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Misogi-Purification of the Spirit |
Although I have never been to Japan, I have spent so much of my life around Japanese and Nisei, living and training in activities based in Japanese tradition and ideas that I sometimes feel that I was born out of time & place. There are many things "Japanese" that seem so much more familiar to me than the "Texas cowboy" world I grew up in.
Japanese have a "phobia" about dirt and not being clean. A good example of this is the scene in "The Last Samurai" where the American walks into the Japanese woman's house wearing muddy boots. Unaware of the Japanese penchant for cleanliness and ignorant of manners and respect for something (a home) that belongs to someone else, he gives her a heart attack sending her into a cleaning frenzy while she mumbles under her breath about the uncultured and filthy barbarian.
In Japan parents have the responsibilitiy for cleaning their childs' classroom. This is a willingly, if not gratefully, accepted responsibility since the parents "own" the space their child inhabits during the class times and they rightfully feel an obligation to assist in keeping the space clean and orderly in the same fashion that they would clean the home where they live, sleep and eat. Japanese parents take pride in the work and by so doing, their child learns things about responsibility, respect, achievement, and cooperation.
Much like a child's classroom, a dojo is also a place of personal significance because in a dojo we live and train in an environment focused on the business of learning and practicing skills that could put us squarely in the middle of the no-man's land between life and death.
Many Americans seem to mistake the dojo for some kind of recreation center like a fitness center, gymnastics school, or kick-boxing academy for bored suburban parents looking for somewhere to dump their kids while they have their nails done.
Unlike a fitness center or a gymnasium, a dojo houses the kami (spirit) of budo. In a dojo a spirit of bushido, a code of conduct as it were, pervades the training due to the deep nature of the MA. Many long-time Sensei claim to be able to simply walk into a dojo and be able to sense the spirit of the dojo, the energies left behind by serious and committed players who are serious followers of "The Way" in a "Yoda-esque" kind of way.
When a dojo lacks this Budo spirit it has wide reaching ramifications and dilutes the importance of what is being learned. This dilution carries over into the world outside the dojo resulting in the lackadaisical attitudes of many "civilians" that we see at work, at home and in our neighborhoods; manifested by such things as ADD/HD behavior, lack of common manners, a rabid focus on unimportant things and activities, and a blantant disrespect for others.
I believe that it is this budo spirit, a refined & elegant sense of respect, that shows the differentiation between a true dojo and a social club; and it is this difference that ultimately carries over into our behavior in society and that allows us to be "elegant" in our lives as compared to someone else considered "boorish".
The act of caring for a dojo allows us to physically manifest the process of purifying our own spirit. One example of this caring is the act of mopping the floors when opening the dojo and sweeping the mat before class begins and after class ends.
In the same manner that people walk into the dojo and leave their worries and their ego in their shoes at the door, the dojo itself must reflect the pure mindset, goals and focus of the deshi/players so that they can progress on the path of budo. Cleanliness (of the dojo and of the physical and spiritual aspects of the person themselves) is just one more aspect of this.
In my life on the mat I have many times seen students who seem to consider their training to be separate and apart from this simple act of caring for the physical place of learning "The Way". They avoid caring for and cleaning the dojo which of course in my mind raises the question of what their home looks like and what do their very personal hygeine habits consist of?
This avoidance can consist of showing up late for every class so-as to not have to pick up a broom or, walking over an obvious piece of dirt or trash when it would take no time to simply pick it up and put it in the trash.
The manner in which each individual approaches their training impacts the spirit of the dojo which itself impacts the other players. I believe that the students who train in the dojo should consider the dojo itself to be a manifestation of themselves and that they should approach its purification in the same manner as they would the purification and renewal of their own spirit.
Throughout the history of MA, Budo, the warrior's way, The Way, (however one wishes to consider it) the act of cleaning and purifying has been a both a practical and a symbolic gesture of great meaning in all facets of life. In Japan, this purification ritual or "misogi" is an integral, important part of everyday life and can consist of such seemingly small considerations as showing respect for others by washing before sitting for a meal with friends or wearing a clean gi without B.O. or massive stains and having clean hands before performing waza that include putting your hand in someones' face.
In late December, end of the year for example, everyone in Japan works with their families at schools, companies, and dojo to clean these places where people gather. This simple act of cleaning (representing a small part of personal purification) enables them to welcome the New Year with purified surroundings as well as a purified spirit.
Other rituals of misogi in Japan (to further illustrate the idea) may include the purification of a building site before they lay the foundation. In the ancient national sport of sumo, the wrestlers purify the ring upon which they will be competing by throwing salt onto it before every match.
To Westerners unfamiliar with misogi it appears paradoxical that seemingly simplistic and mundane acts (such as cleaning .... or being clean) have the power to transform all aspects of our lives but this fact has been borne out again and again over the ages. By polishing the mirror then maybe one day the mirror will be spotless and then we will finally be able to see our true reflection.
L.F. Wilkinson Sensei