Being Nobody, Going Nowhere

Lao Tzu, the famous Chinese philosopher accredited with writing the "Tao Te Ching" wrote how the life of a sage is one of daily diminishing, not adding. Bruce Lee also spoke of peeling back non-essentials of the martial arts in order to reveal 'the truth' of self-defence training.

Looking at ourselves, as a people, we love to gather certificates, diplomas, trophies. We accumulate things, like cars, houses, books, and so forth. Why? For most of us it is a sense of security through identity. Deep down, we don't know who we are or why we are here on this planet. In an attempt to find this security or identity we try to find it through 'outer things' such as titles, materials possessions and relationships.

As martial artists, most of us have studied about five to six different art forms looking for the 'the truth' or ourselves. And, guess what? They do satisfy, but for only a short while, because as you know, all things are temporary. So we keep searching.

If we would really listen to Lao Tzu, we can see we are like an onion. If you begin to peel back the layers of who you think you are, just like the onion, you will find when you get to the middle, that there is 'nothing' there. Yes, you are nothing, going nowhere! (LOL here!)

Being nobody, going nowhere is our truest nature....it is Ku or Emptiness. We are emptiness in form and form in emptiness. If you remember, Ku is the unfolding field of limitless possibilities only waiting for a thought to manifest into form. At your truest inner self, because you are No-body you are All things. You are infinite with unbounded potential. How cool is that!

So, as you look at yourself, Peel back the layers of who you identify as you. Throw away the labels, the security, the diplomas, the sense of importance and just watch. Meditate. Learn to just be and your inner self of Being Nobody, Going Nowhere is there. Then you can have a great laugh and play in this wonderful universal field of 'energy'...which is what I am off to do now.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

The Warrior's Path

I've been writing a book about Warrior's and have had some thoughts. I noticed that the martial arts, the real ones, require a long time (a lifetime or two) to master. There are no short cuts to the deeper levels Budo has to offer. To begin to "see" these deeper teachings of wisdom involves a great deal of discomfort and pain.

As a counselor working with people who are addicted to substances like alcohol, pot, crack, pain pills and what ever they can find to get a buzz, I have noticed they are looking for convenience and comfort. They are no different than most of us, except their path is more dysfunctional in our society. Most of us, however, are always wanting the fastest most convenient method to get what we want. After all, Time is Money in our society and we have to have comfort.

In fact, a few years ago, when I was researching to set up a private counseling practice, the research stated people will visit the counselor who has the most convenient and easy parking! What's up with that? People don't care about your credentials, just that they can park easily and it be convenient for them.

The Warrior's Path is a lonely one. Take a look at ancient times when a student of martial arts or Zen wanted to study with a teacher. The teacher usually rejected, humiliated and scorned the student. Gave him/her impossible tasks to do and basically demean the student. The student who kept coming back, over and over, was finally accepted.

Don't have that now...I ask myself now after 41 years as a Martial Artist...do I do what I do because it is easy, convenient and comfortable? If it is...it is time to move outside my comfort zone. Why? Growth only comes about through struggle...and nothing makes you squirm like pain and inconvenience. These two allies, when embraced, lead you to dig deep within yourself and find resources you never knew you had...it brings you to relief...to a great inner peace...to the ceasing of the struggle...ah! Budo: To Cease The Struggle.

I am moving to Madison in a few months. Perhaps I should just set up an old school Dojo...it will be inconvenient and uncomfortable...any takers?

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Yang's Ten Important Points (part 1)

From the Essence of Tai Chi Chuan:

Yang's Ten Important Points with commentary by Chen Wei-ming

1.  The head should be upright so the spirit can reach the headtop. (Don't use strength or the neck will be stiff and the chi and blood cannot flow through. It is necessary to have a natural and lively feeling. If the spirit cannot reach the headtop, it cannot raise.)

2.  Sink the chest and pluck up the back. (The chest is naturally depressed inward so the chi can sink to the tan tien. Don't project your chest: the chi gets stuck there and the body becomes top-heavy. The heel will be too light and can be uprooted. Pluck up the back and the chi sticks to the back; depress the chest and you can pluck up the back. Then you can discharge force through the spine. You will be a peerless boxer.)

3.  Relax the waist. (The waist is the commander of the whole body. If you can relax the waist, then the two legs will have power and lower part will be firm and stable...It is said, 'the source of the postures lies in the waist. If you cannot get power, seek the defect in the legs and waist.")

4.  Differentiate insubstantial and substantial. (This is the first thing of all in Tai Chi Chuan. If the weight of the body is resting on the right leg, then the right leg is substantial and the left leg is unsubstantial and vice versa. When you can separate substantial and insubstantial, you can turn lightly without using strength. If you cannot separate them, the step is heavy and slow. The stance is not firm and can be easily thrown off balance.)

5. Sink the shoulders and elbows. (The shoulders will be completely relaxed and open. If you cannot relax and sink, the two shoulders will be 'uptight.' The chi will follow them up and the whole body cannot get power. 'Sink the elbows' means the elbows go down and relax. If the elbows raise, the shoulders are not able to sink and you cannot discharge people far. The discharge is close to the broken force of the external schools.)

Observe these principles of Tai Chi Chuan when performing your Sanchin. Feel how accurate these teachings are. I will finish this in some upcoming posts.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Let's Dance

Sensei Dean & Me...199?

Do you fight or do you dance?

Sensei Dean would always encourage us to learn how to dance...not ballroom dancing, chacha or waltz, but harmonizing in step with your assailant. He would show us over and over how to move in step with an attack. He would maintain mai-ai, or the gap, to his advantage always moving just out of range to be hit, yet remaining in range to smack the crap out of you.

To this day I still can't dance the way he does...well mostly cause I dance to the beat of a different drummer. Sensei Dean is Sensei Dean. Shinzen is Shinzen. I finally found my own dance! What I learned is that I can't copy the man who took a skinny teen kid and turned him into a man. I had to find my own way through the maze of kata, kumite, sweat, tears and lots of blood (mostly my nose...I had a habit of running into Sensei's fist). I had to find my own dance...I had to listen to my own music and move to it the way Shinzen moves...and it is great!

Keep practicing your Karate, Kempo, Aikido, TKD, Kung Fu. You will find your own dance. Just listen to the music it plays, the rythym that sways and you will begin to move the way you need to move. It's there. Just let it happen...let's dance.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Congrats to Verna & Rick

Verna throwing Rick

 Congratulations to Verna Micik and Rick Micik for earning their Intructor Certificates in Zen Goshindo Karate! Rick has been a Budoka for 12 years and Verna 10. They are a mother/son team that bring great energy to the Broken Bokken.

In fact, Verna named the dojo after she broke my bokken during practice one day. The name stuck!

She will be taking over as head instructor of the Broken Bokken after I move to Madison in the spring of 2011.  Rick is off to culinary school...he likes sharp knives.

Rick performing Sanchin

Again, congrats! I am blessed to have two wonderful Yudansha!

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Got Sole?

Getting down to basics today...Your Footwork. In Karate we have many stances to learn: Sanchin Dachi, Kiba Dachi, Zenkutsu Dachi, Kokutsu Dachi and so on. Some look funny, some feel funny and some just plain hurt when you stand in them for a long time...spend some time in a low Kiba...ouch! But I digress.

Why so many stances and why the importance placed on proper foot positioning, etc?

Your ability to stand properly and use your footwork to drive power is why. All of your hand techniques derive their power from your feet. If your feet or stance work are not proper you will not have power in your hands. Pure and simple.

All power to deliver a punch, a block a throw are born in the soles of your feet. Think of your soles as your soul of power. Without a soul of power your techniques have no spirit...no umpha!...no chi!  It comes up from the sole/soul.

Get in touch with your soles. Practice kamae...stance standing and feel the energy of connecting to the ground or floor. Move your feet across the floor and feeeeel them. Get in touch with them. Be soulful! :)

Come to think of it...maybe this is another way of connecting with your spiritual soul as well. See the connections of sole power and soul power. Something to ponder.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Tai Chi helped my Sanchin

One great thing about being in the martial arts is the diversity. From one art foreign to you, you can learn more about your own art. For instance, one of my students back in Lincoln, Nebraska is a Tai Chi instructor (Yang family).  As I learned more about tai chi and began practicing I fell in love with the movement, 'grasping sparrow's tail'.

Grasping sparrow's tail contains the essence of tai chi in terms of its movement. In it we have four movements, called ward off, roll back, press and push.  These correlate a bit to the four 'winds', as I call them, of Sanchin. These are spit, swallow, sink and float. These winds when combined create a spiral of energy that is very powerful.

Well, practicing Grasping Sparrow's Tail, I could feel an internal movement of energy that moved and undulated. It taught me how to use me feet, hips, etc in a continuous movement for self-defense. Then when practicing Sanchin, I could feel the same energy and could use it within the more seemingly rigid structure.

It is difficult to explain this movement, but it is where Chinkuchi, or Fa-Jing, is generated. I am writing more about this in my next book on Sanchin and might play with it here for your reading feedback.

Well, basically, practice some Tai Chi and it will help your Karate. It feels good and can help any stiff Karate-ka break free and flow better.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Train like you mean it.

Ernie Paulson & Rob Shepard/Goshindo Karate  

When you are in the dojo are you training or jawing?

I tend to see, yes, even in my dojo, too much talking and not enough training. I am all for having fun during the workout, but it must also be vigorous and have adrenalin pumping intensity. It must simulate real life as much as possible while ensuring safety. Why?

If you have sloppy habits in the dojo...you will have sloppy habits on the street. Sloppy on the street gets you hurt, if not killed. Train vigorously in the dojo with intensity of mind, body and spirit helps you shape yourself for the rigors of a street defense situations.

Injuries will happen in the dojo, but those will heal. Injuries on the street could be crippling if not death inducing. Endure the dojo dings and your mind and body will have a better chance of street survival if need be. Facing your fears of injury in the dojo will help you face the fears of injury on the street...but only if the practice in the dojo pushes you to your limits and makes you question what the hell you are doing.

So, get ready Broken Bokken Dojo....especially the Yudansha...you've only just begun. Get the ice packs,jow and bandaids ready.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Jiyu Kumite

Jiyu Kumite, for my non-martial art readers, is free sparring. No prearranged techniques like kata or one or two step Kumite. It is mostly for us an exercise in adapting our 'eye' and mind to fight speed. Fists and feet come at you very fast and you have to act upon the action swiftly or get a good thumping. There are rules we use for safety purposes, but you will walk away with bumps, bruises, scrapes and tears.

Jiyu Kumite also has much to teach us, not only in the martial arts, but outside it as well...mostly in the realm of present moment awareness and dealing with life's difficulties. For instance, when you get your ribs bruised by a side kick it is not a pleasant experience. Even when kicked hard and out of breath, Shihan Dean would yell at us to keep moving...don't stop....even in the midst of pain...be here! Stay in the moment of engagement...you ain't dead yet.

Life will always throw unpleasant experiences at us that we don't like. Life is beyond our likes and dislikes. It is indifferent...just like a side kick. When you get hurt, either physically or emotionally, stay here and now and keep moving. Stay in the game, stay in the Now of what is going on cause, just like your opponent in Kumite, Life is gonna keep on coming. After it kicks you, it could be following up with a flurry of strikes...or running away. You don't know. You have to stay alert even though you hurt.

The hurt will go away. Kumite gets us in touch with Transiency of phenomena. Every thing changes. This too shall pass. Staying in the game, eyes open, alert and mindful, your pain diminishes and you realize you are okay and can keep moving. You begin to feel empowered and soon realize that the hurt and pain is a wonderful teacher...if you let it be.

Kumite also teaches us how to keep the mind calm in the midst of all this turmoil but always having to stay now. When your thoughts race into the future with fear or past with regret you have to bring it back to the action...or once again pain will wake you up to now, whether you want it or not.

As you go about your daily life, maintain this Kumite mind of being in the game, in the now. Know your intentions, but stay focused with what is at hand, neither projecting too far into the future or visiting the past. These are just ghosts in your mind.

Kumite teaches us how life can come at us fast and furious. But, if we maintain our calm mind, our now mind and trust our training, it becomes a fun event. Most students love to Kumite. It becomes a joyful experience despite the discomfort. And so is life. As you stay connected to now of now...the flux and flow of life as it arrives, your life becomes more joyful, more fun and inspirational....even when it side kicks your ribs.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Sacred Swords of Zen Goshin-do Karate

Zen Goshin-do is the style of Karate that we practice at the Broken Bokken Dojo. We love all things Samurai and in Zen Goshin-do there are three swords that represent our soul and practice of the Way.  These three swords are Zazen, Kata and Kumite.

Now, many styles practice these three, however, as usual we take a view that might or might not be classical or traditional. It is just how these three swords have 'spoken' to me over the years. Swords are the soul of the Samurai...and these three swords are our Sacred Swords.

Zazen is the sword that teaches us how to be here and now. It is the practice of seeing directly into our true nature without words and a bunch of b.s. We practice Zazen to practice Zazen...and allow the benefits of calmness, centeredness, self-knowledge and healing to flow.

Kata is the sword that puts zen into motion and teaches us how to be here and now while in the midst of the principles of Karate. In terms of life, it shows us how everyday activity, like brushing teeth, driving to work, making love...are Kata...how we behave. Parts of Karate...and everyday life...have certain ritualistic features that we can pay attention to and reveals our true nature, when we pay attention to what is going on. It helps us develop the skills we need in Karate and to support our life.

Kumite, or Jiyu Kumite, is Free Sparring. It is the sword of action and flow. No pre-arranged structure. Here you must be in the flow of activity with discursive thought in the background. Being here and now is paramount or you get a fist or foot in the face or a bokken across the knucles....heck, even being here and now these things can happen, but at least you are dealing with it directly and not with a bunch of bruha. You keep moving despite comfort or discomfort. It is the flow of life, unstructured, unscripted and at times extremely chaotic...yet you remain unmoved and centered like the bodhisattva, Fudo.

All three swords are intertwined and give us the skills to master the art of karate...and of living. To be an artist of life direct knowledge of yourself is important. Paying attention to our routines, rituals and practices of everyday living allows us to enter into a place of deep mindfulness. This serves us well when we need to flow with life when it is unscripted.

Let's say you have a job interview. Prior to it you have to prepare a resume and cover letter describing who you are and your skills...sort of some self knowledge and introspection needed...prior to meeting a prospective boss you have practiced in your mind questions she might ask...and how you would answer...then there are the unscripted questions you need to be able to respond with fluidity...and the answers come easily because you have prepared yourself and practice in the basics.

I will let you sort out the elements of zazen, kata and kumite in this job interview...mostly cause I gotta get to work.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

It's about deep respect

If you were to go to a modern day martial arts studio you will notice they look a lot like a gym or a dance studio. You will see a clean floor, gym mats, striking dummies, kicking shields, mirrors on the wall, etc.  Also present would be trophies and weapons on the wall, as well as pictures of students and teachers.

Now, if you were to go to a very traditional martial arts dojo you would notice they all have the same things, with one exception....an altar.

Traditional dojo typically have an altar that pays respects to the founder of the style, ancestors or guardian/family spirits.  This altar has a very important part to play in classical budo and has been removed in most commercial studios for one reason. Money.

Modern day teachers have removed the altar because they are afraid of losing students for fear of being thought of as idol worshippers. This fear is based on a lack of understanding of why the altar is there...and why we bow and meditate before it. Respect...not worship.

It is unfortunate that the prevailing Christian culture views bowing and meditating as a form of idol worship and won't partake in it. I know not all Christians have this view, but for modern day Karate-ka who try to run a dojo, the altar was removed because of these views.

When I was operating a commercial dojo in Lincoln, Nebraska I was working with a martial arts association that promised to help build your student base. One thing they emphasized was the removal of the altar or anything that looked like an Eastern religion...no buddhas, no altars, no ancestor lists, etc.  I refused to do this.

I am not sure how if effected my bottom line, but I did attract students. The type I liked. Those who were interested in Zen and all the bells and whistles. My dojo also housed the Lincoln Zen Group that was linked to the Nebraska Zen Center in Omaha. Nonin would often come to visit for workshops and seminars on Zen.

I attracted martial artists who were highly ranked in Aikido, Tai Chi, Ninjutsu, Jujitsu and Karate.  They wanted the altar. They wanted the spiritual side of Budo as it had not been emphasized in there schools and wanted more than just the physical and mental developments and transformations.

At the Brokken Bokken we have a broken bokken and a small buddha as our altar. We meditate before and after in its presence. The altar represents our higher self. It represents the gateway to the creative consciousness that allows for healing and deep transformation. It is this altar that reminds us of the true purpose of Budo... "to cease the struggle"  This is what Budo (the way of the warrior) actually means on a deeper level. It is about putting away the swords and realizing inner peace.

I encourage all martial artists to reconnect with this part of their traditions....or develop your own based on your spiritual insights. It doesn't have to be religious...just respectful. Oh well...I have rambled enough.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

It's okay to be hungry

As I watching tv last week I saw a commercial for a meal replacement product that is guaranteed to help you lose weight. One thing that struck me was that he was talking a lot about the fear of being hungry. That people who go on diets still get real hungry and that this is a bad thing. 

Hunger is not bad. Starvation is.  A good hungry is a like a good hurt. In karate we get hit a lot. We get hit on purpose to manage pain on a physical and psychological level. It toughens the body and the mind.  After awhile, getting hit by a punch or kick is no big deal and you just keep moving. This is a good hurt. It propels you into the realms of introspection and discovery.

There is also a good hungry. The hunger you feel after a good day of hard work or the hunger you feel from purposeful fasting. Many cultures practice fasting for a variety of reasons, mental, physical and spiritual. It is important for us to really know hunger. It helps us realize that it has many benefits, and in terms of weight management and health, it helps us differentiate true hunger for food/nutrition versus cravings for sweets or emotional comfort.

As a culture, we tend to eat to comfort emotional cravings such as boredom, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, etc.  We eat based on clock time...not stomach/nutritional time.  Learning and touching hunger shows us the way to see how little we actually need to survive and that a lot of what we consider food is just crap. It can teach us that we can be hungry and okay. I recommend you try going a day and eating only when truly hungry, just not craving a piece of pie cause you're upset or excited. And when you find true hunger just watch it.  Embrace it and learn from it. Give it a go.

It's okay to be hungry. It's nothing to fear. It could actually make you healthier.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

When you finish, die.

My Zen Calendar for May 11th is too good to resist posting. It is by Soko Morinaga.

"When you go to the kitchen to prepare dinner, be born in the kitchen. When you finish there, die. Then be born at the dining table as you eat your dinner and, when you finish eating, die there. Be born in the garden, and sweep with your broom. When you get into bed at night, die there. And when you awaken at daylight, be born anew."

For us Budo-ka, how about, 'when you enter the dojo, be born in the dojo. When you finish, die.'  'When you begin a kata, be born into the kata...when you finish the kata, die.' 

When I do Sanchin Kata, the heavy intense breathwork takes me into the kata...here I am born. When I finish, I die....but also awaken to a new life.

For myself, this is entering deeply into what I am doing with gusto! Leave nothing behind, no trace. Give it your all.  A lesson I need, especially those moments when I find myself resisting parts of my job (like paperwork).  I must be born into it and then die when finished...then be born into the next and so on. Make no separation between you and the activity.

Good advice for all activities.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

A New Black Belt

Ross (in Bandana) Congratulations on earning your Black Belt!

Some Samurai time with Mariah

Yudansha the old man putting Ross in arm bar 

Joel's rear attack

Ross recuping post elbow to noseRoss receiving Black BeltWhat's a bb test w/o blood and swollen noses!

and jammed knees!

Once again, Congratulations to Ross and a big Thank You to the Yudansha

Sensei Verna

Sensei Rick

Sensei Mariah

Sensei Joel

and to Jake (yellow belt) Ross' brother who was our gopher.

For more photos visit my Facebook Photo section.

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Tiger-Dragon

At the Broken Bokken we wear a patch on our uniforms with a Tiger and a Dragon engaged in battle. When entwined like this they are the animal representation of Yin and Yang.

The Tiger is Yang.

The Dragon is Yin.

They are in a battle that neither can win since they need each other. Can't have Tiger Yang without Dragon Yin. They move together and are a wonderful way to explain martial concepts, especially to new students.

Typically, we begin teaching Tiger techniques. They tend to be easier to learn as most people are used to 'hard' hitting, clawing, blocking, etc. Most fights you see are typically yang on yang. Once Tiger Yang is getting mastered, the flowing moves of the Dragon Yin are introduced. These can be joint locks, throws and evasive strategies...and work quite well when set up with a Tiger Yang.

As both get mastered, the student learns to blend the two in self-defense situations. The student learns to yield and flow like the dragon, then hit like the tiger....or suddenly pounce like a tiger and then wrap up the opponent in an excruciating dragon joint lock.

There are many ways these concepts are taught, but this one way we teach about these two animals...and how they can work together to teach us the way of yin and yang...soft and hard...and how to use these complementary opposites not only to save our lives physically, but when we look deeply, spiritually as well.

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

There is No Preparation

As a white belt going through the ranks of Karate, I often disliked the warm-up and conditioning exercises. I found this preparation to kick, punch and throw people around a waste of time. Too boring, I often felt. I see this in many students as well. "When are we going to practice real Karate?", I am often asked. "We want to free-spar and wrestle on the mats," is also often heard.

What students, and myself, did not realize that this 'prep' time IS Karate. It is not preparation to do Karate, but it is Karate as well. The body and mind need to be warmed up and conditioned properly to take the vigorous activity.

In Zen, many students come to the temple to seek enlightenment through meditation. They see Zazen as prep-time for enlightenment...and it is amazing how many students quit cause they hate the prep time. Too boring is often the reason...just how I felt in Karate during warmups.

It is not till you realize that the warmups and Zazen is NOT prep time. The warmups are Karate and Zazen is enlightened activity. They are not preparations for anything. They are IT!

There is no preparation. It is an illusion and delusion of the mind.

When people ask me know how often do I practice Karate, I tell them 24/7. There is no prep time. Everything I do is Karate...just like everything I do is Zazen...enlightened activity. No prep time.

This is it!

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Till You Die!

One of the first questions most new students ask when joining the dojo is, "How long does it take to earn a Black Belt?" This is a good question...however, not always an easy one to answer. Without getting too philosophical with a new person, I typically respond, "About five years."

Getting to the coveted Black Belt can be an arduous road. It is full of hard work, sweat, some blood, bruises, fear, anxiety and of course, it is just plain fun!

One of the most important things I will tell a new student is that the Black Belt is not the end....it is the beginning. I know it can deflate some people's aspirations, but it is true. A Black Belt is technically proficient in the art...but this is just the springboard to greater things. If a student is in a hurry to get a Black Belt I try to help them understand that this is a lifelong adventure.

When I put a Black Belt around someone I know they are a 'lifer'. If they are just looking for a trophy Black Belt they won't make it in Zen Goshindo. They will get weeded out and generally will go find somebody who will give them that Black Belt in one to two years.

For me, I feel the body needs to mature with consistent training. I can 'feel' when the body and the mind has matured into a Black Belt. For myself, it is an intuitive thing. I don't have a cookie cutter curriculum for students to follow. Afterall, we are all different, with different needs.

I have two students preparing for their Shodan testing at the end of the month. Both have seasoned over the years and have those five years in. Their skills are good and most importantly, I know these two guys are lifers.

Reminds me of a story from the Zen world. A student monk asks the master how long do we train. The master responds, "Till you die." These are the students I want. We do this till we die. Black Belts will show up as long as you just keep training.

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

New Dojo!

Sensei's Rick, Verna, PJ and myself have started a new dojo at the Mohican Family Center. It is on the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican's Reservation near Bowler, Wisconsin. We've started off with two classes. One class for kids ages 7-11 and 12-18.

We had a great turnout last week and are expecting more kids in the next few weeks. I had forgotten the great energy young kids bring to the dojo. At the Broken Bokken my kids have all grown up and four of them will be graduating high school this year.

What is really special for myself is that Sensei's Rick, Verna and PJ (Patrick) are members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Nation. They are well known and respected in the community. Our aim is to give the kids another positive activity to do after school that incorporates teaching ancient wisdom of warriorship....that is also fun. We plan on bringing in elders and warriors to talk about what real warriorship is within their culture and traditions.

It is amazing that warriors from all traditions share a remarkable similarity in teaching respect, honor, dignity and many warriors evolve into healers of the community. I am looking forward to what the elders will teach...as well as the kids. They help me reconnect with my own inner child.

Now we just need to come up with a new name for dojo....been thinking of Many Trails Dojo, as the Stockbridge-Munsee Nation has been moved on many trails from the New York Hudson Bay area to here in Wisconsin, thus their logo. However, I will leave the naming up to the students as the dojo evolves....the name will reveal itself. (A side note: Jesse Frank will be testing for his Black Belt in April...I believe it was his grandfather who designed the Many Trails logo for the tribe....and Jesse himself is quite the artist)

Wish us luck...and Jesse too (we're gonna kick the snot out of him :D),

Shinzen

Non-violent Self defense: A Real-Life Example

Karrie, one of my Karate students, told me a cool story at practice this evening. Karrie is an art teacher at the high school and one of her students was becoming physically aggressive towards her.

She said, without even thinking, she assumed a defensive posture and the student backed down and walked away. She said it was one of the most empowering experiences she has ever had.

For myself, this story is wonderful, as Karrie has only been a student for two months!

She accomplished a very high level of self-defense. She stopped an attack without striking, kicking or violence of any kind. This is good Budo. Just her presence, backed by a new level of confidence helped her stay healthy in this situation. It was the appropriate response in this situation.

Good job Karrie!

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Boredom and the Way

A beginning Zen student complained to his master that the meditation practice of following the breath was boring. The Zen master unexpectedly grabbed the student and held his head under water for quite a long time while the student struggled to come up.

Finally, he let the student go."Now how boring is your breath?" he asked.

I love this story, especially when I find my own zazen practice going 'stale' or I am finding it harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning to go and sit. It is very important for all of us to be aware of when we are getting bored with our practice of the martial arts or meditative arts.
The simple things, like breathing, are essential. Without our breath, we would die. To meditate upon our inhales and exhales is to study the very nature of our life and death. It is to see life and death with each breath, with each step we take, with each time we practice kata, like Sanchin.

To see the ebb and flow of life and death in our daily lives and practice of the arts is the very essence of Zen...and freedom from suffering. And, yes, at times Zen and Sanchin Kata are very boring. Our 'ego' or 'small mind' loves drama and wants us to have lots of excitement to feel alive. Without drama the ego feels threatened. Zen practice is also about seeing through this delusion and deception.

To study the simple, basic and rudimentary levels of life, such as the breath, is to connect with the very essence of being alive and realizing true inner freedom. The same goes for the practice of the very rudimentary aspects of Karate, such as Sanchin. Sanchin is simply a moving Zen practice. Simple, plain and ordinary.

Shunryu Suzuki, a famous Zen Master, once stated that Zen is not some special excitement about life, but simply the concentration on the basics of life itself. Yes, not too exciting, but with daily practice, very liberating. So, I encourage you to perservere in the face of boredom. See boredom as an ally, a guide even, to seeing into your true nature and realizing your own buddha nature.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen