The Role of Zen in Martial Arts
It's said that the roots of many of the Martial Arts is in
India, with Buddhist monks. While many sources give conflicting
data, it's known that in Japan, the only places that were large
enough to allow for indoor training during inclement weather,
were the huge Buddhist temples. In fact, much of what is done in
Martial Arts schools with a Japanese background comes from, and
can be traced back to this connection.
For example, white uniforms were the attire of Japanese Buddhist
monks and lay-people alike. The kyu and dan "class" and "level"
grade rankings were originally developed for and used as markers
for how much a monk had learned and progressed through his
training. And, much of the etiquette within dojos "training
halls") is identical to those used in these same temples to show
respect to all that has gone before me and to all that I aspire
to become. In fact, the Japanese kanji characters used to write
the word 'dojo' actually refer to "a place where enlightenment
takes place."
Now, before you run out and scream about quitting for fear of
being converted to Buddhism, Hinduism, or some other 'foreign',
sacrilegious cult - don't panic. Buddhism, while often practiced
like many conventional Western religions, is not really a
religion at all - at least not the way most people define or
practice a so-called 'religion'.
As developed by the founder Siddhartha Gautoma, refered to as
the Buddha ("one who is awake"), and fine-tuned over the past
two and a half - plus centuries, Buddhism is a philosophy of
personal development whereby the practitioner works to
understand his or her true nature and the immutable laws of the
universe that govern the world and everything in it. It is not
at all a belief system as are many religions today, but instead
relies on the student coming to an intimate understanding of
reality and truth through direct, personal experience.
One of the monks credited with developing martial Arts in the
Buddhist temples of the time was known as Bodhidharma, the
founder of Zen. This new training was readily adopted by the
monks for many reasons. And while the monks may have been
interested in defending themselves from unfriendly outsiders, it
is also likely that they also wished to prepare themselves for
the demands of their daily lives - lives which required that
they sat unmoving for hours while in deep meditative practice.
The Martial arts they practiced were a great means of physical
exercise while still being based heavily on their philosophical
beliefs of peace through "understanding conflict."
Zen, the most popular form of Buddhist thought known today, is
directly related to the cross-cultural interchange between
Martial Arts and the many philosophical systems that came
together as these teachings travelled from India, across the
Himalayas, through China and into Japan. Ironically, many
Westerners have no idea that Zen is a form of Buddhist study and
practice, nor is it usually seen as much more than "seated
meditation" to most martial artists - both teachers and students.
Japanese Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru often wrote about Zen and
the principles of Bushido, or "the way of the warrior," which
grew, in part, out of Buddhist thought.
The principles of:
Gi:Having the right decision, right attitude, the truth
Yu:Bravery tinged with heroism Jin:Universal love; compassion
Rei:Right action; courtesy Makoto: Utter sincerity; truthfulness
Meiyo: Honor; high ethical character Chugo: Devotion; loyalty
were the common ground between the monk and the warrior. In
fact, there is no difference between the two.
Deshimaru emphasized that the learning and practice of these
principles is a lifelong process, and needs to take place "...in
the body, through the unconscious." The ancient tradition of the
Martial Arts is an internal process, a gradual connection with
one's own deep-seated intuition. Deshimaru explains: "In the
spirit of Zen . . .everyday life becomes a contest. There must
be an awareness at every moment: getting up in the morning,
working, eating, going to bed. That is the place for the mastery
of self."