I finally did it !

This morning I completed  a goal I had set about a year ago : Practice each waza of our KNBK curriculum 150 times each.

Well actually, I only practiced the waza I know. Advanced techniques such as Okuden Suwariwaza I never really studied enough to feel comfortable with them.

Also, these are just the solo practice waza : Batto - Ho (12 waza), Shoden seiza (11 waza), Chuden tatehiza (10 waza) and Okuden Tachiwaza (11 waza). Katachi are not included. 

I also had to limit myself to  the standing version of Chuden Waza as my right knee is not ready yet for Tatehiza.

But all together that makes quite a few waza, quite a few Nukitsuke, Kirioroshi, Chiburi and Noto ! With a total of 44 waza, that makes a total of 6600 waza.

Does it make me an expert ? certainly not, but it has helped me improve. I strongly believe that only the consecutive repetition of the same waza, times and times, allows you to become acutely aware of body positions, the muscles you actually use, the way you bend your joints... Develop muscle memory - And is the only way to get better by researching and fine-tuning your moves. In my personal case, I think I have to practice a move at least 12 times in a row to be able to really feel the details of how my body relates to it.

Most of us have heard the saying that every move should be repeated 10,000 times to be perfected executed. Where does this number actually comes from ? Is it accurate ?

Well, it comes from Chinese Taoism and it is not to be taken literally. In Taoism the "ten thousand things" means the Complete Universe, all that exists. So when you are told to practice each waza 10,000 times, what you are told really, is to keep practicing them for ever...

Nevertheless, I believe in progressing step by step, and in recording your progress. Every time I practice one waza 10 times, I draw a little line on a recording sheet. It is easy to do, and I invite you to follow me.

If all goes well, I will visit my friends Francis and Jean Luc, also my Kendo and Ju Jitsu Instructors in France next week. More to learn and enjoy. 

For those of you who cannot practice from Seiza or Tatehiza positions, the standing versions of the Shoden and Chuden waza are beautifully described in the Advanced Samurai Swordsmanship set of DVD by Masayuki Shimabukuro Hanshi and Carl Long Kyoshi.

In a next post I will elaborate on the healing aspect of this kind of practice on the joints.

 

The 9 Confucian Ways of Thinking

Even if they don't always know how it happened, most Westerners have heard about the influence of Zen and Taoism on traditional Asian Fighting Arts. 

What is less well know though, is the immense influence that Confucius had on them. 

Let me give you just one example :

Confucius elaborated on the concept of "thinking" by saying that if you wish to become a cultivated person you should possess nine ways of thinking, these being:

1. when looking at something, think about seeing it clearly;
2. when listening to something, think about hearing it clearly;
3. when showing facial expressions, think about keeping a warm attitude;
4. when behaving, think about keeping a manner of respect;
5. when speaking, think about speaking honestly and plausibly;
6. when conducting some business, think about doing it carefully;
7. when you are puzzled or have a problem to solve, think about seeking advice from others;
8. when becoming angry, think about calming yourself; and
9. when seeing there is a profit to be made, think about whether it is proper to pursue that profit.

If you now consider the 5 precepts of Yoshukai Karate : 

Respect and Manners

Be prudent in Speech, 

Be prudent in action

Keep High spirit

Keep yourself clean

It becomes quite clear how much our arts were influenced by Master Kong...

Modern Taoist and Zen Practices

When Buddhism arrived in China, Taoism had been established there for a long time, with a tradition of spiritual practices somehow similar to the yogic meditative practices of India. The similarities between the 2 great traditions helped the spread of Buddhism in China. It was also the reason why Taoism greatly influenced the practices of Buddhism in general, and of Chan (that branch of Buddhism mostly interested in sitting meditation) in particular.

A clear example of this influence is to be found in the healing techniques  (So Cream method) described by 17th century Japanese Zen Master Hakuin in his Yasenkana. What Hakuin used to heal himself from what he called « Meditation disease » are classical Qi Gong techniques.

Unfortunately the influence of Taoism in Japanese Zen slowly decreased. There might be several reasons for this.

• Taoism was usually not interested in being spread to the general population, so its higher teachings are usually recorded in very esoteric language that only initiates can understand.
• Although there are clearly very valuable practices in Taoism, there are also lots of magical and superstitious practices detrimental to Meditation practices.
• It may not have been easy to find qualified teachers.

This is unfortunate for us, who mostly have learned Zen through the Japanese influence, for some techniques developed by Taoists are very valuable to Zen practice.

Techniques that request the total participation of our bodies to harness the mind.

Even if harnessing the mind is not the goal, but a tool of Zen practice, it is an important one. The ability to quiet the mind – to harness the Monkey - can bring lots of relief to people who need that before they can concentrate on anything else. After all, most of us came to Zen because of a suffering induced by our inability to control our wandering mind.

Today, I see a strong intellectual current in Zen, people want to understand everything, they read complicated books about everything, and do not spend enough time practicing. I am not sure this is going in the right direction. There are limits to what can be achieved through intellectual understanding. Intellectual, analytical understanding uses systems of words and ideas to explain them. These ideas or words are just symbols, they point to the moon, they are not the moon, but we tend to believe they are the real thing, and we get lost. We are like some food critic who know everything about French cheeses, who could not taste the difference between a Camembert and a Roquefort. There is a time where you need to quit asking questions about this or that, and start doing it. Taoist techniques are here for that.

Most of Taoist practices are related to Qi Gong – a term that can be translated as «Exercises in Energy or Vital Force). Tai Chi – practiced for health purposes – is a Qi Gong. Our Karate Sanchin Kata is also a Qi Gong.

Taoists have developed coherent theories and terminologies to guide the practitioner and describe what is happening during practice. Some of these theories use are highly esoteric and possibly misleading. Fortunately, some of them are easier to use, and their understanding makes practice easier. So they are a good tool to achieve a goal. It does not mean that they are «true». They simply are a description of reality. Once again, the Map is not the Territory, but it can be useful to deal with it.

Note: The practice of the "So Cream" or "Soft Butter" described by Master Hakuin in Yasenkana is inspired from the basic Small Circulation practice of Taoist Yoga.

The Hundred-Character Tablet of Ancestor Lu

Nurturing energy, forget words and guard it.

Conquer the mind through non-doing.

In activity and quietude, know the origin of the source.

There is no thing; what else do you seek?

Real constancy should respond to people;

in responding to people, it is essential not to get confused.

When you don't get confused, your nature is naturally stable; 

When your nature is stable, energy naturally returns.

When energy returns, elixir spontaneously crystallizes,

in the pot pairing water and fire.

Yin and yang arise, alternating over and over again,

everywhere producing the sound of thunder.

White clouds assemble on the summit,

sweet dew bathes the polar mountain.

Having drunk the wine of longevity,

you wander free; who can know you?

You sit and listen to the stringless tune,

you clearly understand the mechanism of creation. 

L  ü Yen (Lü Yan), also known as Lü Dong bin, is also called Lü Tsu, or "Ancestor Lü,” in recognition of his importance in Taoist history as the founder of the Taoist school of Complete Reality. He is believed to have lived by the end of the T'ang dynasty (618—905 C.E.). 

A huge body of literature is attributed to his spiritual inspiration. His own work, along with later writings ascribed to him, is particularly interesting for its integration of the 3 major Chinese disciplines of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. 

 

 

The WAY things are - Mysticism and Institutions.

It would seem that Communism and Buddhism do not really fit together well. Or is it that Dictature and Buddhism do not fit together well ?  

 

In Hanoi, Vietnam last week a group of young monks and nuns devotees of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, had to leave the Pagoda where they had taken refuge for the past 3 month following government efforts to disband their community.

 

 

Also last week, in the town of Kangding, Tibet, the Tibetan Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail on charges of illegally occupying government land and possession of weapons.

 

 

 

This is not just about Buddhism, Communism or Dictature, but a general trend. The WAY the world evolves... Chaos follows order, which turns into Chaos again... 

Introspection  - the search for truth by an individual inside himself rather than outside - is a threat to institutions. 

 

Most Religions were originally "launched" by individuals : Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mohamed... These individuals, having been raised in a traditional religion and not being satisfied with it, through introspection reached a different level of "knowledge" or experience of Reality, and had the audacity to start teaching to others what they had experienced. All of them got in trouble with local authorities, because they were threatening their stability.

 

This seems to always be the problem. One guy gets a great idea to help people . He starts teaching. His teachings threaten the established orders, he gets in trouble, might even get killed. But then his followers grow and grow and grow in number and strength, till the people in charge realize that if they want to control what is going on, they better work with the movement than against it. And so they do. (This is what Roman Emperor Constantine did in 313). 

A new institution is created, which needs Organization, Structures, Laws, Rules, Holly Scriptures... And here we go again, quickly the original vision of the founder (who was not looking to found anything) is lost under red tape, bureaucracy, and personal interest of dignitaries. 

 

Interestingly enough, this is not limited to religion... We can see the same thing happen in Martial Arts. When the Okinawan Masters (Gichin Funakoshi, Tsuyoshi Chitose, Chojun Miyagi, Choki Motobu, Kenwa Mabuni...) brought Karate to mainland Japan, the new Art was recuperated by the Dai Nippon Butokukai.

 

From an obscure "Chinese Hand" collection of (extremely efficient) fighting techniques, practiced without specific uniform, belt or rank system, Karate became Karate-Do - the way of EMPTY Hand, a mainstream Budo, soon recognized wordly. 

 

Whichever creativity involved in the beginning of Karate when students would travel to China so study under various masters and when back tn Okinawa would synthesize or modify what they had learn to adapt it to new conditions was pretty much lost. 

 

Nowadays, most Schools ans Styles emphasize the extreme importance to stick to the FORM (Kata) without deviating at all from the way they should be performed. Because this is the way it was always done. 

 

Comes a new idea, it is used and contaminates society. Little by little it becomes stronger and stronger until it prevails and society gets reorganized according to it. Strength brings Rigidity : the inability to adapt. Conditions change, the now old order is not adapted anymore, comes a new idea...

 

A baby is born, so flexible, in body as well as in spirit, it becomes stronger and stronger, he grows up, develops an ego and a strong sense of himself...

 

There is no point fighting the Tao.

 

 

 

 

Does God hate Tai Chi ?

First it was Rock’n’roll music - the work of the Devil, not so long ago Condoms were spreading AIDS in Africa. Now Tai Chi practitioners are on the highway to hell.

In yet another demonstration of tolerance and acceptance, the Wynyard Baptist Church on the northwest coast of Tasmania (an island off the coast of Australia) has banned a group of senior citizens from practicing their gentle and devilish martial art.

Church leader the Reverend Morse says a council of leading parishioners decided the gentle martial art’s philosophies were incompatible with the Bible’s teachings.

"Half of Tai Chi is Taoism and Zen Buddhism, which is in total contrast to what we as a Christian church believe in." Rev Morse said.

He goes on to say "It's about a type of meditation, and what they call search for enlightenment, where you go into things like yoga do or, like in the martial arts, meditations where you just emptied your mind and let it go wherever it wanted to.

Well that stands in opposition to Christianity, which says we are to be in control of our faculties."

“Yoga do?” Could this be a new synthesis of Yoga and Karate do ? I wonder if the Reverend has any idea what Yoga, Tai Chi or martial Arts are about ?

I had heard these guys down under are a little weird. Surely they could benefit from a little enlightenment. Thank God, such silly things would not happen around here !













Embracing the Devil - A Group of Senior Citizens Defy God
Bring back the Inquisition !

TAI CHI Articles

A few articles about TAI CHI written in 2003 for the Acupuncture and Healing Arts Center of Dothan.
These short articles explain in a simple way - if at all possible in less than 2 pages - some basic principles of Chinese Medicine applied to Tai Chi. Please keep in mind that my goal was to provide a concise explanation of complicated matters, which is not easily done without having to take shortcuts that may be questioned by more knowledgeable practitioners. I welcome your comments on these matters.

YIN / YANG and Tai Chi : a concise explanation of the principles governing YIN and YANG.

TAI CHI and Meridians : the basic principles of the circulation of Chi (Ki in Japanese) through Yin and Yang Meridians - without getting into the details of the individual meridians.

Tai Chi and Pain : how, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, pain is generated in the body when Chi does not flow, and how Tai Chi can help reduce or prevent pain.

How it Works : how Tai Chi can help improve flexibility, Strength, Balance, Stamina, Metabolism and Serenity.

TAI CHI Practice : the basic 3 main principles to concentrate on when practicing Tai CHi : Truth of moves, Proper Breathing, Harmonious Flowing.