Wisdom from the Samurai

On a recent visit to the Ninja & Samurai Museum in Tokyo I noticed this quote on the wall.

"A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within"

~ Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace, Aikido founder

True Strength

This speaks to me of how true strength comes not from moments of victory in external battles with others, but from the sustaining impact of the work we do to overcome the battles within.

Through undertaking our deep and difficult inner work we gain self-confidence, self-reliance and life-long resilience. We learn to trust ourselves and our capacity to get through challenging moments.

 

Development of our Inner Warrior

Our inner warrior helps us strive to be a source of empathy, generosity and support in our relationships. Brief moments of victory no longer tempt us.

This needn't be all or nothing, me or them either. Finding a healthy balance requires strong self regard and a deep and constant awareness of the needs of the 'other'.

Are there external battles you could step out of and inner ones you could be taking better care of?