To: alt.zen
From: jneatrou@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (John Neatrour)
Subject: Re: Kongo Zen Diamond Zen info please? (9409.kngozen.jn)
Date: 499409xx
Quoting: |>rjm@panix.com (rjm) 
	 |QUARK <QUARK@nice.guy.pushed.too.far> 

|> Can anyone tell me about Kongo Zen?

|We had a brief discussion of kongo zen awhile back.    It is taught by the 
|Shorinji Kempo organization in Japan.   I believe by the time one gets a 3rd 
|degree black belt (sandan), he is considered a buddhist priest.   What little 
|I know about the school is that they do zazen practice as complementary to 
|martial arts training.   The founder, Doshin So,  claims to have been taught 
|by Chinese Secret Societies, a dubious claim to most Chinese involved in 
|martial arts.   Shorinji Kempo is an interesting art in spite of this;  a lot 
|of joint locks and aikido-type throws are mixed in with hand and foot 
|techniques.   As for the zazen practice,  I cannot attest to the quality of 
|it.  Others? 

The Shingon sect (Tantric) of Japan has a practice called Kongo Zen. It is a
mix. In posture it is similar to zazen except that the right hand is on top in
the mudra. Counting and following the breath are similar to zazen but the
mantra 'a' is used and concentration on a mandala is also employed. There is a
Sun and a Moon mandala but also a mandala using the letter 'a'. Somewhere in
my pile I have a pamphlet called "Gedatsu Ajikan Kongozen Meditation"
describing the practice. I can't find it at the moment.

I think that American Sanghas might be found under something like Gedatsu
Churches of America or something like that. I remember being put off by the
pamphlet because it advocated some kind of phrenology.

Mantras are fine, mandalas and kasinas are fine. They are generally regarded
as secondary to zazen though.

EOF