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Hello, and
welcome to the 23rd issue of the Taichido Newsletter. This month
Gary moves away from tai chi into the wider view, and gives us some
fascinating insights into martial art philosophy through his earlier
involvement with Tokushima Budo and in particular his friendship
with the founder of the British organization, Kanch
Bates.
You may have
noticed that the last newsletter's subject included the phrase
[Spam?}. We did in fact become the victim of our own anti-spam
measures! The newsletter is delivered to you by kind permission from
the University where I am IT Director for one of the Schools, and
one of the results of the Blaster virus epidemic (and subsequent
ones) over the summer was the neccesity for a major upgrade in virus
and spam measures. 55% of the world's email is now spam, and some
spammers use other people's email addresses and servers to bulk-send
(in fact I am now receiving spam from myself that I had obviously
never sent... where on earth am I going to get such a massive amount
of viagra?) and our measures noted the fact that a very large amount
of emails was going out of our allocated mailing address in one go -
the many of you who are subscribers - and automatically added the
{Spam?} phrase in the subject as warning.
I have now
transferred the lists that make up the taichido newlsetter
subscribers into a new 'safe' mailing list, so you will see a slight
difference in the sender and the subject -don't worry, its still us,
and we still haven't given your address to anyone else to use.
Notes taken
(circa 1994) at the Philosophy meetings of Kancho Bates - Founder of
the Tokushima Budo Council
Around about ten
years ago I was a member of a martial art organization called
Tokushima Budo. Following some web searches I get the impression
that this organization is not nearly as active now in the UK as it
was then. The only UK Tokushima Budo with any representation on the
web is: http://www.seishinryu.org.uk/tbc.htm
- though there are many more in the US.
On that one and only UK
site that I was able to find there is a profile of Kansho Bates,
founder of Tokushima Budo UK. [http://www.seishinryu.org.uk/profile.htm]
and a few other sections on Philosophy, Origins, Techniques etc. One
of these is a piece called "Satori -
Enlightenment or a Dream". Though no particular person is given
credit as author, I know for sure that it was written by Kancho
Bates - because I myself processed a hand-typed original hard-copy
given to me by Kancho at one of his philosophy meetings ... around
about ten years ago.
To confirm my
instinct and check the facts I was moved to delve into my personal
archive of saved documents and notes. Not only was I proven to be
correct (I found the original paper complete with illustrations
exactly the same as on the website) I also came across some other
notes taken at these Philosophy meetings provided by Kancho all
those years ago.
I remember the
meetings very well - because I really enjoyed there the new
experience of debate and often played the 'devil's advocate' ...
just for the hell of it! Nevertheless I learnt a lot and shall be
ever grateful to Kansho for showing me that Philosophical debate
need not be restricted to the 'intellectuals' and that ultimately
there was no 'right' or 'wrong' anyway.
I made many
notes before and after the meetings - and I saved them all. This
month's Newsletter is based around those notes and various papers
provided at those meetings; but unlike the piece "Satori" on the web
which is simply repeated word for word on the seishinryu site, mine
here are rewrites containing perhaps as much of my own text as any
'originals'.
Therefore, with
all due credit to Kancho Bates as 'the lecturer' I offer the
following as "Comprehensive notes taken (circa 1994) at the
Philosophy meetings of Kancho Bates - Founder of the Tokushima Budo
Council."
Classical
Japanese Budo Martial Art
Edmund Burke
(1729 - 1797 - see foot of this page for more info) said "All that
is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".
A millenia or so earlier,in an entirely different time and place
the Chinese sage Confucius said that "Lack of courage' was
simply the failure to act when a course of action was seen to be
right".
Sometime in between, somewhere else again it was written
into the tenants of the Classical Japanese Budo Martial Art Code
that "the way reveals itself only to those who have the courage to
walk it".
That which
distinguishes us from other animals is not merely our superior
intelligence or the power this gives us, but the ability to
cultivate moral action.
Confusion between right and wrong
is not caused by any inability on the part of any rational person to
distinguish correct from incorrect, fair from unfair etc.; but the
complexity of the calculations we tend to make with regard to profit
and loss - and how we may be personally affected by our decisions.
Our first question is often "What's in it for me".
BU - as in budo
The
Japanese word for the 'martial' in 'martial art' is bu, and this
originally meant 'courage'. Thus the original inference of the
composite word bu and do/way was "The way of courage".
Courage
Courage is the motivating force of morality 'in budo'
therefor development of courage in both in the physical and moral
sense is central to the practice.
Simple physical
courage is easy to develop but in budo this should only form the
starting point and basis for application for wider questions of
general morality and a deeper understanding of social
behavior.
Budo is
ultimately a commitment to a way of life dictated to enhancing the
most creative and altruistic qualities of human character and
the simple
and practical virtue of budo martial discipline is that it is an
excellent means of awakening courage by means of some attendant
philosophy and correct moral doctrine.
He Who Live by
the Sword …
All
aggressive and violent acts are fundamentally immoral and sow the
seeds of defeat within.
The fundamental
principle of Budo martial philosophy is that force and violence are
always immoral. This does not mean that force and violence are only
justified in certain circumstances, but that it is never justified,
no matter what the attendant circumstances may be. The only
permissible - although still morally unjustifiable conditions under
which an act of force might occur are;
1) As
fulfillment of duty. This was the condition under which the majority
of Japanese Samurai fought. The modern western equivalent is the
professional soldier. Not a mercenary soldier who does it for money,
but a patriotic one that does for his family and his
country.
2) In protecting
the weak. In which case, although such action is still morally
wrong, it is undertaken in a non - selfish context and with no
consideration of personal gain or loss. (Like Jackie Chan in his
movies)
3) In self
defense. In this case the skilled practitioner has the moral
responsibility to protect attackers from the consequences of their
own actions and make every attempt to inflict no harm or permanent
damage. Tai Chi Chuan includes finger strike techniques that render
an attackers limbs numb for a few seconds ... just long enough to
withdraw, reason or run!
Animalistic
To fight simply
for a sense of personal honor or to enforce ones own will is
entirely outside of the moral principles of Budo. Contests are only
fought under controlled conditions and even then only as part of
martial training with object of educating the loser through personal
experience and lead them towards a more focused way of
study.
Quite simply, if
we meet a violent attack with the idea of defeating it with violent
action on our own part, we instantly descend to the same low moral
level as the attacker. Such an encounters are by definition
'animalistic' and based entirely upon violence, intimidation and
deceit.
The Way of Budo
therefore cultivates the necessary physical courage to face a
violent attack without opposing it, either in physical action,
mental attitude or 'in spirit'.
The long term
practical objective of Budo is to create a peaceful human society
through natural understanding and education, rather than through
persuasion and force. Adherence to the budo code is a simple matter
of courage - not intellect.
SAHO - The
Samurai Warriors Code of Honor
Contemporary
budo forms can be traced back to the Japanese hereditary warrior
class, the Samurai (bushi). We must never forget
that budo was and is Japanese in origin, and it therefor naturally
carries with it much of the ethics of Japanese culture.
When the
provincial warriors known as Samurai came into their own as
military, political, artistic and social leaders during the Gempei
War (1180 - 1185), they carried with them great family pride. The
Minamoto and Taira families were the two main clans contending for
power, with both families claiming an imperial ancestry.
As the bushi
class matured, they developed their own systems of etiquette called
'shogunfu' or 'style of shogunate'. This code of etiquette differed
from that of the imperial court (choteifu) and was more suited to
the austere samurai warrior-based culture that sprang up during
Kamakura and Muromachi shogunate; contrasting sharply with the
opulence and flamboyance of the imperial ways.
By the
Azuchi-Momoyama period (1368-l600), the daimyo became the most
powerful rulers in the country and each of them vied for control of
all Japan, creating an era of incessant warfare.
With the
beginning of the Edo period (l600-1868), two schools became most
popular among the samurai; The Osasawara and the Ise. Their styles
set the general standards for ritual etiquette (gishiki) and
expressions of respect and honor (reigi-saho, saho, reishiki etc.) A
son or daughter born into a bushi household was taught bunbu ryodo
(scholarly studies and martial arts) from an early age, and this
naturally included strict training in proper etiquette.
It was not an
easy life. In this ritual ridden near feudal society one had too bow
a certain way to a person depending on their relative social
position, the location and reason for the occasion.
REI
- Bowing
In martial arts,
rules of safety quickly become unbreakable rules of etiquette to be
strictly observed - especially when handling weapons.
Perhaps
the most visible aspect of Japanese martial art etiquette still
practiced in dojo's around the world today is the 'rei' (bow) which
is used at the end of all contests on the mat to offer respect and
reverence to opponents.
A standing bow
(tachirei) was used when meeting someone outdoors, whilst a sitting
bow (zarei) was used indoors. The tachirei and zarei were further
divided into three main divisions; 'shin', 'gyo' and
'so'.
The shin bow was
the most formal. In a sitting shin bow, the head nearly touches the
back of the hands which are placed on the ground.
In a standing
shin bow the back is bent from the torso at about a 45 degree angle.
This was to show respect to ones superiors and elders or to a shrine
or temple.
The 'gyo' bow
was slightly higher; a kind of semi-formal bow that was appropriate
between individuals of equal social standing.
The 'so' bow was
the least formal and the head and back are tipped forward only
slightly. This was used when punctuating a statement or when bowing
to one's social inferiors.
To complicate
matters even further, within these three divisions were three other
divisions - adding up to nine specific divisions and sub divisions
in total.
In the 'shin'
group for exarnple there was a 'shin-no shin bow'; the most
formal-formal bow.
Next was a 'gyo-no shin' (semi-formal-formal)
and then a 'so-no shin (informal-formal bow). Each bow required the
head to be held at a slightly different angle.
Obviously, a
highly structured class society calls for very strict forms of
etiquette to maintain and delineate the status quo. But there were
other reasons for the samurai's emphasis on proper etiquette -
besides simply greasing the wheels of a hereditary class
structure.
Because the
samurai emerged during times of war, martial training was a
necessity for survival. Warriors realized that this training
included physical and mental exercises, from swinging a sword to the
correct way of moving a brush for calligraphy. Proper etiquette and
shisei (posture) were considered part of a samurai's mental and
physical training.
A samurai's
posture and stance was designed to ensure that even in everyday life
he offered no 'suki' (opening) for an attack. The etiquette system was
tempered by this need to always be on guard, alert and flexible, and
able to react to any sudden attack. This attitude of mental and
physical alertness was called 'zanshin', literally translated as
'lingering spirit'. It can also be defined as presence of mind or
watchfulness.
A warrior would
make judgments on another warrior's ability by observing his
zanshin. If someone slouched about sloppily and unaware of the
world, it would be assumed from this that if he had poor zanshin he
was a poor student of budo. Even the most successful combatant on
the training mat was considered worthless if he did not show
excellence zanshi outside of the dojo.
The Warrior's
Eye
In the esoteric
beliefs of the samurai, having zanshin went hand in hand with the
one of the goals of budo training - to developing a 'third
(warrior's) eye' - a subtle, subconscious, supernatural vision that
could sense things beyond the natural senses. The sight of this
faculty extended from the centre of the warriors forehead and from
the back of his head.
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