A Warrior's Mind Creates No Openings

意生身
Ishoshin
Mind creates body 

A Mindful Warrior Has No Openings 

In budo and in life, change comes down to mindfulness. The word for mindfulness in Japanese is “nen” (念) which is made up of the words now (今) and heart or mind (心). When we are mindful, we have the ability to be consciously aware and with this awareness we can create change. In Japanese the phrase “ishoshin” (意生身) means “Mind creates body.” An interaction with a patient the other day helped me to realize that this. She asked, “What is better essential oils or crystals?” I’m not well versed in either so I said, “I don’t know.” She pressed and asked me how they worked. I said, “I don’t know, but if we boil them down to their essence I am not sure either of them are a cure but what they do is help us to create mindfulness and that helps us to make changes which helps us get better.” We can use external things to help us internally.  A crystal can remind us to be grateful and that helps us live a kinder less angry life - that’s mindfulness. Counting calories helps us to not overeat and that enables us to lose weight - that’s mindfulness. Purposefully making an effort to go to class helps us to get good at Aikido - that’s mindfulness. Stopping to smell lavender when we are stressed calms us down - that’s mindfulness. When a martial artist refers to mindfulness they say, “sukima ga nai” or “to have no openings.” An opening is where our opponent gains a victory over us as they slip pass our inattentiveness to strike us. An Aikido teacher once said to me, “Every action begins with a thought.” He was right because our minds create the opportunity for success or failure. Being attacked in training is sobering and that danger forces us to be mindful and life’s trials are no different. Thus, to be successful in budo and in life, all we need to do is be mindful of ourselves and use that mindfulness to create change.  

Today’s goal: What mindfulness can you use to create change or achieve your goals? 

Boredom

Throwback Thursday

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on May 15, 2003.

When we get BORED in training, it is not that the training is getting monotonous or boring itself, it means that our mental attitude is incorrect. When something "feels" wrong, look to yourself first in practice, do not be so ready to blame others. Part of the discipline is to maintain our training despite hardships. To be distracted, lose interest, get bored, search for other interests, quit, or begin to fight or argue with others are all signs that we are NOT training correctly. Always keep in mind, please, that Aikido is training of the spirit and mind, as well as the body.

A Warrior

弘法は筆を選ばず
Kobo wa fude wo erabazu
A poor artist blames their tools

A Warrior Doesn’t Blame

It is said that, “A poor artist blames their tools.” Blame is “Assigning responsibility for a fault or wrong.” Blame becomes unproductive when it goes any farther than assigning responsibility. In a fight, there isn’t any time to dwell on wrongdoing. When a problem arises, we need to fix what’s broken and get back into the fight. Brene Brown said, “Blame is simply the discharging of discomfort and pain.” This is big because we see that blaming is a vice and that we use it as a means to distract ourselves. Discomfort, pain or a bad situation cannot be made better by blaming and so it is unproductive. The Japanese version of “A poor artist blames their tools” is  Kobo wa fude wo erabazu. Kobo Daishi founded Shingon Buddhism and was an amazing calligrapher. The proverb is supposed to mean that if one is skillful then the tool doesn’t matter. So in a sense blame is unnecessary because we are at fault and we only need to look at what we can improve. Physically and mentally, training can become difficult or even painful. When this happens it is easy to enter the blame game as a means to discharge the discomfort. This is fine if the blame helps us get through the moment, but generally blame is negative and negativity only begets more negativity. The only way blame can be positive is if we pointed at ourselves and use it as a means for change, but it should never be negative, self-defeating or punishing. This is likely the biggest hurdle most students and teachers will experience in their training. Inanimate objects like tools have no will of their own nor do they have any true power. They only come to life in our hands. Likewise, our lives are under our own power and blaming only gives away our power and ownership of our lives. Our lives become powerful when we take ownership and let go of blame.  

Today’s goal: Are you playing the blame game? If so, are you doing it to avoid feeling pain or discomfort?  

A Warrior is Patient

忍耐は岩をも透す
Nintai wa iwa wo mo tosu
Patience will pierce even a rock

A warrior’s greatest ability is patience. Likewise, a warrior’s greatest liability is thinking that they know. 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 over flow and the professor shouted, “It’s overfull, no more can go in!” Nan-in stopped pouring and said, “Like this cup, you are filled 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.” Technology in the 21st century has a way of lulling us into the same apathy as the college professor. There is a difference between information and wisdom and students must know the difference between the two. There are many who are informed, but few that are wise. We gain wisdom when we gain experience by actually applying the information that we’ve learned. In training, a student needs to come with their cup being at least half empty and they do this by having faith and trust in their teachers. How does a student come half empty? By having patience. Having patience gives the student space to see what they might not know or to realize that what they knew was limited or incorrect. Patience is wisdom and that’s why Lao Tzu said, “He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.” To not speak even if we think we know requires patience. In battle and in life, we need to have the patience to seize the opportunity when it arises at the most appropriate moment and that requires patience. If nothing more, a warrior is patient.  

Today’s goal: Be patient with yourself and others because very person is suffering. 

A Warrior Embraces Uncertainty

人生はなにが起こるかわからない
Jinsei wa nani ga okoruka wakaranai
Nobody knows what will happen

The one thing a warrior can be quite certain of is uncertainty. Our minds can delude us into thinking that we know or that we can control people, things or situations. We want this certainty or control because we believe that having it will give us a sense of peace. However, as the Prussian general, Carl von Clausewitz once said, “War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty.” In this sense, life and battle are no different as we are not able to know or control anything with complete certainty. Furuya Sensei often quoted his Zen master as saying, “Nandemo omoidori ni ikanai” which means “Nothing goes the way you want it to.” Each day in training, as we are confronted by our partners, we get the opportunity to “let go” of the desire for certainty and control and in turn learn to go with the flow. Ironically, it is when we let go of the desire for certainty and control is precisely when we learn that the only thing we can control is ourselves. Controlling ourselves means being calm and centered so that we can meet adversity with a sense of peace. Nobody knows what will happen so don’t fall into the trap of trying to control or that you know anything for certain. A warrior knows that nothing happens entirely as they want and so they learn to embrace uncertainty.  

Today’s goal: Everything in life is a habit and the desire for control and certainty are no different. Train yourself by saying, “Nothing goes the way you want it to” every time you realize that you are struggling with certainty or control.

Throwback Thursday Thoughts on Life

Throwback Thursday

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on April 1, 2004. 

Thoughts on Life:

Live a simple life and practice simple virtues. Associate only with good people and learn from them and follow their example. If you travel the twisted road too frequently, soon you will believe that all roads are twisted. Goodness is its own virtue and reward, if you think that you can gain something in this world by being good - you have already strayed from the Path of goodness. Just as the wise man understands being "already fulfilled" in this world, the true Aikidoists already understands, "harmony perfected and complete.” Goodness given is goodness received. Goodness received must in turn be goodness given. This is the meaning of the Great Circle.

A Warrior is Rich

“You aren’t rich until you have something that money can’t buy.” Unknown 

It is human nature to constantly calculate things, people and experiences to decide what is most cost effective. However, what is best priced isn’t necessarily the most valuable. The other day, a student tore his uniform and I said, “Congratulations.” He looked at me quizzically and I said, “Now you have something that money can’t buy.” We can only get a uniform like that through hard work and they don’t sell it, so it must be valuable. Here is a rather morbid story which illustrates this. Zen master, Sozan was asked by his students, “What is the most valuable thing in the world?” Sozan replied, “The head of a dead cat.” All the students looked confused and one said, “Why is the head of a dead cat the most valuable thing in the world?” Sozan replied, “Because no wants it and so no one can name its price.” Budo training is a lot like the head of a dead cat in that its true value isn’t apparent. Most people can only see the tangible benefits of fighting but become disappointed when they realize that the inner journey is more important.  Supposedly only 3% of today’s martial artists ever persist and achieve black belt which on average takes 5 years of dedicated effort. On paper, the time and effort versus the total cost of achieving a black belt don’t add up and thus objectively it seems like a bad investment. To make matters worse, the benefits and skills developed in training are perishable. Furuya Sensei said that training develops “spiritual capital.” Spiritual capital is the power which makes us better. We don’t get better at something overnight, but with constant and consistent effort we eventually improved. This effort is the banking of spiritual capital which one day yields dividends and we have somehow improved. How do we put a value on that? A warrior’s efforts cannot be valued but they are rich because they have something that money can’t buy. 

Today’s goal: Spend your time and effort wisely and invest in things that money can’t buy. 

A Warrior is Discerning

With every cut of the sword our soul is revealed 

A commonly used adage is that “The sword is the soul of the samurai.” Many people repeat this old saw without ever thinking about its meaning. This saying probably began in the Edo period (1615) when the Shogun finally brought peace to Japan and ended 150 years of fighting. Prior to that time, it was common for a samurai to carry one sword daily and use another sword in battle because oftentimes one’s sword would be broken or damaged beyond repair. Thus, the sword being the soul of the samurai is really just a metaphor but that still doesn’t clarify what that means. One’s soul is the intangible essence of one’s being and it is comprised of the unseen things about us like our character, thoughts and consciousness. These unseen faculties drive our actions. Understanding this, Furuya Sensei gives us a clue when he said, “Although I am just a human being. I want to model myself after the sword; always straight, always true, and very decisive.” In practice, it is thought that with each cut we move closer to our own enlightenment and with each stroke we are cutting down the “self.” To cut something in half with one sword stroke, the Japanese say, “Itto ryodan ni suru” (一刀両断にする) which is an idiom to describe when someone is being decisive or discerning. The sword is then thought to be a tool of truth which brings discernment to our lives. The sword becomes the soul of the warrior when one uses it and imbues it with power as they try to perfect themselves and live their lives in a better way. Sensei said, “Everything you need to know about a person can be seen in how they handle the sword.” The sword brings discernment to our lives and thus it’s the soul of the warrior because its use reveals who we truly are while at the same time guiding us on the path towards being better human beings. 

Today’s goal: Think deeply about your training and ask yourself what it is revealing to you. 

A Warrior is Invincible

Being invincible is a mindset. Because we achieved it or built it with our own two hands, it is easy to become over confident enough to think of ourselves as being invincible. Being invincible in Japanese is kakkofudo (確固不動). Kakko translates as “resolute” and fudo refers to the Buddhist deity, Fudo Myoo who is the “immovable protector” of buddhism. It is easy in budo to become hubris enough to think of ourselves as being invincible and this myth is proliferated by movies, cartoons and legends. This feeling of invincibility usually happens in the beginning of training as we develop ourselves physically and begin to dominate others. We can see this especially in Aikido as our partners take ukemi for us and allow us to throw them in order to practice the techniques. Furuya Sensei used to say, “The way one practices Aikido reflects who they are inside.” That is why training can sometimes be an amplifier for not only our greatest strengths, but weaker ones too. When training brings out our arrogant or weaker traits the Japanese say that it is as if we “Gave a devil an iron club” or Oni ni kanabo (鬼に金棒). Physical invincibility is an illusion and it is something that we conjure up in our minds because our bodies are not impervious or impenetrable as it only takes 16 pounds of pressure to fracture a bone. Luckily, the more we train, the more we realize that being invincible is not a state of body, but a state of mind and that is why Sun Tzu said, “Being unconquerable lies within yourself.” A warrior cries, feels pain and can be killed, but they always get up when they are knocked down. It is the will to get up not the ability to get up which makes us invincible and that is why being invincible is a mindset.  

Today’s goal: We are all invincible, but which invincible are you? 

What does it take to be the TOUGHEST MAN ALIVE? Watch this video to find out! David Goggins is a retired Navy SEAL, and accomplished ultra-endurance athlete....

Throwback - True Meaning

Throwback Thursday

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on February 4, 2005. 

We must always seek out the true meaning of our practice and not interpret it so conveniently and easily through untrained eyes which can only see and judge everything in terms of politics, money and power. . . . .

2005 episode of East Meets West with Susan Hirasuna Rev. Kensho Furuya interview and Aikido and Iaido demonstration

A Warrior Acts With Composure

A Warrior Acts With Composure  

One goal of budo training is byodo (平等) or “equanimity.” To have an equanimous mind means that when something happens, the warrior merely observes and then mindfully acts with appropriateness instead of reacting mindlessly and possibly inappropriately. 

The Zen master Hakuin was praised as being someone who lived a pure life. One day, a girl from the village whose parents owned a restaurant discovered that she was pregnant. When her parents became angry, out of fear she said that the father was Hakuin hoping that his venerability would calm her parents down. With anger, the parents and villagers marched to Hakuin’s temple. After hearing the accusation, Hakuin replied contemplatively, “Is that so?” When the baby was born, they brought the baby to Hakuin and asked him to take responsibility. He again said, “Is that so?” and took the baby in and lost his venerable reputation. From that point, he took care of the baby and was often seen playing with him. Almost a year later, the grief stricken mother could no longer stand it and went to her parents and confessed that the true father was a young man from the fish market. Both families rushed to the temple to get the baby back and apologized and begged for forgiveness. Hakuin again contemplatively replied, “Is that so?” and returned the baby. Using the words, “Is that so?” allowed Hakuin to remain equanimous and maintain his composure because he knew that sooner or later the mother would confess. From the standpoint of budo, we can use the phrase, “Is that so?” whenever we are confronted to give us the space to also act mindfully and appropriately. Calmness and equanimity are habits that we cultivate in our training because a true warrior never acts rashly. The best warriors allow thoughts and attacks to flow by. They don’t let anything faze them because their minds are balanced and centered.

Today’s goal: Try using “Is that so?” before a thought or to interrupt a thought so that you can change the way you act in any given situation. 

A Warrior is Relentless

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” Archilochus

In olden times, the Japanese believed that the margin between life and death was very close and thus a person could lose their life very easily. Fighting was a common way of life for the samurai who regularly fought battles, duels or were regularly besieged by the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Understanding this margin, a warrior had to be ready at all times. Readiness requires training. Archilochus believed that one’s success was a function of how much that person developed themselves. Like Archilochus, Furuya Sensei strongly believed in training and he would often say, “The Way is in training.” To be effective in all martial arts requires seido (精度) or “precision.” Despite the absence of having to defend one’s life every day, precision is still necessary because the techniques that are being taught can be lethal and that requires responsibility and responsibility requires precision. In Aikido, the techniques may seem “gentle” but in fact they are quite lethal. Aikido’s perceived “gentleness” comes from its philosophy of non-violence. The budo of Aikido has evolved to the understanding that to dispense violence is easy and only shows our true weakness and that to give compassion is harder but shows our true strength. Anyone can destroy and on a certain level all it takes are a few terse words. The harder path to follow is to have the strength to not destroy despite the fact that the other person is trying to harm us. To be able to have the wherewithal to choose non-violence requires precision. Without precision a person might have to resort to violence. To achieve precision requires training and not just any training. Training to reach the highest levels require us to be relentless in our pursuit. We are relentless because we know we fall only as far as we have prepared ourselves.

Today’s goal: Match your preparations to the level of your expectations.

A Warrior is Superstitious

Before a battle, a samurai would sometimes write the word tora (虎) or “tiger” in the air hoping that they would fight with the bravery and tenacity of a tiger. A samurai writing tiger seems like a dichotomy because they are supposed to believe in jiriki (自力) or “self-power” and that by writing this they seem to be engaging in a form of prayer or meditation which is clearly a form of spirituality or outward power. We also see this same thing as many warriors decorate their weapons and armor with symbols of inspiration. We think it is a dichotomy because they are supposed to be self-determining and that their success is solely under their own power. However, the samurai might have known what physicists are just now coming to understand, which is that tangible matter or what is visible only makes up about 4% of the universe while the other 96% of the universe is invisible or dark matter/dark energy. Some people call this other 96% ki (氣) or “energy.” Understanding this, a warrior would need to get that 96% on their side and they do this by believing in intangible things like spirits, divinity, karma, or ki to name just a few. In other words, by being “superstitious.” Believing brings us into alignment with not only our abilities, but also our principles, philosophies, and faiths. This alignment is how we attain oneness and this alignment is really what makes us powerful or successful. In budo, they say, sonaearebaureinashi (備えあれば憂いなしなし) or that “If you fully prepare, you need not worry.” A warrior develops themselves to the best of their ability and they don’t need to worry about anything else because they believe. Work hard, believe in yourself and leave the rest to the divine. Thus, a warrior is superstitious.

Today’s goal: Find a symbol or some totem which helps bring you into alignment with that which can’t be seen.

A Warrior Cherishes Life

Remember when we used to just grab someone and throw them down? How about those times when we would just shake people’s hands or give them a hug? Ahh, the good old days before COVID seem so long ago – a bunch of cherished memories. It must be human nature to value things when they are at their end or are long gone. This attitude seems like such a waste. When something is pointlessly thrown away or wasted, the Japanese express regret by saying, “mottainai” (勿体無い). Author, Hitoshi Chiba explains mottainai, “We often hear in Japan the expression ‘mottainai’, which loosely means ‘wasteful’ but in its full sense conveys a feeling of awe and appreciation for the gifts of nature or the sincere conduct of other people. There is a trait among Japanese people to try to use something for its entire effective life or continue to use it by repairing it. In this caring culture, people will endeavor to find new homes for possessions they no longer need. The ‘mottainai’ principle extends to the dinner table, where many consider it rude to leave even a single grain of rice in the bowl. The concern is that this traditional trait may be lost.” Understanding mottainai and that there’s no guarantee of a tomorrow, a warrior cultivates a mindset that cherishes. Even our opponent who falls before us is mourned because their life sadly ended in waste. In Aikido, the uke sacrifices themselves so that we can achieve some sort of physical perfection. Understanding this, there is a regretful appreciation for their sacrifice and so their bodies and their efforts should be treated with care and not wasted. This too is mottainai. We miss our “old” lives, but do we miss it because we took it for granted? Or do we miss it because we cherished and savored every moment. Our lives are a gift and so we should use it to its utmost and that is why a warrior doesn’t waste. 

Today’s goal: Things may be different, but did you cherish those days or waste them? Today, don’t mottainai!

A Warrior Realizes Humanity

A warrior realizes humanity.

Within one cut, a warrior can realize humanity. A warrior always does the right thing at the right time. Through training, a warrior learns the eight virtues: respect, honor, loyalty, justice, courage, benevolence, self-discipline, and honesty. Through life experience those eight principles are weaved together as the warrior learns the ninth virtue which is humanity. Humanity are the qualities of what it means to be human like kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. True power isn’t the ability to destroy or wield violence; that is weakness. True power is one’s ability to be strong enough to be kind, compassionate and forgiving even when it’s not warranted. Sometimes, we learn humanity in defeat. Other times, we learn it through pain and suffering. Somewhere in our darkest moments, we come to learn the value of life; we learn the power of humanity. In budo, when we meet our equal on the battlefield, the line that separates the winner from the loser is often just merely luck. That person developed themselves to level to meet us on the battlefield and it was only luck which made them fall to us. Understanding this, our opponent deserves our humanity and not our brutality. The main character, Tsugumo Hanshiro in the movie Harakiri said, “What befalls others today may be our own fate tomorrow. When all is said and done our lives are like houses built on foundations of sand. A strong wind and all is gone.” The entire movie plot is about how the eight virtues must be obeyed reverently but practiced with humanity. Respect, honor, loyalty, justice, courage, benevolence, self-discipline and honesty lose their meaning without humanity. Respect without humanity can be an empty gesture. Honor and justice delivered without humanity can be cruelty. Loyalty without humanity is just sycophantism. Courage without humanity can be bravado. Benevolence without humanity is just self-importance. Honesty needs humanity because sometimes the truth hurts. Self-discipline without humanity can just be self-centeredness. There is always more to the story and humanity helps us see that. Humanity ensures that we are doing the right thing for the right reason rather than the right thing just because it is right.

Today’s goal: Look beyond what is right and see the humanity.

Listen/Watch Charlie Chaplin’s - A message for all of humanity

Actions Have Consequences

A warrior knows that their actions have consequences.  

It’s a myth that a samurai sword once drawn, cannot be sheathed until it draws blood. People often think of the samurai as being blood thirsty and loving death. This is far from the truth as a true warrior values life over death. Realizing the eventuality of death enables the warrior to savor life. In Iaido, when one draws their sword, the first 1/3 of the draw is supposed to be done slowly. This is supposed to give the opponent the opportunity to withdraw and to avoid a fight. The reason for this practice could be due to the old Japanese law koiguchi san sun (鯉口三寸) which meant that a sword was considered to be fully drawn when it is pulled out more than three sun (3.5 inches) from the koiguchi or “scabbard’s opening.” To a samurai, when a person draws their sword, it signals their intention and since a samurai has integrity then that can lead to serious consequences and unwanted bloodshed. This is possibly why people might ridiculously think that a sword must taste blood before it can be sheathed. Here is a Zen story which may help to understand a samurai’s motives. Once, Takeda Nobushige, a great general came to see the Buddhist monk Hakuin and asked, “Is there really a paradise and a hell?” Hakuin asked, “Who are you?” “I am a samurai,” Nobushige replied. Hakuin jokingly replied. “You, a samurai! What kind of lord would employ you? You have the face of a beggar.” Nobushige became so angry that he grabbed the handle of his sword. Seeing that, Hakuin said, “So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head.” As Nobushige began to draw his sword, Hakuin quickly remarked, “Here you open the gates of hell!” Hearing these words, Nobushige instantly realized the master’s teaching and sheathed his sword and bowed. To this, Hakuin said, “Here you open the gates of paradise.” We alone control our actions. A warrior knows that whatever they choose to do has consequences.

Today’s goal: Be mindful of your actions because they have consequences.

Watch this video to understand how our actions have consequences.

A warrior wields their power wisely.

Furuya Sensei once wrote, “There is an old Zen saying, ‘The peach grows and matures on its own power and when it ripens, everyone will come to admire its beauty and taste.’” In the martial arts and in life, how we use power is very important. Oftentimes we think of “power,” in relation to others and its use upon them. However, as Sensei asserts, our power is best used inwardly to improve ourselves. When we put effort into improving ourselves, it is referred to in Japanese as “jirikikousei” (自力更生). Power in this sense is the energy that gives us the ability to do something or act and that power can be used to better mankind or destroy it – the choice is ours. Voltaire said, “With great power comes great responsibility” and so understanding this, we train in the martial arts so that when the time comes, we can use our power wisely and appropriately. The underlying philosophy of Aikido is masakatsu agatsu or “gaining victory over ourselves.” Gaining victory over ourselves gives us the knowledge and power to not choose the path of violence which is usually asserted over others. Sensei used to constantly admonish us about there being “no time left.” Because there is really so little time left, do we wish to spend it fighting others or struggling to usurp them? Training teaches us that true power is not in the destruction we can create, but in bringing our beauty to the world. Everyone has power, but only a true warrior learns how to wield it and thus a warrior wields their power wisely.

Today’s goal: Look inward and ask yourself, “How am I wielding my power?”

To Be Discouraged

Throwback Thursday

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message July 18, 2005.

"To be discouraged. Sometimes we get discouraged because we feel that people have expectations of us which are too high and we cannot accommodate them. We do not like such responsibilities weighing upon us. If we think about it seriously however, that people have such high expectations of us is the greatest compliment of all. It is when people have no expectations of us and allow us to do whatever we feel like or do not care, is actually a great insult. The hardest part of life is meeting the responsibilities that Life continually imposes upon us. At the same time, this is also bringing great excitement and beauty to our lives."

Be Fearless

Dojo Message

大上段に振りかぶって

Daijodan ni furikabutte
Be fearless

A warrior knows that bravado isn’t bravery. A warrior is supposed to be brave, have courage, but never exhibit bravado. Bravery is a character trait and a person is “being” brave when they do something without fear. Courage is a choice and we “have” courage when we do something despite feeling afraid. A person has bravado when they do things with the sole purpose of impressing others. Some people are brave, others choose to have courage and some people only have bravado when others are around. Bravery and courage come from a powerful place deep within us. In swordsmanship they say, “daijodan ni furikabutte” which translates as, “raise your sword overhead,” but it is supposed to mean, “To be fearless.” A samurai is only supposed to draw their sword with the intention to kill. Thus, drawing one’s sword and raising it overhead to the jodan no kamae position is supposed to be the highest expression of this intention and so a person must be “fearless.” Bravado comes from our egos and a smaller place within us. When we don’t feel good about ourselves, we seek validation and we want people to like us, so we tend to boast, brag or show off to impress them. Acting this way only shows the smallness of our character. Anyone can talk a good game or show off, but only a real warrior can be brave or have courage. Furuya Sensei was fond of the expression, “rin byo to sha kai jin retsu zai zen” which means “The bravest warrior excels at the front of the battlefield.” Many times, the only person who will know if we are brave or courageous is ourselves. To overcome life’s obstacles takes more than empty words or gestures. A warrior doesn’t really know if they are full of bravado or if they can be brave or have courage. A person will only know who they are when the time comes, and their metal is tested.

Today’s goal: Ask yourself, “Do you know the difference between bravery and bravado?”

Read this post or other message posts here: Dojo Message http://www.aikidocenterla.com/blog

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Warrior Training Reveals One's Self

地鉄が出る
Jigane ga deru 
The steel appears or to reveal one’s true character

A warrior polishes themselves to reveal their true character. With every cut, a warrior reveals their true nature. In the making of a Japanese sword, it is the sword polisher which reveals the true beauty and sharpness of the blade. The polishing of a sword reveals its steel or “jigane ga deru” which the Japanese interpret to mean “to reveal one’s true character.” In warrior training it is the same, our true greatness is only revealed as we polish ourselves and remove our rougher outer layers. As we try to “build” ourselves we can accidentally become burdened by desire, stress, or other baggage because we believe that we need to add something to become complete. That is why the process of developing one’s self can actually be thought of like the beauty of a sword that can only be revealed by a process of subtracting all that which was unnecessary or irrelevant. In Buddhism and in budo, one goal is to return to a mindset of heijoshin (平常心) or the “original or ordinary mind” which was the mind that we were born with before conditioning and circumstances formed us. The bumps and bruises of life become that which clouds our true nature and so we struggle to develop ourselves, learn new things or act decisively. In practice, with every punch, cut or throw practiced, we are polishing ourselves by a process of learning to let go which in turn teaches to let go of that which is causing us to fail. Therefore, budo training is not a process of becoming or adding to ourselves because we are incomplete, but a process of taking away to reveal our true nature. Training enables the warrior to reveal their greatness and ultimately act with mindfulness, precision and efficiency. Practice not to attain, but to take away and reveal your true inner self.   

Today’s goal: What you are holding on to that needs to be let go of?