Aiki Dojo Message - A Warrior Embraces Their Flaws
True power comes from accepting our imperfections. In Japanese, this idea of embracing the beauty and grace of our flaws can be referred to as wabi-sabi (侘寂). Wabi-sabi is an aesthetic sense which takes a long time and is difficult to achieve. Once, Sen Rikyu, the founder of the tea ceremony wanted to host a tea gathering and he asked his son, Shoan who was an aspiring tea master to help with the preparations. Shoan wanted to make a good impression. He cleaned the garden and diligently picked the fallen leaves out of the moss and swept all the brown leaves from the stone path. Rikyu came out and noticed how meticulously his son had cleaned and just shook his head with displeasure. Shoan asked his father what was wrong with the garden and Rikyu replied, “You still have something to learn.” Rikyu went over and gently shook a red maple tree. The beautiful red leaves gently sprinkled over the walkway and Rikyu said, “Now, it looks natural.” The imperfectness of freshly fallen leaves brought out the beauty of the garden. In Japanese, there is a saying that is adapted from taoism, “Michiho shizen” (道法自然) which means, “We find out who we are by acting naturally.” Acting naturally means being ourselves and accepting that our flaws are a large part of who we are. Training teaches us to find the suki (隙) or “weak points” in our opponents. Over time, we naturally turn our eyes inward and find our own suki and with this search we realize our own humanity. Human beings are fundamentally flawed, but interestingly, it’s our flaws which actually make us human. Our flaws give us our true power by bringing out our humanity which gives us the capacity for empathy and compassion. Our true inner power doesn’t come from becoming strong and impervious, but rather it comes from being flawed and finding comfort with who we are and that is why a warrior embraces their flaws.
Today’s goal: Embrace all your broken and flawed imperfections and let them empower you.