吾 唯 足 知
Ware tada taru wo shiru
I seek only to know contentment.
A good martial artist seeks only to know the truth. Every day, a normal person spends a majority of their day mired in their “story.” The story is a narrative that our ego creates to help us interpret the events that are happening around us. Most times, the story is not entirely true and is an inaccurate or one-sided interpretation of things, people, or situations which are happening all around us. These preconceived interpretations which we craft into stories, color the way we “see” things and it influences how we negotiate them. Sun Tzu famously said, “All warfare is based on deception.” O’Sensei advocated that “In true budo there is no enemy or opponent.” If it is true that all warfare is based upon gihen (欺騙) or “military deception” and if “the true victory is self-victory” or masakatsu agatsu (正勝吾勝), then the only real battles are then the stories that we tell ourselves. Understanding this, martial arts training has to always be based upon jitsu (実) which means “truth,” “sincerity,” or “honesty.” We, as martial artists, cannot prepare ourselves properly if we are basing our training on falsehoods or misinterpretations. The more the narratives are untrue, the more likely we are to be defeated as we incorrectly estimate our own true ability or the true abilities or strengths of our opponents. In training, Furuya Sensei used to say, “Cut off your head and leave it at the door.” His metaphor was supposed to caution students against not only bringing their own personal baggage into the dojo but also coming in with preconceived notions about Aikido or training. Training is hard enough, but it is much harder when we add things in especially if they may not be entirely true. Long ago, a university professor visited the Zen master Nan-in searching for enlightenment. Before Nan-in could speak, the professor began to tell him all he knew about Zen. Nan-in smiled and began to pour him a cup of tea. The professor kept talking and Nan-in kept pouring. At one point, the cup began to overflow and the professor shouted, “It’s overflowing, no more can go in!” Nan-in stopped and said, “Like this cup, you are full and nothing more can go in. How can I show you what Zen is unless you first empty your cup? Please come back when your mind is empty.” Anais Nin said, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” When our minds cannot see things objectively, then our minds are apt to react mindlessly. With proper training, our minds can see things objectively and then we can act mindfully with spontaneity and appropriateness. A good martial artist understands that the only true opponent is the self and thus the only true deception is the story that we tell ourselves. Armed with this understanding, seeing things as they are enables us to reach contentment and that is why a good martial artist seeks only to know the truth.
Today’s goal: What is the story that you are telling yourself? Is it actually true?”
Watch this video to better understand how we use the story