Flowers are budding and blooming here in Japan. It’s beautiful. When I saw a small tree starting to bud a few weeks ago, a poem came to me and I’d like to share it with you.

Time waits for no man.

Spring comes, but not for those who don’t see it. Fall comes, but not for those who don’t recognize it.

Those who await the coming of spring, and prepare for its arrival, gather together their seeds and fertilizer, and with their preparation become masters of time.

Those who chase after time, however, are unwise: they are merely busy, lacking time and substance.

True wisdom is to be found in Hong Ik, and where there is Hong Ik, there is peace. Train your mind and practice. Then you will see the signs of the seasons.

The Hong Ik spirit is a mind with freedom, a mind that looks to the whole.

Don’t look only at a tree’s branches or fruits. Just as you let your eyes take in the whole tree, so too, when you take in the whole, you will develop an eye for the seasons.

I hope you are enjoying the changes of seasons and that they inspire you to make positive changes in your life.

Hong Ik is true wisdom.
Hong Ik is hope.
Hong Ik is peace.
Hong Ik is oneness and compassion.
Hong Ik is the highest form of love.

The spirit of Hong Ik frees our mind; it allows us to see the whole. It inspires us to take care of our body, each other, and the earth.

Those who recognize the boundless spirit of Hong Ik inside themselves have no fear. They possess bold self-assurance even in the face of imminent death.

We must see and hear and speak and act with this spirit;
the world needs to recognize its Hong Ik spirit right now.

It can recognize it in us.
It is our hope.

I did bowing meditation this morning while focusing on the energy flow in my body. My body flowed gracefully from a standing position to kneeling to resting my forehead and arms on the mat below me. One hundred and three times I went up and down, moving every joint and muscle, sweating through every pore, and circulating the ki energy throughout my body.

It took me just 20 minutes, but by the end I had had a good aerobic and meditative workout. Many people think they need to go to a gym and buy training shoes and other equipment to be healthy. But by doing bowing meditation, you can do a full-body work out from the comfort of your own room. I know that if I continue to do this practice every day, I do not need to worry about my shoulders and other joints becoming stiff and painful with age. The repetitive motion of the bowing will keep them active and keep the ki energy flowing freely through them. Bowing meditation creates the healthy energy flow of su-seung-hwa-gang (water up, fire down). This energy state releases all toxic energy and calms your brain waves.

Bowing meditation goes beyond a physical workout. Even in the face of a day that on the outside looks the same as the one before, after doing 103 bows I feel energized, purified, and refreshed. The goals of my day feel clearer and I’m ready to get started.

The daily bowing meditation trains my mind so that I’m in better control of my body. Since I began doing 103 bows every day, I’ve reduced the amount of food I eat by one third. I’ve realized that my body is a playground; it has good equipment to play with. I can have fun and learn from my arms and legs, fingers and toes. Through bowing meditation I’m making friends with my body.

As with any friend, I am sensitive to how it feels. With such a close connection to my body, I can self-diagnose its ailments. I could easily sense if I had aches in my toes, weakness in my knees or hip joints, or an imbalance in my spine.

By playing with my body well, I know I will be full of health and vitality regardless of my age.

Just because we learn the sun has black spots, is it suddenly not the sun anymore? Just like the sun, we all have some weak points. And just like the sun shining through the universe, we each have much to offer, despite our flaws.

Our black spots do not change our true nature, so do not be ashamed of them. Our true nature is like the sun which blazes brilliantly in spite of its black spots. Although it has black spots, it never hides its brilliant face in shame.

If you know someone whose life has been stained with small spots, shine brilliantly for her until she knows that she is a sun herself in spite of them. Be her beautiful dream.

When we disseminate the beauty of our innermost being sincerely and truthfully, we all can be bright lights that shine on everyone. Our bright light will give hope to the world.

When you see a problem or something you want, setting a clear goal will automatically bring you hope. Suddenly a solution will seem possible. But as you make a plan and begin to act it out, you will inevitably meet many roadblocks. Some of those roadblocks will come from outside of yourself. Some of them will come from inside—inertia, worrying, over thinking the problem, lack of focus, ineffective habits.

When you come head to head with those problems, move your body. Keep moving your body and taking action for your goal. Do pushups, run around, or do Brain Wave Vibration. Incorporate moving unconditionally into your lifestyle.

The more you think and worry, the more you will waste away your strength. Lots of extra thoughts and worry means you have a lot of unused energy. If you keep moving you will become stronger, more confident, and more peaceful. You will be able to focus better and the right answers will come to you. The movement will activate your brain and integrate its different parts. You’ll be able to use parts of your brain you don’t normally, and you’ll overcome your mental and physical inertia.

Your brain will wake up and see the possibilities more easily when you move your body. Possibilities and positive action are where hope lies. You can’t run out of hope if you keep moving.