A message from the sensei:
Dear All
I hope this finds you all in the best of Health & Spirits.
Id like to share with you about the first time I stepped into a dojo. It was a big step; I was half afraid & half excited. Looking back I can see only now see how precious that feeling was, what we call the 'Beginners Heart'.
All of you have made that same first step into our dojo. I realise that the period of the 'Beginners Heart' should never end, as a Zen mindset it enables us to remain curious on our life path, and be open and curious to others too. I hope that you embrace this, and that I may continue walking this path with you as Sensei & friend.
Remember that how to stay on the way is just as important as the first step. Im writing this to encourage you in the Zen process of Ekin-Chinkon Gyo - roughly translated 'the heart & mind steps of life's path'. I know from my own life process that building courage and discipline (or routine) is different for each one of us. What I love about Jordaan dojo is how you all respect each other. It feels like family.
As a dojo we are basically people who need each other to be able to practice, and to be there for the dojo to exist. After almost 5 years since we created this dojo, I observe how people step 'off the path' for a while, some come back after a while, and some find it hard to get back into training, for whatever reason. I want you all to know that, even if it's been a while, you're always openly welcome to step back into the dojo. I and other kenshi will never be critical of what you need to find your own way. On the contrary - you are 'juist' respected for courage to step back and you are welcome.
Arigato Gozaimasta for your trust in me as a guide, and for embracing your own courage.
Last but not least an article on Discipline Mark San sent me a while back - I hope it inspires you too.Insights from The Power of Discipline by Daniel Walter Applying a bit of discipline can create a domino effect of discipline in your life.
For instance, research shows that waking up early to exercise improves eating habits, productivity, and patience with coworkers and loved ones. And using some discipline on Sunday to do weekly meal prep can lead to disciplined eating throughout the week, fewer food cravings, and greater focus at work.
Think through the big four areas of your life: health, relationships, work, and finances, to identify one disciplined action you could take to create the greatest sense of self‐control and a domino effect of discipline throughout your life.
Once you've chosen your disciplined action, temper your expectations. Discipline is a skill, and like all skills, it's subject to the Dunning‐Kruger effect. Dunning‐Kruger effect states that when people develop a skill, they overestimate their initial ability, leading many to quit after falling short of their expectations. Therefore, to avoid being demoralized early on, assume that taking disciplined action will be harder than you think initially but easier over time. If you stick with a disciplined behavior, it will become the status quo and you’ll feel weird if don’t do it. To reach this point, you need to adopt the habits of highly disciplined people. And there may be no group of people more disciplined than Shaolin monks.
Practice monk‐like discipline
Shaolin monks sacrifice the pleasures of modern‐day life to wake up in a cold temple before dawn every day, practice meditation and martial arts, and study spiritual texts with unwavering discipline.
Here's how:
1. They're mission‐driven ‐ their life is dedicated to spiritual progress, and that dedication supersedes any short‐term discomfort. If you can dedicate yourself to a mission that you deem more important than immediate pleasure, you'll have an immense capacity to stay disciplined. If you need a mission, dedicate every day to being the best version of yourself and inspire others to do the same. When you start each day with this mission in mind, you will prime yourself for disciplined action.
2. Monks live in a constant state of gratitude. Monks have almost nothing, so they learn to appreciate small everyday things like a warm cup of tea in the morning. A 2016 study by DeSteno and Dickens showed that when people are in a state of gratitude, they have more self‐control and are more resilient. Therefore, use common behaviors like unlocking your phone or drinking water as triggers to think of five things you're thankful for so that you can perpetually live in a state of gratitude and bolster your self‐discipline.
3. Monks practice mindfulness. When monks have the urge to be undisciplined, they
observe the urge come and go without being controlled by it. They develop this skill
through years of meditation. Luckily, you don't need to meditate for years to be mindful; you just need to imagine a two‐minute timer between you and your urges. When you have an urge to be undisciplined, like wanting to watch a few YouTube videos before you get started on your work, imagine a two‐minute timer between you and your desire. As you picture the timer counting down, wonder where the urge came from inside your body. Then, when you feel like the two minutes are up, ask yourself, "Do I want to give in as badly as I did two minutes ago?" When you realize that an urge to give in is getting less intense, you can trust that that urge is temporary and will soon die if you don't give in.
When you combine moments of mindfulness with a state of gratitude and a mission worth being uncomfortable for, you'll find that you can fight off laziness and live a disciplined life. But even though you know how to fight, you should do everything you can to avoid fighting.
Make discipline the default choice
Monks don't have to fight their urges often because they live in an environment designed for discipline. They don't have phones or digital devices to divert their attention, and they live in simple, purposeful spaces where little can distract them from their spiritual and physical disciplines. Design your environment for discipline by making disciplined choices more accessible. For example, I've removed the foods I like to snack on before bed from my house and put items that curb my cravings, like herbal tea and stevia gum with cinnamon, on my kitchen counter, so they are my default choice.
The most effective way to stay disciplined is to create an environment that supports a disciplined life.
“You might have all the knowledge, talent, or skill in the world, but because of a lack of discipline, you will never make it. I believe there are better basketball players than Michael Jordan, better singers than the late Whitney Houston, and people with better business ideas than Elon Musk, but the world will never know them because they have no self‐discipline.” – Daniel Walter