__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ The Tiger teaches us strength, The Leopard teaches us power, The Snake teaches us suppleness and rhythmic endurance, The Crane teaches us grace and fluidic harmony, And the Dragon teaches us to ride the wind. — Shao-Lin Proverb — __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Ji-Hi no Kokoro in the ancient Japanese warrior lineage, of the Toga Kure Ryu, the Toda Clan, the Shadows of Iga, there is, thought to be hidden, secreted away, for some distant future time, preserved, through time, the supreme power, the true power, the true understanding and mastery, of power, and it is embodied, in one, singular, phrase, and that phrase is, the ji-hi no kokoro, if you were to ask, a person from Japan, the meaning, you might get a varied number of responses, each time, different, unique, for one, they might not even know what it means, probably if they were somewhat young, for this is an ancient word that is no longer used, it is out of legend and shrouded in shadows, it is myth and folklore, told only in hushed tones, in the dead of the night, when stillness is loud, by the campfire, the timbres crackling and the deepest mysteries of the universe are revealed and enlightenment granted, they pull light from the darkness and change and mold the world, they conceive the course of human destiny, their own destiny, for they wield, within their hearts, the true power, it is the power of the heart, it is power . . . of heart . . . in Japanese, kokoro --- means heart, and ji-hi depicts the heart, aflame, not burning or being scorched, not a fire that consumes or burns, but a fire that warms and heats from within, heating and empowering, but not harming, the fire of the heart, aflame, with life, the meaning, the deeper meaning, -- is the benevolent heart, -- the kind heart, -- the giving heart, it is the heart of a saint, a holy man, a man who has dedicated his life and being to serving others, and yet it is hidden in shadows, without anyone ever knowing, for it is the true gift, it is the gift of removing another’s burden, it is the gift of healing another’s pain, it is the gift of friendship, it is the giving of a gift, with no strings, in the ancient Japanese tradition of of giri and nin-jo, friendship that is forged in the never ending and countless gifts upon gifts upon gifts, so many gifts that it would be impossible to recount them, interestingly, in Japanese, the word, giri, which means gift, also means, cut, like the cut of a knife or sword upon your skin, as if, the gift, cut you, and left a gash with blood dripping, as if, in the giving of gifts, in the giving of countless gifts, one was being beaten into friendship with a stick, the ji-hi no kokoro is the power of the giving heart, it is the opening of one's self to another, and the immense power of this, there is a story, of a man, who lived in a town, in the mountains of Japan, many years ago, and this man was a master of the craft of the traditional tea ceremony, he had been doing it his entire life, his ancestors had been doing it for many generations, all inscribed in preserved scrolls and documents and artworks, and one day, this man, walking through a cafe, accidentally, bumped into, and touched, the sword scabbard, of a samurai warrior, and to a samurai warrior, his sword, is his essence, and any man touching it, would die, and the tea master, the man, immediately fell to the ground and pleaded for mercy and apologized prophetically, the samurai readied to draw and kill the man, and said simply, "for that you must die," the man, accepting his fate, begged for the privilege, and respect, to allow him one day, to say goodbye to his family, and the samurai, looked down at him, and granted it, the man went home, to his wife and children, and told them of his fate, he said his good-byes, he then went to his closest friend, and asked him what he shall do, though he surely would return to meet the samurai, but he could not fight him, for he had never touched a sword in his life and knew nothing of how to wield it, his friend, calmly spoke, ah, what you must do, is go to the meeting, tomorrow, and take this sword, and when you meet him, go to your knees, only, and close your eyes, and then, slowly, as you have done the tea ceremony, for me, so so many times, with all of the beauty and grace, that is in your heart, slowly, draw forth the sword, bring it over your head, and ever ever so slowly, let it come down to rest right in front of you, and although you will surely die, you will die, at least you will die, with your being, alive, and on that next day, the man, the tea master, went to the meeting, and did as his friend bid him, for there was no other path ahead of him, but this one, and he, kneeled before the samurai, closed his eyes, and envisioned, the most exquisite tea ceremony of his entire life, and he, lived it, his body slowly moved and drew forth the blade, and from above his head, slowly come down, his whole being sang, and when he had finished his last and only stroke, there was nothing but stillness and silence, he paused uncertainingly, and slowly opened his eyes, and he saw before him, the samurai, kneeled with his head to the ground, the samurai proceeded to beg for the man's forgiveness, for he had no idea that the man was such a master swordsman, the man, the tea master, immediately moved down to the samurai and quickly explained to him that was no sword master, but he was a master of the tea ceremony, and the samurai raised himself up, and looked deep into the man's eyes, and embraced him, and vowed brotherhood and friendship, and they became the closest of friends, for the rest of their life, the benevolent heart, it is the hidden smile, behind and beneath all things, all acts, all words, all gestures, it is in the solemn gesture of the heart, the burning heart, the ultimate weapon, it is the sword, that is, ... no-sword ... i bid you, peace, Arthur,

Journies Teachings