MANI・MANI

Would you like to do meditation with wrapped by the energy of scent to reduce your stress?  Incense can invite you to be in a state of meditation gently.

Our products “jyu”, “ji”, and “son” are named by Zen words, which were treasured by Zen master Hakuin.

Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768) was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism.  He is regarded as the reviver of the Rinzai school from a moribund period of stagnation, refocusing it on its traditionally rigorous training methods integrating meditation and koan practice.

He utilized visualization meditation to regain his psychological and physiological health. As a younger man, when he was a monk, he devoted himself to the study of Zen so intensely that, as he wrote in his Yasenkanna (Idle Talk on a Night Boat), he came down with “Zen sickness”. That’s what would be called in our modern day “overload” or a “nervous breakdown.” After consulting teachers, doctors, acupuncturists of his day, nothing seemed to help him. Eventually he found a cave-dwelling hermit Hakuyu and his mind and body came back into balance after practicing a visualization meditation he learned from Hakuyu.

This technique has been used through the years both as a cure of Zen sickness and as a means of preserving health by numberless students engaged in the rigors of Zen training as well as contributed to a lot of people for their health in Edo period.

We introduce visualization and breathing practice he relieved his symptoms of Zen sickness.


Preparation for the practice

Please burn your favorite incense and take a comfortable and relaxed position.  You may sit on the chair or on the ground, lie on your back, stand or whatever is right for you.


Tan Tien Meditation

This meditation is recommended when your breath is shallow and helps to calm down your mind.

Put your hands gently on your lower abdomen, the area below the navel, which is called Tan Tien, the energy point of your body.
Bring your gentle awareness into this area, Tan Tien, where your hands on.
Observe your natural breath and feel the gentle movement of your abdomen.  Just be with your breath.
Feeling Tan Tien invites you to be in the state of calmness and reinforce your vital energy.

Once you start feeling and observing your breath, 5 minutes later, it starts releasing serotonin which is manufactured in the brain and adjust the autonomic nervous.
You may feel warm on your abdominal area when your “Qi”, life-giving force is tempered on your body.

The more you practice this meditation, the more you get stable body and mind.

Take it easy and let’s practice it with close your eyes.


Nanso no Ho

This meditation is recommended when your body and mind are exhausted.

Imagine a golden duck egg is placed on the top of your head, that is called “Nanso”, a pure oil with sweet fragrance like an incense. As it begins to slowly melt at body temperature, it imparts an exquisite sensation, moistening and saturating your head within and without.  It continues to ooze down, moistening your shoulders, arms, hands, and chest, permeating the internal organs with melting the stiffness or pains in your mind and body, as if water is flowing down through the body, then it is moving down to the legs and fills your body till the arch of the feet, the center of the feet.

Please do this visualization twice or three times.

Hakuin reached enlightenment by practicing these visualization meditation techniques.

These meditation techniques by observing your body influences on a brain network which works on quelling emotions and would be enhanced yourself more and more when you continue to practice it.

Mani Mani supports you to have balanced body and mind and manifest your true being by the power of incense.