THANKS TO ALL

First, I want to say thank you to all the people who have come to this humble site this week and left some awesome comments. I have made several new friends and I say to you all, welcome to my blog! As my good friends here already know, this blog is my passion and my commentators and friends are THE MOST IMPORTANT single thing that drives me.

Doka

What are Doka? Doka are didactic poems used by masters to instruct disciples. These are used in a haiku structure and contain endless depth for all of us to enjoy and learn from. I will show you something I find simply incredible! What I am showing you is from a rare book which is virtually impossible to find. It is called “The Last of The Great Dragonfly Hunters” by Dr. Dan Netherland. Dan is both an Aikido and Jujitsu practitioner whose book has left an indelible mark on my own martial arts philosophy.

This book is about seeing the suchness rather than the illusion of things. I hope you read my post “Tales of Blogger-X” about the illusion in blogging. Also, you may if your interested, want to read “Beyond Thought I” and “Beyond Thought II: Detachment“. These are two of my older posts in which I examine the depths and complexities of human thought. All quotes are from “The Last of The Great Dragonfly Hunters“.

See Through the Eyes of a Warrior

Correct perception of life determines decisions. Decisions determine action… Action determines victory or defeat, life or death. Destiny is not a chance rather a decision fulfilled in action.

As you can see, the suchness of reality is captured so perfectly in this quote, it is something I live by. My new friend Dawn from Antibarbie.net wrote a post entitled “Using Jesus as a Crutch” which sees through illusion. It’s about how the old phrase goes, “God helps them who help themselves“. I wanted give a little shout to her as I think she is a very talented writer who pulls no punches (I like that). And now I present these beautifully powerful Doka:

PLAIN, UNADORNED SWORD
LIKE THE OWNERS OWN SPIRIT
POLISHED AND FEARFUL

CONFRONTING A FOE
BRING ALL INTO SHARP FOCUS
ONE THING HIDES MANY

WHAT A WARRIOR
TO EVADE MY STRONG ATTACK
YELLOW BUTTERFLY

WITH NO SINGLE THOUGHT
I CUT THE CORD OF NEVER
NOW … INVINCIBLE

SEVERING THE EDGE
BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER
THE BLADE OF TODAY

NOT MEETING THE FORCE
A WILLOW TURNING THE WIND
A WARRIOR AT HEART

DO WITHOUT DOING
RETURN TO THE BEGINNING
VICTORY IN STILLNESS

TIGHTENING THE STOMACH
ONE HEART, ONE SIGHT WITH ONE BREATH
FEARLESSLY FACING

The Power of the Female

There is much wisdom in these Doka. Read them several times and do not seek deep meanings, for the meanings are simple. If you notice, there is a powerful female trait within the text. Females are powerful. Females really run the world but don’t get the credit. Females are soft. Females encompass all the things that make a warrior a warrior and they do it naturally.

In the third Doka you notice the yellow butterfly. How pretty and soft yellow butterflies are! The most powerful martial art I have ever felt was in Aikido. Aikido is a martial art which uses no physical strength. Yet when you are slammed on the mat by a skilled Aikido practitioner, especially a female one, you will know POWER. A man cannot be a real man until he comes to embrace his female half. Yin and Yang, female and male; all life is both and neither at the same time.

I hope that you can develop your inner warrior and understand what focus and total commitment are all about. “To raise the sword and die” is not a fatalistic choice, but is a choice for life.

Final Words

I have come down hard on the conduct of many top bloggers and for that, I make no apologies. I would do my readers a disservice by fluffing things up. I especially want you to read the 1st Doka. Plain unadorned sword; what does this mean? If a “Karate Master” wears a uniform with all kinds of fancy patches, and on his uniforms back there are big letters that say “Undefeated Champion and Master of Karate”, does this mean he’s really a master? Of course not. He probably has 2000 students and makes a ton of money. How similar he is to many of the top bloggers.

I leave you with one final Doka. Please let me know which of the Doka you like best! Lets discuss it. Have a great weekend.

ALL LOOK
FEW SEE
THE SUCHNESS OF THINGS

Read my good friend Seiche‘s post “The Belts Matter” for a look into the true suchness of martial arts. What I like about Seiche the most is when it comes to martial arts, he defines “suchness” in it’s purest of forms.

Tags: blogging, didactic poems, doka, poetry, The Last of The Great Dragonfly Hunters