不言実行
Fugenjikko
Action not words
A warrior always under promises and over produces. People without integrity always over promise and under produce. Warriors live with integrity and thus don’t have the luxury of being incongruent. Bushi no ichi-gon or “the word of a samurai,” was supposed to imply that one’s words matched their actions. Warriors of old used to say, “Fugenjikko ga ore no yarikata” or “My way is action not words.” Warriors are people of integrity and aren’t supposed to lie, cheat or steal. In a Zoom chat, James Takata said, “Be about it, don’t talk about it.” In Japanese, a person who is “all talk” is referred to as kuchi dake (口丈). Over promising and under producing is probably one of the hardest things for students to learn when they start a relationship with a teacher. In eagerness they promise things they can’t deliver upon which shines light on their integrity. It’s usually not done maliciously, but rather it comes from a lack of self-confidence or self-awareness. While studying under Furuya Sensei, I would often get in trouble because he would ask me to do something and I would eagerly just say “yes” not realizing that I had a conflict or wasn’t able to do it. It took me close to 10 years to realize that “your word was your bond” and to stop impetuously saying “yes” before I thought it through. The Way is nothing more than a set of principles to live one’s life by. It is said, “Integrity is the virtue that ensures all others.” In the dojo, it is easy for people to be diligent because they are being supervised, but once they leave the dojo or are on their own and one’s integrity comes into play. Warriors are supposed to be people of high moral caliber and they felt that words alone would demean their honor and so they prove themselves by doing it, not by talking about it and that’s why a warrior always under promises and over produces.
Today’s goal: Do you “under promise and over produce” or just the opposite?