Hon Sang Mu Sa Reflections
Natural Laws of Body Mind and Spirit
Martial Arts are considered by the outside world to be journey of body mind and spirit. Western thought often times consider these to be separate entities. Western religion is a good example of this thought. Eastern views are very, very different. They view the body mind and spirit to be one, inseparable. In Eastern medicine an ‘ill’ body is healed by restoring the proper flow of energy to the body. It is also healed by addressing the spirit first.
The Great Masters:
At one time if you wished to learn the secrets of the ‘masters’ you had to travel across the globe to Asia. Today these ‘secrets’ are yours to discover, if your mind is open and receptive to learning. Humility is the essence of learning. This state of mind allows for all to come in and be processed. To learn one must expend the energy to try. Just as the story of the monk and the student goes: A student comes to an elderly monk to learn the ways of the sword. The kindly monk offered the student a cup of tea. As the monk prepared the tea the student went on and on about what he had already learned. The student continues to talk as the monk pours; soon the cup is full and starts to spill all over the table. The student stops the monk telling him that no more tea will fit into the cup. The monk says that like the cup, the student’s mind is filled with ideas and opinions. He tells the boy he must first empty his cup, so that new knowledge will fit in. It is though humility that such ‘emptying of the cup’ takes place. Thus the expression; “Learning through humility, by example.”
* Your Reality is equal to your Perception
* Your Opinion is equal to your Illusion
* Your Love is equal to your forgivenes
One must understand this to learn, express and understand the ‘self’.
Natural Laws of Movement:
No matter how slight, all motion is a falling process. This is a very important idea and concept in natural laws. Our motion exists by weight transfer. Moving weight from one side of our body to another. When motion begins there is a retraction of the hip. That retraction is the first action and in the past tense because the motion is given up. Weight is at that time centred on the ‘pedestal leg’. The body then falls forward and recovers. The action is repeated, and walking occurs. When making one complete step forward, at the space between each step there is a breaking point of balance. That is why we fall into the next step. Any projection of motion in our bodies will cause a retraction on one side. The projecting side will always carry the weight.
Try this:
Lean to one side, putting all your weight on one leg. Feel the retraction of your hip on the other side. This side of your body has in theory, no weight. Take a step forward and feel the result. You have just moved twice! The retraction as your weight goes to one side becomes projection as you step forward. “A movement of twice”. The projection then becomes a retraction as movement continues. You are now walking, not a straight line as one might think, but in a ZIG ZAG pattern. Why is this so important? It is important because balance is lost between zig and zag.
All movement is universal:
Thus is born the idea that all movement, including martial arts technique is universal. Here is an example.
“You are walking into the kitchen for a glass of water. You look at the glass as you are going to pick it up. This is to focus ahead of the object. At that precise moment your small dog walks under your feet. Even though the animal has minimal weight it catches you in motion and you must quickly recover your balance. This breaking point is the study of 1-step sparring (Waza) and feeling (Ki) which instantly accompanies the process. This is critical in the development of timing, balance and positioning.” These are common threads in all arts. With the study and of these concepts and principles the practitioner soon sees there is little difference in throwing and striking.
Positioning:
Human instinct is to take positioning. We see this in everyday life as egos collide to take a position. In TRUE MARTIAL ARTS and with true martial artists the ego is under control and positioning need not occur. Nature dictates that an attacker will also seek ‘centre’ or position himself to strike at the centre of the body. Never will you see an angered attack aimed anywhere but the centreline of the body. By moving using the principles of the Octagon, we un-position our enemy, thus returning the advantage to us. Our sub-conscious mind controls our egos. Only dedicated training will overcome the need to position.
Building Awareness:
Man, by use of his mind has the capacity to analyze, compare, deduce and apply his ‘perception’ of logic (reality?). He is easily distracted by both positive and negative forces and events. This distorts and confuses his quest for reason. This represents a lifetime of struggle. In the Martial Arts, man must challenge and change his learning behaviour. His mind need be empty or “MUSHIN” and open to travel the learning path. Even at a point when the martial artist feels he has learned much, he must still have a Mushin state of mind, otherwise learning and growth cease. The mind has natural discriminations based on life experiences and environment. This must be overcome. The mind must be innocent like that of a child to learn. Then the body will be free to move, flow and consider the ‘intangible feelings”. The influence of silence will allow the mind to communicate with the ‘self’ and the ‘body’. Thereby bettering both the ‘self’ and the ‘body’.
Yin /Yang:
Is the most misunderstood symbol in the Western society? Movement is both YIN and YANG in nature. One cannot exist without the other. As one side projects (Yang) one side retracts (Yin). This is Natural Law. It flows continually, spiralling endlessly. One cannot be ‘happy’ all the time, just as one cannot be angry all the time. Everything flows and changes. When someone attacks another person their thoughts are negative in nature (Yin). Their physical actions however are positive (Yang) (e.g. throwing a punch). Therefore your thoughts must be positive (Yang) and your motion negative (Yin). Then you are not meeting force with force, but ‘harmonizing’ the opponent’s energy.
Developing a mind that can ‘harmonize’ with the opponent means understanding the principles and terms of “Acknowledgement” vs. “Acceptance”.
Acknowledgement is to give way to ‘positioning’. A conflict is only a conflict if it is ‘acknowledged’. Acceptance is to ‘cancel’ positioning. Acceptance is ‘learning’. The moment one identifies and accepts the conflict, rather than acknowledging it is the moment of interception that will neutralize the attacker and cancel his ‘body masses’.
By mastering the concepts above and movement in the Octagon, it becomes very easy to harm an opponent. But at this point you see there is no need. You are helping him to see his wrong doing.
“In True Self Defense there is NO Body Contact”