welcome to the dojo

So I was once an obsessed kung-fu panda, rocking 10 hours of hardcore training a week.

This was many moons ago, but it is among the major influences that shape how I interact with the world to this day. Specifically the integrity of my master, the team spirit and the exhilarating, exponential growth of power in my body and spirit.

I realised much of what I experience in the world of temples, and sacred sexuality, especially as a practitioner - is linked to that state of "mind like water", learned while being beaten black and blue on the mat.

So I am delighted to share this beautiful quote about a dojo. I found it in a business book, and it easily applies to all these spaces of deep learning.

What is a dojo?

What is a business?

What is a temple space?

Simply replace “conflict” with “connection”. Though for sure on some days you can just leave it as conflict.

"A dojo is a miniature cosmos where we make contact with ourselves - our fears, anxieties, reactions, and habits. It is an arena of confined conflict where we confront an opponent who is not an opponent but rather a partner engaged in helping us understand ourselves more fully. It is a place where we can learn a great deal in a short time about who we are and how we react in the world. The conflicts that take place inside the dojo help us handle conflicts that take place outside. The total concentration and discipline required to study martial arts carries over to daily life. The activity in the dojo calls on us to constantly attempt new things, so it is also a source of learning - in zen terminology, a source of self-enlightenment."

Joe Hyams, Zen in the martial arts

kick-your-ass stare captured by @kateflomurphy

#kungfu #martialarts #eroticarts #dojo #mindlikewater #discipline #flowstate #challenge #temple #templespace #templearts #joehyams #zen