Naikan is a Japanese word which means "inside looking" or "introspection". A more poetic translation is "seeing oneself with the mind's eye". It is a structured method of self-reflection that helps us to understand ourselves, our relationships and the fundamental nature of human existence. Naikan was developed by Yoshimoto Ishin, a devout Buddhist of the Jodo Shinshu sect in Japan. His strong religious spirit led him to practice mishirabe, an arduous and difficult method of meditation. Wishing to make such introspection available to others, he developed Naikan as a method that could be more widely practiced.
Naikan self-reflection asks people to ponder daily:
What have I received from…
What have I given to…
What trouble have I caused…
Today I received two books I had placed on hold from the King County Library (KCLS), spent a delightful afternoon with my sponsor discussing gratitude, attended a meeting at a treatment center, got my apartment electrical problem fixed (loose wire), and had a nice dinner of broiled chicken breasts with broccoli. I also received a thoughtful email from a fellow trudger checking up on me since I did not go to the District meeting last week.
My sponsor already had two birthdays this month—his belly-button birthday and his recovery birthday. He is a vegetarian. I got him a nice organic card from Whole Foods and the version Sun Tzu's The Art of War that comes with a forward by James Clavell. It was a nice moment being able to give a gift to another man with grace and gratitude for having him in my life.
The trouble I caused that comes to mind is that I did not complete some forms that I would have liked to have done today. That will leave me with some mental baggage knowing that I did not fulfill a small promise to myself. (Interesting to note how that made me feel when I wrote that last sentence. I want to be the kind of person that keeps their promises to myself and others.)
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