Warrior
I awoke this morning to the word “warrior” bouncing around my brain, and an image of a warrior woman in the deep tropic forest, going slightly uphill, with a spear in her left hand, obviously on a hunting trail of some sort. Now, that’s certainly an image of a warrior that has had a fair amount of media attention and elaboration, but it’s a bit outdated for modern times, don’t you think? So what is a modern-day warrior? Some would say it’s somebody in the armed forces, or a martial artist, or perhaps it’s a modern-day businesswoman, briefcase in one hand, cellphone in the other… and although those are certainly warriors in their own right, none of them are exactly the concept that comes to this Mystical mind.
There are many types of warriorship, but what makes one a Spiritual Warrior? A Spiritual Warrior is one who pursues the Path towards Enlightenment and self-discovery; one who is interested in pursuing and developing aspects of spirit in a world that generally does not value such endeavors and which can not scientifically measure the advancements of the human spirit and psyche. A Spiritual warrior is one who lives by a code of ethics and behaviors that transcend any single religion, dogma or doctrine for the benefit of those around them and for the benefit of the world at large. A Spiritual Warrior is one who lives from the heart, dealing with the world and those in it, out of love and compassion. It is the warrior who sits on the zafu cushion and meditates daily. It takes a warrior, in the physical world, to always do the right thing, regardless of personal discomfort or inconvenience. It takes a warrior to “be”, to acknowledge there is more to this life than the physical collection of things and people. It takes a warrior to live in this world, but not be of it. It is the warrior in all of us that can change this world, if only given the chance.
And fortunately, opportunities for warriorship surround us every second of every day. Let the person, with the out-of-state plates stuck in the wrong lane in heavy traffic, in to your lane. Invite the person with a crying baby and only diapers to buy, ahead of you in line at the store. Look around you – what do you see? There are a multitude of opportunities to be a warrior, if even on a “small, local” level such as the given examples. It costs you very little and gains you much, to be courteous and kind to your fellow human beings. Be aware of the heart and do the right thing … that’s all that really needs to be done.
I challenge you to let your Warrior out!
Namaste, fellow warriors…
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I have been a spiritual warrior for most of my life and that part of the ‘inner self’ has been easier for me in a way than the external self of dealing with the physical. Life on Earth and dealing with other humans in general *grin*
Your post made me smile because I have been taking instruction in Archery which for me a hermit type, non-competitive and pacifest is a bit out of character… but I am truely loving it. I am starting to enjoy the benefits of the calmness of mind and the strengthening that the practise gives.
So yes the Warrior Spirit. On the inside and out, in the modern world can be a wonderful thing:)
namaste
WaterFall
Aaaah! Whether you are aware of it or not, you are discovering Kyudo, or Zen Archery! It has a long tradition in Japan and has made the trip to the West now as well (additional information: http://www.zenko.org/). I am glad that you have found this meditation form and that it seems to be working for you!
And yes, sometimes it seems a challenge to balance the internal and the external (physical) within the limitations of a physical day (24 hours? Bah! 😉 )
Welcome to my blog. I am pleased to have made you smile.
Namaste.
In my last lesson my teacher/guide, I’ll call him, was talking to me about the aspects of Zen Archery as we were shooting and it made so much sense.
Also I had been looking at a Kyudo site a few days before and told him that the pictures of the women in traditional dress with the bows was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen:)
I felt so very connected and seem to have reincarnational links to Japan I find.
Thank you One Mystical Monkey I feel a greatfulness for your time spent connecting to self. That enables you to connect to others in this way 🙂
I thought you might enjoy these quotes from the site you sent me to:
“One is not polishing one’s shooting style or technique, but the mind. The dignity of shooting is the important point. This is how Kyudo differs from the common approach to archery. In Kyudo there is no hope. Hope is not the point. The point is that through long and genuine practice your natural dignity as a human being comes out. This natural dignity is already in you, but it is covered up by a lot of obstacles. When they are cleared away, your natural dignity is allowed to shine forth” – Shibata Sensei.
Chogyam Trungpa the renowned Tibetan meditation master said, “Through Kyudo one can learn to live beyond hope and fear, how to be”.
namaste
Nancy
WaterFall
Spiritual synchronicity at work once more! Thank you for sharing those quotes from the Kyudo site. Perhaps pursuing kyudo will help you find that which you seek. *bows*
Good to see you visiting & commenting again.
Namaste.