Art of Growing
History | Black Belts | Philosophy | Combat Sense | Seicho Jutsu MMA |
Video LecturesWelcome to our video Lecture series with Daniel
Verkerke.
Following the Lecture series we have
some archive clips with "BELIEF" The driving force for the Spirit
This is the first of a series of philosophical
insights in review of the book titled : Spiritual
Development Enlightenment of Life written by Daniel
Verkerke and published in 1989 by the IFMAO "ENLIGHTENMENT" Thoughts on enlightenment.
This is the second of a series of philosophical insights in review of the book titled : Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life written by Daniel Verkerke and published in 1989 by the IFMAO "Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life" is now being produced into an Audio Video presentation and will soon be available here: "SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT" Thoughts on self developmentThis is the third of a series of philosophical insights in review of the book titled : Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life written by Daniel Verkerke and published in 1989 by the IFMAO "Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life" is now being produced into an Audio Video presentation and will soon be available. "OPEN MIND" Thoughts on open-mindednessThis is the fourth of a series of philosophical insights in review of the book titled : Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life written by Daniel Verkerke and published in 1989 by the IFMAO "Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life" is now being produced into an Audio Video presentation and will soon be available.
"ESSENCE OF LIFE" Thoughts on the essence of life
This is the fifth of a series of philosophical insights in review of the book titled : Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life written by Daniel Verkerke and published in 1989 by the IFMAO "Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life" is now being produced into an Audio Video presentation and will soon be available.
Lecture on Perception 1992 with Daniel Verkerke1992 Daniel Verkerke shares some thoughts on perception
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT ENLIGHTENMENT OF LIFEBy Daniel L. Verkerke
The main source of our philosophy was introduced from the writings of our Founder Daniel Verkerke. We have provided the information below directly from his book titled "Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life", Published and copy written 1988. It is known that there are two levels
of Life, physical and spiritual. This information has
been written to enlighten the individual with a true
quest for personal development, to the higher levels of
physical and spiritual life.
BeliefOne of the prerequisites a person must have before
developing themselves spiritually is BELIEF. One must
learn to believe in oneself. Belief is the greatest
driving force for the spirit and is what is true to
oneself, although it can be changed through a greater
understanding of life on all levels. EnlightenmentEnlightenment is the moment when your
understanding of knowledge changes. Enlightenment of LifeIn order to find true answers to life, one must study his body, planet and universe scientifically, philosophically, and spiritually through one's innerself. SCIENCE - Study of life in a physical sense; an analysation of anatomy: skeletal system, muscles, tendons, organs, genetics etc. PHILOSOPHY- Systematic reflective thinking on theories of life and the universe, which is used to culture and develop morals and help find belief. SPIRITUALITY- The awareness and development of energy, which includes one's own life energy, soul or spirit. INNERSELF- One's individual self; a combination of emotions, knowledge and ideals which create and motivate one's own judgment. It is this combination that allows us not only to feel what happens to ourselves, but also let us feel the effect others have on our collection of experiences. This is what creates our own innerself. THE TWO LEVELS OF LIFEThere are two forms of life energy:
physical - worldly and spiritual - universal. What our
living world is to the universe is that of which our
physical being is to our spirit. We know that our body
is that of our living world, which makes it worldly
energy. Whereas our internal energy, spirit or soul is
that of the universe, which limits exceed far beyond our
physical worldly comprehension. Many people do not wish
to live their lives based on assumptions and theories
which have no scientific proof. We certainly can believe
in things which have no such proof, but when science can
instill doubts in a person's mind it will cause that
person to think, question, analyze and inquire, provided
that he/she can do so with a balanced, clear and open
mind. Our Living PlanetOur living planet consists of four major elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Wind. WATER - Is that of all liquid matter: lakes, oceans, rivers and rain. FIRE - Is that of energy matter: solar energy from the sun's radiation and energy which the sun creates through the thermonuclear process. EARTH - Is that of solid matter: the ground we stand on, rocks, mountains and sand. WIND - Is that of oxygen matter: the circulation of our atmosphere. ELEMENTAL CHART WATER (Liquids)
- WATER (Dissolving) Water - Hydrosphere Each element has it's own natural
individual strength which usually counterbalances it's
opposites. EARTH
WIND The center circle portrays Emptiness:
When all elements are balanced in even proportions they
create a harmonious flow within themselves. Since no
individual element is seen it seems that nothing is
there, a state which is also called "wholeness", because
everything is brought together as one to be none -
meaning, that there are no more individual elements.
From our four major elements we went
one step further and created these new combinations
which will aid us in understanding the use and misuse of
the element to which we owe our lives to. Combining them
creates greater elemental powers, as for example, Earth
and Fire combined can counter Wind and Water
individually, as well as Wind and Water combined. Just
about any combination is possible. When one understands
each element's strength, one will also realize it's
weakness, which in turn makes it sometimes necessary to
combine one element with the another. Example:
vulnerable element Wind is being taken by Fire.
Combining Water with Wind would create a power which
could counterbalance the element of Fire. The Yin
and Yang emblem helps
The emblem of Yin and Yang portrays the counterbalancing of opposite forces. It illustrates counter balancing of opposites . The elements combined as one create an overall strength. Individually, each element possesses great strength, but when not balanced with the other elements they also have a great weakness. Every positive has it's negative. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water all have their individual strengths and weaknesses, but when combined create an overall power through the harmonious flow and balancing of each other. It is this combined power that sustains life. The elements working together create and control Seasons, Nature and Time as we know it. Seasons -
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter NATURE - is that of which is growing: plant life, fruits, vegetables, flowers etc... Nature is controlled by the seasons, whereas the change of seasons is brought about by the continuing flow and balance of the elements. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water are the four powers of our existence. Without one of these elements we cannot exist, just as one in excess may also cause our destruction. Everything living depends on the elements to sustain it's life. MAN AND THE ELEMENTS Man must learn to understand and work
with the elements. If mankind continues to work against
these elements it may lead to his destruction. Man can
use the powers which each individual element provides to
create power for himself. The use of natural methods
should not affect the balance of the elements, whereas,
if man uses unnatural methods to create power, he may
unbalance them, which in turn could provoke the elements
to counterbalance themselves through earthquakes,
tornadoes, heat waves or other destructive
methods. EARTH - Man can use earth's fossil fuels, coal, oil, natural gas and oil shale to create energy. Earth's uranium and plutonium are also being developed as energy sources. WIND - Man can use wind to generate power through windmills or any other forms which require wind to create movement which is utilized for power. WATER - Man can use water to generate energy through the use of watermills, water turbines, steam turbines etc... FIRE - Man can use fire to generate power through the transformation of energy (burning), as well as through the use of solar energy. Man must develop his technology to work with the elements. He must keep in mind not to disturb the balance of the elements whenever he uses them, for if he does, he must try to counterbalance them before he causes his own destruction. PLANETARY BALANCING CHART
Fire - Solar sphere These four elements maintain the balance of our planet. Just as we live within this planet, this planet lives within the universe. We are the children of this planet Earth, and this planet Earth is but one of the children of the universe. Our planet is like a god to all that is living within it. OUR LIVING BODIESOur living bodies consist of four major elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Wind . WATER - is that of liquid matter: all bodily fluids. FIRE - is that of energy matter: energy that is fed to the body by the blood stream, also that of which is absorbed through the skin. EARTH - is that of solid matter: skeletal system, muscles and tendons, all of which support the body. WIND - is that of oxygen matter: sustains organs, cells and blood. Each of these elements has a great purpose in the life of our living bodies. EARTH (Solid matter)
EARTH (Skeletal system) It is these four elements which our
physical living bodies consist of. Without one of these
elements our physical living bodies cannot exist. The
human body, all physical matter and livings things are
part of the planet Earth and are made of, and / or
sustained by elemental energy.
Energy cannot be destroyed nor created. Due to
the elements our planet is constantly changing,
reshaping the face of the Earth. Change is the way of
the universe. Evolution never stands still. When the
human body dies it changes matter, just as when a tree
dies and rots away it becomes part of the Earth again
and enriches the soil with minerals and other elements
which will become vital energy for other life forms. The
water element of the body, for example, will proceed
through it's energy change, evaporate and recycle. The
same happens with the rest of the human elements.
Structure, living organs and raw energy all transform
into other energies. Nothing vanishes, but rather
changes into another energy form and recycles through
life over and over again. Scientists believe that all
living forms on our planet began by cells. These cells
were created with atoms of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorous and others which were all derived from our
four elements: earth, fire, water and wind were joined
together by radiant energy or possibly from a discharge
of lightning creating a cell. A cell consists of three
main parts; wall, membrane and nucleus ( which is the
center of the cell). DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which
is present in the nuclei of all and every cell, is a
biochemical which orders both cell growth and
reproduction. Our living bodies are a world
to all that
OUR LIVING UNIVERSESince we are not capable of exploring and understanding the universe yet, we must use our accumulated knowledge to help us to a greater understanding. The planet earth is a world to
all that The living body is a world to
all that The living body consists of what the
planet consist of, but on a different and much smaller
scale. Living matter within the body consist of what the
body itself consist of but on a different and much
smaller scale. On account of this knowledge we can
presume, that our planet consist of what the universe
consist of, but on a different and much smaller scale.
Prior to man's extensive exploration of our planet Earth
he had various ideas of what the Earth might have looked
like. Some thought it was flat and some thought the sun
moved around the Earth. All these thoughts and theories
were neither wrong nor right, until the Earth was
explored and discovered scientifically.
The directions of the planet are
different than that of the body, but both are correct in
their individual spheres. In our first sphere or level
of knowledge we learned the sense of our bodily
direction up and down, side to side, forward and
backward. Then we charted and named the planet's points,
north - top, south - bottom, east - right side, west -
left side to aid us in the direction of our planet.
Lastly, we began charting the solar system: Moon, Sun,
Pluto, Venus etc... This is only the beginning. It is
like being a cell inside the human body finding a few
organs. The cell could examine and chart these organs,
but could never see the entire view of the body, as it
is within. SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENTThe physical study and comparison of body, planet and universe will set the foundation for man to study the spiritual energy of life. Just as the body, planet and universe helped develop the physical knowledge of oneself, they will also help develop one's spiritual knowledge. As we know there is energy all around us; it is in the air and all that is living. In addition to energy which is used for the burning of fuels or the movement of water and wind, there is also the great energy of life, our living entity, which is also referred to as spiritual, ones innerself, or the soul. It may have many names, such as godly, heavenly, or universal, but whatever you may call it, it is the same energy, even though some may have different interpretations of these names. There is a living energy within the human body, within the planet and within the universe. Since the universe is the highest sphere man knows of yet this is where we must end for now. As man has explored himself and his planet physically, he must go further and explore his own oneself - discover his spiritual living energy, which will develop his innerself. As man begins to chart the universe physically, he must also discover, and be part of, its living spiritual energy. Developing himself in this manner will allow him to become constantly greater through the accumulation of spiritual energy. Mankind can journey far beyond the universe, as internal living energy has no end and can travel through either a small circle as that of a limited man, or through an infinite circle as that of a limitless man. We all are born a spiritual entity as well as a physical being: our physicalness allows our experiences to grow and develop. At birth, our entity is one combined emotion, enclosing all and every feeling within, which is a state of emptiness. At this stage all emotions are combined to be none and represent thus one great energy. As we grow, learn and experience we begin to define emotions through our physical being and chart them as we would a new world; instead of naming countries, a name is given to each feeling and emotion. After each is separated, studied and defined, one has to find its opposite in order to be able to counterbalance and redirect every emotion, which is called the development of one's innerself. When one understands every emotion in this level he will be empty, balanced between all emotions. Once evolved to this level one will see and understand what others do not. This then is the beginning of a higher sphere of oneself. SPIRITUAL POWERS OF ONESELFThe key to ones own individual power lies within "Belief" and "Emotions". Belief, a subject defined in previous chapters, is equally important to emotions, which are our greatest spiritual powers. Although every person has emotions, most do not realize the true significance of them and do not analyze them beyond the simple acknowledgment of feeling angry, joyful, passive, excited etc... As a matter of fact, how many people do, for example, even realize the change of heart rate, lactic acid level, metabolism and breathing pattern within themselves with each and every emotion? Some may, however, become consciously aware of an increasing strength, power and tolerance of pain when extremely angry, or being instantly fully awake and excited when suddenly jolted from a tired and / or relaxed state. Emotional powers go beyond the physical being. As we begin to discover our emotions and their individual powers and start to analyze and study them we will soon detect each ones strengths (positives) as well as weaknesses (negatives). In order to develop and balance ourselves we may employ the aid of the " Emblem Theory", which illustrates the balancing and counterbalancing of opposites.
As indicated in the previous chapters the circle in the center of the emblem represents a balanced point, a point which the majority of people have not developed and instead traverse from one emotion to another. Studying oneself and ones emotions it soon becomes apparent that in order to be balanced one will have to find, defer and study every emotion and it's opposite and develop each to equal strength. The more emotions we learn to balance the greater the center circle will become and the further the directional lines will reach, which means one has developed a more extensive and stronger emotional powers. As stated, the center represents a composed well balanced oneself which is complete as a whole. When we are born we are one large circle of emotions, holding all within, feeling happy, sad, excited, angry etc. almost simultaneously. As we grow up we name each emotion to separate them from each other and to distinguish them. This then is the stage I call the intermediate process of life. The advance process begins by understanding each individual emotional power, finding its opposite and attaining the balanced point. Each time you find this point your circle will expand and control and development of oneself becomes greater. Eventually you will evolve to one large circle once more like it was in the beginning of your life, with the exception that you will find yourself in a different level. It is like being born again in another sphere of life. SELF KNOWLEDGE - is created through one's emotions. BEHAVIOR - is created through one's emotions. JUDGMENT - is created through one's emotions. We experience through emotions, right from wrong, good and bad. Just as we used our planet to guide us on our physical knowledge we will use our planet to guide and inspire our spiritual emotional power to higher levels. Again we will use the "Seicho Jutsu Emblem Theory" to illustrate. EARTH
WIND Once a person realizes the significant
role of the elements in our physical world, that person
may open their eyes to the spiritual power and energy
those elements can provide. We first discover how much
power our emotions have, then go on further to explore
the spiritual emotional powers of our planet and
universe. In order for man to truly feel the powers of
the elements he must become one with them. This can be
achieved through meditation; relaxation and imagery. In
order to perform this meditation you must be able to
completely relax both body and mind. It sounds easy, but
really takes a lot of practice. After a period of about
ten minutes of total relaxation of both body and mind,
you may begin the imagery. This is where the elements
come into effect. You must be able to imagine yourself
as the element, become a part of that element. As you
become a part of that element you will feel your
breathing as well as the rest of your body begin to
change. This is the beginning of developing your
emotional spiritual powers to a higher level. It can be
often very helpful to physically go to where the element
is, and use that as an inspiration. If the elements
inspire you, you will already have feelings for them. THE OPEN MINDScience, Religion, Philosophy and Spirituality all have their individual knowledge, but the greatest knowledge lies in the combination of all. This is emptiness when all knowledge is combined to be as one. The limits, which separate the individual and prevent him from seeing the complete overall truth, vanish and he begins to see things as a "whole". If you look at life as a scientist you will have a limited point of view, you will only see what relates to your scientific mind. You have to empty your mind of past ideals to clearly see things as a "whole". Wholeness - openness, emptiness all knowledge combined as one to be none. This is true enlightenment. One can never comprehend knowledge as a wholeness but one can spend a lifetime learning it as a wholeness. There are no limits to mankind, just as there are no limits to knowledge. Man can create the destiny of his own being; his own being can be limited or limitless; it depends on himself. A limited man can know everything that he is limited to, but he will not exceed the knowledge of his limits. The limitless man knows that he will never know everything because what he does not experience he will create. All ideals; science, religion, philosophy, spirituality are good, as anything that expands your knowledge is good if you are open minded and willing to accept the new. If you don't learn opposites and what's in between, you will never be complete. Even if it is against what you have been taught or discovered, to learn the opposites is only learning the Yin to your Yang or vice versa. This is being of Whole. There is no one knowledge better than the other. They could be total opposites. The scientist will say my way is better, I will physically show you why and how this works. The religious person will say, don't question why, just have faith. Now, which way is best? If someone does different than you, does that make them better (right) or worse (wrong) ? There is only one way to tell. Learn it the other way, develop it until you fully understand and then choose. This gives you the opportunity to sit on top of the fence free of mind. Would you climb back down your side and be limited, or would you climb down the other side to be limited ? The lesson is to stay on top of the fence in order to have the freedom of choice. A mind that is free and empty will always have choice, but if the mind is limited there will be no choice. When you see the faults in science, religion, philosophy or spirituality do you mock them with a closed mind or do you open your mind and try to understand ? You might not be able to understand through trying, so let it be absorbed, and one day the light may shine upon you and you will understand. Never close your mind to something you do not understand.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Daniel L. Verkerke holds the title of Founder of the Art of Growing and Grandmaster of the Seicho Jutsu schools of self development. Mr. Verkerke began his extensive studies into the art of personal enlightenment at childhood and spent his lifetime devoted and dedicated to the development, formulation and creation of his art "Seicho Jutsu". This art which includes physical, mental and spiritual development has provided Mr. Verkerke with a great inspiration into the depths of mind, body and soul, which is reflected throughout this book. Now, after many years of exclusively teaching chosen personal students, he for the first time reveals his vast accumulated knowledge to the public. "Art of Growing" - Seicho Jutsu and all related text
and images COPYRIGHT @1984-2009 by Daniel Verkerke
ESSENCE OF LIFE:I open my heart, my feelings, the essence of my life.I have had the greatest pleasures and I have been through hell.I have survived society and have conquered solitude.I have developed my consciousness, as well as my sub-consciousness.I have explored my physical structure, as well as my internal organs.I have felt every emotion and have studied and understood them.I learned to use them
for myself, not against myself. It is this
experience,
|