Slowing down in your training gives you the ability to gain a wider perception and sensitivity of what is occuring in your environment. We can use juppou sesshou to negotiate our space but also to gain a working knowledge of the type of ...

This is a quick offer to those who would like a new Shimenawa ( purification rope ) for the Kamidana at home or the dojo. The Shimenawa in Japan are generally only available during this period prior to the New Year. ...

Ninja Kids in Japan is a combination of teaching English and Ninja skills! The Children love being able to dress up and ” play ninja ” while also being challenged at English. I always want to keep them enthused about the training, ...

Photo taken by Urban Grundstrom. This Embu was on a sunday. It was on the playing field of a Junior High School in Noda. The ground was very unstable and the vibrations from the Mompa ( battle hammer ) when it hit the ground was felt ...

This entry was posted on December 23, 2009 at 12:36 am and is filed under 1 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. ...

Some things come up so often on internet forums that it gets tiring answering them. This blog is meant to be used in the future when someone else comes up with something that has been dealt with befor...

Some things come up so often on internet forums that it gets tiring answering them. This blog is meant to be used in the future when someone else comes up with something that has been dealt with befor...

For those interested in joining the Shugyo training for the first time, or renewing their previous subscription, we would like to let you know about the up and coming January clips for download. www.tenguweapons.com/shugyo ...

In this painting of a Daruma by Hatsumi Sensei, we see the Daruma with a spider coming down it`s web and clinging to the Daruma`s eyebrow. The inscription reads, “ Ninjustu is on your eyebrow.... the spider`s thread, so close, the village of Togakure”. Sometimes things are so close to us that we can not perceive them. Like the eyeball can not see itself. It is itself seeing, so it can not see itself. Like the fire god coming down to earth and begging for fire. Not knowing that he himself is that for which he searches. The treasure is already buried deep within, it is up to us to shed the unnecessary in our thoughts and taijutsu to allow it to shine forth.

The Daruma`s eyes are staring inward. This is a form of “Happo Nirami” or “Staring in Eight Directions” . It is also a form of “Ma Yokei” or “warding off evil”.

Another story which could be related to this picture is the parable of the Buddha allowing a spider to lower a thread into hell to save a ruffian whose only good deed in life was that he purposely avoided stepping on a spider one day. As he climbs the thread to freedom, others below him grasp the tread and start to climb. Fearing the line will break, the ruffian screams at them to get off the rope as he kicks and slashes at them. He threatens to cut the rope above them which is precisely the moment the rope snaps above him snaps and he tumbles back to hell. The Buddha sighs.

At this year` Dai Kou Myo Event, Hatsumi Sensei displayed two Darumas. The Daruma is a favorite character for zen practitioners and martial artists. He represents the state that we aspire to reach in our life and art. It is said that once the Daruma left India and arrived in China, he spent around nine years in a cave in meditation staring at the cave wall, until he ridded himself of the illusions of this world. Often in paintings of the Daruma, you will see the phrase, “Men Peki” or “wall” which refers to this time and the state of no-mind the Daruma achieved.

Sensei`s Daruma is also staring; not at the wall but thru the wall! Sensei changes the characters to read “Kan Peki” or thru the wall which is also a play on the word “perfection”. Perhaps we must also break thru our walls of illusions of good and bad to reach this “perfection”. If you can see thru your illusions and become translucent, the Buju Hi (as noted previously) will happily reveal it`s wonders to you.