I recently saw an interview with Mel Gibson regarding his film "The Passion of the Christ", which, by the way I have never seen.
In the interview he talked about his faith and he became intrigued with the "Passion" that Christ had for his beliefs. This became his personal meditation. I thought this a very interesting example coming from a very successful man.
In my quest for Self Mastery my personal meditation has been developing a Calm Mind, sort of like that reflection of the full moon on a calm pool of water thing. Of course there are degrees and levels of having a calm mind. I was given a taste of this from my 1st teacher and a had a realization that with a Peaceful Mind one could accomplish anything, or not. What a feeling that was the first time. In my work and everyday life this has been my greatest asset.
SFQ gave me great joy one time when I read that having a smile on your face during exercise or meditation removes the tension from the body, another step in maintaining a calm mind.
There is a tale I would like to share that, to my knowledge has never been written down but passed from teacher to student. It is about the Samurai Sword and it being the Soul of the Samurai. It starts with the Sword Maker traveling along a river and picking up the right kind of sand (Iron Oxide). When he has enough of the right kind he builds a oven on the river bank and melts the sand into ingots. He sorts through these ingots and proceeds back to his shop to begin making the sword. He fires up his forge and begins to heat the ignots in a charcoal furnace turning them cherry red he begins to hammer them together. The Charcoal furnace puts carbon into the iron oxide allowing it to be hardened or tempered. After the right size of raw material is achieved it is heated stretched and folded
somewhere between 300 to 700 times which gives it appx 30,000 layers. This probably the most important part. After that the billet is split open and a soft core placed inside to make it flexible, the billet is then hammered into the shape of a sword, heated and quenched many times until the sword maker is satisfied. It is then sent out to the polisher who turns it into a beautiful work of art.
This is also an example of ones path of self mastery. You yourself walk along the sand and pick up the grains that will eventually make you what you are, you are tested by fire, you are hammered and shaped, you grow and then you become a work of art. The sword is also a symbol of intellect, a sharp and keen wit, etc.
Anyway a story I always liked.
Jeff
