Thursday, October 27, 2022

63 - Ward

【結界、kekkai】

Wards were originally intended to separate the chaotic external world, or the natural world, which was outside the control of humans, from the orderly, pure internal world.

It is said that the practice of marking the boundary between the inside and outside of a temple and separating them is said to have originated in Buddhism. In other words, by separating the inside from the outside of the temple, the intention was to prohibit the intrusion of those who were not permitted to enter and to protect the order of the monks.


This was eventually passed on to esoteric Buddhism, where boundaries were established to protect against the presence of evil beings and curses.

In esoteric Buddhist practice, a ward is set up using sorcery to prevent the intrusion of foreign enemies, and the sign is often a talisman, a statue, or some other mystical instrument used to indicate the location of the boundary. However, the most familiar and common way of marking the result is the "shimenawa", or "consecrated rope".

The shimenawa is a sacred boundary that delimits the space between the outside and a sanctuary, making it impenetrable.

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