The Role Of Zen In Martial Arts

By Jeffrey M. Miller

It's said that the roots of many of the Martial Arts is inIndia, with Buddhist monks. While many sources give conflictingdata, it's known that in Japan, the only places that were largeenough to allow for indoor training during inclement weather,were the huge Buddhist temples. In fact, much of what is done inMartial Arts schools with a Japanese background comes from, andcan be traced back to this connection.

For example, white uniforms were the attire of Japanese Buddhistmonks and lay-people alike. The kyu and dan "class" and "level"grade rankings were originally developed for and used as markersfor how much a monk had learned and progressed through histraining. And, much of the etiquette within dojos "traininghalls") is identical to those used in these same temples to showrespect to all that has gone before me and to all that I aspireto become. In fact, the Japanese kanji characters used to writethe word 'dojo' actually refer to "a place where enlightenmenttakes place."

Now, before you run out and scream about quitting for fear ofbeing converted to Buddhism, Hinduism, or some other 'foreign',sacrilegious cult - don't panic. Buddhism, while often practicedlike many conventional Western religions, is not really areligion at all - at least not the way most people define orpractice a so-called 'religion'.

As developed by the founder Siddhartha Gautoma, refered to asthe Buddha ("one who is awake"), and fine-tuned over the pasttwo and a half - plus centuries, Buddhism is a philosophy ofpersonal development whereby the practitioner works tounderstand his or her true nature and the immutable laws of theuniverse that govern the world and everything in it. It is notat all a belief system as are many religions



today, but insteadrelies on the student coming to an intimate understanding ofreality and truth through direct, personal experience.

One of the monks credited with developing martial Arts in theBuddhist temples of the time was known as Bodhidharma, thefounder of Zen. This new training was readily adopted by themonks for many reasons. And while the monks may have beeninterested in defending themselves from unfriendly outsiders, itis also likely that they also wished to prepare themselves forthe demands of their daily lives - lives which required thatthey sat unmoving for hours while in deep meditative practice.The Martial arts they practiced were a great means of physicalexercise while still being based heavily on their philosophicalbeliefs of peace through "understanding conflict."

Zen, the most popular form of Buddhist thought known today, isdirectly related to the cross-cultural interchange betweenMartial Arts and the many philosophical systems that cametogether as these teachings travelled from India, across theHimalayas, through China and into Japan. Ironically, manyWesterners have no idea that Zen is a form of Buddhist study andpractice, nor is it usually seen as much more than "seatedmeditation" to most martial artists - both teachers and students.

Japanese Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru often wrote about Zen andthe principles of Bushido, or "the way of the warrior," whichgrew, in part, out of Buddhist thought.

The principles of:

Gi:Having the right decision, right attitude, the truthYu:Bravery tinged with heroism Jin:Universal love; compassionRei:Right action; courtesy Makoto: Utter sincerity; truthfulnessMeiyo: Honor; high ethical character Chugo: Devotion; loyalty

were the common ground between the monk and the warrior. Infact, there is no difference between the two.

Deshimaru emphasized that the learning and practice of theseprinciples is a lifelong process, and needs to take place "...inthe body, through the unconscious." The ancient tradition of theMartial Arts is an internal process, a gradual connection withone's own deep-seated intuition. Deshimaru explains: "In thespirit of Zen . . .everyday life becomes a contest. There mustbe an awareness at every moment: getting up in the morning,working, eating, going to bed. That is the place for the masteryof self."

About the author:Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor ofWarrior Concepts International. He specializes in teaching theancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessonsin a way that is easily understood and put to use by modernWestern students and corporate clients. To learn more, visit hiswebsite at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com