無刀の心
Muto no kokoro
The heart of no sword
This holiday season, remember the true spirit of the warrior. In swordsmanship, teachers sometimes talk about muto no kokoro (無刀の心) or “The heart of no sword. What muto no kokoro means is that the spirit of the warrior is not dependent upon the weapon but the heart of the one who wields it. It is easy to think that the martial arts are solely dependent upon the acquisition of physical prowess and on a certain level that is true but because that physicalness can lead to killing, it needs to be balanced out. Furuya Sensei often talked about this balance as, “Saikan kobai (sic)” which meant, “The elegant apricot flower and the strong plum blossom. To focus too much on war makes us rough and crude while the emphasis on too much beauty makes us weak. Both ideals must be harmonized together - this is very true in Aikido practice and in Aikido technique.” Therefore, having the ability to cause destruction has to be balanced out with kindness, compassion and generosity. We see this in one of the highest attainments in the martial arts called bushinonasake (武士の情け) or “samurai compassion.” Every day in the dojo we are practicing this idea of samurai or warrior compassion without probably even knowing it. When we train and take ukemi, we give our training partner our body to use so that they can try to attain mastery. Ukemi is based upon kindness, generosity and compassion or in other words “warrior compassion.” In Japanese it is said, “Hana wa sakura hito wa bushi” (花は桜人は武士) or “Cherry blossoms among flowers, warriors among men.” What this means is that a warrior is supposed to be the pinnacle of society and is expected to be the ideal human being who embodies courage, honor, courtesy, justice, generosity, and a readiness to help the weak. It seems like this year people need generosity and kindness more than ever. When someone trespasses against us, it would be easy to destroy them. However, the heart of the warrior dictates that we give them kindness and generosity or just a wide berth instead of easily destroying them. It is said, “nasake ni hamukau yaiba nashi” (情けに向かう刃なし) or that “There is no sword which can oppose kindness.” Thus, we should remember the true spirit of the warrior and be kind and gentle this holiday season.
Today’s goal: What can you do to be a little bit kinder or generous today?
情けに向かう刃なし
Nasake ni hamukau yaiba nashi
There is no sword which can oppose kindness
Watch Father Gregory Boyle talk about kindness