My Journey (Flow)

This little essay was written by one of my students who have been training in the Bujinkan only a short time. Many of my students have written essays on their training and they can see how they develop on the path to Budo over time. Each story is one of growth and understanding and whilst some write from the heart – or so they think, others write with a certain Ego. The following essay is written by one who is more spiritually aware than even they know themselves and yet their journey has already begun.

I met three men one Saturday morning, one with a voice that captivates and leaves you wanting more, another who is far more mature than his young years and the one who has a calming effect. At that time, I had not quite understood just how important these three were going to have on my own life and my family’s life.

My Journey starts as a tree, I know it sounds funny but not to me. I am not a huge willow, just a small little tree- newly planted with others towering me. I bend in the wind and I soak in the rain; my roots are now planted and I am starting to grow. I’ve been to many classes now and each time, I learn something new. I’ve sprung new branches and lost some old leaves. I am learning to sway when the nasty wind blows and I take in the rain as it pours. Our classes are growing and new friendships are made – all these people are my branches and I welcome the growth.

The seasons may change but we adapt to them all and to me that is the beauty of flow, not to fight but to embrace it all and let it flow. It can be a gentle wind or a raging hurricane, a trickle of water or the battering of rocks when it’s lashed by the sea. To me Flow is nature – gentle and devastating – let it naturally flow.

You can imagine how this little story captivates you with the very energy that it is intended, you may also bear witness to the sanshin contained within and the understanding of shin shin Ichijo (Oneness of body and mind). The heart is already on the journey and the body will catch up in time.