元の鞘へ収める
Moto no saya e osameru
Fits like an old scabbard
Someone once said “There is a saya or “scabbard” for every sword. On a certain level, each person we train with represents a different but specific physical or personality archetype that we must learn to deal with. By getting to know many different archetypes, we become accustomed to how they move, act or attack. This is one rationale for why we switch partners throughout the course of a class. The more we experience these “archetypes,” the more our subconscious learns or remembers how to deal with them. We get something very similar to “intuition” when we learn the patterns subconsciously. It is not 100%, but it can give us enough of a blueprint for success. This is the same rationale why boxers use specific sparring partners that fight in a similar way as their opponent before a match. As a teacher, the same goes for students and rank. Generally speaking, at every rank, the students experience the same problems and have the same concerns. For instance, 3rd Kyu and 2nd Dan are the ranks when students tend to quit for one reason or another. The thing about archetypes is that they are merely a reflection of one’s self. Thus, as we learn about each archetype, we are also learning about how to deal with that aspect of our selves. Carl Jung said, “Consequently they form very close analogies to the archetypes, so close, in fact, that there is good reason for supposing that the archetypes are the unconscious images of the instincts themselves, in other words, that they are patterns of instinctual behavior.” Hermann Hesse wrote, “If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.” Understanding this, the journey of budo is about defeating the self rather than learning how to fell others. Our world changes because we change and as we learn to deal with each archetype, we learn to reflect back on the world a better version of itself.
Today’s goal: Don’t get upset. Realize that what we hate in others is what we hate in ourselves and let it go.