Hojo Tokimune - 1

Hojo Tokimune (北条 時宗, 1251 - 1284) was 23 when the Mongols tried to invade Japan in 1274 for the first time. They tried again in 1281. In both occasions, the invaders were repelled. This was the first time they were vanquished. So these were dramatic times for Japan. Tokimune had to take hard decisions and numerous people died under his command - but Japan stayed free, and this was the beginning of the end for the Mongol empire who had never before been vanquished.  

Tokimune apparently was afraid of his own fearfulness and to fight it practiced Zen under Master Bukko Kokushi (仏光国師) - also known as Mugaku Sogen and Wuxue Zuyuan (Chinese). Tokimune founded the Enkakuji Temple in Kamakura in 1282 to honor those who had died during the Invasions.

When Tokimune died, Bukko said he had been a bodhisattva, looked at people's welfare, betrayed no signs of joy or anger and studied Zen so that he reached enlightenment.

Tokimune's widow Kakusan-ni founded Tokei-Ji in 1285 after her husband’s death. She dedicated it to her him and made it a refuge for abused women. She is also known as the Nun Shido who when the Abbott of Engakuji challenged her about her ability to comment on a Classic of Zen, drew her 10 inch blade Tanto and answered him : "I am a woman of the warrior line and I should only declare our teaching when really face to face with a drawn sword. What book should I need?'

       These events and guys were almost contemporary with Master Dogen (1200 - 1253) - founder of Soto Zen in Japan. They were living very difficult times and facing very significant challenges. These guys had responsibilities and guts. Still, they were practicing Zen, for they were finding in It the strength and determination they needed to be up to these lethal challenges. 

...

       Some have the impression that Zen - and/or any spiritual endeavour - are a way to escape reality. Actually a number of us come to it to find "peace of mind". There is nothing wrong about that. 

       In a similar way, lots of us came to Martial Arts to learn self defense. Again, nothing wrong about this. But after a few years (20, 30) you really can't keep practicing with the only goal of becoming a better meaner fighter. If at 50 you feel the need to go Saturday night to a Country bar to pick a fight in order to test your abilities, you are missing something - notwithstanding the fact that you will eventually get your ass kicked - if not this time, then the next... Martial Arts really are about fighting the real enemy inside us.

       Same for Zen. We get to it for various reasons. Usually the need to find a place where we're at peace. Sitting will give us that. But if we keep practicing with the only intent to escape the tumults of the world, we are missing the point. Zen is not about escaping. Zen is about being here, in the middle of the mess, crawling under a floor to find a water leak and not finding it, helping a loved one going through disease, cooking for your kids, or deciding how to organize your troops in order to minimize the number of dead soldiers when repelling the invader. 

Joseph Campbell coined a beautiful description of what Zen is about : "Joyful participation in the Sorrows of the World"

Now one last point...

       Even if you practice Martial Arts to become a better person, you should train to always be ready to answer a challenge, to be ready to fight and actually not lose. If you do not have this spirit, you are not practicing Martial Arts. 

       In the same way, in Zen "joyful participation in the sorrows of the World" is achieved through sitting. You may decide your time is better spent trying to help others than "selfishly" sit in Lotus; and immerse yourself in noble and useful endeavors to make a difference in your environment. But if you don't sit, this is not Zen.

Nobody said it would be easy.

JUTSU, DO, MU

An inscription by Nobuhide Ohama on Gichin Funakoshi's memorial erected by the Shotokai at Engaku-ji, a Zen temple in Kamakura reads:

Funakoshi Gichin Sensei, of karate-do, was born on June 10, 1870, in Shuri Okinawa. From about eleven years old he began to study to-te jutsu under Azato Anko and Itosu Anko. He practiced diligently and in 1912 became the president of the Okinawan Shobukai.

In May of 1922, he relocated to Tokyo and became a professional teacher of karate-do. He devoted his entire life to the development of karate-do.

He lived out his eighty-eight years of life and left this world on April 26, 1957. Reinterpreting to-te jutsu, the Sensei promulgated karate-do while not losing its original philosophy. Like bugei (classical martial arts), so too is the pinnacle of karate “mu” (enlightenment): to purify and make one empty through the transformation from “jutsu” to “do”.

Through his famous words “Karate ni sente nashi” (There is no first attack in Karate) and “Karate wa kunshi no bugei” (Karate is the martial art of intelligent people), Sensei helped us to better understand the term “jutsu.” 

In an effort to commemorate his virtue and great contributions to modern karate-do as a pioneer, we, his loyal students, organized the Shotokai and erected this monument at the Enkakuji.

“Kenzen ichi” (“The Fist and Zen are one”)

The above is the English translation of the Japanese text.

Because some of the Japanese words or expressions do not have an accurate translation in English, and are (or should be) well known by practitionners of traditional Japanese arts, (DO, JUTSU) the translator chose to not translate them. But when it came to MU, he did however between parenthesis his own interpretation : "enlightenment".

Why did he chose "enlightenment" when Mu is generally translated as "Emptiness" ?

Enlightenment : to make oneself empty through the transformation of Jutsu into Do...

How can I transform Jutsu into Do ?

Kyosaku as a boken

This is another translation from French of a text by Taisen Deshimaru from his book "Zen et Vie Quotidienne" which I do not believe is available in English. I found this passage refreshing and absolutely hilarious. I wish I had been here to see him beat the hell out of the godo !
Actually, the Kyosaku - a stick used to hit the student to prevent him from falling asleep, at his request - looks like a lighter and straighter Boken...

I participated to a Sesshin at the Engakuji Temple in Kamakura. When I was in College, the Abbot of Engakuji Temple was also our Morals and Ethics Professor. He also was teaching Rinzai Zen at the School.

I went to that Sesshin. For one week, every morning, I got up a 2:00 a.m. and practiced Zazen until 6:00 a.m. In the evening, we could not go to sleep, we were sitting outside, and there were lots of Kyosaku strikes. My body was red !

It lasted 5 days, I had been patient, very patient… The next morning the Godo (head of the dojo) made a mistake. As he was half asleep he hit me right on top of the head. It made me really mad. I jumped up, grabbed his kyosaku and hit him with it. “I want to leave!”

In Rinzai Zen, one does not face the wall for Zazen, but faces each other. Everyone could see us fight. They stood up and tried to grab me. I was champion of Kendo back then. I hit everybody and said “This is not a real religion, this is pure violence !”

I escaped and ran to the Head of the temple who was asleep in his bedroom.

“I want to leave and quit Zazen”. I told him everything. He burst laughing :

“In the History of Zazen, you for sure are the only one who ever beat the Kyosaku bearer !!"

This is a famous story in Japan. Since then, Rinzai as well as Soto monks are afraid of me…