TAKING THE FIRST STEPS

Do the difficult things while they are easy and

 do the great things while they are small.

A journey of a thousand miles

 must begin with a single step.

`                               Lao Tzu

     “Oh, that old chestnut,” one might be inclined to comment out of modern cynicism. True, this simple quotation from the Dao De Jing (道德經), may seem trite, a cliché; however, such an adage, a truism, which dates back to the 4^th century BC, holds a truth, a simple truth, that should not be so easily dismissed. As a teacher of Japanese budō, martial arts, I have often used this quotation in order to explain to new students or frustrated, disappointed students alike, that the path that they follow, be it a long one, must be taken in small steps. So it is if one chooses the path which will lead to the simplification of one’s life. Small steps are one of the keys to studying the arts, or the use of the Japanese katana (sword), playing the piano, or even learning something new on one’s computer — one foot in front of the other. Such steps need not be great steps, long steps, gigantic leaps, but only small ones. One should never rush down a path to their destination — small steps are better.

     So to, when one begins on a resolute journey toward the simplification of their life, small steps are better. Indeed, small steps means that such a passage will take time, but isn’t the rush-dash of modern life one of the very things we hope to pull ourselves away from?

     Clichéd or not, if one is able to accept this simple admonition, then they are thus freed to begin to achieve their goal of simplicity. Remember, as Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

     The first step one must take is indeed seems a simple one; yet it is deceptive. It requires discipline. To quote the Dalai Lama, “Spend some time alone every day.” Yes, alone, with no distractions; just you and your thoughts. Once one has become able to spend time just with themselves, they can progress to the next step. In that solitude, one should list for themselves the top five or six things that are most important to them in their lives. One must ask one’s self honestly, what is most important to them? What is of the most value to them? What five or six things do they most want to do in and with their life? The process of simplification begins with the setting of such priorities. One should ask, “How can I make room for these priorities? How can I make the time?”

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SIMPLE LIVING PART I

     A very wise man has pointed out that “simplicity is the peak of civilization.” If one were to apply those words to one’s life, I am certain that they would, in one way or another, take on a different meaning and a dissimilar significance for each person. For me, “simplicity” signifies the elimination of all but what is essential in life, exchanging chaos for peace, and enabling myself to spend my time doing those things that are important to me and with those people who are most important to me.

     A simple life means getting rid of those many things that gnaw away at the time to spend with those people and to follow my passions. It means getting rid of the clutter around me, so that I am then left with only that which makes my life worthwhile.

Easy enough said; however, achieving simplicity is not always a simple process. In a sense, it is a journey rather than a destination, and it can at times, be a journey where one finds themself sliding backward a step for every two steps forward.

     If I were to sum up what attaining simplicity entails, I would be inclined to say: first of all identify everything that is important to you, and then eliminate everything else. Pick out the best and get rid of the rest. That, however, may be too simple a description of the process. One must not only identify and eliminate, but must learn how to apply “identify and eliminate” to the different facets of one’s life.

     For a while, on these pages, I will attempt to present ideas that I believe should help just about anyone who is either interested in or actually attempting to simply their lives. Not everything I will write about will be totally suited to every person. One must then decide which ones appeal to them and then apply them to their own lives. The path may seem even complicated to some who seek simplicity; yet, one should take their time, read, think, apply (if they can) and then move on.

KINDNESSES UNEXPECTED

Kindnesses Unexpected

In 1891, Lafcadio Hearn made a voyage to the Oki Islands or Oki-shotō (隠岐諸島), a group of volcanic, one hundred miles west off the western coast from Izumo and Shimane Prefecture.  As he put it, “Not even a missionary had ever been to Oki, and its shores had never been seen by European eyes, except on those rare occasions when men-of-war steamed by them, cruising about the Japanese Sea.”  It was here that he experienced some not-so-small kindesses and surprises.

     “On the morning of the day after my arrival at Saito, a young physician called to see me, and requested me to dine with him at his house.  He explained very frankly that, as I was the first foreigner who had ever stopped in Saigo, it would bring much pleasure both to his family and to himself to have a good chance to see me; however, the natural courtesy of the man overcame any hesitation I might have felt to gratify the curiosity of strangers.  I was not only treated delightfully at his beautiful home, but actually sent away with presents; most of which I attempted, in vain, to decline.  In one matter, however, I remained obstinate, even at the risk of offending:  the gift of a wonderful specimen of bateiseki (a substance which I shall speak of later).  This I persisted in refusing to take, knowing it to be not only very costly, but very rare.  My host at last yielded; but afterwards, secretly sent two smaller specimens to the hotel, which Japanese etiquette made it impossible to return.  Before leaving Saigo, I experienced many other unexpected kindnesses from the same gentleman.

     “Not long after, one of the teachers of the Saigo public school paid me a visit.  He had heard of my interest in Oki, and brought with him two fine maps of the islands made by him, a little book about Saigo, and as a gift, a collection of Oki butterflies and insects that he had also made.  It is only in Japan that one is likely to meet with these wonderful exhibitions of pure goodness on the part of perfect strangers.

     “A third visitor, who had called to see my friend, performed an act equally characteristic, but which also pained me.  We squatted down to smoke together.  He drew from his obi a remarkably beautiful tobacco pouch and pipe case, containing a little silver pipe, which he began to smoke.  The pipe case was made of a sort of black coral, curiously carved, and attached to the tabako-iré, or pouch, by a heavy cord of three colors of braided silk, passed through a ball of transparent agate.  Seeing me admire it, he suddenly drew a knife from his sleeve, and before I could stop him, severed the pipe case from the pouch and presented it to me.  I felt almost as if he had cut one of his own nerves apart when he cut that wonderful cord; and nevertheless, once this had been done, to refuse the gift would have been rude in the extreme.  I made him accept a present in return; but after that experience, I was careful never again, while in Oki, to admire anything in the presence of its owner.”

     Even now in the 21^st century, if one will take the time to meet people, and to experience the true Japan, he too is bound to experience such amazing kindness, which seems so lacking elsewhere in the world.


*Print by Mishima Shoso (1856 - 1926) titled Sparrow Grand-pa (c. 1900) illustrating a Japanese folktale about an honorable old man who rescued a sparrow (suzume).  later, he was invited to the village of sparrows and given a box of gifts.

JAPANESE AESTHETICS: Plants in the Visual Arts (Geijutsu to Shokubutsu)

The graphic or illustrative arts in Japan traditionally have relied on the sensitivity of the artist to nature and thus, have been likely to be simple, compact, and modest, yet elegant.  Traditional renderings of landscapes, for example, do not display the wide range of colors that is seen in Western oil paintings or watercolors.  This same simplicity and grace applies to sculpture as well:  delicately carved and small in size.

Plants, flowers and birds, or at least their outlines are frequently rendered in lifelike colors on fabric, lacquer ware and ceramics.  The love of natural forms and an enthusiasm for the expression of nature in idealized style have been the key intentions in the development of traditional Japanese arts such as ikebana (flower arrangement, chanoyou (the tea ceremony), tray landscapes (bonkei), bonsai, and landscape gardening.  It is through these arts that the Japanese people have attempted to incorporate the beauty of nature into their spiritual values and daily lives.

For the decoration of a teahouse, a modest flower was selected to conform with the principle that flowers should always look as if they were still in nature.  The  Japanese have sought to express the immensity as well as the simplicity of nature with a single wild flower in a solitary vase.

Copyright 2010 by Hayato Tokugawa & Shisei-Do Publications.  All rights reserved.

ON SIMPLICITY

I do believe in simplicity.  It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affaris even the wisest things he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he things he must omit.  Wehn the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all encombrances, and reduces it to its simplest terms.  So simpmly the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real.  Probe the earth to see where your main roots run.

-Henry David Thoreau to H.G.O. Blake, 27 March 1848

Yosemite Autumn, shin-hanga by Tokugawa Hayato.  

Copyright 2009 by Tokugawa Hayato.  All Rights Reserved.

JAPANESE AESTHETICS (Bigaku)

JAPANESE AESTHETICS (Bigaku)

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of traditional Japanese aesthetic thought is the tendency to attach far greater value to symbolic depiction than realistic portrayals. Another attribute to be considered is the supposition that in order to be true art, a work has to involve a discerning representation of what is beautiful and an aversion from the crude and profane. As a result, artists have traditionally tended to select nature as their subject matter, steering clear of depictions of everyday, common life.


It was the Heian court, often described as having an exaggerated taste for grace and refinement, which exerted an enduring impact on subsequent cultural traditions, designating elegance as a key measure of beauty. Numerous cultural and artistic concepts, such as okashi, fūryū, yūgen, and iki carry with them a nuance of elegance.


Another quality, one to which great value is attached, is impermanence or transience, itself a variation of elegance; exquisite beauty being regarded as both fragile and transitory. Metaphysical profoundness was provided through a merging of Buddhism, with its emphasis on the inconsistency and uncertainty of life, with this ideal. Numerous aesthetic conventions, such as wabi, sabi, yūgen and aware (with its subsequent amplification of mono no aware) all imply transience.


Over time, the presence of an artistically created void, in either time or space, became an important concept in aesthetic theory. The concept of simplicity became a culmination of the concepts of simulation and substitution, which stressed symbolic representation. Aesthetic concepts such as wabi, sabi, ma, shibui and yojō are all inclined toward simplicity in terms of their basic inferences, consistently demonstrating distaste for elaborate beauty.


Simplicity denotes a certain naturalness or lack of pretense. In traditional Japanese aesthetics then, the separation between art and nature is considerably smaller than in Western art, stemming from the belief that the mysteries of nature cannot be presented through portrayal, but only suggested and the more succinct the suggestion, the more effective it becomes.




Copyright 2009 by Shisei-Do Dojo and Shisei-Do Publications.  All rights reserved.

SHISEI-DO: SIMPLE LIVING

Simple Living

We live in a fast paced, consumer oriented society; indeed, we are constantly under pressure to consume.  The mantras of the 21^st century are:  “More is better” and “New is better.”  We are bombarded, twenty-four hours a day, by advertisements that tell us we are less than successful if we don’t own the latest luxury Lexus, or the 50-inch plasma TV and home entertainment center.  We are told that we are less than acceptable if we do not possess and wear the latest designer fashions, the newest make-up, or don’t eat in the trendiest, new restaurants.  We need bigger and better computers, video games, cell phones capable of texting around the world, taking photographs, videos, playing games, and keeping us constantly on the Internet.  All these things are wonders to behold, the best our technology can give us – for now.  In two year, a year, six months, some of our “cool stuff” will be totally outmoded, obsolete.  What are we told we must do, in order to be successful?  We need to discard what is outmoded and replace it with what is now “new and improved.”

So we spend what we earn, and then we spend what we don’t have but will earn – maybe.  We owe on our homes, our cars, our appliances, and our futures.  We suddenly wake up to find that we have mortgaged our entire lives; and for what?  Are we happier?  Do we now have peace of mind?  Are we more secure in our lives?  Probably not!

To quote Confucius, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”  How true!  Shisei-Dō offers a simple tenet by which one is able to change the course of their personal consumerism, to in effect, get off the “consumerist merry-go-round.”  The principle is itself simple, so simple in fact, that for our intents and purposes, it is referred to as “simple living.” 

One may also refer to the principle as “voluntary simplicity,” although, simple living sounds better.  It is a lifestyle which is distinguished by minimizing the modern ethic of contemporary “more-is-better” pursuit of wealth and consumption.  Advocates of simple living may chose to do so for a variety of personal reasons such as:  spirituality, health, increase in “quality time” for family and friends, stress reduction, personal taste or frugality.  Other people may allude to more socio-political goals that are aligned with other anti-consumerist movements, including conservation, social justice and sustainable development.  All worthy causes and reasons in of themselves to simplify one’s life.  One can describe voluntary simplicity as a manner of living that is outwardly more simple and inwardly more rich:  a way of being in which our true and active self is brought into the light of our consciousness and applied to how we life as individuals and as members of a community or society.

Simple living is a concept far different from those living in forced poverty.  It is a voluntary choice of lifestyle.  Although asceticism generally encourages living simply and refraining from luxury and indulgence, not all supporters or parishioners of voluntary simplicity are ascetics.

The recorded history of simple living can be found in the teachings of Taoism, of Confucioius and Mencius.  Buddha was an ascetic.  In Japan we find a strong advocacy for simple living in the teachings of Zen Buddhism and Bushidō, which made the ways and means of simple living something distinctly Japanese.

Some people practice simple living to reduce the need for purchased goods or services and by doing so, reduce their need to, in effect, sell their time for money.  Some will spend the extra free time helping family and friends.  During the holiday seasons, such people often perform various forms of alternative giving, such as volunteer work with the poor and homeless.  Others may spend the extra free time to improve the quality of their lives by, for example, pursuing creative activities such as sadō, shodō, or studying a martial art.

One approach to adapting a more simplified way of living is to focus more fundamentally on the underlying reasons and motivation of buying and consuming so many resources for what we are led to believe is a good quality of life.  Modern society tells us that me must, in essence buy happiness; however, materialism and consumerism frequently fails to satisfy us and in the long-term, may even increase the level of stress in our lives.  It has been said “the making of money and the accumulation of things should not smother the purity of the soul, the life of the mind, the cohesion of the family, or the good of society.”  Quite simply, the more money we spend, the more time we have to be out there earning it and the less time we have to spend with the ones we love.

Some simple suggestions to help simplify our style of living are:

Stop buying things that are not necessary.  Yes we may feel having a television is important; indeed it really seems to be a necessity these days. The question is do we need the 50-inch home entertainment center or is there something lesser, which does the job just as well.  If our neighbors the Yamadas buy a new TV, do we need to buy the same one or a little better?  If our boss at work buys a new car, do we need to cast aside our car and mortgage our lives more to buy the same car, or one just a little bit better?  Probably not.  One should buy what they need:  what gets the job done and not necessarily anything more than that.

Throw away, or better donate to someone in need, what you, yourself don’t need.

Focus on what is truly important.

Listen to the voice within you and pay attention to it.

Obtain what you really do need (food, shelter, company).  It’s nice, it’s great to have “stuff”, but perhaps we should think about what is really needed as to what we are told we want.

Keep a sense of perspective and humor about what you see and hear.

Keep in touch with your friends and family.

Don’t try to keep up with everyone else, especially because you are told you have to.

Have fun.

Grow as a person

Remember, everything will be all right!

Copyright 2009 by Shisei-Do Dojo and Shisei-Do Publications.  All rights reserved.

SHISEI-DO DOJO: Defining Who We Are.

SHISEI-DO DŌJŌ : Defining Who We Are

SHISEI-DO DŌJŌ : The Meaning of Dōjō?

Dōjō (道場 ) is a Japanese term which simply means “place of the way,” and can refer to a formal place of training for any Dō or Japanese art.  Classically, the dōjō has been regarded as the formal place for students of Budō or Japanese martial arts to train in, but certainly, the education and training offered within a dōjō need not be limited to martial arts but can instead be (and often is) more spiritual, introspective or meditative in nature.

SHISEI-DO DŌJŌ : The Meaning of Shisei-Dō

至 誠

The name Shisei-Dō Dōjō is based upon the words and teachings of one of Japan’s greatest intellectuals and educators, Yoshida Shōin (吉田 松陰) who lived and died a premature death during the last days of the Tokugawa Shōgunate, a time of great political and social upheaval.

He once wrote: 

Shisei ni shite ugokkazaru mono wa, immadakore arazarunari

The first word in the quotation, shisei, is key to what we believe at the Shisei-Dō Dōjō and it is why we exist. Shi (至) means the height of or the ultimate in something; sei (誠) refers to what is called "heart's blood", unaffected or unrestrained sincerity, wholeheartedness, eagerness, or enthusiasm. Do (道) means the path or the way.

For us then, Shisei-Dō  (至誠道) is the way of the height of enthusiasm in each project we undertake and the way we live. Everything we do, everything we study and teach here, whether it is Amatai no Shugo-ryū Aikijutsū, Iaido, Wa-Dō, or how to find peace, harmony and prosperity in our lives, is a work of love, done with the greatest enthusiasm.

Shisei ni shite ugokkazaru mono wa, imadakore arazarunari.

"If one has shise to do something, if one does something with shisei, if one does not forget shisei when one does something, one can accomplish anything."

-Yoshida Shōin

AN INTRODUCTION TO WA: An Application to Business and Commerce in the Modern World

 AN INTRODUCTION TO WA:

An Application to Business and Commerce in the Modern World

Wa, a traditional concept unique to Japan and derived from the ancient meaning of peace and harmony, which today can be regarded as close associations or “circles”, is the key to Japanese economic success because it gives them a significant advantage over Western nations. In Japan, employees and managers function in human orientated "circles" instead of the series of horizontal layers favored by Western management:

. . . Wa incorporates mutual trust between management and labor, unselfish cooperation between management and labor, harmonious relations among employees on all levels, unstinting loyalty to the company, mutual responsibility, job security, freedom from competitive pressure from other employees, and collective responsibility for both decisions and results.

Boye DeMente, Japanese Etiquette and Ethics in Business,

1993, NTC Publishing Group.

As we will see in future articles, the Way of Wa, or Wa-Dō, and all it has to offer extends well beyond business and commerce and can be applied directly to our everyday lives and how we relate to ourselves, our friends and family, and our community.

Konosuke Matsushita codified Wa into seven objectives called the Way of Wa:

Seven Commandments of "Wa":

• National Service Through Industry
• Harmony
• Cooperation
• Struggle for Betterment
• Courtesy and Humility
• Adjustment and Assimilation
• Gratitude