Technical Mastery and the Martial Spirit

By Paul Zabwodski

There is a balance to reach in our efforts though. Too much detachment and kerplunk - you miss your window of opportunity to enter the middle ground of appreciation. Equally too much focus and you stifle naturalness and free change. The middle ground is open ground. Each technical problem flourishes within a middle ground perspective to bring a new richness. And it’s free! In particular the desire to master a variety of traditional weapons is common in most martial systems. Perhaps it is the history of each weapon which has a rich cultural appeal for many practitioners. Take for example the strength of belief and commitment found within Bushido or Kobudo an older form of classical budo with its codes of social behaviour, ceremony and selfless goals. Other modern practitioners may argue that all of that is simply unimportant. That is a chicken and egg situation. No middle ground. But whether you find cultural traditions an important attachment or not, the highest peak of technical mastery has some fabulously esoteric stories to enjoy. Most employ a sense of difficulty overcomed by clarity, wit and realism. The best of martial stories clearly express simple myths which give us insight to the world of belief and self purpose. These stories are really the bedrock of most martial inspiration. But what they offer leads to no more than simple integrity. In Chan and Zen Buddhism the spirit is advised through the development of a generous and open heart.

The spiritual quest of any art is met at first with complexity and desire. The search for clarity is not simply a matter of technical understanding or terminological certainty. Each day life of itself demands in spiritual terms a heavy reliance on clear feelings. Because we progress in zig zag fashion to accomplish less difficulty, importance and misplaced concern. It ain’t easy. Quingjing jing goes on to suggest that,

Get rid of desires for good,
And the mind will be calm.
Cleanse your mind,
And the spirit will be pure.

You can readily see how popular the “eclectic openheartness” approach in many of the popular east Asian writers. In Taoism the Great Path or Way has neither form, name or nature. The method is simple. The natural mind is mislead by unhelpful emotions, (if you tried to count how many unhelpful emotions there are you can get almost a catalogue of everyday interaction!) but this is distraction. Quingjing jing (Scripture of Purity and Tranquillity) 960-1260 A.D offers this perspective,

The human spirit is fond of purity, But the mind disturbs it.
The human mind is fond of tranquillity,
But desires meddle with it.

In traditional Martial Arts we can easily argue that martial skills are not important. What is important is in the heart of selfless accomplishment. This is traditional to good human heartedness. Whatever the level of art you practise it's important to grasp the feeling of the art (not just the technique). A Little at a time, day by day. Open and eclectic in one's motivations, it is possible to diligently hone the broad base necessary to accomplish the level of technical mastery due to you at the time.

 

 

 

This is your Mastery, your Kung-Fu.
Taoist writers might say,