AlbertKLloyd said:
Well, it is clear we have a lovely assortment of backgrounds for martial arts and enthusiasts...
So I have a question, how has the study and practice of martial arts changed your perspective insofar as how you either look at things, so to speak, or how you approach and respond to events; in your day to day life?
A great question to raise,
AlbertKLloyd. In my own life, martial arts training began as a result of a desire to both, defend myself and to protect those who could not realistically protect themselves. Also, I had a longing for a detached way to survive the seeming violent chaos of a turbulent world. Granted, I also had a deep fascination with the Far East and the philosophies of these cultures. Like anyone else, I would have preferred to live in a world without conflict and danger. Who doesn't prefer peace?
It almost immediately changed my perspective of this existential paradigm. Finding my center and harnessing my will were challenges I was enthralled to embrace. My Korean Tae Kwon Do teacher made Seon Buddhist sitting meditation mandatory, before each class began. His attempt to instruct Americans the ineffable nature of the Void... was less than fruitful but... it opened doors for me that never again shut.
Still, Master Kim was a great warrior and practitioner of practical, equal-minded principles towards living as a holistic human being. Many of my fellow students attained a high degree of martial skill and shared an awakening sense of internal development. But in my mind and heart, it became an avenue towards a definitive shift in priorities, boundaries of perception and an embrace of challenges which would draw me deeper into the web of the limitless Tao.
It began as a search for an effective fighting art and developed into a highly meditative process of self-transformation. I realized early on that it was myself, who was the greatest opponent I had to face.
For myself, I have learned to respond to, and seek to balance with, any see-saw effects born of the dichotomous rush of intense pleasure and attainment, in juxtaposition to the agony of extreme upheavals and daunting travails we face. More than anything... martial arts practice has instilled in my central core of being, a strong instinct for walking the path of
The Middle Way.
Be prepared for anything, be resolved to act righteously but never yield unless you choose to do so, nor give ground unless you are drawing the force of conflict into your vortex, thus returning it to it's own source. Being the mirror of the aggression, yet, without hatred, fear or anger. Always seeking harmony first, over any potential conflict... yet if violence presents itself, one must remain internally centered and do what is needed to re-direct said assault.
Again, we'd all prefer to live in a world without hatred, conflict, crime, social manipulation or derision. Always seek the wisdom of
The Middle Path, always clearly seek harmony first. If violence arises, let it pass without becoming one of it's blind, helpless puppets. Do only what is necessary to do, or to undo, and then walk away. :thumb_up:
