Awareness and Who is this ‘I’? – Quotes and Resources

What you’re looking for is that which is looking. – St. Francis d’Assisi

Watercolor by Taylor, Jan. 2020.

Thanks to meditation and many teachers, this mind has come to a growing realization.  That meditation, zazen and aspects such as peace (平常心, heijoushin), freedom from

Really Seeing the Opponent and Opportunities to Strike – Part 1: “O” Sensei

A young Kyoshi 7 dan  from Japan visited the dojo that I practice at this week.  I’ll refer to him as “O” sensei as he preferred not having his name mentioned.  He had once placed

“Soft Eyes,” A Way of Seeing and Being – Quotes and Resources

I believe that “Soft Eyes” is an extremely important part of kendo and many areas of life.  It is a natural, tension-free way of seeing and being – which goes by many other names: Whole or Effortless Seeing, Soft or Open Focus, Wide-Angled, Peripheral or Panoramic Vision and “Enzan no Metsuke.”

Quotes on Mushin, Flow and Open-Focus – Part 1

Open-Focus, Mushin and Kendo

Several years ago, I came across an insightful book: The Open-Focus Brain by Dr. Les Fehmi and Jim Robbins [Fehmi].  The possibility that the “Open-Focus” state could