Vishuddha Chakra and Jin

The throat chakra, or Vishuddha Chakra, guides our energy towards benevolence and compassion as expressed in the concept of Bushido's Jin. It is here we totally surrender our will to that of a 'higher' power...and it is here we find our true voice.

The essence of Vishuddha is Faith. Faith in that which is invisible to the eye. Faith in that which gives rise to our true essence and allows us to see a bigger picture than before. It gives rise to the spirit of deep compassion of Jin. We begin to see that the 'other' is ourselves. Those we thought of as enemies are no more. We can only see ourselves. This requires faith and the ability to communicate from our heart.

About thirty years ago I visited a counselor friend of mine who was an intuitive and could read chakras. She told me I was doing pretty good, but my throat chakra was a bit stuck. As I looked in myself, I realized I wasn't being true to my inner voice, but listening to others and wanting to please them more. Her insight helped my find my voice and faith within myself.  Then about seven years later, I met Nonin, my Zen teacher. He gave me the Dharma name of Shinzen. To have faith in zen.  I had to dig deeper and realized I was still hampered in this area.

This writing and the publishing of my book is a result of opening my throat chakra and speaking from faith and my inner voice...and I am hoping it blesses people. I still care how others percieve me, but I am less apt to be a people pleaser. I also have more faith in general. Faith that everything is okay just as it is.

Vishuddha Chakra and Jin. An expression of Faith.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen