Before you open the door to Takara no Michi,
there is something I hope you will keep gently in mind.
The words you find here
do not have one fixed or predetermined answer.
Even when two people encounter the same words,
what they feel
and what arises in their hearts
may be different.
Some words may warm your heart.
Others may leave you with a quiet sense of uncertainty,
or may not make sense to you right away.
That, too,
is something your heart has received
in that particular moment.
There is no need to hurry toward an answer,
or to force yourself to decide
what something must mean.
Things you do not yet understand.
Feelings that are still shifting within you.
Moments when you cannot quite say
that it is one thing or the other.
There is something precious
even in these times of transition.
In Japanese,
there is a beautiful Yamato kotobaοΌε€§εθ¨θοΌβ
a word native to the Japanese language β
that expresses such an in-between space:
awaiοΌγγγ / ιοΌ
Awai is the space and time
in which the heart is still moving β
before it has settled into one side or the other.
Words that did not reach you at one moment
may, with time,
suddenly find their way into your heart.
So I invite you to receive the words you find here
not as someone elseβs answers,
but as small doorways
through which you may encounter
your own sensitivity,
your conscience,
and the quiet voice deep within your heart.
The main character of this path
is not Toshu,
nor any of the beings
you will meet here.
It is you β
the one who encounters the words,
feels,
reflects,
and turns gently toward your own heart.
Your answers are not for someone else to decide.
They are something
that may slowly grow
from within you.
So please,
walk at your own pace,
in your own way.
And I hope you will enjoy
the moments you spend
with the calligraphy and words
waiting for you beyond the door.
π Toshu π