The 9 hand seals technique and its teachings were initiated in the Hindu religion, where it was used by a few groups of the lower casts. It was a way to bring the virtues of the spirit into the physical experience. It was not as developed as we know it today, it was part of the origins of the kuji-in we know today. From Hinduism came Buddhism, and with it, the 9 hand seals became more popular. The mudras remained the same, but Buddhist mantras where added. The original mantras were in Sanskrit. They seem to be invocations and celebrations of the Buddhas, but once understood, they are personal growth and empowerment contemplations, that has only to do with the Self. The Buddhist movement went to china, where the tradition was passed on to the hermetic and esoteric groups. Boa Pu Zhi, a wise Chinese master, was the first to put the nine hand mudras on paper, in his work published around the 3rd century AC. Then, the technique migrated to Japan, along with esoteric Buddhism, where the mantras where translated in Japanese.

As it seems, the kuji-in technique is composed of a ritual technique containing the traditional application of the Buddhist three secrets (mudra, mantra, mandala). The true kuji-in secret lies within the contemplation of its philosophy that we use to change our attitude in life. The goal of the kuji-in technique is not to acquire strength, control, healing powers, telepathy… these are only side-effects of practicing the ritual technique and focusing a bit on the philosophy. Most people learn the technique simply to get these side-effects. They will develop only to a tenth of what they could if the kuji-in was practiced to its fullest. The real kuji-in path is the quest for knowing the truth about ourselves. It is a contemplation of higher principles, an application of noble behavior in our daily lives, and mental availability to perceive knowledge that is not studied, but revealed. Once a revelation occurs, one of the side-effects will develop rapidly without effort.

A teacher of the kuji-in will transmit the technique according to his own experience of its revelations. Since the technique was transmitted orally at many different groups, by many different masters, the organization of the knowledge remained the same, but the ritual aspect changed a bit thru time. That is not dramatic, since the true knowledge of the kuji-in is acquired thru revelation, and the different ritual techniques stimulate the mind towards the same goal, which is to acquire the revelation of the truth about the self. While the ritual practice is applied, the side-effects eventually manifest, and it is enough for the general public.

Some kuji-in practitioners are adepts of meditation, and according to them, the kuji-in technique is a way to deepen meditation. Others are adepts of martial arts, and for them, the kuji-in technique builds the profound inner powers of the warrior. The sorcerers will say it develops the ability to manifest magical phenomena. Peasants and farmers might say it is the technique used to attract good fortune and stimulate good crops! Speculators say there might be around 4000 different schools of this technique around the world, all transmitting a slightly different ritual technique. Some Buddhists will use a chi-gong dance along with 9 syllables, while others will sit in meditation and use 9 longer mantra prayers. It doesn’t matter. As long as there is philosophy behind the ritual technique, the results will be attained.