Life and budo training teach us to accept things just as they are.
In the beginning of training, we program ourselves to see only our opponent’s weaknesses and their tendencies or in other words we see the bad in them. However, this method of “seeing” sometimes becomes something we have difficulty turning off and it can accidentally become our daily outlook. Later in our training, we start to see the similar things inherent in us in our opponents and thus we begin to see the good in them but that too can become our normal perspective. At the pinnacle of our training, we no longer see things or people as good or bad but just as they are. Seeing things as good or bad is merely a judgment and many times it is not the reality. Shakespeare once wrote, “Nothing is either right or wrong but thinking makes it so.” it is then our perspective which creates our false sense of reality. Understanding this, we realize that the reality is often times much too complicate and convoluted, so it is not necessarily something to understand but something to just accept. O’Sensei said, “True Budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature.” Thus, the true pinnacle of one’s training or life is just acceptance. When we can accept things just as they are then we can live a life free of judgements of others and ourselves and thus live a calm and centered life.
Today’s goal: Do your best to accept things just as they are.