Lecture 9:

Turning Point In Tao Shiatsu

Right now there is a turning point in many aspects of Tao Shiatsu.

If the motivation is something like: “If I will have this (Tao) heart it’s going to be effective,” or for example, “If I will have this heart - then I can do Tao Shiatsu,” this is not Tao Shiatsu. This is calculation, it is selfish, and it’s like making a deal.

So in the class, maybe sometimes it’s successful, but it’s not Tao Shiatsu. In the Kyoto class I asked the students, “How do you want to deal with Tao Shiatsu?” and we experienced this by doing an exercise. The questions we looked at were “What do you want from Tao Shiatsu?” and “What do you want to do for Tao Shiatsu?” Putting it simply - “What to gain? / What to give?” Why did this topic come up?

If Tao Shiatsu is just one more style or method of Shiatsu, which is a little more effective and makes us more sensitive to the meridians, then you don’t need to struggle so much and have this problem of dealing with Tao Heart. But now it’s become more and more clear in understanding Tao Shiatsu deeply that it is the source of the Universe. If you just look at the surface or technique, then you can’t recognize this, but if we really look at the source of Tao Shiatsu than we can see it.

When we do intensive workshops around the world, many students that attend say they have decided they want to follow Tao Shiatsu. But many of them become disappointed later and they stop coming to the workshops. Actually until recently I did not know why.

What is your motivation to do Tao Shiatsu?

Let’s experience this with these three directions of the heart.

  1. I will use Tao Shiatsu for my practice. (Endo Sensei demonstrates on a tsubo on a student’s lower arm expressing this heart and there is uncomfortable pain)
  2. Some people take this deeper and say, “I will change my heart.” Tao Shiatsu is my life so I will do it. (Endo Sensei demonstrates on the student’s lower arm and it’s a little better, there is less pain.)
  3. Tao Shiatsu is the life of all beings itself so I will devote myself for all beings through Tao Shiatsu. (Endo Sensei again demonstrates on the student’s lower arm and the student smile and says, “YES”.

Only in this stage (the third) does it become Tao Shiatsu. We have to see our heart each and every moment. If people will do Tao Shiatsu with number 3 then I don’t need to say, “you must leave.” Are you doing this (the third step) every moment? With number one the ego always comes up. A person cannot clear their karma this way. When people do this way I start to feel scared. I said to one student that I couldn’t stand that he will create that karma to himself so I asked him to stop Tao Shiatsu study. I feel sorry for them and in some way feel responsible. This is why I repeated this three times in the class. If you don’t put in the effort every moment to bring it to the third level, then it will create this karma for you. So it’s better not to do it. This is where the turning point comes.

For example, Devotion.

Before I could never speak directly about the motivation of “What can I get from Tao Shiatsu?” I was afraid to say it in the class or workshops because next moment doubt comes up in the student’s head and they think: “What does he want from me?” This occurs because of people’s projection: “What I can get????”

In terms of heart and devotion, if someone’s devotion is without heart what happens is that this person will become mean and will start to feel bad about it. If there is no heart - there is no action. If the person uses the heart, then the treatment will become terrible and they will resist Tao Shiatsu. With no heart there is no action, the devotion is only in the head not in the heart. Heart and action must be oneness. If the heart is not increasing each moment, then it’s an illusion and the devotion is only in the head. If you cannot relieve from this heart - “What I can get from Tao Shiatsu”- you will never do Tao Shiatsu. I’m just asking which you want to do? If you will not have the real devotion, then it’s better for you to leave Tao Shiatsu and do another kind of shiatsu or method.

Some people say that the teacher’s side is not so tough. But to allow the student to knowingly use in this way then we both receive negative karma. I have to accept it’s better not to create karma to ourselves. From my side how I can really accept any other option?

If the purpose of your life is Tao Shiatsu, then you should do it. If it’s not like this, then the opposite is true.

So it’s about how much each person can devote to Tao Shiatsu. This of course includes myself. We cannot escape from this question. We need to decide again every moment.

Please remember - not from your head.

Decide from your heart.