Friday, November 30, 2012

The Cult Of Fudo-myo (不動明王)


 
 
Fudo-myo, the wrathful aspect of Virocana.
 
 
My pal is a Fudo-myo (不動明王) fan; he has set up his modus operand according to the Fudy-myo model but replace the Kulika sword with Dewa Yakong sword. So his idea was or perhaps still is: Fudo-myo as his guardian spirit to control the Dewa Yakong. This guy is not joking: he has a few 3 feet standing Fudo-myo statues, not to mention hundreds of big and small statues in his house and shop. I call this guy and his Dewa Yakong practice: "Mr. Fuu-yoo-o & Yakong sword". Perhaps we can treat it as the New Age Fudo-myo cult.

 

I once asked him why is he keeping so many Fudo-myo statues and his answer was loud and clear: “Fudo-myo has saved my life from Yakong!” Though his answer was still echoing in my ears, he started to sell his Fudo-myo statue to me. I told him: “You can’t be right, this guy just saved your life and you wanna sell him!?” I never got any straight answer from this guy in return. But seriously folks, would you trust a person that is selling his savior?

 

Anyway, let us leave Mr. Fuu-yoo-o and his Yakong sword behind and look into the belief of Fudo-myo cult proper
 
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Fudo-myo literally means “the immovable wisdom king” and is one of fierce guardian deity of Japanese Vajrayana. He is known as “Acala” in Sanskrit. In Japan, Acala became an idol of worship in its own right, and became installed as the gohonzon (本尊) or main deity at temples and outdoor shrines.

 

At Shingon Buddhist temples dedicated to Ācala, priests perform the Fudo-hō (不動法), or ritual service to enlist the deity's power of purification to benefit the faithful. This rite routinely involves the use of the ritual burning ceremony (護摩) as a purification tool.

 

Monks in Yamabushi (山伏) gear who go into rigorous training outdoors in the mountains also often pray to small Ācala statue or talisman they carry or to Fudo-myo statues that are often placed near waterfalls (a common training ground) and deep in the mountains and in caves.

 

Do you know that the first mudra in the famous Kuji-kiri: “Rin” belongs to the root mudra of Fudo-myo?

 

This is the mantra of Fudo-san (Fudo-myo):

  

Nômaku sanmanda bazaradan senda makaroshada sowataya un tarata kanman.

(In Japanese)

 

Namah samanta-vajrânâm canda mahârosana sphotaya hûm trat hâm mâm

(In Sanskrit.)

 

Homage to the all-pervading Vajras! O Violent One of great wrath! Destroy! hûm trat hâm mâm 

(In English)

 

Some of the material related to Yamabushi training:
 
 


10 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Actually Fudo-myo is not worsiped for the purpose of sorcery. Basically, a Yamabushi monk practised Fudo-myo to tame his mind, for overcoming obstacles, avoiding disaster and to destrol evil spirits. And yes, Fudo-myo is just worshipped as one of Buddhist tantric deity and there is no link with native Japanese magic.

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  2. A very big Thankyou to Mr Liew for all your effort & taking the time to share these articles with us. Without question the most informative website out there.

    Blessings to you sir for such a wonderful job,

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    1. Glad you like d story. If you want to have a Fudo-san installed, you know where to look for :)))

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Hi Lenny,

      Yes. Fudo Myoo is worshipped for his ability to remove obstacles and overcome strong opponents. Fudo Myoo mantras are traditionally used by Japanese yamabushis or ninjas to halt an opponent's movement. It is said to be pretty effective too. So, I would be confiednt to use this ritual against any heavy sorcery.

      Thank you very much!

      Xin Nian Kuai Le to you too! :)))

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  5. Thanks very much for the reply Mr Liew. Do you know if one gains any Siddhis from this mantra or if it works in that way. I'm sorry for so many questions,

    Regards,

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    1. The practice of Fudo Myoo is an important practice in Japanese Mantrayana system. He is the leader of 5 Vidyadharas and he is said to be the emination of Maha Virocana.

      Anyone who comes into contact with Japanese Mantrayana will definately come across this deity. Of course, the practice of Fudo Myoo is same as with other tantric texts that I have translated. One should recite the mantra for 100,000 times and perform homa to achieve siddhi.

      The rituals of Fudo Myoo are recorded in Mahapretaka or in any ritual books such as "The Complete Secrets Of Mantrayana".

      There is a Tibetan version of Fudo Myoo too... But Fudo Myoo receives very little attention in Tibetan Buddhism.

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  6. Thankyou very much for your help Mr Liew. I'll try not to let the magic sea dry up :) Thanks

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