Understanding Zen Through Martial Practice

7/23/2019 Understanding Zen Through Martial Practice

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Understanding Zen Through Martial Practice:

Spiritual Attainment in the Martial Arts

Introduction

Every sect of Buddhism maintains that it is a religion of compassion and nonviolence.

Throughout its history, however, Buddhism has occasionally been embroiled in warfare and

military campaigns. Zen Buddhism in particular has managed to find its way into various

military arts. From its incorporation into the Shaolin Monastery and the impact onthe Japanese

samurai to its absorption into the curriculum of several martial arts, Zen and fighting have come

to be seen as closely related. This is due to certain characteristics of its doctrine as well as its

practice. In fact, fighting is not entirely absent from Zen texts and literature. There are stories

and k!ans which depict amputations, encounters between samurai, or some kind of

confrontation. Fighting, in the sense of an inner struggle is also present. The Zen Master Hakuin

believes that Meditation is the true practice of fighting; introspection is the ultimate of

cultivation[He advises that] at all times in your study of Zen, fight against delusions and

worldly thoughts, battle the black demon of sleep[and in] pushing forward with true

meditation and struggling fiercely, there unexpectedly will be true enlightenment.1 The

objective of this examination is to draw parallels between Zen meditation and martial arts

training and explore the reasons why Zens core philosophical doctrine and meditative practice

can be integrated seamlessly into the martial arts.

In this work, I shall veer from the usual method of explaining the religion from the broad

aspects followed by narrowing down on specific details. Rather than outlining its history or

transmission or attempting to pose an answer to the k!an-like question what is Zen, what is

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presented here are what I feel are the fundamental elements of Zen philosophy and meditative

practice that resonate with the martial arts. I shall explain some features of the doctrine of Zen

through these main concepts. It will hopefully become clear that Zen and martial arts are not

opposing forces, but are instead similarly related practices both striving towards enlightenment

and liberation from suffering as a result of ego-mental living.

At first glance, one may be tempted to say that martial arts is purely a matter of fighting

or protection and that personal development through meditation and Zen ideas are either

secondary or accidental. Sport fighters, such as those who train in boxing or muay thai, may take

up learning martial arts for fitness, professional fighting, or perhaps to boost their ego.

Practitioners of military and special forces martial arts such as krav maga, Russian systema, and

Russian sambo are training for warfare or tactical operations, which seem contrary to the ideals

of Buddhism. On the other hand, there are martial arts with less of an emphasis on violence such

as tai chi, various styles of karate, and training such as kickboxing which are directed more at

healing, inner development, and fitness respectively. As Sgt. Rory Miller stated in his book

Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence,

Martial arts and martial artists often try to do it all. They teach self-defense and sparring and

streetfighting and fitness and personal development, as if they were the same thing. They arent

even related. Very, very different things get lumped under the general heading of violence.2

While Buddhism does not appear to condone violence, the theme of this investigation is that Zen

is appealing to martial artists because of its philosophy as well as its ability to facilitate the

mindset required by a warrior.

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Zen is Living asAction, not inAction

One of the underlying features of Zen Buddhism is that action takes precedence over

rumination and deliberation. Acting in the present moment and understanding what this means is

crucial both for students of Zen as well as for martial artists. This is not to say that one has

license or that all restrictions on behavior can be discarded. We must step back from our usual

conceptualizations of action and freedom and learnthis Zen-literacy. A Zen-action springs

from the ultimate freedom found in the present moment and is chosen, not out of a deliberative

process which stems from ego-mental patterns of thinking and thus delusion according to

Buddhism, but rather through a choiceless, meditative awareness. The action may not conform

with certain social constructions or expectations, as in k!ans, but their intention is neither rooted

in malice nor in virtue. It is an activity conducted through the supreme freedom realized in the

application and actualization of meditative awareness.

Shunryu Suzuki, author of the well-known bookZen Mind, Beginners Mindexplains,

Perfect freedom is not found without some rules. People, especially young people, think that

freedom is to do just what they want, that in Zen there is no need for rules. But it is absolutely

necessary for us to have some rules. But this does not mean always to be under control. As long

as you have rules, you have a chance for freedom.3 This type of enlightened freedom is the

basis for full, complete, and fluid action. When performed through deliberation, actions leave a

trace or residue of feelings, thoughts, emotions, or other feelings or sensations (Ibid., 47-49).

Guilt, shame, or feelings of being self-conscious all stem from rumination or doing something

incomplete. We sense these feelings or thoughts and then become attached to them, and this

leads to suffering. Any move or behavior carried out from the Zen-mind is complete and whole.

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In order not to leave any traces, when you do something, you should do it with your whole body

and mind; you should be concentrated on what you doZen activity is activity which is

completely burned out, with nothing remaining but ashes. This is the goal of our practice.4

In martial arts training, the practitioner must do the same. There is no such thing as do-

overs or even repeating the same movement. Every motion is new and fresh even if one is

practicing the same exercise over and over again. The idea is to make every action complete in

thatmoment. In thinking about the previous punch or planning the next one, the persons energy

is taken away from the current punch being thrown. Not only is the practitioners energy

dispersed when thinking, but it also causes a delay in responsiveness. A reaction is an answer to

a prior movement, but a response is a flowing and fluid motion happening almost simultaneously

with the initial attack. This comes from moving ones energy from thinking into action. Doing

this not only increases the rate at which we learn the technique or idea, but it also becomes

ingrained in our body so that at any moment, we can respond appropriately without hesitation.

For the warrior, if his whole energy is not directed into what he is doing, whether in training or

out, it shows a lack of spirit and honor within him. Performing every act with full determination

cultivates his spirit. The legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi declares that Whether on or off

the battlefield, there is no difference in spirit. The warrior sees all of life as the battlefield[and

thus] Every strike [or action] must be done with full authority and full intensity.5 Living in this

way, the warrior uses all of life as a way to practice by turning every action into a high art of

cultivating the warrior spirit.

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Moving into Zen Experience: Losing Your Ego-Self in Action

In tapping into the performative power of Zen action thereis a dropping away of ones

ego and the sense of an individualized self. This false notion of the self consists of the

judgments, world views, and all other attributes which one ascribes to oneself. It is the narrative

or life story we tell ourselves. It is essentially a web of interconnected experiences, attributes,

thoughts, and beliefs that we think is attached to a central thingwhich we can point to and call

I. This self, however, according to Buddhism and other traditions, is intrinsically empty. The

web holds itself together, it is not attached to an individualized or separate thing we call the self.

Engaging in Zen action is a way to release the hold of this ego identity. When acting

from the ego, one is separate from the action being performed. That is, there is someone

consciously carrying out certain movements. Learning to enter into Zen action, one becomes the

very action itself. There is no longer any separation between the self and the movement, but a

co-arising of both resulting in full and complete activity. Miyamoto Musashi expresses the same

idea when he declares that As you submit to the spirit of the thing, that the spirit of the thing

will submit itself to youNo matter how hard you study, if you do not become one with the art

you pursue you can never truly be one with the universe and the spirit of the thing itself will

always elude you.6 He understands that by letting go of the thought that aselfis performing an

action, the action itself becomes ones very being. Similarly, the Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru

states that There are many different schools [martial arts and sects of Buddhism], but they all

teach sutemi, abandoning the body, letting go of it, forgetting the ego and following nothing but

the cosmic system. Abandon attachments, personal desires, ego.7 At this point one may ask

why the ego is so detrimental. There are many ways one can approach this matter.

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From a philosophical perspective, ones ego keeps the person trapped within the world

view and conditionings in which that person was raised; it is one of the sources of suffering

identified in Buddhist teaching. When that world view is faced with another perspective which

is incompatible, the ideas of the new world view is filtered through ones own lens and these

interpretations are then displayed in the screen of the mind as something different from what it

actually is. This is the root of violence and conflict among world views. On a smaller scale, the

ego feels it must defend itself and the things it attaches to. Status, territory, possessions, and

other aspects of ones ego are grounds for conflict for many people. Most humans fight for

status or territory like other animals. Most conflict is about face or respect, not about

necessitywe have our own built-in ritual combat to establish social dominance or defend

territory. It is nearly always non-lethal. I call it the Monkey Dance.8 While these conflicts by

themselves may be non-lethal, escalating the situation may lead to fatal consequences or put

others in danger. Outside the context of necessary self-defense, these other conflicts are a result

of the ego, which is not even real. You are not you. Who you think you are, the story you tell

yourself every day, is an illusion.9 The sad reality is that people are willing to kill and to die

over this story they tell themselves. By learning to let go of the ego we dont fall into the trap of

mindless, unfounded conflict and can stop ourselves from participating in the Monkey Dance.

We learn to do this by living life as Zen action. By practicing Zen meditation and the martial

arts, one comes to let go of the ego by losing the self in the training. Another name for this

mindset is called mushin.

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Flowing in Mushin: The Mind of No-Mind

A crucial component of martial arts and meditation is learning to let go ofthe ego-self

and enter into mushin, a flowing state of no-thought and pure awareness. Forrest Morgan

believes that If there is a single trait most characteristic of classical masters its the ability to

enter mushin, or mind-no-mind. This mental state is the principle source of the traditional

warriors quick reactions, extrasensory perception, and steely calm.10 He thinks that the ability

to access this state a major factor that separates the ego-fighter from the true martial artist.

Mushinis essentially learning to let go of conscious thought. Thinking hinders our capacity to

stay in the present moment and respond to what is happening now. In this state of no-mind, we

are in a deep and focused awareness that is active and alive, but it is neither thinking nor being

mindless in autopilot.

In learning something new, we have a tendency to think about what we need to do or how

we should move. Forrest Morgan is convinced that this process takes place until we internalize

the movement. From my training experience however, we were taught not even to think at this

stage. It is more important tofeelhow ones body moves and to closely observe the details in the

movement by watching the instructor. Carrying out a new technique rests on having a

proprioceptive awareness and a concentrated mind to see the details ofthe instructors

movements. If ones mind is full of knowledge, thoughts, and judgments it is difficult to view

the world with pure eyes. The Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki states that if your mind is empty

[like the emptiness of mushin], it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the

beginners mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind there are few.11 This empty

mind is not referring to being mind-less or on autopilot. It is instead an emptiness of clarity

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where the mind is not caught up in attachment. It is a state of preparedness as well, and this is

critical for the martial artist. Therecomes a point when conscious thinking interferes with our

ability to do the technique and slows down our reaction time.12 When we are thinking, we are

not fully focused on our opponent and what he is doing and this results in a delayed reaction on

our part. If we let go of thought, we are flowing in the present moment and can respond almost

instantaneously and sometimes even before our adversary initiates an attack.

Zen meditation, like many other kinds, is based around the idea of letting go of conscious

thought. The instructions for this technique are to observe the breath and hold ones

concentration by counting each breath up to a designated number and then starting over again.

By practicing meditation in this way, the martial artist can learn to clear his mind and free

himself from thinking. This practice directly correlates to entering into warrior-mindfulness.

Martial arts training by itself can potentially do the same, but the practitioner may not be fully

aware that he must learn to be in the moment. He may continue his pattern of thinking while

training. Incorporating Zen meditation into the training and understanding the idea of being in

the present, the student will recognize how to calm his mind. This focused no-mind of calmness

and stillness is often seen as a prerequisite for understanding the heart of Buddhist doctrine,

"#nyat$- the transiency of all things.

!"nyat#: Understanding Ultimate Emptiness

A foundational idea in Buddhism is that of %#nyat$, or ultimate emptiness. The

realization achieved in insight meditation [and Zen meditation] tended to be the fundamental

emptiness ("#nyat$) of all things.13 It is the understanding that all phenomena and all things in

the world are transient and ultimately empty. No thingstands apart on its own as an independent

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and separate phenomenon but is actually rooted in "#nyat$, the emptiness from which all other

things can arise. Speaking of "#nyat$in this way is not even correct, as it is not a concept or

thing either. It is simply taken to be a fundamental truth in the world, not a conceptualization or

deity, or force. The reason the ego is a cause of suffering is because it takes itself to be self-

sustaining entity disconnected from everything else so as to appear unique. It tries to cut itself

off and stand apart in the world, but it inevitably leads to misery because the ego itself is funded

by "#nyat$which means it cannot escape the web of interconnectivity; it recognizes its falsehood

and transient nature and tries to compensate in response by clinging to worldly phenomena.

%#nyat$has several implications in the martial arts. First, it funds the view that all one

needs in order to develop as a warrior is to recognize the emptiness of all things which brings

about the understanding that the true warrior spirit is already within oneself. All the universe is

simply no-thing-ness (orMu), there is no reason to pursue any attempt at perfection. Perfection

is all there is and when you come to realize this, you will have understood my Way of strategy

the Way of the warrior, at which you can forget about it and just be it.14

Cultivating the

warrior spirit and no-mind are not external to oneself, everything is within. Tapping into a

higher way of conducting the mind reveals the unity and fullness of all things in emptiness. In

not being oneself, meaning the ego-self, one can then become what Musashi calls the spirt of

the thing itself. From the emptiness of ones being, one can become. The warrior is not

separate from the art he practices, he is the very art itself. Hence, understanding emptiness

distinguishes the person who merely practices martial arts and the true martial artist.

%#nyat$has also been used to explain why the warrior should not fear death. The warrior

who is afraid of death will not be able to fight properly. His fear will affect his movements and

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will probably lead to defeat. If he realizes the emptiness of his self, however, he has nothing to

fear. In other words, if one realizes that the baggage of the ego is not worth fighting for, it will

stop him from entering into needless conflict with others. How does the warrior come to attain

this insight? One could certainly try to overcome the fear by fighting experience, but this may

result either in this insight or being stuck in the fear of death. The acquisition of bravery is

simply the disguise of fear. Courage is not the masking of fear by appearing to be stronger than

it, it is the wisdom to see the emptiness of fear. One of the revelations discovered through Zen

meditation, also known aszazen, is the mastering of fear and oneself. The great Zen teacher

Daisetz Suzuki writes, It was, therefore, natural for every sober-minded samurai to approach

Zen with the idea of mastering deathall things are accomplished when one attains a mind of

no-mind-nessit is a state of mind which is no more troubled with the questions of death or of

immortality.15 Hence, training in zazen leads to the understanding of no-self which will allow

the warrior to transcend death. Martial arts may help expedite this process through the training

by practicing losing the self in the movements and cultivating the will-power to see that throwing

a strike also involves the risk of taking one.

At this stage, we now come face to face with what is probably the most controversial

aspect of Zen and martial arts, that is, the warriors training, duty, and ability to kill. The very

phrase martial arts denotes combativeness; how does Buddhism and its ideals of compassion

integrate with fighting styles and explain the militaristic, warrior mindset? In his chapter of

Buddhist Warfare, Brain Daizen Victoria, a scholar of Buddhist studies with training in Zen,

draws attention to the idea that "#nyat$was manipulated as a way to excuse warfare and the

killing of others. Zen leaders in Japan [perhaps due to political pressures] collapsed these two

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truths [the conventional and the ultimate truth] into one undifferentiated reality, thereby

providing Bushid!with a corrupted metaphysical foundation. This foundation not only

sanctioned killing, it also valorized the Zen-trained warriors willingness to die - in the process

of taking life, in loyal service to his feudal lord - as the antinomian expression of full

enlightenment.16 There exists the idea in sometraditions of Buddhism of two truths, the

conventional and the ultimate. The conventional truth is acknowledging the world we live in and

accepting that we must utilize the things in the world to function. The ultimate truth is "#nyat$

and knowing that all things are transient and are intrinsically empty. These two truths are neither

superior to one another nor do they oppose each other. Rather, they are two expressions that

encompass reality. We must live in the world and also realize that it is not substantial because of

"#nyat$. The argument here is that by fusing the two truths into one, killing was not seen as an

immoral act due to the empty nature of all things. Killing is not really causing suffering for the

person, for there is no one to be killed. Furthermore, only one who has become enlightened is

free from the cycle of rebirth meaning that killing is just the physical elimination of that persons

form in thislife. Zen became a mechanism of the state and a motive to fight - to convert

heathens. Japanese Buddhist military objectives in the early 1900s were to kill unbelievers and

to convert their state to Buddhismpeople who were not enlightened would be reborn;

therefore, there was no true destruction of life.17 These people would then be reborn in a

Buddhist country which allows them to practice the path of liberation. Killing was therefore

viewed as a type of skillful means in order to save others (Ibid., 9).

The issue of martial arts and killing is a highly disputed matter. Some scholars advocate

that martial arts is purely a matter of fighting. Others claim that it has spiritual value. Sgt. Rory

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Miller asserts, You must decide what is worth fighting for, never forgetting that the question

involves the risk of both dying and killingyou must commit that if one of them [of the things

worth fighting for] happens you will act ruthlessly and decisively.18 For him, martial arts is just

a useful tool for those few situations where self-defense is last resort. On the other side of the

spectrum, there are those who acknowledge the martial aspect of fighting but also address the

more virtuous side. A highly skilled Russian special forces (systema) master,Vladimir Vasiliev,

was a major influence in popularizing systema and bringing it to the United States. In his

Russian System Guidebookhe states that the goal of the Soviet special forces training was to

create a soldier who wouldbe immune to the psychological torment of battle [by pushing the

practitioner to his limits][but despite this intense, sometimes considered cruel training] when

you become a master of this style, you come to appreciate how fragile the human body is and

how easy it is to kill. You come to respect your own abilities and their place in the world. And

you come to respect human life. You become careful to do the least possible damage to your

attacker to end his threat.19

How can these two views be reconciled? Martial arts is clearly

developed for combat purposes, so where does the spiritual aspect fit in? To investigate this

issue, we will first see how ones perspective of time is crucial to transcending life and death,

and then turn our attention from the immediate intention of martial arts (fighting) towards the

aim to achieve something greater and beyond.

Zen-Time and the Self: An Alternate View of Life and Death

A crucial aspect to the understanding of the self in Zen Buddhism is its perspective of

time, which is usually interpreted as a force which exists as a self-sustaining entity and enacts its

influence on existence. Zen philosophy, however, veers far from this conventional view. In this

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tradition, there is no absolute reality or fundamental time that pervades all beings; instead,

existence and time are events that co-arise and originate with being/existing. Connected with

time is the problem of life and death. The warrior, by nature of being a warrior, must learn to

deal with the burden of being attached to living and the fear of dying. The fear of losing all that

we have, even our own life-story, or the attempt to cling tightly to life and our possessions can be

overcome by shifting our perspective of time and being. The foundation of Zen-time is that

time is an event and not an object that actualizes the entire cosmos in each moment and is

inseparable from being. Adopting this lens, we learn to view life and death as just another set of

processes that occur in the grand scheme of our flowing existence.

The S!t!Zen Master, Eihei D!gen, elaborates upon the nature of time inMoon in a

Dewdrop. He holds that time is not an object that is separated into past, present, and future.

Rather, it is an event that encompasses all dimensions of time and does not stand apart from

things in the world. Hence, he uses the term uji, translated as time-being, to show that time

and being cannot be severed from each other. For him, there is no universal time, no eternal

temporal axis which stands outside of beings in the world. Time is relative to the perspective of

beings and if each and every thing in the world has its own unique time and perspective, then

being is origination of time and an entire world. Objectified time can be cut up into different

parts, but time as an event encompasses all directions of time. Occurrences are not intime, they

are with time. Our entire past and developing future exists wholly in the present moment. Every

moment actualizes all events from our past and is creating our future.

In objectified time, the world and the self are viewed objects that move through time and

stand apart from it. If we take the Zen perspective that time is an event, however, then the world

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and the self are seen as happenings, dynamic processes that are ever-changing and flowing in

unity with time. All of existence is an event that is a holistic presencing of the entire world.

Things in the world are now seen as a sacred thou in lieu of an object or an other. Hence, when

Zen masters say to live in the here and now, they mean that in this very moment, the now is

actualizing and embracing all of existence. D!gen writes, Each moment is all being, is the

entire world. Reflect now whether any being or any world is left out of the present moment.20

His point is that every thing and every moment in the world is an expression of the entire unified

field of reality. Since each moment actualizes the entire universe, no event can replace another

nor can any event have more or less value than another; each moment is irreplaceable and

undoable.

Taking up this view of time leads to a dramatically different understanding of the self as

well as of life and death. The self seen as an object that moves intime thinks of birth/life and

death as opposing forces in time. Fear of death means that one believes that the force of death

overcomes that of life. This fear only arises, though, through the lens of the discriminating ego-

mental mind which views the world and our selves as objects. Masao Abe, a Kyoto School

philosopher says that, When one develops substantive thinking [i.e., believing that a substance

or asomethingunderlies our existence] beyond its habitual use in daily human life into a logic,

one thereby creates a logic of self-identity, which tries to eliminate contradictions.21 Thinking

of birth and death as things (i.e., objects) is using substantive logic and creates the duality and

contradiction of life and death. Breaking the hold of substantive thinking and moving into the

logic of %#nyat$, we come to see that life and death are simply two events in the course of the

event of our time-being and they do not replace or overpower one another. D!gen says that It is

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a mistake to suppose that birth turns into death. Birth is a phase that is an entire period of itself,

with its own past and future. For this reason, in buddha-dharma birth is understood as no-birth.

Death is a phase that is an entire period of itself, with its own past and future. For this reason,

death is understood as no-death.22 Thus, in transcending the polarities of life and death through

meditative practice and coming to experience ones own time-being, the fear of death and the

attachment to life fall away as well.

As was previously mentioned in the sections above, meditative practice allows the

practitioner to let go of the ego-mental mind which keep us trapped in these discriminations and

judgments arising from conditionings and ego-mental patterns. These practices also allow the

student to experience this new perception of time-being. While ones own ego-mind must be put

in check when approaching mindfulness practices, it requires focus and concentration on the

practitioners part. Master D!gen states that The time-being is entirely actualized without being

caught up in nets or cages [the nets and cages here refer to the conscious, discriminating ego-

mind], and continues by saying, without your complete effort right now, nothing would be

actualized, nothing would flow.23 In other words, only by being dedicated and engaging in

correct mindful practice can we enter into the meditative consciousness of mushin, whereby we

can directly, but subjectively, experience ourselves as the time-being.

The warrior comes face to face with the problem of life and death and of fear and

attachment and must learn to see through them if he/she is to become a true warrior. This logic

and practice of Zen allows the martial artist to move beyond the clinging to life and the fear of

death. A warrior plagued by either one of these is bound to be slain or overcome by the

opponent. In the midst of battle, thinking must be abandoned in order to succeed. Since the ego-

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mental mind interferes with ones reactions, one must learn to be fully in the moment and enter

into mushin, the mind of no-mind. Part of being able to do this is letting go of fear and

attachment and simply letting oneself embrace the here and now. Entering into the present

moment allows the warrior to be fully aware of his own actions as well as his opponents

movements and intentions without deliberating upon them. Zen Master Takuan advises that one

should cut right through the interval between previous and present. Its significance is in cutting

off the edge between before and after, between now and then. It means not detaining the

mind.24 He calls this no-mind state of meditative awareness in the present moment, right-

mindedness. At this stage, the martial artist is free from the bonds of life and death, and a great

transformation occurs from a static human being to a dynamic presencing of human becoming.

Life is its own complete event, and death is also its own complete event; only the ego-mind fears

the ending that appears to come with death and in response tries to cling to only life. By

dropping this construct, we are free from these constraints and are flowing in right-

mindedness.

Martial Arts and Enlightenment: Finding God in Combat

As we have seen so far, martial arts training and Zen meditation parallel and complement

one another. Zen meditation facilitates the development of the warrior-mind necessary for the

martial artist. By creating a foundation of mindfulness, the practitioner learns to be in the

moment and act rather fall into a cycle of rumination. This leads to being completely absorbed

in the action and dropping the ego thereby giving rise to mushin, the state of no-mind. This in

turn establishes the conditions that enable the practitioner to perceive the fundamental truth of

"#nyat$, or emptiness, to overcome the fear of death. But the ultimate outcome of all these steps

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through meditation is enlightenment; flowing in the interconnectivity of the universe and

liberation from suffering. While all martial arts are different, the correcttransmission and

application of any art revolves around personal and spiritual development even if the art only

provides the preconditions for doing so. Integrating meditation into the martial arts formulates a

holistic ontological therapy of the body, mind, and spirit which promotes the maturation of the

student.

During the development of the Shaolin Monastery in China, there was a man named

Cheng Zongyou who trained at the monastery for several years and proceeded to write the

Exposition of the Original Shaolin Staff Methodaround the 1600s. In this text, he established

that mastery in martial arts and reaching enlightenment were on an equal level. Cheng refers to

the Shaolin staff method [of fighting] as the unsurpassed Buddhist wisdom (Bodhi) (wushang

puti), and he describes his own mastery of it as sudden enlightenment (dun). He notes that

Shaolin monks consider martial training a tool for reaching the other shore of liberation, and he

expresses the hope that his own manual would serve as the Buddhist raft that would carry his

readers to Nirv$na.25 Cheng was adamant about the showing the connection between the

practice of martial arts and spiritual realization. The will-power, zeal, and concentration required

for mastering one were essential for realizing the other. Cheng is not alone in his beliefs. The

Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru remarks that the way to achieve the ultimate balance of strength

and wisdom is through martial arts training combined with Zen practice.26 The martial arts are

the way to find peace and mastery of the self[the practice] enables you to understand

perfectly the nature of your own mind and self.27 Miyamoto Musashis strategy of letting the

spirit of the thing itself work through the practitioner is another way to express this connection

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between the fighting arts and spiritual fulfillment.28 The famous Zen Master Daisetz Suzuki

shares the same view. He says that in the creation of the sword for the warrior, there is a divine

element that goes into the process and the warrior should strive to have the qualities that make

him worthy to wield the blade. He [the samurai] ought to be a spiritual man, not an agent of

brutality. His mind ought to be at one with the soul which animates the cold steel[the martial

arts training] was, besides its practical purpose, conducive to his moral and spiritual

enhancement.29 The artof the martial arts is the ethics and philosophy component that is used

as a way to balance the training of the warrior. The physical aspect complements the spiritual or

religious development. There are some modern fighting styles that only focus on competitions

or fitness, but these fall short of any spiritual progress. The true warrior trains both his body and

his spirit. In fact, Doshin So, the founder of the Japanese martial arts known as Shorinji Kempo

believes that kempo was not considered merely a martial art but was put on the same level with

zazen(seated meditation) as an ascetic practice and a method of clarifying precepts of the unity

of mind and body. It was thought to be useful in counteracting bodily weakening caused by

protractedzazen.30 If one takes up this view, it is clear that martial arts and Zen are

interdependent. The Zen practice funds the warrior mindset and spirit while the martial arts has

the practical purpose of strengthening the body as well as implementing the meditative

awareness outside of seated meditation.

Interestingly, a similar idea is reflected in martial arts outside the Oriental styles. In

Russian systema for example, there is an emphasis on morality and connecting with God. While

it is not the place of this work to delve into the topic of comparing enlightenment and God, it is

intriguing to note that in martial styles so uniquely different from each other, that there exists the

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idea of using the practice to reach something beyond the conventional self. Vladimir Vasiliev

stresses the ethical component of martial arts training. He says, To become a bully or use your

powers in the pursuit of in connection with evil would be a disgrace, totally out of character for

the warrior, and would ultimately weaken the inner powerIf you have an evil nature, your

movements will be a prisoner of that evil and lacking in freedom.31 Mikhail Ryabko, Vasilievs

systema teacher, believes that the practice of this martial art should turn us more fully to God

under all conditionsWhen combined with prayer, this eventually brings true happiness because

we become one with God.32 This idea of the martial arts being a means to transcend oneself or

the mind or to arrive at some awakening is not restricted to the Asian martial styles, but appears

in arts around the globe.

Conclusion

As has been demonstrated throughout this work, martial arts and Zen philosophy and

meditation practice are closely related in various ways. In addition to the practical application of

martial arts, there follows a spiritual journey for the student. The martial artist needs an attitude

of decisiveness and action, for any hesitation may cost him his life. This is why Zen Buddhism

is so conducive to the warrior-mind, for Zen is grounded in taking action and becoming one with

the action in the present moment. Being so fully absorbed in the movements, the practitioners

ego falls away and there exists only mushin, no-mind. Out of this,one comes to realize the

emptiness of all things and the transiency of the conventional world. When one not only

understands this, but also perceives this truth in the world through the clarity of no-mind,

enlightenment is there. The core of Zen thought is to liberate the practitioner from the cycle of

rebirth through by moving beyond the intellect and conceptual thought using certain intuitive

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ofzazento physical activity and living in the world. While one can argue that both of these

paths can lead to enlightenment separately, it would seem that both Zen meditation together with

martial arts practice give rise to a holistic and balanced methodology for the warrior to pursue his

duty of combat while also progressing on a spiritual quest towards enlightenment.

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Notes and Bibliography

Jason Kunen 22

1Yampolsky, Philip B. The Zen Master Hakuin: Selected Writings. (New York: Columbia UP,

1971), 50, 65.

2Sgt. Rory Miller.Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & RealWorld Violence(Boston, MA: YMAA Publication Center, 2008), 6.

3Suzuki, Shunry#, and Trudy Dixon.Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind(Boston, Mass: Weatherhill,

2007), 17.

4Ibid., 49.

5Kaufman, Steve, and Musashi Miyamoto.Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive

Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy. (Boston: Tuttle Pub., 2004), 27,

31.

6Ibid., 29, 104.

7Deshimaru, Taisen. The Zen Way to the Martial Arts.(New York: Dutton, 1982), 76.

8Sgt. Rory Miller.Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real

World Violence(Boston, MA: YMAA Publication Center, 2008), 41, 42.

9Ibid., 41.

10Morgan, Forrest E.Living the Martial Way: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should

Think. (Fort Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 1992), 124.

11Suzuki, Shunry#, and Trudy Dixon.Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind(Boston, Mass: Weatherhill,

2007), 2.

12Morgan, Forrest E.Living the Martial Way: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should

Think. (Fort Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books 1992), 124.

13McRae, John R. Seeing Through Zen: Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese

Chan Buddhism. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003), 42.


Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy. (Boston: Tuttle Pub., 2004), 105.


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Jason Kunen 23

15Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro.Zen and Japanese Culture. (New York: Pantheon Books 1959), 72,

74.

16Victoria, Brian Daizen. Jerryson, Michael K., and Mark Juergensmeyer.Buddhist Warfare. A

Buddhological Critique of Soldier-Zen. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 119.

17Jerryson, Michael K., and Mark Juergensmeyer.Buddhist Warfare. (Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 2010), 9.

18Sgt. Rory Miller.Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real

World Violence(Boston, MA: YMAA Publication Center, 2008), 136.

19Vasiliev, Vladimir. The Russian System Guidebook: Based on the Training of the Russian

Special Forces(Visalia, CA: Optimum Training Systems, 1997), 9, 13.

20D!gen, Eihei, and Kazuaki Tanahashi.Moon in a Dewdrop. (San Francisco: North Point Press,

1985), 77.

21Abe, Masao, and William R. LaFleur.Zen and Western Thought. (Honolulu: University of

Hawaii Press, 1985), 102.

22D!gen, Eihei, and Kazuaki Tanahashi.Moon in a Dewdrop. (San Francisco: North Point Press,

1985), page 75, section 3.

23Ibid., page 80, section 13.

24Takuan, S!h!and William Scott Wilson. The Unfettered Mind. (Kodansha International,

1987), 40.

25Shahar, Meir. The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts.

(Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2008), 62.

26Deshimaru, Taisen. The Zen Way to the Martial Arts.(New York: Dutton, 1982), 9.

27Ibid., 11.


Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy. (Boston: Tuttle Pub., 2004), 103.

Your everyday practice, as it accumulates, will eventually reveal true no-thing-ness to you as

the spirit of the thing itself.

29Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro.Zen and Japanese Culture. (New York: Pantheon Books 1959), 93.


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Jason Kunen 24

30S!, D!shin. Shorinji Kempo: Philosophy and Techniques. (Tokyo: Japan Publications, 1970),

14.

31Vasiliev, Vladimir. The Russian System Guidebook: Based on the Training of the Russian

Special Forces(Visalia, CA: Optimum Training Systems, 1997), 13.

32Vasiliev, Vladimir and Scott Meredith.Let Every Breath...: Secrets of the Russian Breath

Masters. (Toronto, Canada: Vasiliev, 2006), 123-124.

33Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro.Zen and Japanese Culture. (New York: Pantheon Books 1959), 63,

84.

34S!, D!shin. Shorinji Kempo: Philosophy and Techniques. (Tokyo: Japan Publications, 1970)

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Understanding Zen Through Martial Practice