Open your eyes
The summer insect shall not know what the ice is,
The frog in the well shall not know the immensity of the sky,
It you see something strange and ignore it,
its strangeness will vanish.
From Chris Rixon, my student. 1977.
Words from Basho
Against the wooden floor
I threw a silver glazed cup
Breaking it to pieces.
Look, now, the slender curve
Of your sword, half drawn.
From Dylan Evans, my student.
The difficulty of Zen
How hard it is to learn how hard it is to teach
Listen to your teacher, not just with your ears
From Frank Wilson, my student. 1984.
A proverb
Beware, familiarity breeds contempt.
From Frank Wilson, my student. 1984
Images
The beauty of your kata.
An empty dojo, still warm from our endeavours.
Clear kiai's from the child.
Momentary enlightenment.
The beginner. My beginning. Your beginning.
From Frank Wilson, my student. 1984.
Making mistakes
I have made a missttakke
I have always made mistakes
I will always make mistakes.
From Frank Wilson, my student. 1984.
Upon meditation
Close your eyes and you will see clearly
Cease to listen and you will hear truth
Be silent and your heart will sing
Seek no contacts and you will find union
Be still and you will move forward on the tide of spirit
Be gentle and you will need no strength
Be patient and you will achieve all things
Be humble and you will remain entire
From Frank Wilson, my student. 1984.
Teaching
We teach best what we most need to learn.
Mark Jones, my student 1980's
A profound thought
"S' univers'l i'n it !"
From Ann my student and wife. (commenting upon the merits of a single technique)
Motto of Michi Shin Kenpo
Among trees there is the cherry blossom, among warriors there are the Samurai
From Kevin Williams, my teacher. 1983.
Unconvincing advice from a deceased friend
If you are not thinking, you are wasting time.
Charles Thomas. 1976.
Hips!
Hips!
Anton Gavin, sensei. 1982.
Kun of the Sevenoaks dojo 1982
1.One! Exert oneself in the perfection of character
2.One! Be faithful and sincere
3.One! Cultivate the spirit of perseverance
4.One! Respect propriety
5.One! Refrain from impetuous and violent behaviour
Karate Union of Great Britain
Forever
The career of the Shinseidoka is always pointing to the future.
Rather than completing anything - in Shinseido one will never be finished.
Shinsei (Roger Sheldon). 1983.
The impermanence of being (1)
Apple blossom, virginal and balmy days,
The sword strikes...
Silent moonlight falls upon the sparkling snow,
The sword strikes...
Shinsei (Roger Sheldon). 1982.
The impermanence of being (2)
The murmur of summer insects,
The soft and frivolous breeze,
Distant sheep bleating,
Oppressive, burning heat,
Aromatic vegetation.
The climbing white clouds are reflected in the blade.
Shinsei (Roger Sheldon). 1982.
The Macrocosmic microcosm
The Primeval Atom was not alone,
Beyond our understanding and reach lie others,
All time is a fragment of a still greater whole,
Beyond our understanding and reach.
All the Universe is a fragment of a still greater whole,
Beyond our understanding,
We are a fragment of that whole,
Beyond.....
Shinsei (Roger Sheldon). 1982.
Reflecting
Silent memories are no more,
Dust in a desolate wilderness,
Corroded steel and whitened bones,
Reminders of a bygone age.
Shinsei (Roger Sheldon) 1982.
SAYINGS FROM MY TEACHER
Selected by Shinsei (Roger Sheldon)
On humility
Some Westerners consider humility a matter of being without pride or self-assertion. If this definition were correct we could speak of anyone not deserving of respect as being humble, as long as he didn't have pride. Only those people who have accomplished something and are deserving of respect can be humble.
The master possesses great pride in a form that appears like humility. He knows his tremendous accomplishment, yet never loses sight of his great short comings.
The hard, soft law of our art applies even here: the master will talk with his newest student with sincerity and humility as long as the student's attitude is right. Should the student become demanding or sarcastic, the master will walk away silently.
From Jon Alexander, my teacher. 1975
Existence
All things in this creation exist within you,
and all things in you exist within creation.
There is no border between you and the closest things.
and there is no distance between you and the furthest things.
And all things, from the highest to the lowest,
from the greatest to the smallest, exist within you as equal things.
In one atom are found all the elements of the earth,
and in one motion are all the laws of existence.
In one drop of water are found the secrets of all the endless oceans,
and in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of existence.
You are all things,
and all things are you.
Fill your mind with gentle things,
and you become the strongest man on earth.
Remember always, the earth, the universe and all it contains can be reduced to a handful of dust held in the outstretched hand of a dying child.
From Jon Alexander, my teacher. 1975.
Kun of Kongoshuri dojo Sevenoaks
Ware Ware wa ko no renshu ga
Heiwa to jinsei no
Rekai I eto tunagari mata
Ware Ware no kami ga
Karate ni ol te elen ni
ware ware o michibe ite
kudasuru koto o negau
(We here gathered do solemnly swear
To train forever in the way of
peace. We pray that our higher
consciousness will always guide us
within our Karate training and
lead us upon the path of truth.
We promise to always recall this vow)
From the M.K.A 1986.
Reflections Upon The Classical Kata
I see it now, today.
Again I see enlightenment.
A momentary step in enlightenment.
Which makes me embarrassed,
to recall words earlier said.
The lesson is so incredibly simple,
Yet so impossibly difficult,
How can I learn this lesson,
in a single human lifetime,
And then give my knowing
to others?
Understanding, love and oaring.
Yielding and fluidity,
Oneness with the Universe,
Touching without harming,
letting his aggression drain away.
When the forces don~t permit,
Open the door for him to see,
By guided hands, the inevitable,
His momentum propelling him
into the nothingness of space.
A self given reward with my love
Shinsei (Roger Sheldon). January. 1992.
Shinseido: The transmutation of violence
Shinseido is the very antithesis of violence. The movements within the ancient forms represent a unique method of kinetic meditation that alleviates stress and leads to a more peaceful and calm way of living.
As a system of self-defence, the movements of Shinseido are 'non-confrontational'. The practitioner yields to, or re-directs a violent approach, and by so doing is able to escape from, or neutralise that violence.
"The softest thing in the universe
Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe"
The Way
My clenched fist smashes down
and shatters not your skull
but my own illusions.
My fingertips pierce forward - not into your ribs
but spearing the dark silent space of eternity
for once just within reach
where nothing and everything meet.
I find that I try too hard
I deliver most power
when I am relaxed and my ch'i flows easily from the deep place in my belly
not when I strain with effort
the tensed lines of thirty years trying, show in my raised shoulders.
Lowering my hips
I am introduced to a new stability
sinking my centre into the ground
being stronger nearer the earth
not when I am taller (that fond illusion of short people!)
I never thought of standing shorter to get stronger.
I lengthen and broaden my stance
and extend my hands further from my body
I can attack with one step on opponent several feet away.
Do I dare to occupy, to command all this space,
finding my full presence in three dimensions.
From the quality of my shout I discover my mood tonight
a sure unfiltered guide
not manipulated by thought
to the moment state of my inner self.
When you attack me
see in your face not your aggression, but my own fears
mirrored in the light behind your eyes
reflected back for me to claim
In my minor injuries
I am forced to face my old emotional crippling
that I can be so easily dispirited
by blows that cause little pain and do no physical damage.
In the magic feeling of my body
after an evenings hard training
I know the solid beauty and ecstatic power of my flesh
and the triumph of spirit that knows it can, because it did
For an empty hand it's shifted an awful lot of realities for me.
By Sheila Rose, Shinsei's student. 31st December, 1983.
Oh no...
How many Zen masters does it take to change a light bulb?
Two - one to change the bulb and the other not to.
Nuala McDonnell, my student. 1985.
Circles within circles
Whatever we think,
Whatever we say,
Whatever we change,
Whatever we believe,
We are still here, we still do what we do, and nothing changes.
We will still go back to what we were doing before.
Comment by Ann, my student and wife. 1985 (About change in training)
Oh no, not more Nualaisms
Two goldfish in a bowl - one says to the other -
"of course there's a God, who do you think changes the water?
Nuala McDonnell, my student. 1985.
"It's probably an oncoming train!"
Nuala McDonnell, my student. 1985. (in response to my remark that I could see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel).
For the Seeker of the Way
Shindo - SOME ADDITIONAL DOJO KUN
By Shinsei (Roger Sheldon)
My personal code for my stay on planet Earth
Shinsei (Roger Sheldon). December, 1991.
Two beliefs of Shinsei sensei
To express the higher forms of your art one must have a clear mind and a clear heart, the balancing of the body is not enough, one must balance his mind and his soul.
True power is not defeating someone else but conquering yourself.