Ozu Yasujiro's Spirit Sounds of Healing: Kotodama and Rebirth

This is my most popular essay ever on how Noh drama influences Japanese films, using the ancient wisdom of a zen sutra.

Afterword > Understanding Samsara, Death and Rebirth

“Ozu International: Essays on the Global Influences of a Japanese Auteur” (2015) >. ESSAY

NOTE: Japanese film director Ozu Yasujiro followed the paths or gates of samara, death and rebirth, paralleling the inner body gates or chakras (wheels), which mirror with the five elements in Miyamoto Musashi’s A Book of Five Rings/Powers/Gates/Chakras. . . (2022).

OH- ZU-YA-SU-JI-RO

Let the name of Ozu Yasujiro, with its six syllables, become a sacred mantra of healing or a kotodama, a spirit word of discovery, that samsara is nirvana.

Watch a film by Ozu and repeat this sacred mantra of rebirth:

OH. 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

closes the path of suffering of all beings reborn as gods, where the pain of ruling comes from pride.

YA 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

closes the path of suffering of all beings reborn as demigods, where the pain of ruling comes from greed.

ZU 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

closes the path of suffering of beings reborn as warriors where the pain of conflict comes from jealousy.

YA 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

closes the path of suffering of beings reborn as humans where the pain comes from daily suffering which comes from desire.

SU 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

closes the path of suffering of beings reborn as animals where the pain comes from the survival of the fittest all originating from ignorance.

JI 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

closes the path of suffering of beings reborn as hungry ghosts where pain is from cravings, for all is from greed.

RO 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

closes the path of suffering of beings reborn as demons in hell where the pain of heat and cold comes from anger or hatred.

🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

Note:

This mantra copies the form of six syllable mantra of Kannon Bodhisttava:

“Om Mani Padme Hum.”

REPEAT:

OH — ZU — YA — SU — JI — RO — 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅
OH — ZU — YA — SU — JI — RO — 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅
OH — ZU — YA — SU — JI — RO — 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅
OH — ZU — YA — SU — JI — RO — 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅
OH — ZU — YA — SU — JI — RO — 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅
OH — ZU — YA — SU — JI — RO — 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

MU . . . 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅 🌅🌅

Kawanabe Sensei believed that karate was moving meditation and used the idea of kotodama. I studied karate under him and am trying to write a book about him.