Violet Rose Reiki wrote:.. I have read that Usui Sensei had been quoted as saying that "work hard" meant to work on one's self as in saying the precepts and doing self treatment, etc. That being said, is the "earn your living honestly" a misinterpretation or wrong?
Well it is certainly an
interpretation.
As to being a
misinterpretation well perhaps - perhaps not.
As to being 'wrong'...
We must remember that on one level, the Gokai are a 'mnemonic device' - an aid to mindful remembrance.
In the simple statements of the gokai are to be found a distillation Usui-sensei's teachings - the very
essence of his
Reiho - his 'Spiritual Method'
And as such they will of necessity allow for
many levels of interpretation
Perhaps it is also important to be mindful that much can be lost in
literal translation.
As I mentioned in another thread, in Japanese this particular Principle is "Gyo wo hage me"
This is commonly translated as: "Work Hard"
However it can also mean 'Study Hard'
more generally, it can imply
"Strive to improve yourself"
(on
any and
all levels - physically, mentally, emotionally, ethically, morally, spiritually; your skills and abilities, your relationships, your standard of living - your
quality of living)
The general feel behind the statement would seem to be
"Be diligent in your endeavours"
- don't be lazy
Yet another way of expressing the sentiment is:
"Put your Heart and Soul into all that you do"
It can also have a sense of "Dedication to the task at hand"
In yet another sense, "Gyo wo hage me" can tie in with the Japanese concept of
giri - duty or (moral/ethical)obligation.
So, it can also speak to a sense of duty/obligation to, for example. our teachers
and, also to those who give us employment.
Takata-sensei often phrased this principle along the lines of:
"Earn thy living by honest labor"
which perhaps has as much, if not more, to do with the old adage: "An honest day's work for an honest day's pay - An honest day's pay for an honest day's work"
*, as it does with "earn your living honestly", which, IMO, speaks more to earning your living without deceiving others
*'honest' and 'fair' being seen as interchangeable here
.