Kendo’s Healing Message for July

How is your Buddha Nature?

The Buddha Nature represents the highest of us, the clearest our minds can be, the most objective our thoughts can be, the least coloured or biased our attitudes can be, the calmest our emotions can be, and the most benevolent and pro-social our approach to the rest of humanity can be. This exquisite state is what is promised by Zen meditation, whereby we disentangle ourselves from those influences which mitigate against all these positive aspects and let them fall away; thus we become our best selves.

But there’s more to the power of meditation than becoming this wonderfully poised self! Once freed from anxiety, worry, insecurity, and ingrained attitudes, whole new levels of the self are liberated. How does moving from timidity and apprehensiveness to effortless self-confidence sound? How does moving from feeling bogged-down at work to realising how to contribute so much you get promoted sound? How does moving from fear of people and the outside world to having unshakable emotional strength sound? These are all achievable by letting go of what is holding you back, and then becoming that person.

…but how?

We’ve all heard platitudes, phrases which cleverly sum-up situations and somehow give them a kind of context of acceptability – one is, “It’s simple, but not necessarily easy.” However, stepping onto a path of self-empowerment is both simple and easy – you just have to believe in what’s possible and suspend disbelief in yourself. The “…not necessarily easy…” part actually isn’t that hard – it comes from simple, basic persistence.

Kendo was shown Kyu Shin Do by his Sensei, Kenshiro Abbe, as both a devastating judo technique and a philosophy, which is a kind of mind-technique of at least equal power. It makes the “letting it all fall away” of Zen meditation easier by giving you more control over the things you must let go. At the centre of gravity of your ‘issues’, their negative influence is greatly diminished, and your intuitive self is much easier to perceive over their clamour. Thus, you turbocharge the power of your meditations and you feel the benefits much sooner.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t be diligent! The samurai were such excellent warriors because they practised and practised their exquisite sword skills, refining them again and again until they became second-nature, the unthinking automatic response to a challenge. So it is with Zen Kyu Shin Do meditation; at the beginning, benefits may be modest, but disciplined practise will yield a powerful self-improvement technique, in whichever field or fields you wish.

You already have a Buddha Nature – it’s up to you to polish and refine and empower it such that it shines through you in every aspect and you become the very best you can be. Ambition for your Buddha Nature is a fine thing!

It’s a beguiling thought to become able to cast aside ideas of bad luck or fate or ill-starred destiny, and you can if you become a dedicated warrior-priest for your own Buddha Nature – it’s successfully achieved (and even becomes easy) by simply acting on the will to do so with discipline and determination. Every step along this path brings you closer to fully expressing your exquisite, powerful, confident, capable, benevolent Buddha Nature.

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