Fascicle 1
KU SHIN DO

KYU - search, SHIN - perfection, DO - the way of.
Therefore, as a composite, "Kyu-shin-do" may be taken to mean: to search for the way of perfection. This means to search for the way of perfection in everything that you do in your life - both physically and mentally.

First of all you must try to learn how to "know yourself". In Zen Buddhism the advice is to "Look at the place you stand". Information can be sought from other people and reading books - but these are only other people and other people's ideas - so use them only as a guide for your own research.

Only you can effectively teach yourself - and you can only do this through personal experience and by observation; observation of yourself, of other people, your environment, your achievements, your limitations, and so on. In Zen Buddhism the advice is "try to see yourself as other people see you".

Start from the beginning. First try to understand yourself. Analyse or 'meditate upon' your motives, your aims, your desires and your disappointments. Watch out for greed, anger and ignorance of body, mouth and thought. Do away with them all! Watch what you say - but do not punish yourself for what you think, just be aware that you thought it.

Bearing all of that in mind (the doing away with greed, anger and ignorance of body, mouth and thought), try then thinking about your family, and then your home and your friends, your colleagues and your place of work. Keep thinking, compassionately, but don't bother to think too big; don't be greedy or over ambitious, think small. Think about your pets … even the flowers in the garden. The guy that worked out the function of genes and the operation of heredity genetics started out by looking at and comparing the colours of sweet peas! Gregor Johann Mendel (1822 -1884) was an Augustinian abbot who is often called the "father of genetics" for his study of the inheritance of traits in pea plants. Mendel showed that the inheritance of traits follows particular laws … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendel

Who can define what perfection is?! What may be perfect in one person's eyes may not be considered to be so by someone else. Try as hard as you can to be one but remember; there is no such thing as a perfect person.
A follower of Kyushindo should realise this and always be searching for information in all subjects of life in order to try to better oneself; but not necessarily do so expecting to be 'better' of better off than others.

Keep asking questions. Question the inside and question the outside. Question yourself, and question other people. Satisfy your curiosity, ask lots of questions … but don't be greedy! And if you don't like the answer … don't get angry. A person who asks a difficult question is not showing ignorance; he/she is showing an interest.

How can you encourage people to follow the principles of Kyushindo? There is only one way; by example. You can pass on your ideas and thoughts but all students must most of all be encouraged study and find out for themselves. Some will and some won't. All that you can do is keep asking questions and keep studying yourself - and generally lead by example in as many spheres/ways as you are able. The work may be hard going - the not knowing which subjects to study or how to observe and record the information. These difficulties can be overcome. Some you will, some you won't!

If you study and learn yourself, somewhere along the path someone will notice you and what you do, and how you do it. It may take a lifetime to become properly acquainted with this way of thought and action, so don't be in a hurry to go out and try to "convert" other people to it. You don't know what it is until you have done it … … … and you know it will never be done, but this does not mean don't do it. No, everyone in fact must try a little harder and not get "down-hearted' or ever give up. Do it - just for the doing.