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“The world is your oyster” according to Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor”:
Falstaff: I will not lend thee a penny.
Pistol: Why then the world’s mine oyster, Which I with sword will open.
Falstaff: Not a penny.
The world is yours to enjoy. The world is yours for the taking. But oyster? What if the world becomes your Dojo? The practice ground for greater?
One Sunday after morning Aikido practice, Sensei Dan and I talked about nothing in particular before heading off to lunch. We talked about how everyone needs to train hard during class. Sensei said practicing hard in class is cool.
Then he said, “It’s more important to me who you are outside the Dojo.” I got it. Yeah, he was right. We all train intensely to be the greater person outside the Dojo where it matters. What if you bring the Dojo into the outside world? And you live into that.
In the Dojo under Sensei Dan and now Sensei Bobby, you constitute the invented community, the created world onto itself. We bow to each other in respect, regardless of experience or rank. Everyone is treated the same, no one is better than anyone else. More skill just means you can throw harder, and should know when to do so.
You practice compassion in technique. I can’t throw the 1st degree black belt Shodan, like I throw the 10 year-old white belt beginner.
Practice honor in the Dojo. It’s your job to make whomever you practice with greater. You don’t baby anyone with your attack, nor do you hold back on your partner. You don’t fall to the mat on your own volition. You make your partner authentically throw you. This is matching up. That’s also respect. It’s not easy. This requires years of practice and giving up your ego. You surrender to mastery.
You bring the Dojo with you when you are outside. You honor people. You have compassion. You stand your ground. You make the world your Dojo.
Outside not everyone will treat you with honor and respect. Yet you do so. Not everyone will treat you with kindness. Yet you do so. O-Sensei said, “The Way of the Warrior is to give life to all things, to reconcile the world, and foster the completion of everyone’s journey.” That’s the greater mission.
Even in benevolence, O-Sensei’s warrior does not tolerate cruelty or abusers. His warrior stands for love and peace in the world in standing his or her ground. The warrior acts only when necessary.
I train to use my powers for good, to protect those weaker so that they may complete their journey. I do my best to match up with the world. I reconcile me in that Dojo outside. My greatest opponent won’t be any one person outside. Rather it shall be the one inside me. “True victory is victory over oneself.” That’s the deal.
Yeah, maybe I could dispatch those much bigger and stronger than me if need be. I could either win or lose. What takes more will and heart is surrendering to having way more to learn. I shall always have way more to grow. I will never be the greatest. That was never the purpose.
I believe that’s O-Sensei’s point all along. It was never supposed to be all about me. I’m only greater when I constitute others in becoming greater than me. We all move forward side by side. We all become greater as community. So the world becomes all our Dojo, too.
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Photo credit: Pixabay