Martial Arts Of The World - Webs
Martial Arts Of The World - Webs Martial Arts Of The World - Webs
A sculpture of Buddha in seated meditation at Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, built in the ninth century. (Charles & Josette Lenars/Corbis) 336 Meditation the realm of the most advanced masters of the martial arts. Meditative states can be induced through various postures incorporating breathing, movement, chanting, stress, and visualization. Deep abdominal breathing is a fundamental practice in many martial arts. Slow, smooth, deep, long abdominal breathing increases the volume of blood flow, calms the mind, and brings more oxygen into the body. In China, Daoist meditation often plays an important role in the internal arts of taijiquan, baguazhang (pa kua ch’uan), and xingyiquan (hsing i ch’uan). Daoist meditation begins with an emphasis on breath control and posture and moves on to visualizations and direction of energy throughout the body. Three major kinds of energy are cultivated: qi (vital life energy), qing (sexual energy), and shen (spiritual energy). By calming the mind and eliminating our normal internal mental dialogue, meditation restores access to what the Daoists call original mind: a state of mind that is spontaneous and rejuvenating, more intuitive than the conscious mind. Daoist meditation allows access to the natural potential for fluid and appropriate responses to the situation at hand. Buddhism gives two major approaches to meditation: concentration, or mindfulness, meditation; and insight meditation. The most basic approach to mindfulness is awareness of breathing to the extent that breathing occupies one’s full attention. Once concentration is developed, this power is then used in insight meditation to gain wisdom through observing the mind. In Japan, the early martial arts (ca. A.D. 800–1200) were influenced by Daoism, Shintô, and Mikkyo (or esoteric) Buddhism. Shingon and Tendai are the two major schools of Mikkyo. Esoteric Buddhism utilizes visualizations, mudras, mandalas, and mantras to harmonize body, mind, and speech. Zen arrived in Japan from China around A.D. 1200 and was often used by the samurai as an adjunct to their martial training. The Zen approach to any task is single-minded concentration. Mushin (munen musô)
is a state of mind that is cultivated in Zen and the Zen-influenced arts. In mushin, the mind is open to everything but not distracted by delusive thoughts—they come and go but the mind does not dwell upon them. The mind in a state of mushin is often likened to a mirror—reflecting everything. This is important in true combat, because if a warrior centers only on one opponent, another will cut him down. Mushin, in the West, is often mistaken for impersonal, amoral, automatic reactions. Speed is not necessarily spontaneity, and, in real combat, timing is more important than speed. Conditioned reflexes and fluid awareness are not the same. Fudoshin (which follows from the cultivation of mushin) means “immovable heart” or “spirit,” which means that one understands what an opponent is going to do before the attack. When attacked, one is never surprised, the mind and nerves are calm, and what is appropriate to the situation is done. Even the feeling “This is the enemy” means that the mind is moving. “Empty mind” gives rise to fudochi (immovable wisdom). Today in the United States, the majority of books, articles, and advertisements dealing with the martial arts at least pay lip service to the idea that some kind of “self-control” or “mental discipline” is a by-product of the training. Often Yellow Pages ads list meditation and spiritual growth as some of the benefits of training in a particular discipline. In fact, however, the majority of martial artists practice sport karate and spend little or no time in meditation. In many classes, meditation is defined as a few short seconds at the beginning of a class to relax and get the mind ready for the physical workout to follow. Most martial arts teachers do not have any formal meditative training. However, they often retain the short period of “meditation” because that was the way their teachers did it, or perhaps for marketing purposes, to lend a vague flavor of Eastern culture and mystery. Practicing the modern sport martial arts is no guarantee either of being able to fight effectively without rules or of spiritual accomplishment. Ronald L. Holt See also Baguazhang (Pa Kua Ch’uan); Ki/Qi; Medicine, Traditional Chinese; Religion and Spiritual Development: China; Religion and Spiritual Development: India; Religion and Spiritual Development: Japan; Taijiquan (Tai Chi Ch’uan); Written Texts: China; Written Texts: India; Written Texts: Japan; Xingyiquan (Hsing I Ch’uan) References Austin, James H. 1998. Zen and the Brain. Cambridge: MIT Press. Friday, Karl, with Seki Humitake. 1997. Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima-Shinryû and Samurai Martial Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. Kauz, Herman. 1992. A Path to Liberation: A Spiritual and Philosophical Approach to the Martial Arts. Woodstock: Overlook Press. Keenan, John P. 1989. “Spontaneity in Western Martial Arts: A Yogacara Critique of MuShin.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 16: 285–298. Meditation 337
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is a state of mind that is cultivated in Zen and the Zen-influenced arts. In<br />
mushin, the mind is open to everything but not distracted by delusive<br />
thoughts—they come and go but the mind does not dwell upon them. <strong>The</strong><br />
mind in a state of mushin is often likened to a mirror—reflecting everything.<br />
This is important in true combat, because if a warrior centers only<br />
on one opponent, another will cut him down. Mushin, in the West, is often<br />
mistaken for impersonal, amoral, automatic reactions. Speed is not necessarily<br />
spontaneity, and, in real combat, timing is more important than<br />
speed. Conditioned reflexes and fluid awareness are not the same. Fudoshin<br />
(which follows from the cultivation of mushin) means “immovable<br />
heart” or “spirit,” which means that one understands what an opponent is<br />
going to do before the attack. When attacked, one is never surprised, the<br />
mind and nerves are calm, and what is appropriate to the situation is done.<br />
Even the feeling “This is the enemy” means that the mind is moving.<br />
“Empty mind” gives rise to fudochi (immovable wisdom).<br />
Today in the United States, the majority of books, articles, and advertisements<br />
dealing with the martial arts at least pay lip service to the idea<br />
that some kind of “self-control” or “mental discipline” is a by-product of<br />
the training. <strong>Of</strong>ten Yellow Pages ads list meditation and spiritual growth as<br />
some of the benefits of training in a particular discipline. In fact, however,<br />
the majority of martial artists practice sport karate and spend little or no<br />
time in meditation. In many classes, meditation is defined as a few short<br />
seconds at the beginning of a class to relax and get the mind ready for the<br />
physical workout to follow. Most martial arts teachers do not have any formal<br />
meditative training. However, they often retain the short period of<br />
“meditation” because that was the way their teachers did it, or perhaps for<br />
marketing purposes, to lend a vague flavor of Eastern culture and mystery.<br />
Practicing the modern sport martial arts is no guarantee either of being able<br />
to fight effectively without rules or of spiritual accomplishment.<br />
Ronald L. Holt<br />
See also Baguazhang (Pa Kua Ch’uan); Ki/Qi; Medicine, Traditional<br />
Chinese; Religion and Spiritual Development: China; Religion and<br />
Spiritual Development: India; Religion and Spiritual Development: Japan;<br />
Taijiquan (Tai Chi Ch’uan); Written Texts: China; Written Texts: India;<br />
Written Texts: Japan; Xingyiquan (Hsing I Ch’uan)<br />
References<br />
Austin, James H. 1998. Zen and the Brain. Cambridge: MIT Press.<br />
Friday, Karl, with Seki Humitake. 1997. Legacies of the Sword: <strong>The</strong><br />
Kashima-Shinryû and Samurai <strong>Martial</strong> Culture. Honolulu: University of<br />
Hawai’i Press.<br />
Kauz, Herman. 1992. A Path to Liberation: A Spiritual and Philosophical<br />
Approach to the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>. Woodstock: Overlook Press.<br />
Keenan, John P. 1989. “Spontaneity in Western <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>: A Yogacara<br />
Critique of MuShin.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 16: 285–298.<br />
Meditation 337