Muhen & the Dalai Lama
By Claudine Marchand
Staying at a seminar center in southern France, one evening a small, elderly Japanese monk pulled me away from our group and invited me to his room, asking me to lie down on a bed. Immediately, he began to give me a treatment directing his forcefull breath to specific locations on my body : 21 breaths repeated 45 times on each spot chosen. A deep relaxation gained my body and my mind and I started to doze off. Three hours later, being called back to reaIity, I was amazed to find the monk gliding about fully energized after this intense effort. Muhen believed the method is good for the practitioner too, because with the gentle and natural blowing, he improved his respiratory capacity, strengthened his hara (the human energetic gravitation centre) and improved his connection with external prana (universal energy).
The late Muhen Inoue (1904-2000) was small in physical stature, carrying a powerfulI noble presence. He had developed this method of healing by breath, the universal life breath, transmitted through the caring kindness of a fellow human being.
He believed that when the body reaches complete relaxation, it starts an autonomous procedure of “self-healing”.
On a special occasion, Muhen had been playing the violin, his passion, for the Dalai Lama and the Dalai Lama presented Muhen with the Phoenix in recognition of his contributions in helping others. That evening, Muhen gently handed me the Phoenix to hold and to see up close, all the while beaming proudly in silence.
We agreed to continue with the treatments and so I would travel the 9 hours by car from my home to Trimurty, sometimes taking friends along to meet Muhen and his spécial treatments. Once, after dinner, I heard a knock on my door and to my surprise, Muhen stood there with the most mischievous smile. He talked with sign jestures as his english was rudimentary. He pointed to him and then to me and said ”Tomorrow I teach you ! ”. Then he left. Taken by total surprise, I waited till after breakfast to begin a journey of discovery.
Facing me on the cool terrace, Muhen handed me a drawing of the human body with dots placed in many locations. He said, ”Here is where we breath, 21 times x 45 each point (= 945 !). Each session is about 3-4 points, about 2 hours each time. ”Okay, now you make on her.” and he pointed to a friend of mine having come for a Muhen treatement. He demonstrated again how to breath and said, ”Now you do !
So Muhen’s breathing technique came to enrich my toolbox. As he had said, I found it to to be deeply revitalizing and relaxing for the person receveing, bringing new flow to her life spirit, while the giver, too, was energizing breathing deeply and rythmically.
Today in my practice, only clients who come with the presence of Muhen may benefit from this very unique technique.