Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on June 5, 2004.
折伏の身功へ空しい
Shaku boku no mi kou e munashi
Our bodies are temporarily given, honors are meaningless.
In the Samurai mind, we have two ideas which, at once, both contradict each other and, at the same time, are quite compatible.
On one hand, the Samurai say, "Our body is temporary but our name (honor) will last forever. In this sense, our honor and pride and acts of courage will always be remembered so we must put this above our own selfish desires and interests and should always be on the side of righteousness.
However, at the same time, we live in a temporary world of constant change, we are here today and gone tomorrow. Thus, what is the meaning of such honor and pride?
The life of a teacher-priest is to be here for others and not really for ourselves. A teacher must teach humanity along with Aikido or it is not Aikido at all. As I gain more of my own humanity, I long for the same foibles and desires of others.
Aikido will bring us in touch with a higher, mysterious power but one should not become obsessed with this. Many translate this into a desire for power and authority and this is incorrect. One’s power must always be used to polish one's own humanity however perfect or imperfect humanity may be. We are not here for long and thus honors are meaningless but it is this very same honor which will last forever in the minds of others.
Watch Furuya Sensei being interviewed in 2005 on East Meets West