Establish yourself to live in harmony with others

This essay was written by one of our students, Edina, for her blue belt grading. She shared some great insights into the topic and has kindly agreed for me to publish it here!

Shorinji Kempo is a discipline that develops individuals. ‘’Jiko kakuritsu’’, meaning ‘’self-establishment’’, refers to building strength of character.  As such, the goal of Shorinji Kempo is not to train martial arts champions but to train stable and strong leaders, who will be an asset to society at large.  This is achieved through increasing physical strength through regular training and increasing mental focus and self-understanding through meditation. Over time, as we become physically and mentally stronger and become more competent, we also develop greater self-confidence.

I see parallels between this aspect of Kempo philosopy and Carol Dweck’s theory of growth mindset, which proposes that people can develop qualities and reach their goals with effort, perseverance and drive, regardless of natural ability. This theory is based on neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to continue forming, strengthening and weakening neural connections throughout life. People who have a growth mindset use feedback and mistakes as opportunities to improve, while enjoying the process of learning, thus becoming more productive. 

Kaiso [our founder] wisely said ‘’live half for your own happiness, half for the happiness of others’’.  Therefore, to maintain the balance between self-interest and altruism that kenshi should strive for, ‘’jiko kakuritsu’’ is paired with ‘’jita kyoraku’’, which means ‘’self and others mutual enjoyment’’.  In other words, our ‘’well-established selves’’ should strive to live in harmony with others’’.  

A few weeks ago, Sensei Ben talked about us having to do more teaching as we progress in our training. He explained that if one day some of us have our own dojos, we will have to first ‘’establish ourselves’’, meaning we first have to show that we can do everything ourselves to earn the trust and respect of the kenshi [students].  Once we have established ourselves as the person in charge, then we can be less controlling and let others teach.  This made me think about this concept of ‘’Jiko kakuritsu, jita kyoraku’’; first establishing ourselves as leaders and then living in harmony with others by giving them a chance to practice leading.

Reflecting on my own Kempo journey, I can see how Kempo has contributed to my development as an individual.  When I first joined the dojo, a fellow kenshi jokingly described me as ‘’weedy’’, which was a fairly accurate description; I had the upper body strength of chicken, and the only exercise I did was walking.  Over the years, I have got progressively stronger and can now do a 2-minute plank, 20 push ups, and a single pull up; it doesn’t sound like much but for me it’s great progress.  I jog to work to improve my cardiovascular fitness and I bought a bike so I could cycle to Kempo and avoid public transport during the pandemic.  Training Kempo has encouraged me to have a better work-life balance.  Initially, I would often miss training because I would be working late, whereas now, on Wednesday, I ensure that I only plan work that I can reasonably do in 9 hours.
​
In conclusion, Jiko kakuritsu and jita kyoraku sum up how Shorinji Kempo develops individuals; by believing our own potential and improving ourselves, we can use our strengths to improve the lives of those around us for our mutual benefit