Pure Faith & Vow For All Beings

Lecture 7:

Kyoto March 20, 2002

This (lecture) is like walking on ice, because every time I don’t know what I can say. Next moment, maybe it might not come out. It only comes out from the connection, and also of course from the method. Next day, maybe I lose everything. This is a possibility as soon as my heart is captured by ego – then there will be no more. And I know this very clearly so….what am I going to do…? (laughing) This is the Tao shiatsu life.

Just one thing about what we have just practiced in the Ki-Do In. What we have practiced is, putting up the vow that the receiver – the other person, and all others, increase one of the Tao Hearts. We practiced pure faith, and saw how our ego tricks us in this concept. Being tricked happens in thinking "because I hoped – therefore it worked. " Do you understand what I’m talking about??? It is easy to drop into this, but you need to know clearly why… for example, why pure faith to Tao Shiatsu affects the ki?

Did you ever think about it? Deeply? The meaning of it? Or did you just think, "Oh my pure faith affected the ki?" It’s a very shallow level to see it like this. "Because I put (up my vow)… my image affected…" Is this right? Even at this point we are tricked like this, but it’s not at all this way. A couple of things are connected here. Once, I explained what the faith to Tao Shiatsu is, and maybe before you were thinking, "Oh faith – I have to trust" Like telling yourself to trust, that this is faith.

Faith however, is based on the vow and Tao Shiatsu is the way through which the universal spirit affects or heals all beings. This is Tao Shiatsu. Or we can say this process itself is the universe, right?? So this means the universal spirit itself is the process, which means Tao Shiatsu itself. If you just look at the back side of Tao Shiatsu – it’s the universal spirit.

If we don’t have the vow that; we want all beings to increase their spiritual development, or to be healed, or improve, or progress, or whatever, the faith to Tao Shiatsu becomes just like: "OK, I need to trust this, I Have to trust this, I will trust this." Only telling yourself, forcing yourself to trust this. But if you have this vow between you and Tao Shiatsu there is no ditch, no separation, because your heart is Tao Shiatsu. So pure faith, this vow, and unification are Tao Shiatsu. They are equal. If there is this vow, of course you believe it. There is no doubt about it in your heart. When you don’t have this vow, the doubt comes. This is the meaning of pure faith.

Also connected is the fact that, because Tao Shiatsu is the universe itself, or the process of ki affecting itself, once you have pure faith and you keep increasing it, you are one with this ki and this ki will be affected as you saw in the do-in practice. This is one connection.

The vow that the receiver and others will increase their pure faith means that all other people will share this heart, OK? This is actually the source, the bottom, this is the core, really this is the core of Tao Shiatsu. To share this heart with everybody.

Last time in the Tokyo class, it seemed as if i shocked the students when we practiced a couple of times the 3 different approaches to the ki method.

1- Using Tao Shiatsu as another style of shiatsu
2- Using for ones life, one’s life work
3 – With the vow to practice for all beings

Completely different results were experienced when working with the ki method expressing the heart of each approach. I told them, if you can’t have this vow (3) in dealing with Tao Shiatsu, it’s better you leave. What was the shock? They know Tao Shiatsu is becoming more and more popular with more and more people trying to deal with it. Usually in this kind of situation people try to make more organization. By saying, "If you are not willing to do (Tao Shiatsu) with number 3, then approaching with 1 or 2 you will create (bad) Karma. Therefore i think it is better for people to leave Tao Shiatsu if they are doing with 1 and 2. In saying this at this point, perhaps tomorrow, almost all the people in the class will leave, maybe. Maybe nobody will do Tao Shiatsu the next day.

But if I look back over the past 20 years, almost all of those 20 years I was teaching only a few people. If i am prepared to be back to that point, there is nothing to lose. I always need to prepare for this, to be back at the beginning. The important point is that people will do the real Tao Shiatsu. This is my loyalty to my teacher and to Tao Shiatsu.

Now in Tokyo there is like a preparation or introductory class, which another Japanese teacher teach, and Mayu Endo’s class with level 1 and 2. The preparation classes are more relaxing because they know that there are still many people waiting to enter the level 1 class. So they can relax (laughing ) a little. But I said with this attitude you can forget about it. Prepare means this…this is the point. It is not just about myself, it is about each person here or anywhere who is dealing with Tao Shiatsu. Even if there’s just you left, everybody else leaves, even if I leave (laughing), you still do Tao Shiatsu, you still keep increasing, this is the point. OK??

We need to always think and reflect about this. Even if it’s just you left, nobody else, you still keep up the vow and the practice, your hope for all beings, and keep walking this path. This is the point. Thank you (laughing ) Yoroshiku.

First Step: Empathic imagination until touching, then touch with centre finger. During this process keep imagining the line where receiver wants to be pressed most. Don’t let any researching mind come up at any moment. Research mind means that you want to stand on top of the Tao. After you touch is the next challenge – doubt comes up. Don’t let any doubt come up, just pure faith increasing. Because this is the way, OK?

So, what is Tao Shiatsu? Where can we find Tao Shiatsu? Not in the word… right? We can’t find Tao Shiatsu in a word. When Universal Spirit is just a word there is no heart. The heart of empathic imagination. This is Tao Shiatsu. The heart of increasing. This is Tao Shiatsu. Because the heart of empathic imagination is Tao Shiatsu, if you follow, then of course there is a response, the meridian ki responds. But not even for one moment expect a result. Like – "OK, if I have empathic imagination it should respond". This is already calculation. If there is calculation then there is always some negativity coming in, the ego comes in. Already in calculation there is negativity and ego. So don’t expect a result. Only purely, just purely, with pure faith. Don’t ever think that, "This should respond to my pure faith." This is not pure is it? So how much can you really clean this up? Clean up all this ego heart. This is the practice.

(Students practiced taking Tsubo with faith and vow )
How was it with action, method and heart? Is it more difficult now? Or is it getting closer?

It is interesting to see: If the action is difficult and the heart is easy, it means about devotion. For example, if you did as devotion for Tao Shiatsu and if you had in your mind "I devoted to this, I devoted for this," then of course the method and heart become stuck. You know ?(laughing). If you start counting…Tao Shiatsu is the whole universe right?…how can you give back? Compared to the whole universe. Compared to Infinity. What is counting??? What are you counting? Sometimes you start doing this, it’s better you watch out.

Compared to infinity , limited is really nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. That’s why, only keep increasing. The only way to unify to infinity is by just keeping increasing the heart, and always realise that compared to infinity, it will never be enough. Of course. So sometimes you get stuck with this idea. Do you understand? We all have to watch out, me too.

This is one type. Another type is just wanting to show something to yourself , like "I did something", or even to just ignore. How important increasing is. Only increasing can bring real understanding, the realization that we are facing something infinite. Then what do you do? How do you deal with this? This is the point. Don’t bring something infinite down to the limited level with your counting. OK ??? Coming to be closer to the reality of Tao. Truth is not always easy (laughs). But truth is the best and there is no other way to be relieved. Many traps, thousands of traps but truth is the only way.

Be careful. Always look at your heart, which direction are you? Is it for yourself or for all others. Then try to keep, or try to change, the direction.