Once, in a quiet grove, a young bamboo shoot stretched eagerly toward the sky.
Each day it reached upward, convinced that growth was only about touching the heavens.
But the bamboo had a farmer.
Whenever it grew tall, the farmer returned with his blade, cutting it down.
Again and again, the shoot rose, only to be shorn back.
At first, the bamboo despaired.
“This farmer is my enemy,” it thought.
“No matter how hard I strive, he takes away my reaching.”
Yet over time, something unexpected unfolded.
Though its stalk was cut, its roots kept deepening.
The more the farmer pressed it down, the stronger its foundation became.
One day, the farmer no longer came.
And the bamboo, anchored by roots unseen, rose higher than ever before.
The bamboo realized:
“This farmer was not only my opponent.
His blade forced me to grow where I could not see.
Because of him, I have become unshakable.”
💡 In the dojo, opposition is not just resistance.
It is the sharpening edge that deepens our roots, clarifies our direction, and prepares us to rise beyond limits.
⛩️🖥️
