Light at Its Most Powerful – Kongo Rikishi with Sydney Leijenhorst

We can look at temple guards, listen to them, touch them, but how does it actually feel, being a temple guard? Can we embody their power and their knowledge? Can we stand like a temple guardian?
None other than renowned karateka Sydney Leijenhorst will introduce us to what that’s like ‘standing like an A, or like an UN!
First Sydney will give an introduction on the history of temple guard statues and then conduct a physical workshop in which we explore their power in posture.

Sydney Leijenhorst:
“We find ourselves in an era in which the transmission of ancient wisdom, values, and skills receives less attention, appreciation, and respect. What the Nio guarded in the past—an undisturbed and dedicated quest for wisdom, compassion, and human values—seems to be sought less and less.

The missing guardians of the village of Yokota may be a sign of the times. But what does the sign say? Has the treasure disappeared? Is it now elsewhere? Is their role over, or is it more necessary than ever? Has the treasure changed in essence, or only in its appearance? Or…?

What is particularly fascinating about the ‘Nio’ is that they embody several qualities that many don’t immediately associate with spirituality or enlightenment. A powerful and muscular body, a firm stance, powerful hands, a fist weapon, a menacing posture, and a wrathful gaze.”

Sydney Leijenhorst is founder and owner of KenKon Integral Life & Training Centre, a centre that has been bringing together Eastern and Western traditions since 2001. With nearly 50 years of experience in various martial arts, Sydney is an internationally recognised martial arts trainer. He holds the 7th dan in Okinawa Goju-Ryu karate and has been Chief Instructor of the International Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF) in the Netherlands since 2004. He also has a background in judo, taiiquan, kung fu, pancrase [MMA] and kempo. Besides martial arts, over the past 40+ years he has also immersed himself in meditation, Chinese yoga [qigong] and various forms of Tibetan yoga [qigong and tsalung trulkhor] and is a qualified physiotherapist. He uses his extensive knowledge and experience to guide people towards greater self-awareness, health and personal growth.