Dictionary of Wind Philosophy: Basic Vocabulary for Returning

[Introduction]

This text is not intended to provide answers.
It is not meant to teach you the answers.

When you are lost,
when you can no longer make decisions,

“Where am I right now?”

This is a dictionary to help you remember that.

In Wind Philosophy,
a person's state is not a straight line,
but is perceived as a “circulation”
that moves back and forth between several positions.

Reaction
One beat
Distance
Position
Alignment
Settling
Judgment
Action
Retrieval
Circulation
Returning

These are not words for determining correctness,

but clues for returning.

In this dictionary,
each word is organized as a “state”,

so that when you are lost,
you can confirm your current position.

[How to use this dictionary]

You do not need to read this dictionary
in order from top to bottom.

Rather,
please open it when you are lost.

“Where am I right now?”

To confirm that,
touch upon a single word.

That alone is enough.

For example,

when you are feeling impatient for some reason, look at “Reaction”

When you cannot decide on anything, take a "pause"

When you have calmed down a little, look for your "position"

In this way, choose words that are close to your current state.

The words handled here do not teach what is correct.

"You should do this"
"You ought to be this way"

Answers like those are not provided here.

What is here is a perspective to view your current state from a little outside yourself.

By reading these words, even without trying to force a change,

the "direction to return" will naturally come into view.

This dictionary is for that purpose.

If you feel lost,

do not ask which word is correct, but rather which word is closest to your current self.

Please rely only on that.

[Reaction]

People do not react to events themselves, but to the "meaning" they assign to those events.

That is why even with the same event, people feel differently about it.

In other words, a reaction does not occur toward the outside world,

but occurs toward the "world as interpreted within oneself."

One important thing here is,

A reaction is not a "fact."

A reaction is merely
the movement of your body or thoughts
in response to the meaning you assigned at that moment.

For example,

when you are hurt by someone's words,

you are not reacting to the words themselves, but
to the meaning that "I might have been rejected."

And in many cases,

people accept this reaction as
"reality" just as it is.

This is where a disconnect arises.

When you are inside a reaction,
you become unable to move from that spot.

This is because

you end up viewing the world with that reaction
as a "correct premise."

Impatience, anxiety, anger.

These are all
phenomena occurring within a reaction.

What is needed at this time

is not to eliminate the reaction.

It is to notice the reaction.

"Right now, I am reacting."

Just by recognizing that,

you create,
even if only slightly, some distance from that situation.

This slight distance
leads to the next beat.

[One Beat]

When caught in a reaction,
people move to the next action almost unconsciously.

Talking back.
Feeling down.
Continuing to overthink.

That flow is very natural,
and it feels difficult to stop.

One beat refers to
the slight "pause"
that arises within that flow.

You do not need to do anything special.

Simply,
do not move to the next thing immediately.

That is all.

For example,

before replying,
take just a small breath.

Before continuing to think,
stop your hands for just a moment.

Such a small "pause"
is one beat.

By having this one beat,

a gap is created
between reaction and action.

When this gap does not exist,
people continue to move according to their reactions.

However,

by inserting one beat,

"I am reacting right now"

a space is created to realize that.

A single beat is not
for changing anything.

Even without trying to change it,

it is for allowing you to
naturally move to the next position.

[Position]

When a single beat enters,
the perspective that was within the reaction,
shifts just a little bit to the outside.

What is born at this moment,
is a position.

A position means,
"where you are viewing the world from."
is what it means.

When inside a reaction,
a person becomes immersed in that event,

and can only hold one way of seeing things.

However,

through a single beat,
by standing just a little bit outside,

even for the same event,
a different way of seeing it is born.

For example,

even an event where you felt rejected,

"It might be a problem with the other person's state,"
"It might just be an opinion,"

such different ways of seeing
will emerge.

What is important here is,

not which way of seeing is correct,

but being able to notice
"where I am positioned right now."

When your position changes,

even if the event itself does not change,
the way you perceive it changes.

And,
because the way you perceive it changes,

the decisions you make afterward,
naturally change as well.

[Judgment]

When you stand in a position,
the way things look changes slightly.

At that moment,
a person chooses something.

That is judgment.

Judgment is not about finding the correct answer,
but rather

about "where you choose from."
that is what it means.

Judgment made while caught in a reaction

is sometimes to avoid anxiety,
or to prove one is right,

it is somewhat rushed,
and contains a sense of distress.

However,

judgment made after standing in a position,

even without trying to force a decision,
the direction naturally becomes clear.

Even though the act of "choosing" is the same,

just by having a different starting point,
the weight changes.

What is important here is,

It is not about making good judgments.

From what position are you judging?

It is about being able to notice that.

Judgment,
before changing the outside world,

reflects your inner position
exactly as it is.

That is precisely why,

rather than trying to change your judgment,
returning to your position comes first.

[Return]

All the flows covered in this dictionary

ultimately exist for the purpose of "returning".

To return means,

not to go to some special place.

It means to stand once again
in the place where you were originally.

When you are caught in a reaction,

you enter into the event
and continue to move forward as you are.

By taking a beat,
and standing in your position,

you can gradually return to the outside.

And then,

even while judging and acting
from that position,

People are pulled back into reactions once again.

What is needed at this time is
the sense of returning.

To return is,

not to correct a mistake, nor
is it to start over.

Simply,

notice where you are now, and
stand in that place once more.

As many times as you like,
you may return.

Rather,

the ability to return itself
is a state of being centered.

To be centered is,

not to be fixed in one place, but

to have the space to
return when necessary.

[Overall Structure]

The words up to this point
are not independent of one another.

They circulate
within a single flow.

Reaction
↓
A beat
↓
Position
↓
Judgment
↓
Return
↺

People first assign meaning to events,
and react.

By inserting a beat, a slight pause is created in the flow,

the position changes,
and the way things are seen begins to change.

Judgment is born from that position,

and leads to action.

However,

no matter how well-ordered things are, people return to reaction again.

That is precisely why,

this flow is not a straight line, but a cycle.

What is important is,

knowing where you are and being able to return to your position.

It is okay to react.

It is okay to be lost.

It is okay to be off-track.

In the midst of all that,

by taking a breath, you can return to your position.

By knowing this cycle,

people naturally align themselves without trying to force change.

[Conclusion]

The words in this dictionary,

are not meant to be memorized.

They are meant to be remembered when needed.

In our daily lives, people
react again and again,

and get lost again and again.

That is not because you are wrong,
but a natural flow.

It is a natural flow.

What is important is

knowing that you can return
within that process.

Even when things are not going well,

or when you feel stuck on something,

you do not have to force a change.

Take a breath,

and take a moment to look at
where you are.

Just by doing that,

the flow will gradually
begin to change.

I would be happy if this dictionary

could serve as a place to return to
when you feel lost.

I would be happy if it could be of quiet help.

If,

you would like to know a little more,

"Words to Return to When You Cannot Make a Decision"

please also read that as well.

When your judgment comes to a halt,
I have compiled words
to help you return to yourself once more.