What is the purpose: of such preliminary practices as furitama and torifune-undo?
Those practices are forms of misogi, a traditional Shinto ritual for purifying the spirit and body, The Founder was; deeply interested in esoteric Shinto, especially kototama , the science of sacred sounds, and he also studied misogi under the Shinto shaman Bonji Kawazura ( 1862-1929). The Founder engaged in such esoteric practices both before and after World War II, and some of his disciples emulated his example. To put it simply, misogi is a method of purifying the body and spirit. It is hard to see how such simple movements can transform one’s character, but if one practices the misogi ritual sinncrely, it will undoubtedly have an effect.
