A good dojo is like a well.
A well is not designed to grow big.
It is dependable.
The water will be clean and easy to get to.
The water will be available to anyone who wants it.
People can take as much as they need.
Even so, there will still be plenty there for whoever comes next.
Times changed. People came and went. The well remained right there.
It didn’t call out to people to come.
It didn’t try to hold on to the people who did.
It had what people wanted.
It has what people need.
It did not just appear.
People built it.
It needs to be maintained.
The walls need repair to keep the water clean and accessible.
The work was not easy in the beginning. Or in the middle. Or at the end.
It could not be done by just anyone.
It took skill, the right tools, the right materials, and the right knowledge.
It was hard work to build it.
Most of the people who draw the water do not think too much about that.
They have their own concerns and responsibilities.
They need the water.
They take what they need.
They see their neighbors when they are there.
The reason it is there is to provide something necessary and good for people.
***
Post Copyright © 2023 Jeffrey Brooks
Photo by Vlad Hordiienko via Unsplash
***
read True Karate Dō
“One of the best books I’ve read in years, inviting and compelling. Jeff Brooks moves effortlessly from martial arts to Buddhism to consciousness studies, self-transformation, and related fields in this wide-ranging and Illuminating study that has much to offer both novice explorers and veteran practitioners. A splendid achievement.”
— Philip Zaleski, Editor, The Best Spiritual Writing series
True Karate Dō is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and Kindle Edition