There are two paths in the martial arts. The directions are sport, and art. One of these leads to decay, the other leads to enlightenment.
If one studies the martial arts solely as a sport, he engages in contest, and that actually defines the difference between sport and art. If one practices the martial arts as art, he is attempting to conquer the part of him which resists and fights. Subdue the self, or subdue another, it is easy to see the difference.
If one is attempting to subdue another, he is holding the world responsible for his problems, fighting the world, not taking responsibility for what he does. Whether the accumulation of wealth, or just trying to beat somebody through a violent contest, the student is not using the art the way it was designed, as a mirror for the soul. It is the soul, the individual, the spirit, the I AM that is what the martial arts are all about, not the smacking down of somebody else.
When one is doing the art as sport, he is making a strong body, and then risking that body to destruction. When one is doing the art as art, he is obsessed with finding out the truth about himself. He is engaged in defining what impulse is behind the muscle and quiver of fighting.
This all said, the True Martial Way can be defined by the degree of motion within the art. A young man indulges in the large motion of Karate and Shaolin and that type of art. As the student ages, he practices tai chi, slowing his motion down, looking at it, trying to take responsibility for his every action.
Eventually, man becomes old, runs down, and begins to think about what it all means. He aspires to motionlessness, he is a person who watches the movement of the universe, and this is where he finds the truth. In motionlessness, he sees the truth of motion and who creates it.
When one does Yoga one is exercising, making the body strong, but not through mock fighting. This does create a weakness, as the universe is motion, and we should study motion to understand life. That one weakness aside, yoga does encourage progression to the heart of the matter.
Putting the body through slow exercises, breathing, watching, we slowly become aware of who is doing the watching, who is making the motion. We find the I AM that is behind all the motion of the universe, and thus we transform into souls, individuals unique and creative and filled with passion. We could wait, and grow old without any discipline, or we could pursue violence through the martial arts until violence is exhausted, or, we could just accelerate the process with yoga, through posture and slow breathing, and find out who we really are.
If one studies the martial arts solely as a sport, he engages in contest, and that actually defines the difference between sport and art. If one practices the martial arts as art, he is attempting to conquer the part of him which resists and fights. Subdue the self, or subdue another, it is easy to see the difference.
If one is attempting to subdue another, he is holding the world responsible for his problems, fighting the world, not taking responsibility for what he does. Whether the accumulation of wealth, or just trying to beat somebody through a violent contest, the student is not using the art the way it was designed, as a mirror for the soul. It is the soul, the individual, the spirit, the I AM that is what the martial arts are all about, not the smacking down of somebody else.
When one is doing the art as sport, he is making a strong body, and then risking that body to destruction. When one is doing the art as art, he is obsessed with finding out the truth about himself. He is engaged in defining what impulse is behind the muscle and quiver of fighting.
This all said, the True Martial Way can be defined by the degree of motion within the art. A young man indulges in the large motion of Karate and Shaolin and that type of art. As the student ages, he practices tai chi, slowing his motion down, looking at it, trying to take responsibility for his every action.
Eventually, man becomes old, runs down, and begins to think about what it all means. He aspires to motionlessness, he is a person who watches the movement of the universe, and this is where he finds the truth. In motionlessness, he sees the truth of motion and who creates it.
When one does Yoga one is exercising, making the body strong, but not through mock fighting. This does create a weakness, as the universe is motion, and we should study motion to understand life. That one weakness aside, yoga does encourage progression to the heart of the matter.
Putting the body through slow exercises, breathing, watching, we slowly become aware of who is doing the watching, who is making the motion. We find the I AM that is behind all the motion of the universe, and thus we transform into souls, individuals unique and creative and filled with passion. We could wait, and grow old without any discipline, or we could pursue violence through the martial arts until violence is exhausted, or, we could just accelerate the process with yoga, through posture and slow breathing, and find out who we really are.
About the Author:
Al Case has studied the martial arts for forty+ years. He has written for the magazines,, including his own column, Case Histories. He is the developer of Matrixing Technology and Neutronics. You can get a free ebook at his website, Monster Martial Arts.
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