Ei. Wa. Chi. Taking back the SCA

[gurdymonkey]

Evidently tonight is being brought to us by the letter V.  One can only wonder whether the broadcast is going out to the right places.

The following is a little something one of my friends wrote awhile ago. I try to return to it whenever I need it: 

It has been said by some that the warriors of the Heavenly Kingdom do not belong on the Field of Honor.
(Samurai do not belong in the lists)

     The Three Vows of Honor
      I vow to honor my foe and call his blows fairly and trust that he is fair in turn
     I vow to honor my chosen ancestors, to learn well their weapons and the manner in which they wield them.
     I vow to honor my hosts, to learn well their weapons and the manner in which they wield them.

It has been said by some that the warriors of the Orient do not act like guests among us and upset the tranquility of the Kingdom.
(Samurai do not act like guests)
(Samurai mar my medieval groove)

     The Three Vows of Harmony
      I vow to remember that I am a guest within this society and show gratitude for the hospice.
     I vow to keep my arms, armour, and dress suitable to my station.
     I vow to show respect to the King, the Peers of the Realm, the Nobles and Barons, and all the populace of the Kingdom.

        The Three Vows of Knowledge
     I vow to learn deeply of the ways and customs of my chosen ancestors
            - to honor, cherish, and emulate them.
     I vow to learn deeply of the ways and customs of my hosts
            - to honor, cherish, and emulate them.
     I vow to share what I learn to those who wish to know but never preach to.   
                -  The Honorable Lord Otagiri Tatsuzou, Outlands, October 25, 2005.*

Otagiri-dono wrote as a fighter, but you don't need to be a fighter to apply these precepts, or have a non-Western persona. Honor the people around you. Create harmony with respect. Learn from anyone you can, share what you know in turn.

(Damn. Now I need to practice these three kanji in large scale and put 'em on a banner. They need to be on a banner. )

Comments

[mamapduck.livejournal.com]

The problem with calling everyone to own their own part publicly is that if it is not immediately followed by a public statement of your own share, it loses some of it's oomph. I've seen that post repeated several times, none of them followed by "and hey, I fucked up too."

I like this better. Otagiri-dono says, "I will" instead of "you should."

My promises of better behavior are made to God, not to LJ. I will say that one of them is that I will try to break the Mean Girl cycle by treating people as I wish they would treat me rather than as they do. That someone chooses to be hateful at me does not give me license to hate right back.

[callistotoni.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing this Ei Wa Chi post again. I really like those words and find that reading them does bring on a sense of peace in me.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

I miss the author of those words, though I suspect his absence from the boards we frequent is the direct result of his having his head screwed on correctly when it comes to priorities and the balancing act that is life.

You were around for the Ei Wa Arghhhh situation in 2007. I ran into my "foe" last weekend on Merchant's Row at GWW and I am pleased to report that All's Friendly On The Western Front.

[syele.livejournal.com]

this is beautiful, and a poignant reminder. Thank you, friend.

[la-peregrina.livejournal.com]

:::Bowing low::: This is lovely. Now I'm missing my dojo and my karate days again. Domo arigato.