The Influence of Mindfullness in Contact Kenjutsu
Sept 8, 2014 20:36:32 GMT
Post by Rob Dorsey on Sept 8, 2014 20:36:32 GMT
Konichiwa All,
I think that I may assume that everyone in the Japanese fighting arts community has, at some time, seen the Tom Cruse motion picture "Last Samurai" in which Cruse learns his Kenjutsu by the full contact, emersion method. At one point, as he is being pummeled by Uju (Hiroyuki Sanada), a young samurai Nobutada (Shin Koyumada) runs up to him and entreats him to mindfulness, saying "You have too many minds, must have no mind, no mind."
What the young Nobutada so rightly advocates is the Buddhist meditation goal of being aware of one’s surroundings without addressing them directly with one's consciousness. That takes into account the technique of abandoning one aspect of consciousness and that is the concept of “self.” Simply put, self, in this context, refers to the feeling that you are a presence residing within your head, not far behind your eyes, and looking out through your eyes at reality, your “window on the world.” This presence can see the world in your present and can think about what it sees, hears and senses. In fact, first-person “thinking” most often invokes the self to act as judge and arbiter of the thoughts generated. This entity after all is “you,” it is “I” and what could be wrong with that?
Well, when it comes to a complex hand-eye, highly charged, and high adrenaline activity like sword fighting, it serves no purpose but to get in the way. In many instances, it can also invoke fear and then direct the mind to think abut that. If you allow yourself to be completely identified with the self in your head, it can cause the rest of you to give over to the self so that threats identified by the self must be thought about and then feared then reconsidered before you can command action. In other words, you can, under extreme stress, find yourself to be a slave of your … self.
Everyone has this sensation to one degree, or another and is probably what most people would describe as their “self,” “me,” “I.” In many cultures and possibly individuals of your acquaintance, this awareness of self can also be thought of as the soul, the inner you. This concept of self is, unfortunately, an imperfect way of viewing the world and can lead to multiple errors and slow your reactions putting you at a disadvantage.
I won’t deny that the pull of “self” is powerful. After all, it is yourself we’re talking about. What meditation may help with is the understanding that this powerful entity residing in your head is not real. It is a construct of the brain, an instinctive and hard wired way of the brain making sense of the myriad stimuli pouring in from the senses. It is your “MS Windows,” a cute and handy way for your brain to put a friendly face on the data. Sitting by a pond watching a family of ducks on a late summer’s afternoon is an environment in which the self, the mind, cannot degrade the experience. In fact, it might enhance it. But, in the midst of a sword fight, particularly if death or severe injury is the second place prize, your “little man” behind the eyes is a detriment that might make you lose.
The task for the warrior, the bushi, is to turn off that little guy and open your body to your brain by direct connection. Hippy-dippy bullsemprini you say? Not really. You do it all the time but don’t think about it. An extreme example is to pick up a hot pan. You will no doubt rid yourself of that painful handle before your brain has even pushed the pain into your consciousness. That action is immediate and proper; the pan’s handle is hot, and you don’t want to burn yourself any more than you already have. What if you could handle your kata moves, your sword fighting moves on that level of consciousness. It only requires adding the mind to your practice regimen. You’ll know that you’re getting there when you realize that you just parried that cut from jodan without thinking about it. Thinking takes time. Quit it!
Try this: Before you step onto the dojo floor, put your bokken to gedan no kamae (lowered ready position), close the eyes and try to empty your mind. Use a little device like imagining yourself throwing the business folders out of a window, physically ridding yourself of distractions. Then try to let your mind float, if it tries to grab onto anything, throw it out the window and float. Think of your mind state just before you go to sleep, empty, relaxed, comfortable. Now, eyes still closed raise the sword to right sha no kamae (behind the waist on the right side) for a few seconds making sure that you are not thinking about it then up to jodan no kamae, the overhead posture for the powerful down cut. If you can do this without thinking about it, with your eyes closed, you are ready to enter the floor. As the match begins, forcibly relax and try to let your mind float. From here you are reacting; defensibly by reacting to your opponent’s attacks, offensively by reacting to your opponent’s errors and openings. But in all be disciplined: “No Mind!”
I think that I may assume that everyone in the Japanese fighting arts community has, at some time, seen the Tom Cruse motion picture "Last Samurai" in which Cruse learns his Kenjutsu by the full contact, emersion method. At one point, as he is being pummeled by Uju (Hiroyuki Sanada), a young samurai Nobutada (Shin Koyumada) runs up to him and entreats him to mindfulness, saying "You have too many minds, must have no mind, no mind."
What the young Nobutada so rightly advocates is the Buddhist meditation goal of being aware of one’s surroundings without addressing them directly with one's consciousness. That takes into account the technique of abandoning one aspect of consciousness and that is the concept of “self.” Simply put, self, in this context, refers to the feeling that you are a presence residing within your head, not far behind your eyes, and looking out through your eyes at reality, your “window on the world.” This presence can see the world in your present and can think about what it sees, hears and senses. In fact, first-person “thinking” most often invokes the self to act as judge and arbiter of the thoughts generated. This entity after all is “you,” it is “I” and what could be wrong with that?
Well, when it comes to a complex hand-eye, highly charged, and high adrenaline activity like sword fighting, it serves no purpose but to get in the way. In many instances, it can also invoke fear and then direct the mind to think abut that. If you allow yourself to be completely identified with the self in your head, it can cause the rest of you to give over to the self so that threats identified by the self must be thought about and then feared then reconsidered before you can command action. In other words, you can, under extreme stress, find yourself to be a slave of your … self.
Everyone has this sensation to one degree, or another and is probably what most people would describe as their “self,” “me,” “I.” In many cultures and possibly individuals of your acquaintance, this awareness of self can also be thought of as the soul, the inner you. This concept of self is, unfortunately, an imperfect way of viewing the world and can lead to multiple errors and slow your reactions putting you at a disadvantage.
I won’t deny that the pull of “self” is powerful. After all, it is yourself we’re talking about. What meditation may help with is the understanding that this powerful entity residing in your head is not real. It is a construct of the brain, an instinctive and hard wired way of the brain making sense of the myriad stimuli pouring in from the senses. It is your “MS Windows,” a cute and handy way for your brain to put a friendly face on the data. Sitting by a pond watching a family of ducks on a late summer’s afternoon is an environment in which the self, the mind, cannot degrade the experience. In fact, it might enhance it. But, in the midst of a sword fight, particularly if death or severe injury is the second place prize, your “little man” behind the eyes is a detriment that might make you lose.
The task for the warrior, the bushi, is to turn off that little guy and open your body to your brain by direct connection. Hippy-dippy bullsemprini you say? Not really. You do it all the time but don’t think about it. An extreme example is to pick up a hot pan. You will no doubt rid yourself of that painful handle before your brain has even pushed the pain into your consciousness. That action is immediate and proper; the pan’s handle is hot, and you don’t want to burn yourself any more than you already have. What if you could handle your kata moves, your sword fighting moves on that level of consciousness. It only requires adding the mind to your practice regimen. You’ll know that you’re getting there when you realize that you just parried that cut from jodan without thinking about it. Thinking takes time. Quit it!
Try this: Before you step onto the dojo floor, put your bokken to gedan no kamae (lowered ready position), close the eyes and try to empty your mind. Use a little device like imagining yourself throwing the business folders out of a window, physically ridding yourself of distractions. Then try to let your mind float, if it tries to grab onto anything, throw it out the window and float. Think of your mind state just before you go to sleep, empty, relaxed, comfortable. Now, eyes still closed raise the sword to right sha no kamae (behind the waist on the right side) for a few seconds making sure that you are not thinking about it then up to jodan no kamae, the overhead posture for the powerful down cut. If you can do this without thinking about it, with your eyes closed, you are ready to enter the floor. As the match begins, forcibly relax and try to let your mind float. From here you are reacting; defensibly by reacting to your opponent’s attacks, offensively by reacting to your opponent’s errors and openings. But in all be disciplined: “No Mind!”