Warriors Are People of Action

不言実行
Fugenjikko
Action not words 

A warrior always under promises and over produces. People without integrity always over promise and under produce. Warriors live with integrity and thus don’t have the luxury of being incongruent. Bushi no ichi-gon or “the word of a samurai,” was supposed to imply that one’s words matched their actions. Warriors of old used to say, “Fugenjikko ga ore no yarikata” or “My way is action not words.” Warriors are people of integrity and aren’t supposed to lie, cheat or steal. In a Zoom chat, James Takata said, “Be about it, don’t talk about it.” In Japanese, a person who is “all talk” is referred to as kuchi dake (口丈). Over promising and under producing is probably one of the hardest things for students to learn when they start a relationship with a teacher. In eagerness they promise things they can’t deliver upon which shines light on their integrity. It’s usually not done maliciously, but rather it comes from a lack of self-confidence or self-awareness. While studying under Furuya Sensei, I would often get in trouble because he would ask me to do something and I would eagerly just say “yes” not realizing that I had a conflict or wasn’t able to do it. It took me close to 10 years to realize that “your word was your bond” and to stop impetuously saying “yes” before I thought it through. The Way is nothing more than a set of principles to live one’s life by. It is said, “Integrity is the virtue that ensures all others.” In the dojo, it is easy for people to be diligent because they are being supervised, but once they leave the dojo or are on their own and one’s integrity comes into play. Warriors are supposed to be people of high moral caliber and they felt that words alone would demean their honor and so they prove themselves by doing it, not by talking about it and that’s why a warrior always under promises and over produces. 

Today’s goal: Do you “under promise and over produce” or just the opposite? 

A Warrior is Never Bored

自業自得
Jigou jitoku
We reap what we sow

A warrior is never bored. Warriors pride themselves on their ability to toil. Japanese society seems to pride itself on industriousness. This can be traced back to the 1500s and the hierarchical structure of society: nobles, samurai, farmers, artisans and merchants. Interestingly, when we examine the structure, we see that the system is based upon industriousness. War and agriculture require constant toil and so it's natural that the farmer would follow the samurai as they tend to share the same values of hard work. In the past, a common insult to a Japanese person was to accuse them of laziness because to be lazy was to be useless to society. Martial artists also hate laziness because laziness is an attitude that is often accompanied by a lack of effort and care. To a teacher of old, the worst possible thing a student could say was, “I am bored.” Saying this would set a teacher off because they knew that boredom was nothing more than applied laziness. To be bored only shows off one’s laziness and their lack of sophistication and depth. By being bored, we show our short-sightedness and what we are really saying is that we don’t care enough about what we are doing to work hard and look deeper. Author Robert Pirsig said, “Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity.” What he means is that when we become bored the cure is curiosity. When we become curious, we tend to look deeper and when we do, we find wonderment which then fuels our creativity. With this curiosity, there is no bottom and things become endless and thus no boredom. A martial artist constantly toils because they understand jigou jitoku or that “we reap what we sow.” We get out of training and life what we put into it. The more we train, the more we see its beauty and sophistication and that is why a warrior is never bored. 

Today’s goal: Think about the definition of boredom and ask yourself when you are bored if you are really just being lazy.  

A Warrior Perfects Themselves

身から出た錆び
Mi kara deta sabi 
To remove the rust from one’s sword

Martial arts training is the process of perfecting oneself. It’s no secret that success or achievement in any endeavor is a function of putting in the work. Basketball legend, Jerry West said, “You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” Understanding West’s assertion, the real secret is to put in the work on the days when we don’t want to. Being constant and consistent in whatever it is we do is necessary, but the days or times when we don’t want to actually count way more. Furuya Sensei said, “The sword is a tool of truth.” It is the tool of truth because once we use it, it reveals the truth of who we are, but for that to happen, we must first pick it up. With that being said, anything can be a tool of truth. Getting out of bed to workout, going to practice, eating a salad, not eating a donut or going to the dojo can all be tools of truth because whether we do so or not reveals our true character. It’s easy to do something when we feel good, but it takes infinitely more fortitude to do so on the days when we don’t feel like it or even feel bad and that’s when it becomes the tool of truth. A real warrior knows that true success is not in winning or losing but in having the ability to show up. There are many that feign success when the weather’s nice but only true few can show up on the rainy days when they don’t want to. Like with every swing of the sword, every time we get out of bed or go to the dojo, we are in the process of removing the rust from ourselves and in doing so we are removing our imperfections which O’sensei referred to as masakatsu agatsu or a “victory over ourselves.” Success only comes as a result of putting in the work, but the real perfection happens when we overcome ourselves.

Today’s goal: Do what you don’t want to do. Get out of bed, workout, only eat half or whatever else it is that you know you have to do, but don’t want to do.

A True Warrior Serves Others

It is easy to think that the title of Samurai (侍) would mean something like “death” or “killing,” but it actually means “One who serves.” Interestingly, the ideograph for samurai is made up of the characters for human (人) and temple (寺). Thus on a certain level, being a  samurai is about the sacredness of one’s self. If they regard themselves as being “sacred” then their main preoccupation can’t be killing and thus as Furuya Sensei said, “true budo does not kill” or “shinmu fusatsu” (真武不殺). This makes sense since budo training is supposed to teach us how to be better human beings as opposed to making us into killing machines. The human spirit is not about killing but rather compassion. Humans are predispositioned to care and serve others and we have to look no farther than their babies who are altricial or unable to care for themselves at birth and would perish if not for the love and compassion of others. When we reflect on the events of 9/11 we see the madness of a few weak individuals, but we also see the indomitable spirit of all of those who rushed in to help disregarding their own safety and health just to be of service to others. In training, we are taught how to harm others, but paradoxically what we are really learning is the sacredness of human life and thus the necessity for the compassion of restraint. Sensei said, “Harming others is a bad habit.” It is a bad habit because if we follow the way of the samurai then we have to surrender our sacredness or humanity in order to do harm to another and that’s why “true budo does not kill.” Marvin Gaye sang that, “War is not the answer for only love will conquer hate.” He was right because compassion takes more strength than hate and killing and that’s why a true warrior serves others. 

Today’s goal: Please take a moment to remember the 2,977 who lost their lives 19 years ago. Don’t let hate win. Find ways to spread kindness and compassion and be of service to others. 

Throwback Thursday - Teaching is Love

Throwback Thursday - Teaching is Love

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on March 12, 2003.

All teaching is love - it is giving and giving without question and asking for nothing in return. Just as the teacher must give - the student must give of himself too. This is why from ancient times, the relationship between the teacher and student has alway been at the base of all spiritual discipline.

A Warrior Knows When To Sacrifice

小の虫を殺して大の虫を生かす
Shonomushi wo koroshite dainomushi wo ikasu
To sacrifice something small to save something large

Many people who start a martial art quit within the first month and only a few become steady regulars. The high attrition rate could be due to how people perceive the process. When experts talk about change, they often use words like suffering, pain, “embracing the suck” or sacrifice. I think the words are getting in the way and can create an unconscious negative feeling before we even start. It is only natural that we avert ourselves from negativity and avoid suffering. Realistically, are we really suffering? Is it really painful? Is it really a “sacrifice?” A sacrifice is “The act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.” Dissecting the definition, we can see that sacrifice is really about the act of choosing and success is nothing more than a series of choices. If we want to get good at Aikido, we have to go to the dojo and stop watching TV. But, do we really love TV and is it really a sacrifice? Choice is about being mindful about what it is we want. We all know that watching too much TV can be bad for us, but we do it mostly unconsciously.  What we are really choosing to give up is mindlessness because the things that we are giving up aren’t really of value to us and so technically it is not a “sacrifice.” Thinking in terms of martial arts training, people stay because they find some value in it whether it is social, physical or mental and so for them it would be a sacrifice to not train. Likewise, when we bow, this small gesture leads to great results in our relationships with others and in our own self-development as well. Sometimes, I think people who achieve have a way of romanticizing their process and can’t just say, “Chose to put in the work.” The only thing of value we have is our lives and we should reserve sacrificing it for something meaningful. Giving up small things that we don’t want isn’t really a sacrifice, but we are sacrificing if we don’t do the things that we want.

Today’s goal: Analyze your vocabulary and see if you regularly use some self-defeating words like “sacrifice” which could be holding you back. 

Happy Labor Day - A Warrior Relies on Others

Happy Labor Day! 

Today we honor the contributions that American workers have made to the prosperity, and well-being of our country. Everything that we use or consume was made by someone else. It’s crazy to think about how many different hands go into making something before it reaches ours and so it is easy to see how dependent we are upon one another. DT Suzuki said, “Only if you keep your eyes wide open, can you clearly see the real world in which all individual entities are interfused without any hindrances or jiji muge (事事無碍).” Understanding interdependence, we realize that we don’t live in a vacuum and that we rely upon one another to survive and so the true currencies of life are kindness and compassion. The Dalai Lama said, “An individual is reliant on the community to survive which teaches us to strive for kindness and compassion towards one another, qualities intrinsic to human nature.” In budo, the goal of each person in training is to make one another better. In training, we are trying to attain a certain level of self-development and it is easy to think that we are doing this work alone because we are the person “doing” the technique. However, the person who is really developing themselves is actually the uke or the person that the technique is being done upon because it takes a great deal of character to sacrifice one’s self for another. Training then becomes a synergy of people caring for one another - they sacrifice and we in turn care for them. Our survival depends upon treating each other with the utmost respect, kindness and compassion because we realize that our salvation is tied to theirs. A warrior is keenly aware of interdependence and how they rely upon the kindness, compassion and sacrifice of others to be successful.

Today’s goal: Have a great holiday, but we also don’t forget those that have and are still sacrificing themselves for your survival.  

His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives a succinct overview of interdependence and Alan Watts gives an interesting but longer description.

A True Warrior is Compassionate

“Technique over strength, spirit over technique, mindfulness over spirit and compassion over mindfulness.” Rev. Kensho Furuya

Compassion is one of the highest virtues of a warrior. A samurai was supposed to develop the ability to cut down their opponent in one stroke. This showed their prowess but it was also thought to be the most merciful and compassionate thing one could do given the unfortunate circumstances of war. As we develop ourselves physically in training, we come to realize mentally, emotionally and spiritually that the only true opponent is ourselves. Because the person facing us is not our true adversary, we come to see them as they are - a human being who is in a predicament and suffers just like us. When we become mindful of ourselves and our circumstance then we can see our opponent not as a monster necessitating hate, but as being human that we feel pity for that needs compassion. Compassion is defined as, “Having sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” Compassion is hard to manifest and give and it is easier to just hate. A weak warrior uses hatred and anger as motivation to hurt someone. The strongest warriors always has mercy and compassion in their hearts despite the fact that their job is to kill and that is why they do so in the quickest and most merciful way with just one cut. A warrior understands that there are no enemies, only people who are suffering and doing the best that they can. With training we realize that we are also suffering and only doing the best that we can as well. When we are suffering, we want kindness, compassion and forgiveness. To give it is to get and so we should also be ready to give it in turn. Giving mercy and compassion is not weakness, but rather the ultimate prowess of a warrior.  

Today’s goal: Try and give someone kindness, compassion or forgiveness even if they don’t deserve it and even if they are attacking you. 

Throwback Thursday - To Be Busy

Throwback Thursday

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

Everyone today is so busy. In Japanese, the word for “busy” is “isogashii.” Isogashii is written in Japanese as 忙しい. This word is written with an interesting kanji or Chinese character and I think it shows how wise the ancients were.  For the word, “busy," it is written as a compound of the words “heart” or “mind” (心) and “dead” or “dying” (亡). Putting together these words, to be isogashii or busy means that we have a dying or dead heart. For Aikido, it means that we have no time to put our “ki” (氣) energy into what we are doing - we are isogashii or “dying hearts.” So our movements and actions will have no heart at all. Please take the time to put energy into your hearts and your Aikido. 

A Warrior Strives For Peace

心の平安は嵐を静めます
Kokoro no heian wa arashi wo shizumemasu
Inner peace will quiet any storm

A Warrior Strives For Peace

On this day in 1945, Japan formally surrendered ushering in the end of WWII. Prior to that day, the Japanese were still vacillating between fighting or surrendering. Many military leaders didn’t want to face the humiliation of surrendering and urged Emperor Hirohito not to give in. After days of hotly contested debate, the Emperor declared, “Peace was preferable to destruction.” Two weeks before the formal surrender on this day, the Emperor went on the radio and said, “We have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is insufferable.” In his speech, he was preparing the Japanese people for the rigors that come with changing to a more peaceful way of life. Many wept upon not only hearing his words but also upon hearing his voice for the first time. In Japanese culture, as a commoner, it was considered a great honor to even be within earshot of hearing the Emperor’s voice. Inner peace is the goal of all martial arts. It seems odd that a person seeking to learn to destroy would want peace but that is the dichotomy of training - its lethalness must be balanced out with peacefulness. The lethalness requires it be practiced with self-discipline. With discipline, one learns restraint and with restraint we come to realize the power of inner peace. When one is at peace, there is no need for war. It takes infinitely more power and inner strength to show restraint than it does to levy destruction and that is why the Emperor advocated for the perseverance for peace. When we have inner peace, we are calm and peaceful and that peace gives us the power to face any adversity and that is why a warrior strives for peace.   

Today’s goal: Learn to validate yourself by creating a validation list of all the things you have achieved or accomplished. Review it daily or whenever you need a boost. 

A Warrior Knows Themselves

There is no praise on the battlefield. There was once this student in our dojo who was very promising. He was athletic and full of potential and even Furuya Sensei took notice. When he became a formal deshi, people stopped praising him and started criticizing him and in just a few weeks he quit. He wasn’t ready for this position because he didn’t know himself well enough to overcome the adversity of formal traditional training. In order to overcome adversity a person needs confidence. With confidence it’s easier to act with courage and valor. Early on, we gain confidence through external validation and it comes in the form of praise from others and accomplishment. At some point, we have to learn to internally validate ourselves and we can only do that when we have a grasp of who we are. Confucius said, “What the superior person seeks is in themselves; what the small person seeks is in others.” The greatness/weakness of training is that it reveals to us just who we are. If we don’t know who we are then we will be resigned to the will and whims of others and when they are gone and life or battle gets too difficult then we won’t have anything to draw upon. A warrior acts without the desire for victory or praise - they act because it’s part of what they do. The warrior learns through training that each victory or defeat is part of their process of self-discovery and they let the experiences of the journey be their validation. Seeking praise from others gives away our power. True power is knowing one’s self. We become powerful because we know ourselves. By knowing what makes us tick, we can internally validate and motivate ourselves and thus there is no need for praise. A warrior knows themselves and that’s why there’s no need for praise on the battlefield.     

Today’s goal: Learn to validate yourself by creating a validation list of all the things you have achieved or accomplished. Review it daily or whenever you need a boost. 

Chadwick Boseman - A Warrior who inspires

A Warrior Inspires

How would you live life if you knew that it was about to end? What separates a warrior from others is that a warrior knows that life is not finite and that death is closer rather than farther away. This thin edge makes the warrior live their life differently. Chadwick Boseman said, “You have to cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking, you are under pressure.” A true warrior would rather live with dignity and grace and perfect their short lives rather than brood and let their emotions get the better of them. O’Sensei said, “The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.” Chadwick Boseman passed away at the age of 43 and he seemed to live just as O’Sensei asserted. At the height of his career, most didn’t know that while he was enjoying his greatest successes, he was also fighting for his life and battling cancer. It is mind boggling that he would be scheduling treatments between movie shoots. His job might have been to act, but Chadwick's real goal was to inspire and change the world. O’Sensei’s assertion and Chadwick’s life might seem like superhero stuff, but it’s not. Each of us comes to the table with a tremendous amount of raw talent and unrealized capability and it only emerges with hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Our greatness is not to be used to subjugate others or lord over them, but rather to inspire others to their greatest level. Chadwick said, “Everything you fought for is not for yourself, it’s for those that come after you.” Thus, like all good teachers, parents, friends and superheroes, a warrior is supposed to reflect back on others a better version of themselves and Chadwick Boseman’s life did just that. Rest in Peace, Chadwick Boseman.  

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.