In time, all things work to your advantage when you pursue them with an open heart. - Miyamoto Musashi.
The best martial artist strives to be open-hearted. In Japanese to be kisaku (氣さく) means to be “open-hearted,” “kind,” or “ready.” Thus, from the kanji (氣) we can see that being open-hearted has something to do with putting our energy into something. To be open-hearted is “to be kind, wishing for good, or benevolent.” In the martial arts, to be open-hearted is demonstrated at the highest level of enlightenment by an open stance. To stand openly is to seemingly not put up any defenses. To the uninformed, “to stand completely open to an attack” or kyo (虚) is the fastest way to be defeated. However, when a person of experience stands openly, they are implying that “no matter how you attack, I can defend” and their stance is a demonstration of their level of development. In the past, a person who studied the warrior arts had to be muzan (無残) or “ruthless” because it was their job to engage in violence and so it was in their best interest to stand with a closed stance. Interestingly, muzan literally translates to mean “nothing left” which paints this picture of a person who is closed off and capable of utter destruction. As with standing in an open stance, having an open heart is a dangerous thing unless a person understands how to manage it. Without discernment, we can accidentally set ourselves up to be used or abused by others. In the dojo, we train to develop ourselves so that no person can take advantage of us physically. Some training partners try to give their partners a “real” attack and attack them harshly or recklessly. With this rough attack, they're thinking “no one on the street would ever hold back” and so by attacking with all their strength, they are “teaching” them what it is like to be attacked for real. They are not wrong and there is some truth to this. However, by attacking this way, they aren’t showing their level of awareness for their partner’s level nor are they showing their partners any compassion or empathy - they don’t show their open-heartedness. Furuya Sensei advocated that we “train with people to their level and one step farther.” Training to their level shows our level of awareness. Pushing them only one step farther demonstrates our compassion - we push them to help them grow. Most times, we train roughly with people because we are scared, closed off, or clouded by our own baggage. Miyamoto Musashi said, “In time, all things work to your advantage when you pursue them with an open heart.” What he could be alluding to is that the beginnings of becoming a person with an open heart begins with intentionality. Having the intention of being “open” enables us to train to our fullest and also train with others to their fullest. Pouring our hearts into our training will lead to opening our hearts in all aspects of our lives. When we work hard and develop ourselves, we will gain the courage to open ourselves up to whatever the powers that be have in store for us. That is why the best martial artists are ready for anything and thus strive to be open-hearted.
Today’s goal: Furuya Sensei said, “Trying hard to learn, also means to be easy to teach. Easy to teach means to come to the dojo with an open heart and mind.”
Watch this video to better understand intentionality and an open heart