A quote from Taisen Deshimaru

That is why Socrates, like the Buddha, like every wise [person] ever, began his teaching with "Know thyself, and thou shalt know the universe." That is the spirit of traditional Zen and Bushido; and in studying that spirit, it is very important to observe one's behavior. Behavior influences consciousness. Right behavior means right consciousness. Our attitude here and now influences the entire environment: our words, actions, ways of holding and moving ourselves, they all influence what happens around us and inside us. The actions of every instant, every day, must be right. Our behavior in the dojo will help to condition our everyday life.

Every gesture is important. How we eat, how we put on our clothes, how we wash ourselves, how we go to the toilet, how we put our things away, how we act with other people, family, [a spouse], how we work- how we are: totally, in every single gesture.

You must not dream your life. You must be, completely, in whatever you do. That is training in kata.

The underlying spirit of Budo and Zen tend to that end: they are true sciences of behavior...one should live the world with one's body, here and now. And concentrate, completely, on every action.

From a letter to a student on Practice

...there are two important points. One: practice or work, is moment to moment; and two: practice (work) is for a lifetime.

The first point, that practice is moment to moment, is literally that.  I had heard this many times- perhaps for a few decades— until I truly understood it non-intellectually.  Every moment, each encounter, each experience is a moment that I am either more present or less present.  Each moment is an opportunity to come back to my self.  Each moment, however difficult or distressing to me, is a possibility to see more clearly the fabric of myself, the fabric of Reality.  It is also a moment to see how uninterested I am in being present, in being in front of the given situation.

The second point is, practice is for a lifetime.  This is also literally true.  There is no end to practice.  There is no— “I’ve got it, and now I will ascend into: calmness, greatness, wisdom, etc. forevermore.”  (This false notion is based on control, which is from fear, which stems from a belief in an “I,” or separateness.)

Believe me, I thought awakening/insight/enlightenment would mean an end to struggle, and a good amount of bliss.  While awakening or insight does lead to great joy, it is important to remember the Buddha’s teaching, which is—  everything is impermanent.  That means my insight is also impermanent, and my understanding that came from any insight is impermanent.  Of course, things do change… but nothing is fixed or stable.  And that is why practice is forever. If we are interested in knowing ourselves and Reality, there is no end to work, simply because there is no end to this vastness. 

This is not meant to discourage anyone!  Because instead of framing life as “I need to get this/be this,” we can understand life as a great flow, a beautiful fabric that is forever shifting.  We don’t need to have a goal that is fixed, rather we have a way that is consistent: just practice. Just keep doing the work out of a deep curiosity that results from the only real question: “Kore nan zo?” or “What is THIS?”  Seeing that it is endless also takes away the idea that “I” have to fix/solve everything.  It is personal in that this search is through this being, but it is impersonal in that it is forever and ongoing, and it is moving through this thing I call “myself." 

So I remember: I can be with myself, either more or less, in each moment and ask, what is this? Who am I in this moment?  What is unfolding within me?  And when with another— what is this, occurring right now between us? I can also see that I am most often not interested— this too can bring me back to the present moment.

When we see practice in this way there is liberation.

The Sangha- r. savoca

What is the purpose of a sangha?  The word sangha comes from Sanskrit, and one translation can be “community.”  Traditionally it has referred to a Buddhist monastic type of community.

The purpose of our sangha, our dojo community at Brooklyn Aikikai, is rather simple. It is a sisterhood, a brotherhood, a group of people bound together by their commitment to wake each other up, and to keep each other awake.  Each person that steps over the threshold into the dojo does so with a wish for themselves.  Some wishes may be physical, and some may be to resolve a question of who they truly are.  In either case, the community exists to keep each other on the path towards the individual's true wish.

Our dojo community does not exist to form political, social, or artistic clubs–  or any other group of that nature.  While like-minded people may be drawn to each other and these groups may naturally form, it is not the original intention of a dojo community. It is important to turn to one another, whether you naturally like that person or not, and be able to say “my Friend, you have fallen asleep…please wake up,” and “let us go deeper together.”

At any moment, anyone can serve as a guide or an awakening bell for another.  Generally speaking, one who practices more often and more deeply should be able to be a reminder for others-- but it is not always the case. 

Let us all look deeply at ourselves and see what we can do to wake up more, and help each other to go further on this Path.