Gassho.
This thread grew out of an earlier discussion of application of techniques in the Shorinji Kempo forum on Budoseek, in which I stated that Shorinji Kempo kata are the original WYSIWYG. I was wondering, how many people understand the reason for making gassho rei at the entrance to the doin, and why we also make gassho rei to shomen (i.e., the manji scroll at the top of the room). There's a reason, which is explained below, but first I'd be interested to see how many Kenshi misunderstand the purpose behind it.
The gassho rei is not to "show the doin respect". I doubt that four brick walls and a white plaster ceiling could care less about how you treat them. You can't hurt the floor's feelings either, no matter how hard you land. The intent is introspection; do not simply rei perfunctorily and rush to enter the doin as quickly as possible; instead, take a moment to promise yourself on entering that you'll give 100% to the class tonight, and upon leaving, be honest and pause a moment to ask yourself whether you gave that 100%. Similarly, as we move through each section of the class (kihon, chinkon, kamokujutsu, etc.), which are all punctuated ("top and tails") by gassho rei to shomen, promise yourself you'll give 100% of what is required for that segment. One of the charges levelled against Shorinji Kempo is that we are a "religion" (in many people's minds, ethics and religion are mistakenly intertwined, as if it were impossible to be an ethical atheist!), rather than a movement. In Shorinji Kempo there are no sacred cows (although according to some people, my intellect is sufficiently bovine! ); consequently, if you are performing an action for which you do not understand the purpose, ask. Don't just carry on performing by rote--that way, you'll grow stale and jaded too quickly. One obvious case in point is samu. At the Kokubunji Doin, eveyone takes a turn with the brooms before training every class, even though the floor by the end is obviously spic-and-span. So why carry on cleaning after the job is done? The answer lies in the term we use to describe cleaning, "samu". The ordinary word for the household chore is "soji". By contrast, "samu" implies an action taken intended to clean your heart as well as the doin. The humble action puts you in the right frame of mind for training: an empty vessel, ready to have sensei's knowledge put in. Although the wording of the Dokun differs between countries, in the UK we say, "We pledge to leave our pasts aside, and to devote ourselves to mastering the art as plainly and naïvely as infants". The "empty vessel" analogy has become a cliché these days, which is a pity, because I can't think of anything more apt, despite the fact that as a cliché, its impact is diminished.
This started out as a quick one-liner, but stream of consciousness has led to me typing a full-blown rant. I'd be interested to hear my fellow Kenshi's opinions on the subject. I shall also post this rant on Budoseek.
Kesshu.