Meditation

Lectures

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Meditation Overview
Breathing
Practice
LecturesLectures are excerpted from One Day - One Lifetime: An Illustrated Guide to the Spirit, Practice, and Philosophy of Seido Karate Meditation by Kaicho T. Nakamura.

Ichi Nichi, Issho: One Day, One Lifetime

"Ichi nichi" means "one day"; "issho" means "one lifetime." This expression tells us how we should live our daily lives.

Each day and every day, your life unfolds and evolves. Slowly and surely, your life experience builds up. Each day is a "miniature" of the whole canvas of life.

There is also another way to think of "issho." Try to imagine that your whole life would have to be summed up by one day. You would try to have the best day possible, and you would try to concentrate hard. If you live this way on a daily basis, if you gave five hundred percent of your effort everyday, then you will begin feel contented. You will truly feel that each day is valuable and that nothing is a waste of time. This exercise can give you valuable insight into your life.

Everyone wants to be happier and to have a better life. That's the way we are. But, we have to make a constant effort in order to live more fully. Every day, make sure you are giving your best. This is the only way to improve yourself and to feel that you are growing.

"Ichi Nichi, Issho" also applies to your training. Everyone has a different schedule. Some students can only come to class once a week; other people may come twice or three times a week. It's up to each individual to decide how much time to spend on their training. But whenever you do take class, you must concentrate and give one hundred percent of your effort. As soon as you put on your gi and tie your belt, you must focus on your training. Don't bring your personal problems onto the dojo floor. You have to act as if every moment is the most important one, and put everything you have into your actions.

We are all very different and, as individuals, we are subject to many different pressures. Coming to the dojo can help you to relieve stress. When you are training, you can let go of your troubles. Think of nothing: try to make your mind empty, just sweat and work hard. Afterwards, you will feel better, for you will have accomplished one simple goal. Then, you can begin to take care of all your other responsibilities.

Please remember to live each moment to its fullest extent. "Ichi nichi, issho" is a very simple expression, but it is very, very important.

Meikyo: Spotless Mirror

When we do a traditional spring cleaning, we try to make everything spotless. As part of this cleaning, me must remember to clean ourselves and our spirits, not just our surroundings.

Think of a mirror. Usually, we will remember to clean a mirror: we polish it and try to keep it spotless. In time, dust will gather on the surface. We must polish the mirror again so that we can see clearly. Sometimes, we become so busy that we don't give enough attention to our cleaning. The mirror becomes cloudy and it is difficult to see in it. The mirror is only useful when we clean it regularly.

Now think of yourself as a mirror. We all remember to keep ourselves clean, not only at a certain time, but every day. Yet, while we remember to wash our faces, brush our teeth, and take a bath, we often neglect to clean our insides, to maintain a level of spiritual cleanliness. This is one of the main reasons for studying karate and for practicing meditation. Training in karate can help you improve yourself, both physically and mentally. But we must also remember to meditate and to polish our spirits regularly.

Each time you come to karate class, I want you to think of polishing a mirror. Use your training as a time to polish yourself, to strive to see yourself and others more clearly. In time, you will begin to understand yourself-and other people-better. Try to make every class an opportunity to make yourself-and your mirror-spotless.

The idea of meikyo sounds simple. Yet it is easy to become spiritually and mentally lazy. Instead of seeing clearly, we can become confused, upset, disappointed, and discouraged. We become careless and can get injured. But, through simple daily polishing we can avoid many problems in our training and in our lives. When the mirror is spotless, the right path is clear. If you strive to keep yourself like a spotless mirror, gradually you will be able to see things more clearly. In time, you will start to appreciate life so much more than before. This is one of the goals of your training.

In Ga Oho: What Goes Around Comes Around

"In" means "action," "ga" means "results," "oho" means "return." Together, the words convey the idea that every action brings a result. And, in this case, the "return" refers to the long-term results of a given action. Thus, for many of our actions there is both an immediate result and a long-term return.

All too often, we concern ourselves only with immediate results and we forget the long-term returns of our behavior. This short sightedness can prevent us from reaching our full potential and can cause us to experience great unhappiness. For example, if we spend all our money on good times and save nothing for the future, our shortsightedness can lead to financial insecurity. Or, if we put off our work or do only half-hearted job, we might feel an immediate release of tension. Yet, the long-term return will be more work or perhaps a poor reputation.

In Ga Oho applies to our training as well. By taking it easy in the dojo, we might make things easier for ourselves in the short run. But such actions can result in poor conditioning or poor techniques and may ultimately lead to injuries or dissatisfaction with karate.

We must learn to live with the results and the returns of our own actions. The returns might be a long time in coming, but they will eventually arrive. We should not be too surprised at the results or returns when they do come, for they have their roots in our actions. Instead, we should give our all at the outset and try to do our best on at every opportunity. Then, we shall truly deserve both the results and the returns of our behavior.