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There is a term that is used every now and then in the Bujinkan, called “Kami Waza”. Typically, this is something that is trained, and an understanding attempted, after many years of training in the Bujinkan system of martial arts. Kami Waza is something I had referred to in my article on “The Ashta Siddi and Budo”, in the part about the Siddhi “Eeshitva” (the link to this article is seen at the bottom).

“Kami” could be translated as “God” or “Gods”, but I opine that the word “Deva” or “Devata” which we Indians use is a more apt translation. “Waza” can be translated as “technique”. So, “Kami Waza” can be considered to be “technique of the Gods” or maybe “Godlike technique”. This might seem to suggest that there are martial techniques that are so difficult that being able to master the same makes one a God. It might also seem to mean that one somehow needs to have the skills or abilities of the Gods to be able to pull off the same. But it is neither. To give an extreme and tongue in cheek example from Hindu traditions, “Kami Waza” does not mean the ability to invoke the Brahmastra, or uproot trees like Bhima or fly while lifting mountains like Hanuman. 😛

Kami Waza is more an adjective for a movement after the same is already completed. The movement just completed is so incredible, or sublime or elegant that it seems like the person who just executed the same might have been guided by the Devas. Or maybe, the Budoka (practitioner of Budo) channelled the Devas to execute the movement. Or maybe even that the Budoka allowed a Deva(s) to possess them for the brief instant it took to execute the movement.

From my personal realization, Kami Waza is expressed when an experienced Budoka is not specifically looking to perform a defined waza or kata (a set of defined forms). Nor is the Budoka trying to achieve a set objective. The Budoka is moving freely with perhaps the only objective being to stay alive. Of course, the movement could have started as a kata or waza and might have had an objective, like throw the opponent or pin the opponent or plain old “win” against the opponent. But the movement that could be described as Kami Waza would have occurred when the Budoka has let go of the original intent and moved in flow, even if for a fleeting instant.

The identification of the Kami Waza would be by the opponent(s) and maybe an onlooker. The Budoka who executed Kami Waza may or may not realize the same. Also, the Waza expressed as Kami Waza might be at the beginning or end or somewhere during the interaction between two or more Budoka, or more loosely put, opponents. Further, the only reward for the expression of the Kami Waza is only that the Budoka is alive at the end of the conflict situation, or suffered minimal injury or just a lack of trouble compared with what she or he started with!

It is said by Budoka with far more experience than I that Kami Waza is expressed only when there is no motive or objective in the movement, except survival. This is also defined as “being empty”. This refers to a lack of ego. This in turn is because a lack of ego is supposed to mean that there is no objective to achieve a defined success or in other words, win. It also is a lack of ego when there is no concern with failure or defeat. Thus, if there is no ego and one is “empty”, there is an opportunity for the “emptiness” to be “filled” by Kami. Therefore, one is maybe transformed into something like a Kami. It could warily be termed as allowing oneself to be controlled by the Kami, like a puppet, or as a vessel for the essence of one. So, if one is hosting a Kami, the movement expressed becomes Kami Waza, as it was driven a Kami, albeit in the form of the Budoka under consideration.

This is not unlike what Hindus call, “Avashesha avataara”. “Avataara” is a manifestation and “avashesha” is “a vestige”. So, an avataara, where a vestige or an iota of the essence (amsha) of God is channelled in an earthly form, is an “Avashesha Avataara”. It is also sometimes called “Aavesha Avatara”, where “Aavesha” is like possession, but with a positive connotation. This only happens for a short duration for a specific objective (of the Gods, not the vessel). Once the objective is complete, the human or animal vessel reverts to being a normal being and is an Avataara no more. An example of this kind of Avataara is that of Lord Parashuraama.

A few words of caution here, again based on my personal experience and what I have heard from Budoka with a lot more experience than I. The first is that, the moment the Budoka realizes the awesomeness of what was just expressed**, Kami Waza ends. The realization might be a shock for the person who expresses Kami Waza as well. It is more like, “Wow, what did I just do!” The moment this realization occurs the Kami Waza either ends, or the Budoka loses it, at least for the moment. This end or loss is irrespective of whether the expression of Kami Waza was completed or not, though the chances are that it was. Thus, the expression of Kami Waza is only realized as an afterthought, and maybe in hindsight.

The second is that Kami Waza is not magic. The definition I shared and the experience of the same might make it seem so. But it is not, and could actually be remarkably common place. We all see expressions of Kami Waza all around us, on a regular basis, even if it is not in the martial arts. There are situations at work and otherwise, among friends and family, when we see someone who seems to have a wonderful thought or epiphany, and that results in a great solution or artwork or any other achievement being accomplished. This happens many a time against the run of play at that point in time. The person who executed the action or activity would not have a realized it immediately. All of these are likely expressions of Kami Waza. And this leads to the third important observation regarding Kami Waza.

Kami Waza does not occur in a vacuum. Its expression is always a result of a very large amount of effort and experience and therefore wisdom being already in possession of the person who expresses Kami Waza. And so, it is likely that the person who expressed Kami Waza did so in a field they were already great at, but this specific expression (of anything) was extraordinary even by those already high standards. It is something like the total being considerably greater than the sum of the parts!

There is a concept which we Hindus refer to fairly often. This concept is “Bhakti”. It is usually translated as “Devotion”. But like with most Indian concepts it is not something that can be clearly translated into English. An attempt to explain the feeling associated with Bhakti can be made, but an exact translation is not really possible, in my opinion. As I understand it, Bhakti is the attempt to achieve closeness with the divine. Bhakti is also said to be one of the paths to achieve this closeness, as indicated by “Bhakti Marga” (the path of Bhakti). The other paths I know of are Gnana Marga (the path of wisdom or consciousness, sometimes spelled “Jnana”) and Karma Marga (the path of action/activity). I am also aware of the Nava Vidhi of Bhakti (the nine protocols or forms of Bhakti). These are the various means by which an individual can express Bhakti. Also, one must remember, an individual might already have Bhakti towards an expression of the divine and attempt to increase it with the above path and activities or begin to achieve Bhakti with the same.

I am not an expert in these matters nor do I have the experience and learning to opine or explain the nuances of Bhakti. I am only aware of a little and I have shared the same above as a point of reference for the other observations I will make further.

As far as I understand, according to Hindu thought, the purpose of all paths (marga) towards closeness with the Divine is Moksha. Moksha is the liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. In other words, it is a liberation from the temporal world and hence from the trouble and sorrows associated with the same. Once Moksha is attained, the temporal world is replaced with an existence with the Divine forever, which is the same as eternal joy and contentment.

But then, based on my personal experience, Moksha is not what most of us Hindus are thinking of or even considering, when we practice Bhakti in day to day life. Many a time, before we start our daily activities, we light the lamp every morning in our Pooja Rooms and bow before our preferred expression of the Divine*. If not this, we practice our own specific ways of demonstrating Bhakti towards our preferred Divinity at the start of daily activities, based on the situation of the person. When we do this, we request for things far simpler than an attainment of Moksha. We ask for mundane things, like a good day without problems, good health for everyone, a satisfying life for those near and dear to us. It might even go onto the ability to perform well in an exam, find a solution to the problems we are facing, at work or in life, including those related to health, wealth and relationships. This is the extent of day to day expression of Bhakti for many people.

In Kannada, there was statement, or a variant of it, we were raised with. We still hear it fairly often in many homes which are even slightly traditional in upbringing. It goes something like, “Bhaktiyinda maadu, seri hogutte” or “Bhaktiyinda maadu, yella volledagutte”. This means, “Do it with Bhakti, it be alright or it (any problem) will be resolved” or “Do it with Bhakti, everything will have a satisfactory outcome”. This is roughly the same as saying in Hindi, “Bhakti se karo, sab theek ho jaayega”. We are also told, “Deveranne nenesikondu shuru maadu”. This in transliteration means, “Think of God and start”. In Hindi, it would be “Bhagvaan ka yaad karke shuru karo”. It means that you request the Gods for a positive outcome before you start something. This could be answering an exam, an activity, or just your day in general.

These two statements are emblematic of how simple the practice of and expression of Bhakti is. It might take just a few seconds in a day. It just requires one to spare a thought towards the Divine every day, but as a first priority, as a cultivated habit. Since it is a cultivated practice, it means you set aside a few moments towards the Divine regularly. This expression of Bhakti, allows one to request a desired, favourable outcome in return for the Bhakti demonstrated.

Many a time, when one who expresses Bhakti regularly achieves a favourable outcome, or just luck in day to day living, she or he spares a moment to thank the Divine as well. This is based on the feeling that, the outcome was a consequence of the Bhakti demonstrated, and gratitude is expressed to close the loop of request-granting of the same-gratitude expressed.

One thing to remember though, is that Bhakti is not an alternative to the effort one puts into any activity or targeted achievement in life. One has to put in all the efforts that are needed towards leading a good life of one’s choice. Bhakti is a request for support towards the Divine beyond the effort that has been expended. This could be due to troubles unforeseen, troubles one is not certain how to solve, missing effort due to lack of awareness of its requirement or just due to hard luck. If there is no trouble in life at all, Bhakti could be a desire towards the result being greater than the sum of the parts of the effort put in. Thus, Bhakti is expressed in hopes of a return which could be a final boost in achieving one’s desires and luck to evade unforeseen troubles.

Bhakti can also be expressed hoping to be able to overcome insurmountable problems. Imagine wanting documents to be typed telepathically 🙂 or a problem which requires societal change (beliefs, cultural values, functioning style etc.). These are not things that might happen in an individual’s lifetime. While one can do one’s best, Divine interference might be needed to solve some problems. While this might happen, there is also a possibility that the individual looking for the insurmountable solution has a realization (epiphany if you will), which gives a fresh perspective. The perspective might be anything, from knowing the solution might lie in a different geography (find your fortune in a different country) to understanding that a solution is not possible in a given time and one’s efforts need to be redirected and options reconsidered. Maybe this is epiphany was just about overcoming one’s ego to letting go of a need for a given solution; an eye-opener, if you will.

So, one does all that one can towards leading the life that one wants to and also expends time towards the Divine in one’s life. The time expended towards the Divine varies from person to person and based on one’s situation in life. This is Bhakti. BEYOND all the efforts one has expended towards one’s life if there is some support needed from the Universe for a good life, this is hoped for from the Divinities, in return for the Bhakti demonstrated over a long time.

I guess now the link between Budo and Bhakti in evident, in the concept of Kami Waza. Both Bhakti and Kami Waza are about individuals being guided by the Gods or Devata or Kami respectively. This guidance allows an individual to achieve an outcome that is favourable to her or his life. This outcome might or might not be related to a specific objective that the individual is pursuing, but is favourable nevertheless. In both cases, the expression of the result of Bhakti and Kami Waza, is only after an individual is “empty”. “Empty” by not having any motive in a conflict other than survival in a conflict situation or “Empty” by dint of having expended all one can in life or in a given situation. This “Emptiness” allows a booster to past efforts, experience, training and wisdom, which is perhaps Divine in nature.

A final word of caution here. Both in Budo and in Hindu culture, it is always said that the effort is mutually exclusive of the outcome. The training or expression of Bhakti cannot be towards a specific help or support from the Devatas. If there is no realized outcome of Bhakti, or a realization of expressed Kami Waza, it is not a case where one can question the Kami or the universe itself for betrayal. It is just that there was a lacuna in the Bhakti or the training in Budo, whether or not one realizes the same. Thus, despite understanding the concepts of Bhakti or Kami Waza, they are not crutches to look for or support systems to look out for. One can only continue training or express Bhakti, if one chooses to, and perhaps as a consequence experience Kami Waza or the fruits of Bhakti.

Notes:

1. Link to the article about the Ashta Siddhi and Budo – https://mundanebudo.com/2022/12/22/the-ashta-siddhi-and-budo/
2. *Mane Devru or the Gods we, in our respective families or communities, have been brought up praying to.
3. This article is verbose because both Bhakti and Kami Waza are not easily defined. They are feelings to be experienced. So, expressing the same in a manner that leaves me satisfied with the effort, took a lot of words.
4. **When I say “expressed”, I mean perform a martial movement, which could involve a punch, a kick, a throw, a lock etc.
5. I use the term Budo as a synonym to “Martial Arts” in this article.