Warrior Zen
by Yonezato Goyo
Sensei, what is Warrior Zen and is it a superior method of fighting?
Warrior Zen is a state of mind when engaged in an encounter, any kind of encounter, not just a physical one. The closest concept I think you can relate to is “Getting in the Zone.” Some believe that Warrior Zen is the suppression of all thoughts. But this is a misconception. Instead of suppressing all thoughts the Zen Warrior is open so the most relevant thoughts, appropriate for the moment, can manifest themselves. Warrior Zen is not a superior method of fighting. It is simply a state of mind.
How do you learn to “Get in the “Zone?”
Train relentlessly and mindfully. Give up all wishes, hopes and fears.
How do you give up all wishes, hopes and fears?
Disciplined training leads you to a state of mind which allows no opening for wishes, hopes or fears. It becomes the vehicle that leads you to that state of mind which I call, “Getting in the Zone.” This is accomplished with the right intentions, such as practicing to perfect techniques with an open reflective mind. The act of self-evaluation of each technique requires you to have an open mind to see how your technique is being done. It is through this intensive practice that you learn to open your mind. Open mindedness is a skill that is developed through proper training. It can be switched on when needed such as during an encounter.
What is an example of being open-minded without the cloud of wishes, hopes, and fears?
I once spoke to a man who recounted this story. As a relatively new karate Shodan, he competed for the first time in his style’s annual tournament. He won in kata but had misgivings about kumite. His first kumite opponent was another Shodan who had more experience and was younger by about 8 to 10 years. He was about 18 –20 and this man was 28. He talked about how he wished for winning, how he was fearful that he would lose but he hoped he wouldn’t look foolish if he did lose.
When they squared off and the referee shouted “kamaete” (begin!). He said they edged in and his opponent suddenly performed a technique he had never seen before and was not a technique included in their style. He executed a front jumping kick to his chest and he scored a point!
My friend told me how his wishes, hopes and fears had slowed him down and he wasn’t able to deal with the unexpected. He said his opponent used the technique again successfully and won the match 2 to 0. He said he was very embarrassed.
Later the same day, he was chosen to compete in the team kumite match. In team kumite there were three matches with different competitors fighting. The points scored were added up from each match to arrive at a team total. The team with the most points would win the competition. He told me he was chosen to be on one team and the opposing team included the Master of his style. While warming up for the team matches, he was informed that he drew the match against the Master. He said he was stunned. One of the Master’s brown belt students had actually come over and chided his team about how the Master was going to crush his opponent. He realized the brown belt was talking about him!
He told me that in his mind he knew there was no hope. That he was already defeated. He said he knew nothing could save him so there were no wishes for success. He had nothing to fear because he knew he would surely suffer another but more embarrassing defeat. His was the first match. He suited up in the combat gear and squared off. The referee shouted kamaete! The Master backed up a short distance then came charging in to strike him in the face with his fist. He said he had never seen anyone charging at someone else like this, much less directly at him! The Master was vigorously pumping his front leg in a rapid piston action propelling himself forward like a freight train.
But my friend’s mind was empty and nothing the Master could do would surprise him. After all, the Master was the holder of all the secrets of their style. So he just stood there with an empty mind. Suddenly, he said, without any conscious thought, his right leg flew out and nailed the Master in the chest just as he reached his kicking distance. He was just as surprised as the Master! And so was the referee as he shouted Ippon! (Point!). The Master was confounded. He lost his Zone and tried to repeat the same attack over and over again. As for my friend, he was IN the ZONE! Each time the Master attacked, my friend used the same defense and the match ended with a score of 4 to 1 in my friend’s favor.
This is an example of being open-minded without the cloud of wishes, hopes and fears. This is Warrior Zen. It is the opening of the mind so your instincts and creativity can take over. It is opening yourself to the Zone where there is no you and no opponent, only action and reaction. No pre-planning, no images, no desires.
So Sensei, how does Warrior Zen fit into the broader context of Zen?
Zen is hard to describe. It is safe to say it is a religion, a philosophy and a means to connect with the spiritual world.
It is a religion based on its genesis from Buddhism. Buddhism has a deity about it that can lead to spiritual salvation. It is a method to transcend this world and touch the spiritual world. And while the birth of Zen is from Buddhism, it transcends that too.
Zen is an all-encompassing religion that does not judge, does not criticize or hold itself above any other religion. To a Zenist, all religions are contained in Zen and Zen is in all religions.
An example that illustrates the Zen principle is when Bodhidarma stood before Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. The Emperor granted him an audience and was questioning him to test who he was and if, in fact, he was a true sage. (You will recall it was Bodhidarma (Daruma) who brought Zen (Chan) to Japan in the seventh century. After some questioning the Emperor asked, “What is the holy ultimate truth?” Bodhidarma answered, “It is Emptiness itself and there is nothing holy.” The Emperor, put off by his answer then asked, “Who then, is the one who at present stands confronting me?” The answer shot back like a spark from flint striking steel, “I know not.” This is an illustration of the state of mind sought by the Zen practitioner. No-mind (mushin, or as I call it, the Zone) allows spontaneous truth to unfold. Bodhidarma’s reply, “I know not” meant he could not predict what he may say or do because he was open to the vast universe of possibilities. He could not, and would not, create boundaries by saying something like, “I am a monk from India,” or “I am a master of Zen.” He was both, and neither, at the same time. Definitions only hamper the free flow of the mind.
But how does Zen itself transcend this world and touch the spiritual world?
You know how Christians pray over and over again, like the Our Father prayer or praying the rosary? Prayer is supposed to open your soul to God so He can enter your being. You are then connected to God and the spiritual world.
The same is true in Zen. In Zen you meditate to calm yourself to enter the realm of Emptiness. D.T. Suzuki called it connecting to the “collective unconscious.” Artists call it connecting to the “creative principle.’ I am catholic and for me, it is connecting to God.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo, in his book Hagakure writes the Samurai’s sole purpose in life is to die. So why is the Samurai’s cardinal rule to die if opening the mind leads to victory? If you are intent on dying isn’t that the same as being intent on losing?
It is the exact opposite. In Warrior Zen, one assumes he is already dead upon entering an encounter. Fear of dying clogs the Way to mushin. Hoping to survive clogs the Way. Wishing to be away from the encounter clogs the Way.
But Sensei, today';s martial artists cannot give up everything and become monks. So how do they attain the openness you speak of? Does it not take the renouncement of all worldly thing sand sitting in meditation all day?
No, it does not take that level of commitment to attain the state of mind I am referring to. It can be achieved by working very hard to perfect your martial arts techniques. It is not how much time you spend working on the techniques as much as how intense you are when you work at them. It is a matter of quality over quantity. Of course there is a minimum amount of time needed to improve your techniques but the time I am referring to is over and above that. The more time you spend in focused, intense, rigorous training, the faster you attain the targeted state of mind. The Zen Warrior sharpens the mind through sharpening of the body. The act of forging your techniques into hard, steel-like techniques should be your everyday method of training. It should happen regularly, not just every once in a while. For the fighting man, forever honing his skills and techniques is a necessity. There is no time for letting down and relaxing or taking it easy. The Zen Warrior must be in training at all times.
In my readings about Zen I have come across Koans. Please tell me about Koans. What are they and what is their purpose?
Koans are non-sensical riddles that have no answer. One of the most famous is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Obviously there is no answer to this question because it requires two hands to perform “clapping.”
The purpose of Koans is to create an opening of the mind. If the mind races to find an answer it is befuddled and confused. On the other hand, if the mind spontaneously responds with an answer that matches the depth of the nonsense posed by the question, that is Zen.
Are there Koans in the martial arts?
Yes, there are many. But in today’s dojo, generally they are non-verbal. A good sensei will create instances in the dojo that opens the minds of the students. Fore xample I remember a clock I posted on the back wall of the dojo. I noticed some students (usually those who were the most mentally clouded) would sneak peeks at the clock during training. I found this distracting and decided I had to do something to resolve this situation. I just happened to find a clock that ran counterclockwise. Instead of the numbers cascading down the right side of the face from 1 to6 then back up the other side to 12, they cascaded down the left side. Where #11 is on a regular clock, the #1 appeared on this clock.
I placed this clock on a side wall in the dojo where it was visible to all. There were many puzzled looks at first followed by knowing glances from the senior students. Faces turned from puzzlement to openness then to acknowledgement. We had a great practice session that day and solved the problem of clock-watching.
More importantly the clock represented a Koan. It was non-sensical and was an example of breaking through patterns of pre-conceptions. The clock was no longer a clock. It was a path to an open mind.
Sensei, what other stories can you share to further define the Warrior Zen principle?
One of my favorites is the story of an encounter between Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) and Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578). Both were great warlords and each commanded great armies. They sometimes pitted their armies against each other to fend off encroachment. They were also committed followers of Zen.
During one campaign at Kawanakajima the two armies were in a standoff and either deliberately or by chance Kenshin came upon the inner camp of Shingen overlooking a battlefield. Shingen was seated on a chair in full battledress sending messages to the field via his personal messengers. He was protected only by a few of his personal guards.
Upon realizing where he was, Kenshin immediately charged Shingen drawing his sword. As he bore down on Shingen he struck at his head shouting, “What say you now?” (This was a famous Zen challenge).
Shingen, undisturbed by his predicament parried the sword strike with his tessen (iron fan) and shouted back, “Snowflake on a hot stove!” Kenshin rode off.
This story shows us that under the direst of circumstances the Zen warrior responds appropriately and mindfully.
Another story I like to tell is about Yamaoka Tesshu. Yamaoka Tesshu was known for his exhaustive training sessions in swordsmanship. During certain sessions he would require each student to compete with every other student in successive matches until he fought everyone. He used this to break through to mushin. A student recounted his experience as the subject of one of these intensive training sessions. After many bouts he was nearing complete exhaustion and was having trouble even holding the sword in an on-guard position. One of the students he had not fought yet started putting on his gear. This particular student was known to be ruthless and severe in his matches. Upon squaring off, the exhausted student said he raised his sword over his head to come down on his ruthless opponent or die trying. Suddenly, Tesshu stopped the match before it began and pointed at the exhausted student and declared, “There! There is Zen!
I’m a little confused about the state of being open-minded. You have discussed in previous conversations that we need to create an opening, a suki, in our opponent’s mind so we can attack. What is the difference between a suki and Zen no-mind/open-mind?
A suki is the opposite of mushin. In a suki the mind is befuddled and confused. It is asking a question, like “Huh?”(I don’t understand). It is a point, or moment of insecurity, and the mind stops, waiting for an answer. For the warrior who creates a suki in his opponent, the answer is the successful delivery of an attack. For the opponent whose mind is stopped waiting for an answer, the answer or outcome appears by way of receiving a strike, being thrown or taken down.
Old time warriors searched for ways to create suki. They searched and discovered tricks to use in creating openings. In fact, the word “waza” does not just mean “technique.” It also means “trick.” So what you are training in, are“tricks” to give you an advantage in an encounter.
A perfect example of a suki is the young Shodan in my earlier story who received a jumping kick to his chest. His mind could not comprehend the jumping kick and was waiting for an answer. He was befuddled and he was kicked in the chest as he waited for an answer.
Mushin is not an open mind due to being befuddled. The mushin mind surpassed the point where anything an opponent does can cause befuddlement. Let me give you an example.
I watched as an enlightened aikijutsu Master was doing randori (free fighting) with a junior black belt. The Master grabbed the junior by his lapels and began driving him backwards step-by-step. The junior, looking for a potential opening remembered a common technique and grabbed the Masters sleeves. The student then dropped down on his back putting his foot in the Master’s stomach and flipped the Master over himself and onto the floor. The Master immediately recognized what the junior was going to do when his sleeves were grabbed and asked, “Oh?” The Master was questioning the student’s strategy prior to being thrown. Not knowing how to respond to the Master’s question, the junior continued with the trick.
Through out the throw the Master continued to hold onto the lapel of the junior’s uniform. Upon landing, the Master immediately rolled over on his stomach perpendicular to the junior pushing with one hand and pulling with the other chocking the junior with his own uniform. The junior was forced to submit or be chocked unconscious. The Master prevailed.
The Master was in a state of mushin. His mind was open to all possibilities. His actions and reactions were spontaneous given the circumstances. The junior was trying to use preplanned strategies and did not react openly to the question, “Oh?” If the junior would have been in a state of mushin he would have immediately changed course and done something different.
An accomplished Warrior Zen Master is undefeatable. Tricks and preplanned strategies are ineffective. He will still defeat you. His state of mind is emptiness which allows the most effective strategies to manifest themselves spontaneously.
How does one become a Zen Warrior? What are the steps?
1 .Find a good teacher
2. Focus on improving your techniques first, then application after they have been mastered. Most modern teachers get this backwards.
3. Engage in intense, focused practice on a routine basis. Train relentlessly, both physically and mentally. Clear your mind as you strive to master your techniques and seek perfection in execution.
4. Kata, Kata, Kata.
5. Find yourself; otherwise unknown clouds will obscure your vision.
6. Keep everything and everyone at an emotional distance.
7. Study the lives of the great warriors and Zen masters like Miyamoto Musashi who was undefeated in 60 life-or-death encounters.
8. Keep a close tab on your ego. Your journey on the Way maybe come convoluted by your ego. Always remind yourself that you are on a path with no end and that your ego may deceive you.
9. Don’t search or strive for enlightenment. When you are ready it will find you.
Warrior Zen is a state of mind when engaged in an encounter, any kind of encounter, not just a physical one. The closest concept I think you can relate to is “Getting in the Zone.” Some believe that Warrior Zen is the suppression of all thoughts. But this is a misconception. Instead of suppressing all thoughts the Zen Warrior is open so the most relevant thoughts, appropriate for the moment, can manifest themselves. Warrior Zen is not a superior method of fighting. It is simply a state of mind.
How do you learn to “Get in the “Zone?”
Train relentlessly and mindfully. Give up all wishes, hopes and fears.
How do you give up all wishes, hopes and fears?
Disciplined training leads you to a state of mind which allows no opening for wishes, hopes or fears. It becomes the vehicle that leads you to that state of mind which I call, “Getting in the Zone.” This is accomplished with the right intentions, such as practicing to perfect techniques with an open reflective mind. The act of self-evaluation of each technique requires you to have an open mind to see how your technique is being done. It is through this intensive practice that you learn to open your mind. Open mindedness is a skill that is developed through proper training. It can be switched on when needed such as during an encounter.
What is an example of being open-minded without the cloud of wishes, hopes, and fears?
I once spoke to a man who recounted this story. As a relatively new karate Shodan, he competed for the first time in his style’s annual tournament. He won in kata but had misgivings about kumite. His first kumite opponent was another Shodan who had more experience and was younger by about 8 to 10 years. He was about 18 –20 and this man was 28. He talked about how he wished for winning, how he was fearful that he would lose but he hoped he wouldn’t look foolish if he did lose.
When they squared off and the referee shouted “kamaete” (begin!). He said they edged in and his opponent suddenly performed a technique he had never seen before and was not a technique included in their style. He executed a front jumping kick to his chest and he scored a point!
My friend told me how his wishes, hopes and fears had slowed him down and he wasn’t able to deal with the unexpected. He said his opponent used the technique again successfully and won the match 2 to 0. He said he was very embarrassed.
Later the same day, he was chosen to compete in the team kumite match. In team kumite there were three matches with different competitors fighting. The points scored were added up from each match to arrive at a team total. The team with the most points would win the competition. He told me he was chosen to be on one team and the opposing team included the Master of his style. While warming up for the team matches, he was informed that he drew the match against the Master. He said he was stunned. One of the Master’s brown belt students had actually come over and chided his team about how the Master was going to crush his opponent. He realized the brown belt was talking about him!
He told me that in his mind he knew there was no hope. That he was already defeated. He said he knew nothing could save him so there were no wishes for success. He had nothing to fear because he knew he would surely suffer another but more embarrassing defeat. His was the first match. He suited up in the combat gear and squared off. The referee shouted kamaete! The Master backed up a short distance then came charging in to strike him in the face with his fist. He said he had never seen anyone charging at someone else like this, much less directly at him! The Master was vigorously pumping his front leg in a rapid piston action propelling himself forward like a freight train.
But my friend’s mind was empty and nothing the Master could do would surprise him. After all, the Master was the holder of all the secrets of their style. So he just stood there with an empty mind. Suddenly, he said, without any conscious thought, his right leg flew out and nailed the Master in the chest just as he reached his kicking distance. He was just as surprised as the Master! And so was the referee as he shouted Ippon! (Point!). The Master was confounded. He lost his Zone and tried to repeat the same attack over and over again. As for my friend, he was IN the ZONE! Each time the Master attacked, my friend used the same defense and the match ended with a score of 4 to 1 in my friend’s favor.
This is an example of being open-minded without the cloud of wishes, hopes and fears. This is Warrior Zen. It is the opening of the mind so your instincts and creativity can take over. It is opening yourself to the Zone where there is no you and no opponent, only action and reaction. No pre-planning, no images, no desires.
So Sensei, how does Warrior Zen fit into the broader context of Zen?
Zen is hard to describe. It is safe to say it is a religion, a philosophy and a means to connect with the spiritual world.
It is a religion based on its genesis from Buddhism. Buddhism has a deity about it that can lead to spiritual salvation. It is a method to transcend this world and touch the spiritual world. And while the birth of Zen is from Buddhism, it transcends that too.
Zen is an all-encompassing religion that does not judge, does not criticize or hold itself above any other religion. To a Zenist, all religions are contained in Zen and Zen is in all religions.
An example that illustrates the Zen principle is when Bodhidarma stood before Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. The Emperor granted him an audience and was questioning him to test who he was and if, in fact, he was a true sage. (You will recall it was Bodhidarma (Daruma) who brought Zen (Chan) to Japan in the seventh century. After some questioning the Emperor asked, “What is the holy ultimate truth?” Bodhidarma answered, “It is Emptiness itself and there is nothing holy.” The Emperor, put off by his answer then asked, “Who then, is the one who at present stands confronting me?” The answer shot back like a spark from flint striking steel, “I know not.” This is an illustration of the state of mind sought by the Zen practitioner. No-mind (mushin, or as I call it, the Zone) allows spontaneous truth to unfold. Bodhidarma’s reply, “I know not” meant he could not predict what he may say or do because he was open to the vast universe of possibilities. He could not, and would not, create boundaries by saying something like, “I am a monk from India,” or “I am a master of Zen.” He was both, and neither, at the same time. Definitions only hamper the free flow of the mind.
But how does Zen itself transcend this world and touch the spiritual world?
You know how Christians pray over and over again, like the Our Father prayer or praying the rosary? Prayer is supposed to open your soul to God so He can enter your being. You are then connected to God and the spiritual world.
The same is true in Zen. In Zen you meditate to calm yourself to enter the realm of Emptiness. D.T. Suzuki called it connecting to the “collective unconscious.” Artists call it connecting to the “creative principle.’ I am catholic and for me, it is connecting to God.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo, in his book Hagakure writes the Samurai’s sole purpose in life is to die. So why is the Samurai’s cardinal rule to die if opening the mind leads to victory? If you are intent on dying isn’t that the same as being intent on losing?
It is the exact opposite. In Warrior Zen, one assumes he is already dead upon entering an encounter. Fear of dying clogs the Way to mushin. Hoping to survive clogs the Way. Wishing to be away from the encounter clogs the Way.
But Sensei, today';s martial artists cannot give up everything and become monks. So how do they attain the openness you speak of? Does it not take the renouncement of all worldly thing sand sitting in meditation all day?
No, it does not take that level of commitment to attain the state of mind I am referring to. It can be achieved by working very hard to perfect your martial arts techniques. It is not how much time you spend working on the techniques as much as how intense you are when you work at them. It is a matter of quality over quantity. Of course there is a minimum amount of time needed to improve your techniques but the time I am referring to is over and above that. The more time you spend in focused, intense, rigorous training, the faster you attain the targeted state of mind. The Zen Warrior sharpens the mind through sharpening of the body. The act of forging your techniques into hard, steel-like techniques should be your everyday method of training. It should happen regularly, not just every once in a while. For the fighting man, forever honing his skills and techniques is a necessity. There is no time for letting down and relaxing or taking it easy. The Zen Warrior must be in training at all times.
In my readings about Zen I have come across Koans. Please tell me about Koans. What are they and what is their purpose?
Koans are non-sensical riddles that have no answer. One of the most famous is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Obviously there is no answer to this question because it requires two hands to perform “clapping.”
The purpose of Koans is to create an opening of the mind. If the mind races to find an answer it is befuddled and confused. On the other hand, if the mind spontaneously responds with an answer that matches the depth of the nonsense posed by the question, that is Zen.
Are there Koans in the martial arts?
Yes, there are many. But in today’s dojo, generally they are non-verbal. A good sensei will create instances in the dojo that opens the minds of the students. Fore xample I remember a clock I posted on the back wall of the dojo. I noticed some students (usually those who were the most mentally clouded) would sneak peeks at the clock during training. I found this distracting and decided I had to do something to resolve this situation. I just happened to find a clock that ran counterclockwise. Instead of the numbers cascading down the right side of the face from 1 to6 then back up the other side to 12, they cascaded down the left side. Where #11 is on a regular clock, the #1 appeared on this clock.
I placed this clock on a side wall in the dojo where it was visible to all. There were many puzzled looks at first followed by knowing glances from the senior students. Faces turned from puzzlement to openness then to acknowledgement. We had a great practice session that day and solved the problem of clock-watching.
More importantly the clock represented a Koan. It was non-sensical and was an example of breaking through patterns of pre-conceptions. The clock was no longer a clock. It was a path to an open mind.
Sensei, what other stories can you share to further define the Warrior Zen principle?
One of my favorites is the story of an encounter between Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) and Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578). Both were great warlords and each commanded great armies. They sometimes pitted their armies against each other to fend off encroachment. They were also committed followers of Zen.
During one campaign at Kawanakajima the two armies were in a standoff and either deliberately or by chance Kenshin came upon the inner camp of Shingen overlooking a battlefield. Shingen was seated on a chair in full battledress sending messages to the field via his personal messengers. He was protected only by a few of his personal guards.
Upon realizing where he was, Kenshin immediately charged Shingen drawing his sword. As he bore down on Shingen he struck at his head shouting, “What say you now?” (This was a famous Zen challenge).
Shingen, undisturbed by his predicament parried the sword strike with his tessen (iron fan) and shouted back, “Snowflake on a hot stove!” Kenshin rode off.
This story shows us that under the direst of circumstances the Zen warrior responds appropriately and mindfully.
Another story I like to tell is about Yamaoka Tesshu. Yamaoka Tesshu was known for his exhaustive training sessions in swordsmanship. During certain sessions he would require each student to compete with every other student in successive matches until he fought everyone. He used this to break through to mushin. A student recounted his experience as the subject of one of these intensive training sessions. After many bouts he was nearing complete exhaustion and was having trouble even holding the sword in an on-guard position. One of the students he had not fought yet started putting on his gear. This particular student was known to be ruthless and severe in his matches. Upon squaring off, the exhausted student said he raised his sword over his head to come down on his ruthless opponent or die trying. Suddenly, Tesshu stopped the match before it began and pointed at the exhausted student and declared, “There! There is Zen!
I’m a little confused about the state of being open-minded. You have discussed in previous conversations that we need to create an opening, a suki, in our opponent’s mind so we can attack. What is the difference between a suki and Zen no-mind/open-mind?
A suki is the opposite of mushin. In a suki the mind is befuddled and confused. It is asking a question, like “Huh?”(I don’t understand). It is a point, or moment of insecurity, and the mind stops, waiting for an answer. For the warrior who creates a suki in his opponent, the answer is the successful delivery of an attack. For the opponent whose mind is stopped waiting for an answer, the answer or outcome appears by way of receiving a strike, being thrown or taken down.
Old time warriors searched for ways to create suki. They searched and discovered tricks to use in creating openings. In fact, the word “waza” does not just mean “technique.” It also means “trick.” So what you are training in, are“tricks” to give you an advantage in an encounter.
A perfect example of a suki is the young Shodan in my earlier story who received a jumping kick to his chest. His mind could not comprehend the jumping kick and was waiting for an answer. He was befuddled and he was kicked in the chest as he waited for an answer.
Mushin is not an open mind due to being befuddled. The mushin mind surpassed the point where anything an opponent does can cause befuddlement. Let me give you an example.
I watched as an enlightened aikijutsu Master was doing randori (free fighting) with a junior black belt. The Master grabbed the junior by his lapels and began driving him backwards step-by-step. The junior, looking for a potential opening remembered a common technique and grabbed the Masters sleeves. The student then dropped down on his back putting his foot in the Master’s stomach and flipped the Master over himself and onto the floor. The Master immediately recognized what the junior was going to do when his sleeves were grabbed and asked, “Oh?” The Master was questioning the student’s strategy prior to being thrown. Not knowing how to respond to the Master’s question, the junior continued with the trick.
Through out the throw the Master continued to hold onto the lapel of the junior’s uniform. Upon landing, the Master immediately rolled over on his stomach perpendicular to the junior pushing with one hand and pulling with the other chocking the junior with his own uniform. The junior was forced to submit or be chocked unconscious. The Master prevailed.
The Master was in a state of mushin. His mind was open to all possibilities. His actions and reactions were spontaneous given the circumstances. The junior was trying to use preplanned strategies and did not react openly to the question, “Oh?” If the junior would have been in a state of mushin he would have immediately changed course and done something different.
An accomplished Warrior Zen Master is undefeatable. Tricks and preplanned strategies are ineffective. He will still defeat you. His state of mind is emptiness which allows the most effective strategies to manifest themselves spontaneously.
How does one become a Zen Warrior? What are the steps?
1 .Find a good teacher
2. Focus on improving your techniques first, then application after they have been mastered. Most modern teachers get this backwards.
3. Engage in intense, focused practice on a routine basis. Train relentlessly, both physically and mentally. Clear your mind as you strive to master your techniques and seek perfection in execution.
4. Kata, Kata, Kata.
5. Find yourself; otherwise unknown clouds will obscure your vision.
6. Keep everything and everyone at an emotional distance.
7. Study the lives of the great warriors and Zen masters like Miyamoto Musashi who was undefeated in 60 life-or-death encounters.
8. Keep a close tab on your ego. Your journey on the Way maybe come convoluted by your ego. Always remind yourself that you are on a path with no end and that your ego may deceive you.
9. Don’t search or strive for enlightenment. When you are ready it will find you.
© Copywrite Yonezato Goyo 2012