. Either ninjutsu degenerates into a purely mechanical, technical fighting system without spirit, or you lose touch with reality, become unworldly, and feel above everything.
Mantra
The Japanese counterpart of the mantra is jumon 呪文, the “charged”
word. It embodies the intellect.
Words and deeds alone achieve nothing. They become effective only when the germinating thought behind them can be recognized as their motive. The charged word carries the thought on as a word. The words the ninja use are mostly still in their original language; where they have been translated, they carry no particular meaning.
Tantra holds that certain sounds can influence the course of the universe. Science has not yet explained exactly how this works. Yet many mantra are very pure in their vibrations and are in harmony with the frequencies of physical reality.
The Primal Sound
A simple example is the primal sound Om. The mouth opens wide for an “ah”
. Without breaking the sound, it closes until an “oh”
forms and then an “m”
. Finally, the tongue presses against the front teeth, and an “n”
sounds. The sequence is ah-oh-mm-nn, and it closely resembles the Christian prayer word “amen”
.
Exercises like these can’t be learned alone. Pitch, breathing rhythm, and voice quality all shape the result. Anyone interested in mantra should look for a qualified master.
Mudrā
The Japanese counterpart of the mudrā is ketsuin 結印, the hand position. It embodies physical action.
The third secret of the sanmitsu is the hand signs of the kuji-in 九字印. They originate in the countless hand positions of India. Much like acupuncture, they probably stimulate certain meridians; the hands in particular are said to hold many end and turning points.
Only nine of these hand positions made their way into ninjutsu: rin 臨, pyō 兵, tō 闘, sha 者, kai 皆, jin 陣, retsu 列, zai 在, and zen 前. These syllables are also the mantra for each hand position. Each stands for a goal worth striving for, one that passes from thought through word into deed. The whole organism enters this state of harmony. The ninja feels as if the goal has already been reached and is only waiting to show itself on the physical plane.
Simply folding your hands into the shapes does nothing. Only many years of intensive training with an experienced master make the effect perceptible. Hollywood tells it differently: the wounded hero sits down in a corner, ties their hands in a knot, and is healed.
Kuji-kiri
Kuji-kiri 九字切り is not part of the sanmitsu and is included here for information only. It is closely linked to kuji-in, and most people confuse the two. Both probably came to Japan with Buddhism.
According to legend, kuji-kiri, also called kuji goshin hō 九字護身法, comes from the godlike warrior guardian Marishiten. With this esoteric formula of power, the ninja overcomes evil, illusion, ignorance, or weakness and grows stronger. In doing so, the ninja imitates the flaming sword of fudōmyō, the fearsome mythical protector of the will, the laws, and the integrity of the universe.
The right, positive hand and the left, negative hand come together in front of the chest and form the sword. The ninja repeats an incantation several times. Then they step forward and cut through the air with the symbolic sword, alternating horizontal and vertical strokes, left to right and top to bottom, until the nine cuts form a grid. Meanwhile, the ninja speaks the nine syllables of kuji goshin hō. A tenth syllable may be added at will. Then a strike of the hand severs the grid, and the symbolic sword goes back into its saya 鞘.
Fishermen liked to place the syllable for water in the grid as a tenth sign, painting it on paper for protection and a safe voyage. Ninja could add the sign for demon, for example, to strike fear into their enemies.
As with kuji-in, this description is for information only. Without the right teacher, long practice, the right breathing rhythm, and mental focus, kuji-kiri has no effect at all.
