Yaiba ni tsuyoki mono wa rei ni suguru
The best warriors surpass all others in decorum
The word samurai (侍) means “the one who serves.” To truly be of service is to be selfless. Letting go of the self is supposed to be one of the highest teachings or levels in budo training. Furuya Sensei had to leave Japan and return to the US when he heard that his grandfather was terminally ill. When he arrived home, his grandfather was on his hands and knees changing out his grass for Dichondra which is a green plant that looks like grass but never needs to be mowed. Sensei asked him “why”and his grandfather replied, “Dichondra is easier to take care of than grass and I don’t want your grandmother to have to work too hard when I am gone.” Sensei recounted this story and thought that it was “very samurai” because on the eve of his grandfather’s passing, he thought of someone other than himself and did not want to burden anyone after his death. Sometimes, a samurai would burn incense in their helmet before a battle. It was customary to cut the head off of a downed opponent as proof of one’s participation and prowess on the battlefield. Cutting someone’s head off is a messy business and so the smell of incense was a gift or moment of pleasantry among all the messiness of an unpleasant act. The reason why a samurai tries to be “of service” is to teach themselves selflessness because as the unknown authored quote goes, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” That’s one of the theories behind Aikido practice. Each person takes a turn being uke or “the one who receives the technique.” Acting as the uke, our partner acts as the opponent and willing gives us their body to train with. In doing so, they practice and reinforce this idea of non-violence and selflessness. Warriors are people of character who always think of others first. Anyone can be selfish or self-centered, but only a strong person can be selfless and serve others.
Today’s goal: Be strong. Don’t make it about you, make it about the other person.