There are four types of meditation in Karuna Ki Do: developing the channel, the compassion meditation, symbol meditation, and toning. This page describes one Karuna Ki Do lineage's practices. The effects described are spiritual and experiential: the tradition uses the language of energy and chakras as symbolism, not as measured physiology, and nothing here is a medical treatment. Work at a comfortable pace and stop if you feel unwell. The following are specific exercises.
The Four Types Of Karuna Ki Do Meditations
Developing The Channel
The Sha Mudra is used in the first Karuna Ki Do meditation. In the tradition it is described as strengthening the practice channel, increasing personal chi and supporting self-healing; those are the tradition's terms, not medical claims. Students are encouraged to practise daily, but adapt the pace to yourself.
In this lineage, consistent practice is said to help cultivate compassion for all beings and clear the mind. In Japanese, this Mudra is Sha. Some Tibetan arts and Ninjutsu use it as well. Intuitive Healing, Inner Channel Development, and Strengthening. The tradition describes those who mastered Sha's Inner connections as gaining inner power and resilience. The index and thumb fingers are extended and interlocked in this Mudra. Sha is a great mudra to use while meditating. You can use the Sha Mudra while doing any Karuna Ki Meditations.
The mudra is also used within the tradition as a focus for offering Reiki. Form Sha, settle your attention on the compassionate energy of the practice, and picture the energy flowing into the hands. The meditation below uses the mudra as a focus for a sense of vitality and steadiness. Form the mudra and let it be a simple anchor: the tradition describes it as opening the body's energy pathways, deepening inner strength and easing fear. Treat those as the tradition's descriptions rather than guaranteed effects.
Breathe in and out through the nose at a comfortable pace. To settle, rest your attention on the breath; if that is difficult, count slowly to seven on the inhale and again on the exhale. Let other thoughts pass and return to the breath, without forcing anything.
The tradition pictures a fire within, behind the hara, in the personal chi area. This meditation is described as strengthening you from within, releasing tension and deepening your connection with the compassionate energy of Karuna Ki.
Rest your attention at or behind the hara. Some people picture a ball of light, fire or warmth there. Visualize the fireball behind the hara and invite the Karuna Ki or Reiki energy to brighten it, letting the image become warmer and more luminous through the body.
The loving light energy (Reiki or Karuna Ki) enters through the crown as you breathe in (top of head). See the energy move down behind the Hara area and fill it, growing and brightening the light there. Let the sense of energy expand outward through your body, to the top of your head, the tips of your toes and fingertips. In the tradition it is pictured spreading to the organs; this is a visualization, not a physiological effect.
Hold the Mudra between the sternum and the hara. As a visualization, imagine the breath moving through the hands toward the hara; keep breathing naturally rather than trying to breathe through your hands. Continue for ten minutes if comfortable. Refocus your attention on the Hara and let it return to ordinary awareness. Shake your hands three times, then your feet three times, if that feels right.
You can do this practice at any time using the mudra, your breathing and the inner light. Regular practice is described as strengthening body and mind and supporting vitality. Some people's hands feel warm during and after the practice; others feel nothing in particular, and both are normal. Other Kuji-in hand positions can also be used.
Karuna Ki Compassion Meditation
In this meditation you picture connecting with the universe's loving, compassionate heart and then sharing that compassion outward.
Begin with slow, comfortable breaths through the nose. Visualize or draw the symbols even if you have not memorized them yet. Picture the peaceful energy of Karuna Ki's compassion around you.
Let's now focus on all of the universe's energy.
Focus on drawing in all the universe's energy, energizing and filling you. Let the universe's peaceful, loving, compassionate energy fill you. Inhale a sense of loving compassion and, as you exhale, let go of tension and anything you are carrying. Take your time. Some practitioners use a phrase such as "we are all one in love", or a line attributed in this tradition to Kuan Yin about compassion for all souls; use wording that is meaningful to you, or none.
Now focus on breathing in loving compassion—the Karuna Ki Do. When exhaling, send it to every corner of the universe. Do this for a while, then allow yourself to be filled with this energy. Begin at the toes and fill your entire body and energy field with this wonderful feeling loving energy. Let yourself slowly reorient to your surroundings, then go out and be compassionate to all.
Karuna Ki Symbol Meditation
Pick a symbol to use. Draw it or imagine it. Say the symbol's name (either aloud or in your head). Visualize the symbol as golden, bright, and filled with the Source's loving energy.
Picture it flowing into you, and notice any impression or meaning that arises, without treating it as a message you must act on. Keep the Karuna Ki energy and its source in mind, and continue for as long as it feels comfortable.
Remember to breathe. Inhale the universe's compassion and love, and exhale it to all living beings. Then feel connected to the Source and watch it fully activate as you experience the Source's oneness.
Finish by drawing all the Karuna Ki Do symbols in front of you and offering thanks in whatever way is meaningful. This is a time some practitioners use for self-treatment or setting intentions; remember that distant practice requires the recipient's agreement, and that charging crystals is a symbolic practice.
Take time to settle afterwards; some people feel lightheaded after deep meditation. A grounding practice can help: place your palms on the earth, walk, picture roots reaching down, have a drink of water, or use whatever you find steadying. You can also imagine the power symbol on the feet, the hara and the palms. Practical steps such as sitting down, opening your eyes and breathing normally matter most; no method can guarantee that dizziness will not happen, so stop and rest if you feel unwell.
Choose the symbol that matches the aspect you want to explore. Traditionally each is practised for around a week or more, but that is a suggestion, not a requirement. There are infinite Karuna Ki Do Symbol Meditations. You can do it only by focusing on the Karuna Ki source.
The Karuna systems also include light-body and Mer-Ka-Ba practices. Approach them as spiritual exercises, and develop your own practice at a pace that suits you.
Toning Meditation
This fourth Karuna Ki Do Meditation practice incorporates the toning and chanting aspects of Karuna Ki healing. Many faiths use chanting to meditate, such as Transcendental Meditation, praying the Rosary, or asking Kuan Yin for help.
To use this technique, decide which symbol or quality you want to reflect on, then use it with the first or second meditation. Om-Shanti-Om, Om-Gnosa-Om and Om-Iava-Om are examples.
Many patterns can be created using the symbol's name and intent as a guide.
Practising These Meditations
Have confidence in yourself and your intuition—experiment to determine if these methods work for you. The key is to maintain a consistent practice regimen.
What Karuna Ki Do Is
Karuna Ki is a hands-on spiritual practice centred on loving compassion, understood in its tradition as a way to connect with and share that compassion. It has several facets, including hands-on practice, meditation (Karuna Ki Do) and chanting or toning. In the tradition it is described as drawing on a connection to the Way of Compassion to bring compassionate energy to a person; that is belief language, not a medical claim.
Karuna Ki also employs the chanting or "toning" exercise. The most basic of these activities is intoning or chanting the symbol's name during meditation or healing. In the tradition, the symbol's energy is described as carried on the breath; that is a belief, not a measurable effect. More complicated practices may include concentrating on the sign and enabling the symbol's unique personal expression to be expressed as a tone through you. Some suggested chants include Om-Shanti-Om, Om-Gnosa-Om, and Om-Iava-Om.
Connecting with your spiritual guides associated with Karuna Ki Do is another avenue to pursue. Some practitioners describe encounters with guides such as Jesus, Mary, Kuan Yin (Kannon), St. Germaine, angels, archangels or spirit animals. As with any contemplative experience, what you picture tends to reflect your own background and beliefs. You may experience one or several of these, or none at all; both are fine.
Choosing which meditation to practise
The four practices ask for different kinds of attention, and most people do not need to use all of them every day.
| Practice | Main focus | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Developing the channel | Posture, breath and the Sha mudra | You want a steady, structured session |
| Compassion meditation | Kind intention toward self and others | You want a reflective, less technical practice |
| Symbol meditation | One symbol as a focus for reflection | You want to study a symbol without rushing |
| Toning meditation | Voice and repeated sound | You want to include sound in your practice |
A short practice is still a practice. Ten minutes with one method is more useful than an ambitious hour that you abandon after two days. If you are tired, the compassion meditation or a few minutes of silent breathing may fit better than a long visualization. If you are restless, the channel meditation gives your attention something specific to do.
A four-week rotation
If you would like to try all four without turning practice into a project, give each one a week:
- Week one: the channel meditation, ten minutes a day, using the mudra and the breath.
- Week two: the compassion meditation, beginning with someone you care about and extending outward.
- Week three: one symbol, drawn or imagined, with a few minutes of quiet reflection.
- Week four: toning, using a single phrase or symbol name at a comfortable volume.
At the end of the month, keep the practice that felt most sustaining and leave the others available. There is no requirement to master a sequence or to report a particular experience. The point is to notice what helps you pay attention and act with care, not to collect techniques.
Related topic: Karuna Ki, Chanting and toning, Karuna Ki scanning, Level one attunement, Level three attunement.