Observations placeholder
Book of Five Spheres - The Fire Scroll - Crossing a Ford
Identifier
008302
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
When you cross a sea, there are places called straits. Also, places where you cross a sea even twelve or fifteen miles wide are called fords. In going through the human world as well, in the course of a lifetime there will be many points that could be called crossing a ford.
On the sea lanes, knowing where the fords are, knowing the state of the boat, knowing the weather, even without launching companion boats, you adapt to the state of the time, sometimes taking advantage of crosswinds, sometimes even getting favourable winds, knowing that even if the wind changes you can still reach port by oar, you take command of the ship and cross the ford.
With that attitude, in passing through the human world you should also have a sense of crossing a ford in an emergency.
In martial arts, in the midst of battle, it is also essential to "cross the ford." Sensing the state of opponents, aware of your own mastery, you cross the ford by means of the appropriate principles, just as a skilled captain goes over a sea-lane.
Having crossed over the ford, furthermore, there is peace of mind.