October 17, 2011
Heaven and Hell
A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like." The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms so they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was another large round table with a large pot of stew in the middle, which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished, laughing and talking. They appeared genuinely happy. The holy man said, "I don't understand." "It is simple" said the Lord, "it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves."
The message of this Zen story or parable is simple to understand yet difficult for many to consistently put into practice on a daily basis. The secret to peace on earth and eternal happiness is dependent on our ability to put aside the selfish strivings of our ego and serve those around us. This is the concept of "Muga" or no ego. Yet from my perspective our world is becoming increasingly more selfish and more and more people feel a sense of entitlement in every facet of their lives. How can we as martial artists and honorable warriors break this cycle of greed and selfishness?
It begins with the development of an understanding and daily practice of respect. According to Master Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Karate, the first principle of the martial arts is that any martial arts practice must always begin and end with Rei. Rei is roughly translated as respect, but its true meaning is to have a healthy respect or self-esteem for ourselves and to show that same level of respect for others. This principle is to be applied to every human interaction and begins with the skill of being present in all our interactions. Applying this principle to every interaction we have will result in the ability to listen to others intently and rejoice in more enriching human interactions. This is the true intent of the tradition of the bow in the martial arts and in Asian cultures. When we bow we place our head below the head of the person to whom we are bowing and by doing so we are saying you are more important than me. This is the same message as the Zen story told above. If we as humans make it our life work to give to others the way that the individuals in heaven in the Zen story did by feeding each other with their long spoon then others will reciprocate and feed our souls with good deeds as well. If on the other hand we are greedy, self-absorbed and egotistical then our souls will starve in the same manner as the individuals that were depicted in hell in the Zen story. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "We must be the change that we want to see in the world."
KAIZEN!
Respectfully,
Steven M. Erickson
Sensei.Erickson@KiInspiringThoughts.com
Ki Inspiring Thoughts. The Center for Humane Living.