Kendo’s Healing Message for September

There’s never a bad time to remember that there is more to life than our daily lives.

That may sound like a contradiction, but Kendo advises us to remember that we are more than just machines which are meant to deal with all the obligations and necessities we face. It’s by remembering this that we can avoid feeling pulled in every direction, that we have no time for ourselves, and that life is little more than a chore.

Kendo has pointed out that everything we face every day are all opportunities to express ourselves, and ideally to do so in a way which makes the world better. You may think, “I simply don’t have time to dwell on such fanciful thoughts!” – and if you’re very busy, you probably don’t. Well, you don’t have to – but you owe it to yourself to remember that everything that you do with a good heart does that good work, and speaks volumes for your character.

The trick is to let it become automatic. In the word ‘Kendo’ is the word ‘-do’, which in Japanese means ‘way’, but it also means ‘dao’ which means ‘harmonious way’ and ‘way without thinking’. The harmonious way can come from just a few minutes of calm, when you can re-connect with the bigger picture of life. Remember that you are always a part of nature itself, which is a really big and beautiful picture, and entirely harmonious. Briefly letting go of all your cares and worries will let you make that connection and re-find your balance, and once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll find that it’s with you more and more, even through your most intense challenges.

This is Zen – the peace that grounds, gives perspective, and brings the endurance to face anything. Kendo points out that you are not defined by the obligations you face, they are defined by you, and by putting them in their proper perspective and forgetting them for just a few moments will remind you of the harmonious big picture of which you are a part. Then, everything you do and your life itself will automatically be harmonious.

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