Days of Dokkōdō.

Where by I have given a lot of verbal rant come winter,

the sound of silence falls much more appealing to me than anything else before it.

The contentment of listening, & the value of quiet holds an incredible amount of truth.

growing up, i knew it all. i held every answer, of every valid opinion, of every self-righteous decision.

independence based on a mindset, rather than your ability to acquire & put in practice your lessons. trial without recognizing the fatal error, was once a beautiful thing.

falling victim to your own undoing is liberating if only for an instant. It is hard to become a sponge of knowledge when you spend so much time defining your own existence by walls of photos & image, a rock.

choosing to rewire your brain is a task of discipline.  reworking your mindset to become child-like, yet take on the responsibility to clean up and rinse the sponge of dirt is something you do not have the knowledge to harness as a child. A filter for life (unnecessary information, trivial BS, & find what matters); acquired is, simply FREEDOM. 

We are told that brains stop growing as young adults, your ability to pick up something new becomes excessively hard. "cant teach old dog, new trick" experts a-liken us. except we're not. dogs.

i read an interesting passage on innovation/imagination/intuition/& our ability to create; it is what sets us apart from all other living beings. our ability to pluck a thought of imagination & create something new, is an action which is so often undermined, yet has formed the basis of our very evolution.

people refer to their existence as animals, here to take care of basic needs; to hunt & mate. this is an awfully limited stance to take on this life.

me like food, me like boy, me & boy eat food, then make baby. can i get a #hashtag much? (social media curdle! )

the reverence of our existence is truly delicate, one that should be met with careful selection, of what we speak, eat, listen to, taste, touch, read & consume.

simplifying every action with its consequence is a mental journey of discipline.

my belief that always met the term "free spirit" with "free schedules" "loose morals" & "carelessness", has been hilariously disproved. a fallacy.

an ego needs a silence. a time out. a holiday. i've sent my opinion packing. i've really been enjoying the quiet.

my personal style, my two-drink minimum comedy bit, my loud obnoxious look at feminism and family structure.

given every thought, every circumstance, every life philosophy has once been shared in history, perhaps we have something to learn.

i quite literally stumbled upon an old Japanese Proverb. a simple word that describes a simple existence.

Dokkōdō:独行道;   "The Path of Aloneness", "The Way to Go Forth Alone", or "The Way of Walking Alone"

It illustrates a set of basic principals that i feel relevant & privy enough to share with you here,

Accept everything just the way it is.

Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.

Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.

Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.

Be detached from desire your whole life.

Do not regret what you have done.

Never be jealous.

Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.

Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.

Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.

In all things, have no preferences.

Be indifferent to where you live.

Do not pursue the taste of good food.

Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.

Do not act following customary beliefs.

Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.

Do not fear death.

Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.

Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.

You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.

Never stray from the way.

Kindest Regards,

M x