Thoughts of a simple man

Greetings Each

Lakota Prayer

Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery,
teach me how to trust
my heart,
my mind,
my intuition,
my inner knowing,
the senses of my body,
the blessings of my spirit.
Teach me to trust these things
so that I may enter my Sacred Space
and love beyond my fear,
and thus Walk in Balance
with the passing of each glorious Sun.

According to the Native People, the Sacred Space
is the space between exhalation and inhalation.
To Walk in Balance is to have Heaven (spirituality)
and Earth (physicality) in Harmony.

Love it

Greetings Each

Can't remember who wrote this but it's from 1927 ...I remember t well lol

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

It was 'The Desiderata of Happiness' by Max Ehrmann in case anyone intended to look for it

Thanks for sharing, Mike. It's a beautiful piece.

One of my favorite albums, by a band called 'In the Nursery', includes a song that incorporates snippets of this poem.



The album's closing track contains an exquisitely narrated version of the entire poem without music (hidden after a period of silence), but I was unable to find a clip of that online.

Greetings Each

Kindness..is a language a deaf man can hear and a blind man can see

Greetings Each

Some similarities here me thinks

Kyushindo Philosophy

The Universe was stated under a great principle of creation, which had existed from the beginning of time. The Universe has been controlled and governed by the principle that all things transmigrate.

The Laws of the Universe:-

The Law of transmigration.

The Law of Rhythm.

The Law of Harmony.

Kyu-Shin-Do is the understanding through knowledge and experience of the principles of the Universe and the understanding of the true way of life through Japanese Judo.

All things in existence are governed by the Universe and shall be a rhythmical cycle of birth, existence and death.

We can enjoy the highest form of life by mutual understanding between oneself and the Universe and by harmonizing with all things in general.

The Universe revolves and therefore always keeps in perfect balance and must have a center and radius governed by geometrical motion. We must therefore bear in mind that every movement on the earth has been controlled by Universal evolutions.

Therefore the student of Judo shall strive for perfection and harmonize with everything by opening his mind and body by relaxing first his mind and then his body. This idea conforms to nature.

The fundamental principles of the spiritual side of the human being is, and must be, gratitude to the principles of the Universe. This gratitude is the first and foremost, love, and the first step to communication with all people. This leads to love towards parents, friends and all things in the Universe.

The first step towards Kyu Shin Do is to have a clear understanding of each other through co-operation and affection towards each other. In the spirit of this most needed principle, we can live in healthy and perfect harmony in this world of to-day.

The ultimate aim of Kyu Shin Do is the achievement of permanent peace and happiness for the human race; which is the understanding towards neighbor, the understanding of the highest ideals and gratitude for all things. The person who has not an understanding mind and does not make any efforts to understand his neighbor, does not receive any respect or rewards.

To learn and perform good techniques is not the only aim or object of Judo. Judo is a way towards universal understanding and is just one of the many roads which can lead to world peace and Universal happiness. The way of Judo is not only realization of one's aim in life, but also gives the training and discipline necessary to strive to make an effort for life in peace and unity.

All life of any kind existent in the Universe has a continual flow of circulation and transmigration - for instance, we consume food and expel the waste. The donor who is ready to give and who does not ask or think, will surely be compensated by someone else. Similarly, if a man robs someone else, he in turn will be treated likewise. The practice of Judo is the same principle.

The human race in this world has the law of the Universe instilled in it. This is embodied in the principle that if we love , and our actions, motions and motives are of a peaceful harmonizing nature, they will be returned by those whom we have treated similarly.

The principle idea of Judo is always to give your best. The individual who makes an effort to give of his best is always well rewarded in life.

Kyu Shin Do starts from natural posture and this basically means the perfect relaxation of the mind and body, free from petty anxieties and illnesses. The actions of Kyu Shin Do are of gentle smooth movements, soft, quick and safe. These movements spring from a relaxed mind and body, which helps to build up strength and purpose.

We shall try to make an effort to harmonize with the Universe, otherwise we will discover that it is against us. The accumulation of effort is a steady circular movement about the center of gravity and radius.

Greetings Each Bows

Something I have touched on before but I have added a few bits. Hope you like it

MIND BODY AND SOUL

It has been my belief in recent years after discovering Ki. That it is a vehicle for all things . As a simple human it can take time to organize oneself to accept Ki As mentioned in my Great Leaning post. The Mind, Will and Ki need to balanced . One has to be in control all of the time. Right mindfulness ,right action and do not fall behind in the Way. A shorter version of the Eight fold Path.

If one can break free and finally release oneself from debilitating negative emotions and limiting beliefs. One should be able to reach ones highest potential, create healthy and loving relationships, live a happy and fulfilling life by establishing new positive beliefs and releasing fearful, negative emotions. Ones’ body will communicate to ones self, clearly and specifically, if one is really willing to listen.

I often go on about Ki and creating a universe from which one can operate from. Ki can be thought of as positive thinking, belief in yourself, faith, confidence, or a state of ‘Emptiness’ and unification. When it is used, ki is quite naturally in your life, at those moments when something totally captures your interest and imagination. Something like, playing a sport, working late into the morning on a project that was important to you, playing with your child, or simply spending time with someone you love.

In each case, you become totally focused and completely yourself. You are achieving a wonderful effect and posses a limitless supply of energy. These experiences often define our lives, yet their occurrence often seems to be out of our control. Or are they ????

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.
- Bruce Lee

Find your true self, take that path.
Ushin, be mind,
Moshin, false mind,
Mushin, no mind,
Munen, no-thought,
Mushin no shin, mind of no-mind,
Honshin, true mind, true spirit

Jedi mind Zen mind. Budo mind, beginner's mind. What matters in all of these in my view is the concentration of thought and the prompt response of Ki to the directing will. He who deliberates and moves with the sole intent on winning at all costs, misses to a still greater extent of the Way
.
To be accomplished in any skill, realize the spirit of the Way. To realize the Way, develop a proper attitude ,spirit and posture in all that you do. Practice with this in mind for ten years, twenty years, and become one with your movements, then forget all of it when you practice and place yourself at the mercy of inspiration. This is mushin, munen, honshin.

Musashi ( A Samurai) struggled with life's meaning. He felt there was something more important than life and meditated on this. "Sometimes the obvious is right in front of you, you just have to slow down and look for it." Truth is no where if not from within.

When you reach this state, you will place yourself at the mercy of the Way. If you do not understand this, you become a slave of exterior conditions. What is required is to have a firm hold of the spirit and yet not to be conscious of the fact. This is a very difficult task achieved only after long spiritual training. The Way, is moving with the rhythmic movement of the spirit. To realize this, I believe you must subject youself to the discipline of The Way. The Way is the doctrine of mushin. The insight of the following poem will lead to the secrets of mushin, where everything is being left to Nature itself. (I pinched this of a site I was doing some research on)
"The moon has no intent to cast its shadow anywhere,
Nor does the pond design to lodge the moon;
How serene the water of Hirosawa!"

To realize The Way, you must have the proper training. The Way can be harsh, so some people think but I actually see The Way as being “Empty”and is straight to the point. There are no shades of gray. A clear, undisturbed mind. A healthy body will in turn look after the spirit.

You must keep the mind situation as it is and as the truth. The worst is your ego which sways you. If you have not gone astray by ego, you are able to accomplish your purpose. For Zen, martial arts, tea ceremony and any others, this mind is common. Both at the time of practice and at the important time, to get into the habit of keeping your ordinary and constant mind is the best way. For example, at a martial arts match, if you are always stained, you lack for this ordinary and constant mind. A good player can always keep a constant mind.

"True knowledge cannot be imparted by words. The Zen mind, enlightened and disciplined, is able to rise above mere technique and go straight to the core of being...to reach the soul... the essence."

What to do when things go wrong



Given the choice, we probably would want to be in control of everything that happens in our lives. That’s why we make plans. From short-term to medium-term to long-term plans, we have ideas of what we want to happen, where we want to be, and what we want to be doing at certain points in our lives.

Unfortunately, that’s not how it goes.

When your world spirals out of control, you have two choices:
1.Allow yourself to get caught in the whirlpool of panic and/or depression.
2.Take a deep breath and do these three simple things that will help you regain a semblance of control, and get through the bad situation – maybe not totally unscathed, but definitely better.

Recognize that every problem has a solution.

It’s a universal truth. No matter what problem you are facing, no matter how desperate your situation may seem, no matter how much your world spirals out of control, there is always a solution. There may even be more than one solution, and it may be a matter of finding the best one.

First, though, you have to get out of that downward spiral, and acknowledge that there is, indeed, a solution to your problem/s. Once you’re in that mindset, you empower yourself. You reject the notion of being a victim, and instead you give yourself a degree of control over what happens next.

Don’t allow your mind go around in circles.

We sometimes have have a mind where we see past – and future – events over and over again. When in a bad situation, that mind tends to go haywire, replaying scenes which are probably better forgotten or put aside. If you keep replaying those scenes – past and future – you give your mind the permission to go around in circles, which does not get you anywhere.

Thinking these thoughts will only add to your agitation, muddle your mind even more, and not really help you find a solution.

So, instead of giving your mind free reign, why not take a moment (for however as long that moment needs to be), and stop going around in circles. Instead, go back to the first point, and find a workable solution.

Accept how things are.

Acceptance is the key to clarity of mind, and eventually solutions. When your world spins out of control, there are probably factors which you have no power over. Accept that fact instead of fighting it and wallowing in thoughts such as, “Why is this happening?”

What you can do instead is to accept the situation. Accept that there is nothing you can do about certain things, but that you have power over what you do, how you react, and how you execute the solution to your problems.

When our world spins out of our control, we still have the power to determine how we react; and how we react can make the difference between losing it and making it through.

Your choice.

Now, back to you: What do you do when your world spins out of control?

Ki Guide and protect

Many times ,I like stop the fast run...

Move in slow... to check signals what in fast way,
maybe are lost...

Adjust to nature, biologically.

Contemplate what is our place ,or where we are.

(our ocupation in the universe and in the plan, in our
personal cosmic point of focus)

stop and put attention to who or what is arrive to us.

Sometimes, some aparently imperceptible
things, have a message for us in relationship with our
preocupation... they are so close that we can't see !
and maybe we are in a search so far away

Many times our mind need to rest as process of rebuild
(sleep)
Many times meditation -
Many times (nothing),because wrong things can produce
more wrong, as domino effect. Wait for "clouds" are go.

Greetings Each

To do with the contemplation of Yin Yang

Going with the flow implies that there is a larger life current with which we can align ourselves. Can you sense that energy, when it changes direction, the turning of the tide?
All things change and change is constant. Are you comfortable with change?
By recognizing patterns and stages of change we can practice appropriate timing. There is a time to act and a time to be still, a time to intercede and a time to yield.

Balance and Equality
Balance is central to yin and yang. The Tai Chi Tu presents these energies in a balanced state. Yet we also see that any point on the circle is balanced by a point on the other side. One can find and maintain balance anywhere within the process of change. By learning to keenly perceive these two energies we learn the skill of being in balance in any given situation.