Ajari Tanaka began teaching in the United States in 1978. Since that time he has taught on a wide variety of subjects. Within the broad reach of his teachings, Ajari Tanaka has emphasized certain things to the extent that they have become the building blocks of our training. There are nine general dimensions that form the foundation of how we train. Some come directly from Shingon, while others are practices and disciplines that Ajari Tanaka believes create meaning, add value or a certain richness to our path. Collectively, these nine are the tools our teacher has shared with us to explore ourselves, our tradition and his vision. They are the vehicles we use to progress along our path.
The nine dimensions of our training are:
- Meditation
- Recitation
- The practice of mudra
- Ritual
- Traditional, contemplative arts
- Healthy eating
- Exercise
- Study
- Helping others
During a karate lesson given during one of our early summer retreats, Ajari Tanaka's wife, Yukiko-san explained the Japanese term
"keiko". She explained that keiko meant "practice". She left the impression that it was what we do to make progress, its what we do to spur personal growth, its what we do to uncover what we are really capable of. Our nine dimensions of training are the "stuff" of our practice, it's our keiko.
Over the next weeks and months, we will explore more of the details of our training. We will look into each dimension individually. Our hope is this will help share a more complete understanding of our practices, the Shingon tradition and most specifically the teachings of Ajari Jomyo Tanaka.
Stay tuned...
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