I went to the dojo last night after taking a few days off. My elbow's been a bit dodgy, and while it isn't yet fully healed, I felt the need for...contact.
Life's been stressful lately. I mentioned to a friend that you can't push the river - you'll just get water up your nose. I could hardly breathe for the water up my nose, so I decided that the benefits of the class in terms of regaining my centre out-weighed the risk of re-injuring my elbow. I get such a lift when I practice aikido.
Sensei must've been mindful of my absence, as he bestowed upon me the privilege of leading warm-ups. (Don't tell anyone, but I like to lead warm ups!)
When it was time to do our kihon dosa (basic movements), I directed everyone one to form up in lines, a grid of glory as it were. I suggested that there would be more power and harmony generated if we were all mindful of moving together, that we are all one.
It's a marvelous sight to see 30 or 40 people moving in unison. Can you picture it?
Ichi...ni
All those people in kamae, eagerly reaching forward to grasp the future, to grasp life...
Ichi...ni
The brisk susurrance of suriashi mingled with the gentle rustle of dogi...
Ichi...ni
The living poem of mass movement, like fields of grain swaying in the breeze...
As the scene unfolded before me, I could feel what we were creating, together, and a forgotten poem* came to mind:
"Warriors, warriors we call ourselves."
Ichi...ni
"We fight for splendid virtue,"
Ichi...ni
"for high endeavour,"
Ichi...ni
"for sublime wisdom,"
Ichi...ni
"therefore we call ourselves warriors."
* from the Aṅguttara Nikāya, a book of Buddhist scripture, the fourth of the five nikāya, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism. This nikāya consists of several thousand discourses ascribed to the Buddha and his chief disciples arranged in eleven nipatas, or books, according to the number of dhamma items referenced in them.
Kevin Love, January, 2009
© 2021. This work (text only) is licensed under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. If you’d like to support my work, please consider a donation...
Comments