Meikyo
(Spotless Mirror)
By Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura
(Borrowed from Hands and Feet, the Winter 2011 newsletter of Christchurch Seido Karate Shibu – with acknowledgement to Hanshi Renzie Hanham – osu!)
When we do traditional spring cleaning we usually try to make everything spotless. I want you to compare yourself to a mirror. To try to polish it and keep it spotless but in time some dust will gather and you must polish it again so you can see clearly. Sometimes you become so busy that you don’t give it enough attention. It becomes difficult to see.
This is an example of daily life. You have to remind yourself to keep clean, not only at a certain time, but every day. Every day you not only wash your face, clean your teeth and take a bath, but you also have to clean the inside, the spiritual. This is the main reason for studying karate. To be in good condition refers to mind and to body. It is not just to exercise, to gain more physical comfort.
Each time you come to karate class I want you to try to make the mirror more spotless. Try to see more clearly. Try to understand more people. It will become easier to see what you are doing. Make this an opportunity to remind yourself to continue polishing.
It is easy to forget and to become spiritually and mentally lazy. Instead of seeing clearly you become confused, upset, disappointed and discouraged. This can easily happen. However, if you just try to continue every day, you will have fewer problems, less damage.
So often when we’re injured it’s because there is something wrong with our mental condition. We are careless. Don’t think that karate is concerned only with physical condition. If you do you will be easily injured and discouraged. There is a greater likelihood that you will quit. Your training is more than just physical training, and that is what you have to study.
Meikyo sounds simple: I just have to keep myself spotless and then I can see myself. However, sometimes your own breath clouds the mirror and dust gathers. It becomes hard to see through all the problems facing you. ‘Is this the right way? No, wait a minute, I think I’d better go straight ahead, this way. No, I guess this is not the way either. Maybe I should go that way.’ You are taking a chance.
On the other hand, when the mirror is spotless, the right path is clear. Keep yourself like a spotless mirror, day by day, and you will be able to see things more clearly. You will be happier and appreciate your life so much more. This is what is meant by training hard.
Osu!
dykiegirl 