Beyond Likes & Dislikes

The great Zen master, Seng-Ts'an, wrote, "The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised."

So true, especially when you can see how this works in self-defense. When being attacked you have to suspend like or dislike and deal with the situation NOW!  It goes beyond whether you like it or not. Your life depends on you being in the moment and flowing with the action. Get caught in mental discourse of like and dislike you can kiss your ass goodbye.

So, addressing this in life. Same thing applies. Basic life is beyond your likes and dislikes. Life throws stuff at you and presents you with many situations. Some desirable. Others not. But to be caught between like/dislike... these preferences you lose your way. It causes suffering and you become reactive to life rather than flow with life.

Today, as I type this, I am a bit run down with a cold. It is beyond my likes or dislikes. Just flow with it and allow it to take its course. I will flow with it...and the snot. It is all part of the big cosmic dance of life. It is beyond our likes and dislikes...afterall, think about this...

...When someone is trying to beat your brains in to rob you do you think they are going to stop just because you don't like it? Neither will life stop because you feel like 'bad'. It is beyond likes and dislikes. Make sense? You gotta be tough and face the moment. When you do...as Seng-Ts'an says, "..everything becomes clear and undisguised." The Now or Tao or Void or whatever you call it, opens up to you and you will be free! You are only trapped when you choose...

Hands palm to palm,
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

Self-defense Tip: Become the Blender

If you are attacked in a tight spot and you are in close quarter's range of fighting it is important to become a human blender. Use your knees, elbows and head butts. Practice these over and over and over in the dojo in many different combinations and angles. Make them flow and you will become a human blender, slicing and dicing your way to safety.

Knees, elbows and head butts are your blades. When used properly, your opponent will feel like he has been dumped into a blender going full speed. He will feel pain, feel lost and be confused as he is being hit high, low and in between from many different levels, angles and positions.

Blenders are also loud. So should you be. Scream, Kiai, Yell...go berserk with loud noise like a blender's blades chopping chunks of ice. This will make your opponent's mind turn to gel and you will add further confusion and pain with knees, elbows and head butts. My students think I am nuts because when I kiai (karate spirit yell), I often am screaming, 'Die!' I call it a direct hypnotic suggestion.

In fact, when SWAT teams enter a home, they are loud and noisey and screaming, "Get down, get down." When the mind gets confused it tends to listen to what is being said and will follow with minimal effort....not always, but usually more than less.

Now this may all seem violent, especially for some of my peace loving readers, but it is part of training for yourself to understand how to receive some of this ...and to find that still and calm place within yourself. How do you respond to being in the blender?

Life many times can make us feel like we are being pureed, liquified and smoothied out. To learn how to stay calm, we need to learn how to create confusion and become the blender. The Dojo is the place for you to practice this safely and to learn how to not only 'be the blender', but to be in the blender and not be 'cut'. To become the blender and be able to bring yourself to this level of violent craziness can, with proper instruction, help you realize that calm and peaceful place within yourself.

This is the paradoxical Way of the Empty Hand: Karate-do.

Hands in Gassho,
Shinzen

Self-defense tip of the day.

Back from vacation...and while I was relaxing many thoughts ran through my head and so here is one of them.

Think about this for a moment. In the Mixed Martial Art's world there are rules the fighters must abide by, for instance, no head butts, no eye gouges or direct throat strikes. Well, gee, so what do you think you should do in a fight outside the ring?

Yeah....head butts, eye gouges and direct throat strikes. Here's a list of other prohibitive techniques in the ring, but perfectly okay on the street when your life or the life of loved one is in grave danger.

Head butts, eye gouges, throat strikes, biting, hair pulling, clawing, fish hooking, groin strikes, strike to spine, downward elbow strikes (especially to back of head or spine), spitting and my favorite....fingers in any orifice of the body. It is amazing how fast a guy will let go of you when you put your thumb up his butt.

It feels great to be back from vacation...I might post some pictures when my daughter downloads them to me.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Dragon Technique Extra-ordinaire!

'nuff said.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

The Ultimate Defense Against a Right Hook Punch

Hands palm to palm...
Shinzen

A Gun and a Pit-Bull

In a few weeks I am teaching a women's self-defense course for our Community Education Services. It will be three Wednesday evenings for 90 minutes each.

As I was preparing my curriculum...actually daydreaming...those of you who really know me know I just tend to make things up as I go along. It's a going-with-the-flow-of-life thing I practice.

Well, back on course, while I was thinking of this self-defense course, a part of me (the part that thinks really odd things) got to thinking I should just tell them to get a gun and a pit-bull. Then learn how to shoot the gun well and train your dog for protection. Nothing more is needed and then leave. I think they would want their money back...at least I would.

There is a part of me that would actually tell them that...but mostly to help them realize that self-defense...real self-defense is not pretty. It never is...and if it can be avoided it should be. However when needed it must be as if you have a gun and a pit bull. The thought just went through my head that the 'guns' must be our hands and the 'pit-bull' our attitude. Sounds good...I guess I will leave it in here without editing.

You can probably gather by now I am just rambling a bit...but hell...I've got gray hair now...I've earned the right to just ramble and tell stories and tell people to just get a gun and pit-bull and forget all this self-defense business. But I won't really do that...or maybe I will. The point is if you ever teach a class on self-defense, make sure it is real and not a bunch of fluffy nonsense that is going to get people hurt.

Are your techniques as fearsome and effective as a gun? Are your strategies as sharp as the teeth of pit-bull? Is the attitude you teach in a life and death situation tough, animalistic (we are animals you know) and dangerous? If not then re-examine them. Now I don't want you think I go around and preach brutality, because I don't. But if brutality is coming after my wife, daughter, niece or mother I want them to know how to turn on the switch to be that pit-bull tearing flesh and that gun firing bullets of fear at the attacker.

Self-defense is serious business. Teaching it is a tremendous responsibility and honor. People come to you to learn something valuable...They don't know what really works on the street to keep themselves safe...make sure you don't give them lollipop martial arts...give them a gun and a pit-bull. I know I should have my head examined...oh yeah...I do have a mirror in my office where I do lots of reflection (it's an old therapy joke...sorry).

Well, thanks for reading as I prepare my thoughts for the classes coming up in a few weeks. If you have anything to add please do so.

In Gassho...
Shinzen

Another Simple Sanchin Bunkai

Sanchin Kata contains a lot of stun techniques to get the attacker to move....mostly perhaps to get his mind to move and say, "oops". I will show you one of my favorite techniques to use that can be utilized in a variety of scenarios, but for today we will use it against a standing double hand choke to the throat...perhaps with your back against the wall. It requires the striking motion of a single hand technique.



The technique requires you to use your index and middle finger. Put them together next to each other and curl your others together with your thumb. You will use these two fingers to poke and push into the suprasternal notch. (in the photo below you see one finger...use two). The suprasternal notch is just above the sternum. Push in and down and you will create a choking feeling in your opponent.






From here you take advantage of whatever motion he gives you. Typically his head will drop and his body caves in a bit. Play with it, but be careful...and do not push up during practice as you could damage the trachea. Only push in and down.

Again, play with the different 'looks' you get from doing this technique and see the variety of defenses you have. If you care to share any on this blog, please do so. One of my favorites is to push the notch with my right hand and use my left hand to grab his right hand on my throat. When his grip relaxes from the notch strike, I use a simple outside wrist turn with a little extra pressue on TW-3 and take him down.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Sanchin Bunkai: Simplicity at its best.

Back in 1981, Sanchin saved me from a left hook being delivered by a very angry man. I had just pulled this man off of my boss who was getting the snot (plus a few teeth) knocked out of him. Using a full nelson I pulled the attacker off and being bigger than me he broke the hold, turned and swung a haymaker of a left hook at the right side of my jaw.

As most of you know, Sanchin is one of Karate's oldest katas. It has a plethora of uses. Well, I used one of the simplest and easiest bunkai, or self-defense, applications. As his left fist was circling towards my jaw I simply turned my head to go with the punch. He simply grazed my skin. From there I was in control

A simple head turn. It works...and it is in the versions of Sanchin where you turn. Practice this technique so your eyes can pick up on the punch and just go with it. It sure helped me.

In Gassho...

Shinzen

Why Then & Why Now?

Question: Why did you start studying the martial arts? And if you have been studying for over three years...why do you study now?

For myself the answer is easy. My first reason was self-defense. Nothing more than that. At the age of 14 I was one of the skinniest and smallest kids in Junior High, easily intimidated and felt very insecure. I wanted to be able to take care of myself and never feel inadequate in the face of someone bigger than me.

It is still my belief that first and foremost, your art should be about defending yourself, quickly and easily. If it doesn't...then find another one if you can. My confidence soared after even a few months of Karate lessons...and almost by magic much of my fears dissipated. Self-defense, the knowledge you can defend yourself, leads to greater confidence...and for myself encouraged me to continue to practice...despite the pain.

And now...why do I still practice? Cause I am nuts! Well, only partially true. Now...and as most know...it is an inner exploration of ourselves. It is dealing with a greater enemy than one we would face in a back alley behind a bar. It is facing ourselves and our own inner demons of anger, greed and delusion. The three poisons of which Buddha spoke of. For myself this is the real 'Three Battles' of Sanchin Kata.

I also study now because of the bond I feel with other martial artists. It is the sense of belonging to a neat group of people who are just as insane about being flown through the air and enduring the variety of vigorous physical rigors.

So, how about you? I am always curious as to why people wish to start the arts...and why they continue. Please share if you are inclined. I know other readers who are just starting would like to know why most of us old-timers keep doing this stuff.

In Gassho,
Shinzen