言葉の気迫Mettle of words

言葉にはエネルギーがある。

Words has an energy.

話せない人も手話に特独の活き込みがあるから、

手による言語にもそれぞれ違う個性がある。

Due to having personal differences for using words

even sign language for people who speak words by their hands

also have their own identifiable lively gestures.  

 

気迫とは気が放つ強弱である。

Spirit or people’s mettle means to me

strength of mental energy when it gives off.

ある人の放つ言葉には強い気があるが、

ある人が放つ言葉は弱弱しく聞く人の心に届かない。

Someone has a strong energy when word is spoken

but other people’s released words are

too weak to touch someone’s mind.

 

昨日、あるブロガーの記事を読んでたら、

気迫が無いと言われたことが切っ掛けで、

自らでは気づくことができなかった自分の特性について

考えるようになったことが書いてあった。

Yesterday, I read a blogger’s article

about rethinking his identifiable tendency

which he was not able to aware by himself

and motivated by telling him that he had not a mental mettle.

その記事を読んでから、

気迫についてずっと考えてしまった。

After reading that article

it has made me think about a mental mettle.

 

私が若かった頃は

気迫があると結構言われた。

When I was young,

I had been told that I have a mental mettle.

言われていた時はまたかよと気に留めなかったが、

言われる度にその言葉が発せられた状況やその時の私の心境、

言った人の目つきなどの情報がデータになってきて

気迫の状態が掴めてきた。

When I was told such a thing,

I thought ‘not again’ and didn’t care about what they said to me

 but I found that the information they said was

became some data for me to grasp what is mental mettle,

whenever I heard about such as

the situation when they say,

my mental status at that time,

how they looked at me etc.

 

私のデータによると、

気迫とは

 『迫ってくる活き込み』

 『活発な表現能力』

 『テキパキした応答具合』

 『推進力のある行動』

 『相手を真っすぐ直視する目つき』など

 状況や状態を他人が感じた時に

『気迫がある』と言う場合が多かった。

According to my data from I told,

Mental mettle definition is

 『revitalized force to get closer』

 『activated expression ability』

 『condition of precise responsiveness』

 『behave with thrust』

 『looking straight opponent eyes』etc.

 When others feel such above situations and conditions,

they often say there you have『Mental Mettle』

 

気迫は他人が課すレベルの度合いである。

A mental mettle is a degree of level

 that other people impose on someone.

自らが己に対しては課すことができない。

A oneself cannot impose on the self.

 

気迫を持って話したいとある人が願っている場合、

その人が気迫を意識した瞬時だけは

表せることが可能かも知れないが、

その意識が緩むと本来の本性に返る。

If someone wishes speaking with mettle,

 it may be possible to express

when they conscious at the moment only

but as soon as the conscious relaxes

it gets back to the real nature.

 

意識しなくても持てる気迫こそが

その人の本性から表れる特性だろう。

It would be the identified mettle without conscious of it

and it can be the characteristic manifest of individual

when it appears naturally.

 

 

去年、作家で禅師でもある南直哉氏が指導する坐禅会に参加した。

Last year, I took part zazen practicing

which was led by Minami Jikisai

who is s a writer and a Zen master.

私は事前に面談申請をしていたので、

彼との面談ができた。

Beforehand I applied for his counselling,

I was able to have time face to face.

その2回の面談を通して一貫して感じたことは

『気の気迫』であった。

What I felt consistently through out two times of counselling,

it was『his mental mettle energy』

 私は常に人との話でリードされたことが無かったのだが、

その面談では話の方向調整力は彼が中心であった。

I had never been leaded by people when have conversation,

but at that counselling,

 he was holding the central direction to go

where the conversation to be.

私の面談目的が

彼の本を翻訳する承諾をもらうことであったから、

彼が私に疑問や意図を問う流れになり、

その過程で私は彼が導く会話の流れに

完全に任せることができた。

At that time since my purpose of met with him was

to get his permitting for English translate his books

so the conversation process supposed to be that

he asked me questions of my reasons

and what is my intension but

while I had the processing,

 I could just follow his leading and relied completely on him.   

 

彼が放つ気迫は透明な感じがした。

I felt like his mental mettle is kind of transparent.

気迫とはこういう状態を指すだろうと思った。

I thought that mental mettle would refer like this state.

 

彼はその気迫で人を押しつぶすことが無く、

思ったことの肝要なことだけを言わせる指導力があった。

His mental mettle has a leadership

to makes me say only point on my thinking

and it did not crush or step people’s mind.

要らない枝をきっぱり切って、

本音を言わせるような無駄のない方向性があった。

Cutting off unnecessary branches neatly,

he has leading ability

which can make people say their true nature

 without any of wasting to toward a direction.

 

彼の本質性は長年の修行で養えた確固たるもののように見えた。

His nature seemed to have formed firmly

which came from went through for long practicing.

彼の言葉は今でも私の核心に刺さって

毎日違う方法の答えを出せるようにしてくれる。

His words still stick to me at my core

and it also leads me to answer differently every day.

 

根本に向いて真っすぐに直視できるようにさせてくれる力

それが『言葉の気迫』であろう。

The force that makes us straightforward to face on the fundamentals,

that would be 『the Mettle of words』

補足

Bellow is Eric Applebaum's comment on Facebook.

> Interesting use of language in your post.

The english word "mettle" originally described character...

"the stuff of which a person is made". 

Perhaps with some IRONY...the term mettle is derived from the word "metal"....

which is strong stuff and by definition a positive attribute to asign to a person.

I said it was irony because metal has the aspect of rigidity....

which I think is not always helpful for mental processing. 

In any event, perhaps the opposite of metal would be noodle (in cooked form). I am glad you didn't describe mental noodles. 

But I would be remiss to miss that "noodle" is a common English slang referring to the brain...

often expressed to youngsters: "Come now, you can figure this out, just use your noodle."

The sea of words is always moving.....<

なぜ坐禅を研究しているのかWhy do I study zazen?

私は宗教を持たないようにしている。

I decided that try not to have a religion.

宗教に束縛されたくないのも理由の一つであるが、

善悪の判断を宗教に委ねたくないのが諸理由の核心であるからだ。

Because as one of the reasons,

 I do not want to be tied up by a religion but for the core reason,

 I don’t want to let entrusting a religion makes good or evil basis instead of me.

 

若かった頃は善悪を決める基準が定まらず、

絶対的に正しく思える宗教の教えに追い求めた時があった。

In my youth, there were times

when I was pursuing religious teachings

that can make me think obsoletely right

because of I didn’t have some criteria for deciding what is good or evil.

家庭環境が与えた宗教より、

自分が納得できる宗教を持ちたかったので、

あらゆる宗教団体に入り、

教えを乞いまた習った。

I wanted to have a religion which can make sense to me

rather than to have a religion given by family background

so that I joined many kinds of religious groups

and begged teaching to learn.

 

だが、どの宗教も何かの強制力があり、

善や悪の根拠を納得させるよりは無理強いさせるような

理に叶ってない拘束力があるように感じた。

However, I felt like that any of religion has some kinds of enforceability

with restriction which is not backing up with reasonable,

 rather than making sense for grounding to judge good or evil.

 

必ず、何かの条件がついていて

行動を制限している規則があるようだった。

There seemed to have rules

which were attached conditions

that restricting people’s behaviors.

 

例えば、AになるためにはBをしなければならない。

For example, in order to become A, must do B.

 

BをしないとAにはなれない。

Unless do B, cannot be A.

 

AはCによって約束されている。

A is promised by C.

 

Cは人間以外の超越的な力である。

C is a transcendental force other than human kind.

 

DはAを導く。

D leads A.

 

EはBによってAにつながる等など、

E is linked to A by B, etc.

それらのAやB、CやD、その他に限りなく続くX要因も

状況や状態によって入れ替えられる変則的な可変性があった。

Such A or B, C or D those seemed to have anomalous variability

 that can be replaced by X factors

which is infinitely lasts by situations and status.

 

Aを取るにはBを失わなければならない、

その条件をクリアすればある約束された境地に入れると

何千年前の前例が示しているという。

Said that earlier cases which have been showed thousand years ago

 that to take A must lose B then will be able to reach a frontier

where have been promised by cleared such conditions

私にはそのような条件付きが苦しかった。

Such attached conditions were arduous for me to take.

 

常にAやB、その他に疑問があった。

I always had doubts A or B and others.

宗教はX要因に対する疑問を禁止し、

予め準備している脅かしで疑問に蓋をする。

A religious prohibits doubt on questioning X factors and

it covers on the questioning with prepared threats.

 

それらの条件Aに対する条件B、

疑問に対する脅かしなどが私には納得できなかった。

Such conditions A against a condition B,

other treated to doubts were not convincing to me.

 

だが、坐禅だけは私の疑問に応えてくれた。

However, only zazen responded for my doubts.

坐禅は宗教の枠組に入らなくても教えを習えた。

I could learn teachings without involved into a frame of religion.

 

宗教団体に属さなくても

私個人が思うAを求めることが許されていた。

Even though I was not belonged to a religious group,

 I was allowed to pursuit A which I was looking for.

それらのAやBの条件の重荷を降ろしてくれた。

Zazen unloaded my heavy burdens those conditions of A or B.

 

従うことに条件を強いてなかった。

Zazen didn’t force me to obey with conditions.

それらの条件が少ないことに惹かれ、

坐禅をもっと知りたくなり研究をしている。

So, I have been studying zazen

because I wanted to know more about it

and attracted by such lesser conditions.

 

 

心や思いに条件が多いと公理的に考えることができない。

If there many of thoughts or conditions in mind,

then cannot think axiomatically.

かと言って公理的に考えすぎると道理が見えない。

But if too much axiomatically think,

then cannot see a principle.

 

無条件ばかりだと規範が定まらない。

If there is only unconditioned,

then cannot settle regulations.

条件や無条件は考え方を統制し、

行いに対し方向性を示す。

Conditions and unconditioned control how to think

and show directions to behave.

 

坐禅は心理学を根本的なつながりがあるように思えるが、

それが何かについて学術的に明かしていくには

まず、坐禅の真髄を体験することが大前提であろう。

It seems to have fundamental connection between psychology and zazen,

to reveal academically what the connection is,

it needs experiencing the pith of zazen for the major premise.

坐禅の真髄を体験するということは

教えに従ってただ行うことであると言われてはいるのだが…

I have been told that the experiencing zazen pith is

just a doing on follow the teaching…

 

P.S ①This picture is taken last week in front of my house.

　　②Below is Mr. Eric Applebaum's comment on Facebook.

>Excellent point by point analysis why, for some of us, the active decision not have have a religion is best.

Religion may be separated from heritage. The latter is living history, and we can embace it without adopting rules and beliefs of the religion.

Some are worried that failing to have faith in the religion they were born into might have drastic negative consequences. But that is a personal matter and we are each free to choose.

I don't believe in heaven or hell, so the threat of endless humid days is not effective. Perhaps if there was a religion which claimed all non-believers will have horrible lawns I might be persuaded, but as yet no God has issued such warning or shown a propensity to smite grassy rectangles.

More seriously, the large scale structure of the Universe, about which we had little proof before Hubble's observations in the early 1920's, sort of sealed the deal for me. Creation myths from thousands of years ago, for me, couldn't compete with a hundred billion galaxies. 

In any event, it's good to keep a wide angle perspective...speaking of which: At this stage in my life photos of me from the distance shown are best. :-)

心のゼロ時点Mental zero point

数字のゼロは全ての中心である。

Number zero is the center of all.

ゼロを軸にプラスの陽が生じ、マイナスの陰も生じる。

On axis at zero be generated

as yang-positive and yin-negative.

もし、心がプラスに傾いてるのであれば、加えることに赴きがあるだろうし、

マイナスに傾けば、減らせることに主な注意が向くだろう。

If a mind is inclined toward to be plus,

 then it travels to be added.

If a mind tilted toward to minus,

 the main attention faces to be reduced.

 

心に加えたいことと心にあることを減らそうとする対調的な心構えが

同時に心に起こると心は均衡を失う。

A mindset loses its equilibrium

 when counterbalance occurs at same time

 that desire adding something in mind and reducing something 

 which is already in the mind.

心が均衡を失うと中心点も失う。

When a mind loses equilibrium, 

 the center point also gets lost.

中心点を失った心は行先も失い、

やるべきことができなくなるだろう。

If a mind lost the central point

 will also lose its destination to go

 and becomes not be able to do anything

 on things should be done.

 

では心のプラス要因とは何だろうか。

Then what would be mental positive factors?

達成させたい目標

Goal want to be achieved.

完成させたい計画

Plan want to be completed.

手に入れたいことやもの

Things or stuffs that want to get.

到達したい状態

State where want to reach.

なりたい何か等など、

Something would like to become etc.

いずれも今に無い何かである。

Either of them is something that do not have in current.

 

反面、心のマイナス要因とは、

On the other hand, the mental negative factors are

消したい記憶

Memory that want to erase.

解消したいストレス

Stress that want to release.

無くしたい心の外傷

Trauma that want to lose.

切りたい人間関係

Relationship that want to cut it off.

戻りたい過去の状態

Formal state in the past that want to get back.

戻したい過去のこと等など、

Things that wanting to return in the past etc.

それらも今に無い過去や未来のものである。

 Those things are not in current

 but only in the past or in the future.

心がプラスに向いて働いているのであれば、

If a mind is working on positive faced,

手に入れたいものを獲得するため、

只管探し求めることになるだろう。

it will solemnly look for to get

 that want to hold in hands.

心がマイナスに向いて働いてるのあれば、

If a mind is working on negative faced,

心の重荷になっているものを無くせるため、

只管荷物や要らなくなったものを探すだろう。

it will also solemnly look for

to drop a mental burden has become heavy

or things that no longer in needed.

 

そのようなプラスやマイナスな働きは

生きていくために必要不可欠な作業である。

Such plus positive and minus negative functions are works

 that indispensable to live a life.

だが、プラスとマイナスが同時に生じると、

心は行き場を失ってしまう。

However, if plus and minus occur at same moment,

 the mind gets lose else where to go.

行先を失った心はすべきことができず、何もできなくなる。

The mind without destination

 will not be able to do anything for should be done.

 

では、どうすれば心を立て直し、

中心を再設定できるだろうか。

Then, how can reset mental at center point

 and reconstruct consideration?  

 

良くなるためだけに忙しい心を

どうやって安定させられるだろうか。

How can let mind stay in calm

 when the mind is busy just to be better?  

 

体が行ける速度より遥かに早くつっばしる心を

どうやって速度制限させられるだろうか。

How can make follow the over speeding mind

 which run faster than body can catch up

 and make it follow on speed limit?

 

そのためには

To do so,

まず、立っているところで坐ってみることだ。

At the first, try to sit down where standing on.

中心点を失ったところで坐ることだ。

Sitting where lost the mental center point.

忙しい心を坐らせることだ。

To make the busy mind have a sit.

走る心を坐らせることだ。

Make the running mind to sit.

未来を見ている目を今に向かせることだ。

Make turning to current time the view point

 which is looking at the future.

過去を見ている目を今に向かせることだ。

Make turning to current time the view point

 which is looking at the past.

全ての答えは今にあることに気づくことだ…

Aware all the answers are in now…

P.S

Below is Eric Applebaum's comment which he commented on my blog at Facebook.

>

Right now I am thinking about your blog post, enjoying my recent reading of it. 

I found the picture at top well placed with your article. It shows positive infinity and negative infinity. Equal but opposite.

I suppose infinity is about as far as one gets from zero...although beyond the logic of it, nothingness seems quite vast indeed. :-)

I imagine a star, burning faithfully for billions of years. How can any reaction be maintained for billions of years? 

It requires balance between opposing forces. 

Fusion within the star rams atoms together, makes heat and creates outward pressure. Fusion, without an opposing force, would blow up the star faster than you can ask: "Oh my, doesn't the sun look a little bloated today?" 

The opposing force to fusion is gravity, which tries to collapse a star. If fusion stops in a big star, gravity will crush it down to a black hole faster than you can ask: "Hey pal, do you agree our local star is having issues today?"

I think humans do a rather remarkable job at maintaining balance between opposing mental forces. History is strewn with tales of mass insanity, but day in and day out, in our little corners of the world, most do a pretty good job at finding a central balance point. I think we have a natural capacity for it.

But innate sanity of human mentation only goes so far. As you say, we can always do better. And we can make a more conscious effort to shift our balancing routines to the fleeting now.

Well, this comment is stretching off to infinity so I'll wrap it up soon. Let's finish with a question about time. Is NOW merely a matter of perception? Is Time itself, always in motion, only events that have already occurred and those about to occur? 

By the way, personally, I don't believe the concept of a present now is merely psychological....but I'm not really qualified on the subject.....yet. <