風は吹けども山は動かず
Kaze wa fuke domo yama wa ugokazu
The wind blows, but the mountain does not move
Yesterday, I was interviewed by a Youtube channel called BudoTV Online. The last question the interviewer asked me was, “What is one thing you would like to say to the budo community?” I answered, “Be strong.” “Be strong” doesn’t only refer to physical strength. Physical strength, albeit necessary, pales in comparison to mental, emotional and spiritual strength. I have seen countless numbers of “strong” people quit because of a few terse words. A martial artist has to be strong enough to weather any storm. For each person the storm is different. For some it is a mean word while for others it is a pandemic. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, martial artists need to gaman (我慢) or “persevere” and overcome their obstacles and not give into the desire to quit. In training and in life, we are confronted by all sorts of trials and tribulations and each one can be seemingly insurmountable. However, with training and perseverance we learn to be steadfast and gain the confidence to ride out any storm. We do this by learning to to develop equanimity which is one of the highest teachings in budo. Equanimity is the ability to be mindfully aware of the situation and observe them before acting. With an equanimous mind, we can then act appropriately instead of mindlessly react. Thus, in training, we learn how to become mountains and as the saying goes, “The wind blows, but the mountain does not move.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “If the actions of others are determining your emotions and responses, then you have given your power away. You should be the one to determine how you're going to respond in each situation. No one has control over your emotions or your reactions but you.” Have the power of a mountain and be strong enough not to let anything blow you away.
Today’s goal: When things get tough, take a breath and try to observe rather than react.