Iron Ox Function

Fiddling With Politics and Profit While Rome Burns?

2010-06-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

The BP oil rig that is gushing tens of thousands of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico is the largest environmental crisis the world has faced in the 21^st Century. That’s right, the world has a problem, not just BP, President Obama, or the unfortunate citizens who make (made) their living from the rich Gulf resources. All politics aside, the pathetic non-response to the problem is a tragedy more dire than virtually any governmental or business failure in the last decade.

We are not talking about the clean up, the lost jobs, or the lives lost when the oil rig exploded. Those problems will be dealt with in the way such problems have always been dealt with. The clean up will mobilize gradually and eventually wash away most visible evidence of the oil. The lost jobs will be replaced or compensated for, most likely by yet another giant financial program implemented by President Obama and his political network, at the expense of the free market and the American taxpayer. The lost lives will be paid for by insurance and legal settlements, never, of course, sufficient to ease the enormous personal loss of the surviving families.

But world leaders, including and especially our president, have supremely and repeatedly failed to take the necessary steps to solve the most pressing aspect of this problem – the leak itself. Six weeks after the leak began, a modest redirection of oil is taking place, and tens of thousands of gallons of oil are still gushing into our oceans. Instead of throwing every resource at the problem – and we mean every one, including the National Guard, the Corps of Engineers, the experts from domestic and foreign oil companies, the best engineering minds of academia, and the astute solutions offered by the public – our government and the BP corporate leaders have spent considerable time thinking about the problem, meeting about the problem, making public statements about the problem, and using the problem to leverage their political positions, all while the oil continues to spew into the Gulf.

Our opinion is this: there is one over-riding priority that dwarfs every other aspect of the problem, and it’s so critical that the rest of the issues should be immediately put in the background so that all major effort and resources can be brought to bear on it. Stop the leak now! Stop the leak now! Stop the leak now!

President Obama. BP. World political leaders. The time to take action is now. Put the ten best engineering minds in a room and don’t let them leave until they have outlined not one, but ten, or one hundred, potential solutions to the problem. As soon as they have offered one solution, immediately bring the resources of the world together to implement the solution. DO NOT WAIT to see if that solution proves to be the one that works. Instead, start preparing the know-how and technology for the NEXT solution. Implement number two the SECOND the first fails. Implement number three IMMEDIATELY when the second one fails. Don’t stop, DO NOT STOP, until the problem is solved. The leak MUST be stopped.

When the leak is stopped, and only then, you can go back to your old ways. BP can work to figure out how to generate income from the well. Politicians can talk about how the opposing party contributed to the disaster. Environmentalists can go back to washing pelicans that will ultimately die anyway from the stress and disease of being exposed to oil. World political leaders can talk about the failures of capitalism.

The human spirit is amazing. When we pull together and all work for the same goal, there is no limit to our potential for achievement. We must bring together the best aspects of human nature and solve the oil catastrophe in the Gulf. We CAN solve this crisis, and we can do it NOW.

- Nicklaus Suino Sensei

- Director, Japanese Martial Arts Center

Tatami and Dust Motes

2007-06-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hyogen's teacher, nearly 90 years old, was a demon when it came to technical swordsmanship. However hard Hyogen tried to master the details of a technique, the old master would find fault.

"Keep your eyes on your opponent," Hyogen would hear, "Keep your back straight," or "Put the other foot forward."

Near the end of a particularly tough training session, Hyogen was performing suburi (repetitive cuts with a heavy bokken). He found himself staring at the tatami in front of him, immersed in the intricate pattern of the woven straw and the dust motes rising in the late afternoon sun. Just then, the wizened teacher looked over to inspect Hyogen's performance. "Perfect!" said the old man.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and at seminars around North America. See the Art of Japanese Swordsmanship website.

Mmmmm, Rice

2007-05-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

It is too clear and so it is hard to see,
A dunce once searched for a fire with a lighted lantern.
Had he known what fire was,
He could have cooked his rice much sooner.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, ed. Paul Reps, Tuttle.

Commentary: If you cook your rice with a candle, don't
complain about how long it takes to cook!

Nicklaus Suino teaches judo, jujutsu, and iaido at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan. He also offers judo seminars through www.artofjudo.com.

Forgetting the Sword

2007-03-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Those who are carrying a sword as a symbol of their authority or political power, holding on to their positions, tend to forget that one's worth can only be discovered by oneself, by gazing at and examining the soul. Yamauchi Yodo was well aware of this. He possessed two fine swords of the Kamakura period, one forged by Kunitoshi and one by Masamune, which he gave away very easily. He once left his residence incognito and in joke exchanged his swords with a painter who acted for him as a guide, saying he felt more comfortable without the heavy swords. Yodo's retainers, worrying about their lords attitude toward swords finally presented him with a magnificent but light and slender sword according to his fancy. On the following day, Yodo, carrying the new sword through his belt, left his residence alone on his horse to pay an acquaintance a visit. But Yodo, to the shock of his entourage, returned home without his sword. He had already exchanged it with his acquaintance for a hanging scroll made by the Neo-Confucian scholar Rai Sanyo, with which he was particularly pleased. - from Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu: The Iai Forms and Oral Traditions of the Yamauchi Branch. Kyoto: Maruzen. 2004.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Tough Love

2007-01-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

Three days before his death Diagu wrote a short poem praising himself as "unique in his generation." At the end of the poem he put the words "three days before." Did he regret having boasted and wish to write a different poem? The following day he requested that his attendant bring him writing paper, and as the latter was about to hand it to his master, Daigu hit him. A day later Daigu died.

- Japanese Death Poems, edited by Yoel Hoffman. Tuttle 1986, pp 93-94.

Every time the Sensei threw him, Yoshi got back up. "Why don't you stay down, Yoshi?" the Sensei asked. As he stood up to be thrown again, Yoshi was enlightened!

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

The Art of Peace

2006-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.

-- Ueshiba Morihei, The Art of Peace. Shambhala: Boston, 1992.

Wonderful statements like these are the reason Ueshiba is called "O-Sensei" by so many people.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Moving Mountains

2006-12-03T22:47:00.000-08:00

It is a mistake to want or to expect expertise overnight. Trying to reach too lofty a goal in a short time leads to failure, because neither the body nor the mind are prepared for the effort. In traditional martial arts, we can learn to move mountains, but we follow the methods of moving them bit by bit, in amounts we can carry safely. Developing strength of character is a natural result of correct training, but most of us need to pay special attention to right action, since not all of us were taught to choose correctly every time. In training, part of right action means admitting that some of our techniques are not as good as others, and taking the time to work on them until they improve. It also means being truthful about the results of our techniques and realizing that, although they may work in certain practice situations, they may not be as powerful as we sometimes believe they are, and thus they need ever more work. Failing to be self-critical in this way can severely limit your growth as a martial artist.

From Budo Mind and Body, by Nicklaus Suino (Boston: Shambhala, 2006).

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Two Silly Monks

2006-04-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

"Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said: 'The flag is moving.' The other said: 'The wind is moving.' The sixth patriarch happened to be passing by. He told them: 'Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving.'"

-- Paul Reps, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, Tuttle Books.

While this conversation was going on, I sent my student out to lower the flag.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Teaching the Ultimate

2006-04-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

"In early times in Japan, bamboo-and-paper lanterns were used with candles inside. A blind man, visiting a friend one night, was offered a lantern to carry home with him.

"'I do not need a lantern,' he said, 'Darkness or light is all the same to me.'

"'I know you do not need a lantern to find your way,' his friend replied, 'but if you don't have one, someone else may run into you. So you must take it.'

"The blind man started off with the lantern and before he had walked very far someone ran squarely into him. 'Look out where you are going!' he exclaimed to the stranger. "Can't you see this lantern?'

"'Your candle has burned out, brother,' replied the stranger."

- Paul Reps, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, Tuttle Books.

Similarly, we arm our students with the tools for enlightenment when we teach correct budo principles. However, though they may be carrying the lantern of enlightenment, they themselves do not know whether it is lit or unlit. It can be the role of the training partner to show them.

To you I ask: if my student gets thrown, ass over teakettle, by an opponent, has his lantern gone out?

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

2006-03-25T04:52:00.000-08:00

"A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.
"Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a lucious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!"

Paul Reps, Editor, Zen Flesh Zen Bones, Tuttle.

Now that's living in the moment!

Why do you suppose the writer chose to make one mouse white and one black?

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Chose Your Path Carefully

2006-03-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

"Buddhas are rare. They are so radiant, inspiring, and exemplary that they lead millions of people for thousands of years. The further we follow the path they have walked, the closer we will get to the fruits they have won. But in this lifetime we are likely to lack some strengths and to have many common human frailties . . . In every setback, whenever we are knocked down, there is no better time to activitate what we have developed from [Vipissana mediation]. Every moment is new, and an opportunity from which we can benefit no matter how long a chain of problems we have yet to solve."

Paul R. Fleischman, MD, Karma and Chaos.

For the martial artist, there are some helpful points in this passage by Dr. Fleischman, including the exhortation to get back up when we are knocked down, and to call on the inner resources we develop through training. I don't exactly agree with the assertion that following the path of Buddha will bring us closer to our own enlightenment. Character development is a very personal journey, and blind adherence to a system of thought can lead to mindlessness (in the worst sense of the word). Chuang Tzu would have advocated breaking from tradition. Siddhartha, in Hesse's book, had to leave the religious schools in order to find himself. The established systems are tools - they help to guide us but should not be followed unless they are in accord with one's path.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

The Heart of Budo

2006-03-15T05:26:00.000-08:00

"The basis of true training in swordsmanship is to forge the spirit."

- Yamaoka Tesshu, The Heart of Budo

Budo is more than just learning how to fight . . . real budo is a way of seeking and grasping the meaning of life. It is a particularly good tool for this because of its long history of development and refinement by people who understood that budo is a lifelong quest for personal perfection. The Japanese penchant for organizing and refining, applied to arts that naturally involve all aspects of a person, has created a razor-sharp spiritual instrument that can cut right to the core of what is real or true.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

The Turning Point

2006-03-08T17:01:00.000-08:00

"Slowly the thinker went on his way and asked himself: What is it that you wanted to learn from the teachings and teachers, and although they taught you much, what was it they could not teach you? And he thought: It was the Self, the character and nature of which I wished to learn. I wanted to rid myself of the Self, to conquer it, but I could not conquer it, I could only decieve it, could only fly from it, could only hide from it. Truly, nothing in the world has occupied my thoughts as much as the Self, this riddle, that I live, that I am one and am separated and different from everybody else, that I am Siddhartha; and about nothing in the world do I know less than about myself, about Siddhartha."

-- Herman Hesse, Siddhartha, Bantam Books.

Similarly, most of us try on many hats as we learn the martial arts. It can take many years to realize that we can be ourselves as we practice, that our practice has value even if we do not adopt an artificial persona, that of our teachers, perhaps, or of a martial arts actor. It is only when one is fully oneself in practice, in fact, that one can make real progress in the internal goals of budo. Moreover, the genuine martial artist is the only true teacher of budo. By being genuine, the true teacher leads by example as well as by words.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

The Bow and Arrow

2006-03-03T05:29:00.000-08:00

"When you learn to overcome temptation, then the arrow of intellect and the bow of action can manifest as trust in your world. This brings further inquisitiveness. You want to look into every situation and examine it, so that you won't be fooling yourself by relying on belief alone. Instead, you want to make a personal discovery of reality, through your own intelligence and ability. The sense of trust is is that, when you apply your inquisitiveness, when you look into a situation, you knonw that you will get a definite response. If you take steps to accomplish something, that action will have a result-either failure or success. When you shoot your arrow, either it will hit th target or it will miss. Trust is knowing that there will be a message.

"When you trust in those messages, the reflections of the phenomenal world, the world begins to seem like a bank, or reservoir, of richness . . . as a warrior, you are willing to take a chance; you are willing to expose yourself to the phenomenal world . . . You begin to realize that you usually fail when action and intellect are undisciplined or unsynchronized, and that you usually succeed when intelligence and action are fully joined."

-- Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior.

I had been looking for a way to explain some of the esoteric personal growth aspects for the advanced iaido practitioner, when I happened on this passage. It captures the key concepts of fearlessness, ceaseless study, and action. When you have read everything written by the Japanese about Zen, pick up one of Trungpa's works. He's not afraid to address many ideas that Westerners regard as mystical or magical, which lie beyond the commonly discussed "internal" aspects of martial arts training.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Enlightenment

2006-03-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

"One day it was announced by Master Joshu that the young monk Kyogen had reached an enlightened state. Much impressed by this news, several of his peers went to speak with him.
"'We have heard that you are enlightened. Is this true?' his fellow students inquired.

"'It is,' Kyogen answered.

"'Tell us,' said a friend, 'how do you feel?'

"'As miserable as ever,' replied the enlightened Kyogen."

--Source unknown. Cited at http://www.futurehealth.org/enlightenment_quotations.htm.

Photo Courtesy of John B. Gage, Foreign Department, Kokusai Budoin (IMAF).

My ending for the story: Later, Kyogen was kicked out of the temple.
Master Joshu said, "That good-for-nothing Kyogen was always moping around!"

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Warrior Tradition of Wisdom

2006-02-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

"Warriorship does not refer to making war on others. Aggression is the source of our problems, not the solution . . . Warriorship in this context is the tradition of human bravery, or the tradition of fearlessness. The North American Indians had such a tradition, and it also existed in South American Indian societies. The Japanese ideal of the samurai also represented a warrior tradition of wisdom, and there have been principles of enlightened warriorship in Western Christian societies as well . . .

"The key to warriorship and the first principle of Shambhala vision is not being afraid of who you are. Ultimately, that is the definition of bravery: not being afraid of yourself. Shambhala vision teaches that, in the face of the world's great problems, we can be heroic and kind at the same time."

-- Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, 1988.

This really gets to the heart of bushido: the goal of being steadfast and tender at the same time. Ueshiba Morihei described his martial art, aikido, as the actualization of love. In iaido, we talk about the "life-giving sword." These apparent contraditions get to the heart of what is interesting about warrior traditions - we are fighters who are trying to be good people and to live in accordance with universal principles.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Sources of Bushido

2006-02-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

"A foremost teacher of swordsmanship, when he saw his pupil master the utmost of his art, told him, 'Beyond this my instruction must give way to Zen teaching.' 'Zen' is the Japanese equivalent for the Dhyana, which 'represents human effort to reach through meditation zones of thought beyond the range of verbal expression.' Its method is contemplation, and its purport, as far as I understand it, to be convinced of a principle that underlies all phenomena, and, if it can, of the Absolute itself, and thus to put oneself in harmony with this Absolute."

-- Bushido, Inazo Nitobe.
Cited at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12096/12096-8.txt

Bushido is on my list of eight essential budo books. This passage addresses one of the most important ideas in traditional martial arts training: that Zen concepts are a natural extension of physical training, and that sufficient practice and contemplation of these concepts can help to "put one . . . in harmony with [the] Absolute."

Fighting practice can bring you closer to perfection of character? Great!

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Great Waves

2006-02-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

"In the early days of the Meiji era there lived a well-known wrestler called O-nami, Great Waves.

"O-nami was immensly strong and knew the art of wresting. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public was so bashful that his own pupils threw him.

"O-nami felt he should go to a Zen master for help. Hakuju, a wandering teacher, was stopping in a little temple nearby, so O-nami went to see him and told him of his great trouble.

"'Great Waves is your name,' the teacher advised, 'so stay in this temple tonight. Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing all in their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land.'

"The teacher retired. O-nami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradualy he turned more and more to the feeling of waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea.

"In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. He patted the wrestler's shoulder. 'Now nothing can disturb you,' he said. 'You are those waves. You will sweep everything before you.'

"The same day O-nami entered the wrestling contests and won. After that, no one in Japan was able to defeat him."

-- Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, edited by Paul Reps (Shambhala Pocket Editions). Cited at http://www.101zenstories.com.

Photo courtesy John B. Gage, Foreign Department, Kokusai Budoin, Tokyo

At first glance, this story might suggest that all we have to do is get our minds right and we can defeat anybody. But it is important to remember that O-nami had great fighting skills before he spent the night in the temple, and that his timid spirit was his only barrier.

There's a good reason we say "body, mind, spirit" in the martial arts and not "spirit, mind, body."

The first expression describes the proper order for training and development, while the second describes the origination of technique for those already well trained.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Direct Transmission and Daily Practice

2006-02-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

"The practice of [iaido] requires a solemn spirit, extreme concentration, and skill. Every motion, such as the movements of the arms or legs and body, must correspond to the offensive motions of the opponent, and it is of utmost importance that a person follow the rules of discipline that have been carefully and thoroughly applied."

-- The late Yamaguchi Katsuo, Meijin 10th Dan, Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu Iaido. The full text of this explanation of iaido can be read here.

Photo of Yamaguchi Sensei courtesy of Bob Ward.

It's amazing how much the old teachers know, and how much they can say with a few words. Yamaguchi-Sensei followed a strict list of absolutes in his iaido, and expected his uchi deshi to do the same. A horizontal draw (nukitsuke), for example, had be done by drawing the butt of the sword toward the opponent's throat, adjusting the blade to a horizontal position, closing the fist and cocking the wrist, and only then finishing the cut by moving the arm across the front of the body. However long one had been practicing, the requirements were the same.

What was even more interesting, however, was his discussion of the internal aspects of direct transmission martial arts. Only with a solemn spirit and extreme concentration would the internal aspects reveal themselves. He maintained that a student had to understand and be able to perform the checkpoints before the flow of energy through his body would become apparent.

The expansion of the student's awareness of time, the ability to feel an opponent's attacking intent, the ability to regulate heartbeat, and other, even more fantastic aspects of internal swordsmanship are only available through meticulous daily practice of the traditional checkpoints, handed down from generations of teachers to generations of students. This is true whether one's art of choice be iaido, kyudo, karate, or judo.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

Comparing the Way of the Carpenter to Strategy

2006-02-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

"The comparison with carpentry is through the connection with houses . . . The carpenter uses a master plan of the building, and the Way of strategy is similar in that there is a plan of campaign. If you want to learn the craft of war, ponder over this book. The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly.

"Like the foreman carpenter, the commander must know natural rules, and the rules of the country, and the rules of houses. This is the Way of the foreman.

"The foreman carpenter must know the architectural theory of towers and temples, and the plans of palaces, and must employ men to raise up houses. The Way of the foreman carpenter is the same as the Way of the commander of a warrior house.

"In the contruction of houses, choice of woods is made. Straight un-knotted timber of good appearance is used for the revealed pillars, straight timber with small defects is used for the innter pillars. Timber of the finest appearance, even if a little weak, is used for the thresholds, lintels, doors, and sliding doors and so on. Good strong timber, though it be gnarled and knotted, can always be used discreetly in construction. Timber which is weak or knotted throughout should be used as scaffolding, and later for firewood.

"The foreman carpenter allots his men work according to their ability. Floor layers, makers of sliding doors, thresholds and lintels, ceilings and so on. Those of poor ability lay the floor joist, and those of lesser ability carve wedges and do such miscellaneous work. If the foreman knows and deploys his men well the finished work will be good.

"The foreman should take into account the abilities and limitations of his men, circulating among them and asking nothing unreasonable. He should know their morale and spirit, and encourage them when necessary. This is the same as the principle of strategy."

-- Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi. Cited at http://www.samurai.com/5rings.

Photograph courtesy of John B. Gage, Foreign Department, Kokusai Budoin, Tokyo.

This is the first passage that comes to mind when I think about the Book of Five Rings. It is such a succinct passage, but contains good advice about choosing equipment, dealing with people, strategy, and efficient use of energy.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his seminars can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teacher iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.

A swordsman in his declining years said . . .

2006-02-17T05:57:00.000-08:00

A certain swordsman in his declining years said the following: In one's life there are levels in the pursuit of study. In the lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of it, and he feels that both he and others are unskillful. At this point he is worthless. In the middle level he is still useless but is aware of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of others. In a higher level he has pride concerning his own ability, rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in his fellows. This man has worth. In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing .

These are the levels in general;. But there is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way and never thinks of himself as having finished. He truly knows his own insufficiencies and never in his whole life thinks that he has succeeded. He has no thoughts of pride but with self-abasement knows the Way to the end. It is said that Master Yagyu once remarked, "I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself. ''

Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today. This is never-ending.

-- From Hagakure, by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. Cited at users.tkk.fi/~renko/hag1.html.

Many traditional martial art systems divided their teachings into 3 levels: shoden, chuden, and okuden. Today, vestiges of those divisions remain, even where a system has been modernized. For example, even though Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido awards belt ranks, the techniques are taught in three tiers, respectively called shoden, chuden, and okuden. There is a loose correspondence between the ability levels and the states of mind that Yamamoto described in Hagakure.

There are also levels above okuden. When one has learned all the techniques of the system, while one's learning still involves improving subtle aspects of the techniques, most of the development is internal: relating to character improvement. At some point, with extensive time in practice and a little luck, one may reach the "one transcending level" referred to by Yamamoto. This is the real goal of the practice of any traditional martial art, be it aikido, iaido, jodo, jujutsu, judo, karate, kendo, or naginata-do.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his programs can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teaches iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbo r, home of the University of Michigan.

Five Lessons

2006-02-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

The cook teaching Prince Wen Hui (Feb 15 blog) is one of my favorite Chuang Tzu stories. There are at least five lessons in the parable, all of which are applicable to martial arts training. The first is about character development through a physical art form. Wen Hui's cook learned to butcher cattle, starting out clumsy and eventually becoming fluent. As he got better at the physical components of his craft, his character deepened correspondingly. This wonderful combination is at the heart of all the traditional martial art forms. Whether you practice aikido, battojutsu, iaido, jujutsu, jodo, judo, karate, or naginata-do, the components are in place for significant internal development.

The second lesson is about how the tools of your trade reflect your ability level. The cook had gotten so good that he never needed to sharpen his cleaver; instead of hacking his way through the ox, his blade glided through almost on its own. Similarily, the better my students and I get at iaido, the less wear and tear there is on our blades.

The third lesson is about teaching by example. If the cook hadn't been so skilled at his craft, his words would have had less impact. The power of his example, paired with his words, was enough to catch the attention of the prince.

The fourth and fifth lessons are closely related. One is about the fact that status has nothing to do with one's ability to reach enlightenment, and the other is about beginner's mind. The lowly cook had devoted himself heart and soul to his craft and had become a buddha. Meanwhile, the exalted prince had been able to put aside his status and really pay attention to the intrinsic qualities of his cook, and had thereby learned an invaluable lesson.

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his programs can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teaches iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan. Calligraphy by the late Yamaguchi Katsuo, Iaido Meijin 10th Dan: "Grasp the sacred jeweled sword."

The Cook is the Teacher

2006-02-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

"Prince Wen Hui's cook was cutting up an ox ... The ox fell apart with a whisper. The bright cleaver murmured like a gentle wind. Rhythm! Timing! Like a sacred dance ...

"Prince Wen Hui: Good work! Your method is faultless!

"The cook: Method? What I follow is Tao beyond all methods!
When I first began to cut up oxen I would see before me the whole ox all in one mass. After three years I no longer saw this mass. I saw the distinctions. But now I see nothing with the eye. My whole being apprehends. My senses are idle. The spirit free to work without plan follows its own instinct guided by natural line, by the secret opening, the hidden space, my cleaver finds its own way...

"Then I withdraw the blade, I stand still and let the joy of the work sink in. I clean the blade and put it away.

"Prince Wen Hui: This is it! My cook has shown me how I ought to live my own life!"

Chuang Tzu. The Way of Chuang Tzu. Translator/Editor Thomas Merton. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1965, pp. 64-67. Cited at http://www.terebess.hu/english/merton.html

Nicklaus Suino teaches iaido and other martial arts at seminars throughout North America. Information about his programs can be found at www.artofjapaneseswordsmanship.com. He teaches iaido, judo, and jujutsu at the Japanese Martial Arts Center in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan.