My First Ajikan Meditation Experience: The Story of Feeling 'Whoosh'

I had been curious aboutAjikan 🌕🪷

But perhaps because it's popular, every time I checked the reservations, it was fully booked, and I thought, 'I guess it's not meant to be this time either.'

However, one day, the moment I happened to open the reservation page, a single cancellation spot had opened up.

'This is it!!!' I thought, and booked it immediately.

I felt as if I had been called, so I headed to the temple on the day.

What is Ajikan? 🌕🪷

Ajikan is a meditation method passed down in Shingon Esoteric Buddhism.

You quietly gaze at a scroll depicting the Sanskrit character 'A' while regulating your breathing.

The sound 'A' is said to represent the origin of the universe, and it is a very quiet meditation performed with the image of your consciousness becoming one with that Sanskrit character.

I was a little nervous before going.

'Will I be able to meditate properly?' 'What if the etiquette is too difficult?'

I headed there thinking things like that.

But the monk taught me very carefully, so my initial nervousness quickly melted away.

The flow of the day

First, I was taught how to sit and the hand position (Hokkai-join).

Hokkai-join is a position where you stack your hands with palms facing up and gently touch the tips of your thumbs together. It's like the image of holding a small egg in your hands.

The point is to keep it light and airy without applying too much pressure.

Once the sitting posture was set, it was finally time to start the meditation.

Without closing my eyes, I kept them half-open in a 'hangan' state and quietly gazed at the Sanskrit character.

When I actually tried it, I felt a 'whoosh' sensation.

The session lasts about 60 minutes, including explanations.

At first,
my legs started to go numb,
and I kept worrying about whether I was doing it right,
so I couldn't really concentrate.

But after a while...

Something strange happened.

As I stared at the Sanskrit character,
I had the sensation of my consciousness softly expanding.

I can't put it into words well,

"Whoosh"

is perhaps how I would describe it.

It felt pleasant,
mysterious,
and yet something I wanted to experience again.

That was the kind of feeling it was.

Rather than "becoming nothing,"
it might have been closer to the feeling of
gradually realigning myself within that quiet time.

When it was over, I felt refreshed.

When I stood up after the meditation,
both my mind and body felt somehow refreshed.

In our daily lives,
perhaps we don't often get the chance
to experience such stillness.

It felt as if the noise in my head
had been tidied up a little.

After it was over,
even the air felt clear.

And naturally,
"I want to do this again"
was what I thought.

To those who are interested

"Meditation seems difficult,"
"I don't know the proper etiquette."

There may be many people who feel that way.

However, the experience at the temple was very attentive and
I was able to participate with peace of mind even as a beginner.

You don't have to try to do it perfectly.

Even if you just sit quietly,
I'm sure you will feel something 🌕🪷

Thank you for reading until the end 😊