A visit to Sedona, Arizona during the Labor Day weekend gave me pause to reflect upon two competing ideologies that govern how we seek to improve ourselves. The two ideologies are Jiriki representing salvation derived from sources within oneself and Tairiki, representing salvation derived from sources external to and independent of oneself. It is the tension of theses conflicting ideologies that provided the foundation for my Goshin-Do Karate-Do inspired ideology of Jiriki Kata-Do. To understand the nature of these two opposing ideologies, let us first examine the most commonly represented ideology of Tairiki.
My visit to Sedona was replete with examples of Tairiki. The ideology of Tairiki is dependant upon a source external to and independent of oneself as a catalyst to inner salvation. In this instance inner salvation is a euphemism for well-being, an enhanced life experience, inner peace and other such jargon. Tairiki depends upon the either third-party human intervention of an interloper such as a priest, spirit guide, or shaman or the aid of an object, such as a crystal, an energy-vortex, or a talisman as a facilitator of the salvation experience. With perhaps the greatest number of spirit guides, shaman, energy-vortex guides, self-help assistance, life coaches, and even alien hunters per capita, Sedona provided the perfect backdrop to my period of reflection.
Salvation attained through Tairiki practices is generally more understood and accepted by the general public. There are many reasons for this phenomenon. The first is the concept accepted by the majority of people that we, ourselves, lack the power, or ability to enhance ourselves and our life experience. We simply doubt that we have that capacity. This is further facilitated by a form of mass marketing campaign by those that can, for a price, provide the means by which salvation can be attained. This leads to the second reason that Tairiki, in all its forms, is generally accepted. That reason is simple economics. There is money to be made by first convincing the population that the ability to improve oneself is external to one self and that the proverbial “keys to the kingdom” can be found through an external method, symbol, or path that can be purchased for a price. An economic offshoot of Tairiki is what I call the fortuitous ancillary market. This fortuitous ancillary market provides one with the external, implied mandatory trappings for inner salvation. To understand this market, let us look at Yoga. Yoga, like my ideology of Jiriki Kata-Do appears to require nothing more than one’s own body and spirit for participation. As to Yoga, this may have been true at one time. In modern times, Yoga has enveloped itself with external trappings and extravagance. One may now purchase the latest designer Yoga clothing, practice mats, shoes, incense and tote bags. Of course, I omitted the numerous books, videos, DVD’s seminars and the like. In the final analysis, Tairiki practices were once born of a purity of intent and evolved into a massive financial conglomerate. It is good to be the King, or at least appear to hold the Keys to the Kingdom.
Jiriki based salvation is derived entirely from within oneself. To be sure, one requires guidance in the means of attaining the providence of salvation. The key differential is the extent and duration of such guidance. The guidance provided in Jiriki based salvation is temporary and transcendental. Once one is shown the methods of Jiriki salvation, the teacher or mentor terminates the relationship. The student then become the self-guide for the remainder of the journey for salvation. To understand this point, we may look at the first rite or meditative practice of my system of Jiriki Kata-Do. That protocol is the moving meditation of Sanchin which is directly derived from the Sanchin Kata of Goshin-Do Karate-Do. Once I, as Sensei, teach you the physical mechanics, spiritual state of mind and metaphysical aspect of Sanchin, my relationship as mentor ends. It is then entirely up to the student to solemnly practice Sanchin so as to derived the salvation benefits. The salvation benefits of Sanchin are directly proportionate to one’s own solemn, earnest practice of the Sanchin. The entire mentor relationship is of very short duration, thus, there is very little economic benefit to the mentor. A student may choose to progress and learn additional rites and protocols, but that decision rests entirely with the student. Such a decision is uniquely personal and based upon the salvation expectation of a student, the need for further amending one’s lifestyle, either physically or spiritually and unique problems experienced by a particular student. The main point is that after the learning process, the “keys to the kingdom” are surrendered by the mentor and transferred forever to the student.
For your enjoyment, I have the following slideshow from my visit to Sedona. The slideshow is a tongue-in-cheek look at how I employed Chloe to “sniff-out” the mystical experience in the Tairiki capital called Sedona.
Kata-RX For wellness 
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