Today's post is an excerpt from this morning's Zoom talk, "Resolve: The Will to Yield". I decided to post the end of the talk, the final conclusion, rather than other parts. The audio for today's complete talk will be posted in a week or two on our website: hillsidesource.com, under "resources, audio files", or a direct link on the home page.
"The idea of being resolute can range into steel resolve. There are stories of the great 16th century zen warrior and writer Miyamoto Musashi, who saw the Warrior as someone who mastered various art forms beyond mastery of the sword: tea ceremony, construction , writing, and sumi painting. He separated his religion from his swordsmanship and warrior status, writing "Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help." I mention him because of his quote: "The Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death." Note that Buddhism accepted multiple rebirths and seppuku (suicide, falling on ones own blade) was a noble way to die in the face of defeat. (I have to admit this form of resolve brought to my minds the contemporary safety message of DWTD.*) But it follows the samurai tradition, often tied to Zen, as an aspect of feudal culture that ran from the late 12th to late 19th century. I find it significant that an updated model of the Samurai is still revered, with modern variations that draw from the archetype and its underlying structure or practice in all sorts of endeavors: business samurai, sports, martial arts, entrepreneurs, investment samurai, gaming of course. The appeal of battle is glorified.
Part of the fascination is the mythical sense of being alive in the face of death, of a warrior being capable of total focus, freed from fear, with 360 degree awareness, able to shift when necessary, yet cultured and multi-talented, agile in both mind and body...resolute to do ones ultimate best. Yet, given the horrors or war, including current wars, is this warrior archetype, really a model for our times? On the other hand, this archetype is sometimes used as spiritual metaphor--acceptance of death can be interpreted as willingness to undergo ego death, death of the separate self, and fluidity is seen in terms of going with the chi, or the energy of life, not in opposition or as an attempt to conquer it. Realistically, there are also health benefits to staying fit. While they may require resolve; they don't require force.
Yet, people and paths come in different types, Today, I am offering a more gentle resolve, again one based on love. As Otto Rank wrote, will is what shapes, what choses, a way to become an individual. Our individual will can choose to yield to the larger movement of life, to love that which sustains and supports us all. Lao Tzu said, ... "the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death. The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life. " So in your process of discovering your resolve, or fulfilling it, consider the gentle and yielding. (Susan Nettleton)
For poetry: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/.../to-live-in-the-mercy...
https://www.thenatureofthings.blog/.../poetry-sunday-dont...
https://www.appleseeds.org/my-symph.htm
*Dumb ways to die, originally from the Australian rail safety campaign, and now in popular culture and gaming.