Every August in Japan is the celebration of Obon, when the souls of our ancestors are said to briefly return to Earth, to visit with us. It is a time of prayer, reflection, and aspiration to the highest ideals of all generations.

This is a comforting thought, especially when viewed in light of Kendo’s perspective on the Tree of Souls in the grounds of The Retreat – this tree inspires us to think of the wisdom of our ancestors, and live our lives in ways that they would be proud of. Kendo says that the wisdom of our ancestors has a wonderful objectivity – having gained the experience of an entire lifetime, their perspective is now a part of the greater celestial whole, away from the mundane interplays of mortal life. Even thinking of how our ancestors might behave when faced with one of our challenges is likely to encourage us to take a higher way.

Kendo points out that objectivity is an amazingly powerful perspective – it is, after all, at the core of the Kyu Shin Do Way, whereby all the events of our lives are viewed as separate from our essential selves, whilst we reflect upon them from a position of Zen peace, at the very centre of all their orbits. This kind of dispassion allows our own intuitive selves to inform our actions, as opposed to getting tied-up in emotional reactions to our day-to-day struggles.

Consequently, Kendo tells us that following the Buddhist maxim of being the best we can be, to best support our families and societies, becomes easier when we remember that the higher ideals to which we aspire are powerfully positively informed by objectivity, and we, too, should always strive for that same benevolence with detachment.

This applies whatever your struggle may be, and is becoming even more pertinent as Internet “trolling” is increasing all the time. On the surface, “trolls” may seem to be being malicious, seeking only to wound with their unkind words, but viewing them with the Kyu Shin Do Way reveals that such words do not define us – they only define the one who said or wrote them. It can be difficult emotionally to ‘step away’ from a slight or a slander, but this is a test of our discrimination, and we must work not to fail such a test – look at the words objectively, remember that you have the highest ideals at heart, and such things cannot diminish you.

This is why Kendo tells us that responding benevolently to “trolls” is the only way – they will only learn to grow beyond such petty and malicious actions when they see that the barb they’ve fired could never have adversely affected a higher thinker, and they’ll see that they have acted shamefully, and this will help them to grow. Even those who “troll” are on their own journeys of evolution, and we should be ready to help them too.

So, says Kendo – be secure in yourself and the standards by which you live, remain benevolently detached from any immature behaviours around you, and see the best possible future for yourself, your family, and the whole of society around you, even the parts which have yet to evolve.