I had to run an errand for Kendo today – collecting a couple of new chairs for the Retreat’s Meditation Suite – and, on such a beautiful spring day, every inch of the 80-mile journey was a delight. Needless to say, there were plenty of opportunities to put Kendo’s teachings to good use!

In such an excellent spring environment, it’s easy to feel the full majesty of nature, to visualise all the deities of nature which Kendo describes (the kami), manifesting in the trees, the fields, the sky, the earth, the air. I was pleasantly surprised at how many cherry trees I saw in full bloom – it was absolutely joyous!

On my errand, I had the opportunity to apply one of Kendo’s strongest messages, which is that of contrast – seeing the inner aspects of things through contemplation; this is an approach which is often seen in Japanese poetry.

Whilst it’s relatively easy to feel the divine aspects of nature on a lovely spring day such as today, Kendo would remind us to consider what’s going on during the depths of winter, when much of nature is hidden beneath frost and grey skies. The contrast Kendo would recommend seeking through “thought experiment”, is to recognise that all the kami of nature so easily perceived in spring are still there in winter. This exercise reveals that cold, grey winter has same aspects of inner beauty and power as spring, and an interesting side-effect of the exercise is that whilst imagining winter, the inner beauty of spring itself is revealed even more clearly.

Mulling this over as I drove enhanced my day even more, and I recalled Kendo’s advice to apply the same “visualisation of contrasts” technique to other aspects of life; I shall, but for the moment, I thank Kendo for giving me the opportunity to experience in even greater clarity the beauty of a spring day.