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moon in the water Blog Tools Rating: Rate This Blog
Creation Date: 04-26-2010 10:46 PM
niall
Offline
rss2
the water does not try
to reflect the moon
and the moon has no desire
to be reflected
but when the clouds clear
there is the moon in the water
Blog Info
Status: Public
Entries: 155
Comments: 1,111
Views: 1,866,691

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In General The lapis lazuli ring Entry Tools Rating: 5 Stars!
  #6 New 06-11-2010 10:15 AM
The lapis lazuli ring Last week I left a book on a subway train in Tokyo. I was very disappointed because I was half-way through it and it was an old Penguin paperback that was probably irreplaceable.

But anyway the next day I went through the same station and I asked the man at the ticket barrier if a book had been handed in. He telephoned to a lost and found office and they had it there! I was so pleased. So thank you Tokyo Metro. But suddenly it reminded me of my teacher's lapis lazuli ring.

My first teacher Kinjo Asoh Sensei always wore a striking lapis ring. It was a little unusual - older Japanese men are normally quite conservative about jewellery. After Asoh Sensei died his wife gave it to me. It's a beautiful ring and the stone is vivid blue. I have often been complimented on it even by complete strangers. I don't really like to wear it too much because I don't want to lose it at training. So usually I leave it at home safe in a drawer.

Then one day I was burgled. The guy broke the balcony window to get in and even took his shoes off. He took some cash. And the ring. I was devastated. I should have worn it and taken my chances at the dojo. The only good thing to come out of it was I got to see the Japanese police at work taking fingerprints.

About a year later a detective came round. He smiled and he gave me the ring! They had caught the guy. The ring was clear evidence and he confessed to a number of robberies.

I still don't wear the ring every day. I'm still concerned that I'll lose it in a changing room. And of course I'm pretty confident that if it disappears from my house I'll get it back one day!

And that brings me to my lapis ring theory of aikido. Your teacher shows you and teaches you many things. Many of them you won't understand right away. But it doesn't matter. You can let them go. Lose them. Then one day, years later maybe, there will be a knock at the door. There will be a detective outside, smiling and handing you a lapis ring. And you will say to yourself, "Oh that's what my teacher was talking about!"

very cool abstract lapis and jewel colours - photo: bottle burst by BEV Norton http://www.flickr.com/photos/catches...ht/3322290199/ photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/catches...th/3322290199/ used under creative commons licence and with her very kind permission

© niall matthews 2010
Views: 6005 | Comments: 10


RSS Feed 10 Responses to "The lapis lazuli ring"
#10 08-14-2011 08:26 AM
niall Says:
Thanks Carina. Yes the relationship to the ring is very deep. And two ways. It fits/suits me because I teach and write and so I am also a good fit/suit for the ring. For a while. Then when I die I hope someone else can be a good fit and it will be a good fit for that person.
#9 12-21-2010 09:11 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Yes the lapis lazuli ring is perfect for you as a teacher and a writer And here a song about the earth of the lapis lazuli colour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP2fV...eature=related
#8 12-21-2010 09:02 AM
niall Says:
Wow, thanks for all that information Carina. So lapis is very powerful. And it seems perfect for aikido!
#7 11-28-2010 01:38 AM
guest1234567 Says:
The picture is beautiful, no need to be a ring. http://www.all-that-gifts.com/se/lapis_lazuli.html Mystical power: Traditionally believed to increase mental clarity, virility, and calm. Lapis Lazuli is energy focuser for teachers, lecturers and speakers. Enhances creative self-expression. It is believed to be useful in relieving depression and promoting spirituality. Lapis Lazuli is also powerful during meditation.
#6 11-27-2010 07:54 PM
niall Says:
Thank you, Carina. Yes that's a good thought. I couldn't find a good photo of a lapis ring to illustrate this post. I could have taken a picture of my ring but I liked this photo of lapis lazuli blue very much.
#5 11-27-2010 02:54 PM
guest1234567 Says:
Beautiful post Niall, thanks a lot. This reminds me an aikidoka telling he sliped in a rainy day, would have fallen very bad to the back, if his aikido ukemi wouldn't have helped him he would have broken his neck. Another one in a procession beeing one of people who carries the image on his shoulders stumbled and thanks his aikido ukemi nobody realized that anything wrong happened. It is not the same, but are things your body learned and do instinctively, although you thought you lost them.
#4 06-14-2010 10:17 AM
niall Says:
Thank you, Chris.
#3 06-14-2010 01:30 AM
chris wright Says:
A Lovely story, thanks for sharing
#2 06-12-2010 12:52 AM
niall Says:
Thanks for the nice (and poetic) comment, Daisy Luu. Yes, it's true.
#1 06-11-2010 09:27 PM
Daisy Luu Says:
True story? Good anecdote! And yes, what treasures our Sensei leave behind for us, jewels that resurface long after they're gone.
 




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