Shinshin Shingan
Ken Harding

There is a saying in Ninpo, and it is found in the scrolls of both Togakure Ryu Ninpo and Gyokko Ryu Koshijutsu. The saying is "Shinshin Shingan", and it translates as "god eyes, god mind." I would like to put forth a few things for you to think about regarding this teaching.

First of all, I would say that this saying is not necessarily religious. The people who first spoke it did not have the same religious conceptions as people in the West do. The saying can be taken as religious, if that is your background and the filter through which you see life. But for those who choose not to view it with such connotations, it does not have to be so. The Japanese conception of shin, also read as kami, comes from Shinto, and means all things that are sacred in nature-- things that are to be revered and respected, and can also refer to nature spirits that should be worshipped. Kami is a word that is best left untranslated.

Setting aside these definitions, what is it all about? Shingan, or eyes of god, is seeing things the way they really are. They are eyes that cannot be deceived-- eyes that see the way the world works. Seeing the truth of a situation has military importance, but it is also of great personal value as well.

This is because most people see the world in the way they would like it to be, but not how it is in truth. The world is very complex, but extremely simple in its essence; science has shown us this. Yet for a lack of understanding, people re-create it using fantasy, mythology and mysticism. People may deliberately deceive others, or do so by a combination of good intentions and ignorance. Either way, it is important to develop an unbiased, clear view of the workings of the world and those who live in it. It is not the way of seeing with the eyes of society, or a particular sect or group, or through the eyes of tradition. In truth, seeing with one's own eyes is seeing with god eyes.

How is having the mind of god different? You can think of that as always interpreting events that happen with the proper idea of justice. This is especially important if you are engaged in the types of activities that Ninja used to do. If political espionage, covert warfare and occasional assassination are your daily activities, you need to have a very clear understanding of correct justice, so that your activities do not become perverted toward your personal desires, ambitions and vendettas (this also is in the Ninpo scrolls).

This philosophy is one reason why our Ninja traditions have survived, while others that did not use these concepts were destroyed. Bujutsu must not be used to satisfy hatred, ego, jealousy, greed or vengeance. Justice must incorporate the ideas of fairness, equality and truth. This only comes from within, and your budo reflects what is inside. Hatsumi Sensei says: "I am teaching you the contents of your heart." A bad heart results in poor budo.

How does one cultivate Shinshin Shingan? By not trying to intentionally cultivate it. When people ask me about such development, I can only answer that a watched pot never boils. Shinshin Shingan is obtained through endless training with a pure, egoless, compassionate heart, and letting it appear when you are ready. There is no other way. It is one of the purposes behind our purposeless training, and represents the very pinnacle of martial arts.