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Old 08-13-2007, 07:21 PM   #4
Qatana
 
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Dojo: Aikido of Petaluma, Petaluma,CA
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 834
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Re: Identity: Yet Another Internal Strength (or weakness)

Great column, Lynn, This is the essence of how we train in my dojo, examining who we are and who we become with every single technique, with every single (and multiple) training partner. For me this is with an eye towards someday being to treat Everybody the way I do my training partner, to become to everybody who I am to my partners...
I have a small problem with this phrase though:

"A Zen Master would ask you to put your identity on the table so _he_ could take a closer look and fix it if necessary. "

In my experience with Buddhist meditation is that You put your identity (problem, crisis, behavior) on the table, You examine it and You Accept it, and sometimes the problem or crisis just goes away, or transforms. I have never heard of a Zen master or master teacher "fixing"anybody.Showing people how to become who they are, yes, but not "fixing".Likewise, I wouldn't say my sensei is fixing me, but showing me how to become more than who I think I am.

Q
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