Beauty of Samurai

Recently my husband graded and achieved his 2nd dan black belt in the art of Aikido which is a beautiful thing because of the feeling one gets from the sense of accomplishment when you fulfill a dream. Particularly after the anxious moments prior to the grading.

Now you might be wondering what on earth Aikido or the Samuri has to do with Beauty. Well I happened to be making myself a coffee this morning and Greg had left his Aikido newsletter on the bench and I began to read it and it took me by surprise. Sensei Michiharu Mori, an Aikido Master had written an article about Bushido (samurai spirit) and what that means to the Japanese culture. He said the first code of the Bushido is ‘live beautifully/gracefully'. A standard of beauty that is expected when you live your life this way - not in the ‘pretty' sense but he goes on to define beauty as:

‘Jin' - a mind of caring/feeling for others
‘Gi' - a mind of justice/righteousness in humanity that one lives for public without self interest
‘Rei' - a mind of respect for others
‘Renchi' - a mind of purity with a sense of shame.

Well I am not so sure about Renchi but it was interesting to see that caring and respect is at the top of their list for defining a beautiful person. Sensei Mori believes that Gi is at the heart of samuri culture. Contributing to other people and society.

Although we don't place the same importance on this in the Western culture, I think he is absolutely right. This points to ‘Emanating Beauty' - the beauty that radiates from our heart and ultimately affects our outside persona. The way we carry ourselves, the way we look. Stressed and unhappy people always seem to have more lines on their face......remember that.

Ciao,
Julia