GrandMaster Art Mason's Martial Musing

What is Zen? To explain Zen means to lose the meaning of Zen. Most people will look at Zen as a form of Buddhism, which is true, but Zen is so much more that this. The practice of martial arts and Zen go hand in hand. Here is a quote from the article “Zen is the Only Living Truth”

“Zen is not effort. Effort is tension, effort is work, effort is to achieve something. Zen is not something to achieve. You are already that. Just relax, relax so deeply that you become a revelation to yourself.” Osho

Zen is a state of mind where duality has been transcended. In martial arts there are many dualities, in fact there are nothing but dualities. Why? Because our world is a world of opposites. Zen means to go beyond these opposites.  For the beginner this is a difficult task. In the first few months of martial art training there are many physical movements that must be learned. We will teach you to block, punch, and kick your opponent is a preset pattern. There is an attack, and a defense. There is a hit and a block.

Some martial arts organizations will increase the duality with competition. In competition there is always a winner and loser.  Most people view winning and losing as a fact of life. This only a state of mind, not a reality.

Zen means to go beyond all duality. However to transcend duality you must first experience it.  All things can be transcended through meditation. If fact, meditation and martial arts go hand in hand. At one time meditation was taught in every martial art dojo. But today, with the vast diversification of beliefs in our population meditation and the art have parted company. Development of the mind has been abandoned for political correctness.

For the beginner Zen is experienced in brief glimpses. It can come at a belt testing when after performing your Kata you can’t recall doing it.  You are in the ZONE. Over time the brain can go on autopilot and perform Kata, but for the beginner this is rare.  The experience is most likely Zen related.

If you look for Zen you will never find it. Zen is effortless. Zen and martial arts is about movement. There is never an attacker or opponent. There is no self, only movement. Like a beautiful dance with no music. Expert for the music playing inside the student of the arts.

Can a beginner discover Zen? The answer lies with the beginner.  Zen is there for everyone, waiting to be found.

“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles”

In my personal opinion one of the greatest benefits of martial arts training is that it is about conquering the ‘self‘.  Sometimes we however do lose site of this.

I always find it interesting to go out to a bar, or to a party, even a business event and see how people will work to position themselves to conquer or control others.  It is a non stop interaction of energy back and forth.  Children do this constantly with their parents, playing almost a game of wills. Children do it will each other, a prime example being the bully – victim scenario. Adults are pros at it!

Sadly all of this is wasted energy. What we really need to do is conquer the self.  A person who is in the process of conquering his or her self has a certain magnetic quality to them. They will often make fantastic leaders, excellent workers and generally speaking outstanding human beings. Why is this the case? Because they find peace within their own skins.

In a true martial art situation there should never be an opponent to conquer. The only person that needs conquering is the self. When you understand the inner self, controlling the body, the situation or anything else becomes easy. When there is turmoil within, there will always be conflict and the possibility of defeat.

Conquering the self requires a few steps to get started. The first step is understand, truly understanding and internalizing that nothing is permanent. No person, no situation and no event.  Everything is ALWAYS changing! With that in mind we can realize that life is to enjoy, not to become stressed about.  Learning to be happy is not something we want to happen on our death beds. It is something we need to pursue our entire lives.  Babies are happy by nature, the world teaches them to forget and to lose this quality.

Once we understand and internalize impermanence, we can then understand that we control our thoughts.  We chose what we think moment to moment, and no one else does this for us.  If your thoughts are out of control it is because you allowed them to be! It will take time to get them back on track, but then the goal is to conquer the self and the self is your thinking.  Therefore whenever a bad thought arises, look at it, don’t dwell on it, and allow it to pass. Replace it will an empowering thought instead.

The Buddha said “we are what we think”…..PERIOD.

Life is about expansion and happiness. The power of the mind, your mind is greater than any supposed physical reality. Learn and practice every moment of every day to control your thinking.  Those who are martial artists and students of the arts remember this the next time you are on the floor training, and then never let it slip past your attention again afterward.

Remember all paths lead to the same destination. Life is a journey, learn to love it!

Why do we love to hang on the past? So often when I meet or talk to people the injury and hurt from their past will come up. Like a cut on the body that we just keep digging at until it opens and bleeds again. What is it about us that makes us want to do this again and again. Don’t you think it is time we all moved on?

Letting go of the attachments to the past is what is required. Then at a higher level we need to let go of all attachments. Why? Because none of these serve us.

The year 2012 is fast coming. We hear a lot of talk about December 21st 2012. Some people say it is the end of the world, which is cool since the world has not ended since 2000 (remember all the hype).  What do I think is happening in 2012? It has already begun, people are beginning to think better. Are you on this leading edge?

There is an old Buddhist tale about the Buddha being approached by a person in the streets. The man asks the Buddha, “are you the messiah?” The Buddha replies “no I am not”. The man then asks “are you a healer?”, the Buddha again replies “no I am not”.  The man asks this time “are you a teacher?”, the Buddha once again replies, “no I am not”. Finally out of frustration the man asks, “well then what are you?!?” The Buddha replies “I am awake.”

Are you waking up? Are you working towards being ‘happy’ and understanding the world you have created around you?

How do you get started? Let go……period. It is time to let go of the hurt of the past, the opinions of other people, your need for the unimportant. Just let go…..but how you ask?

First you must internalize the fact that everything in your life is a result of your thinking to this date. We are what we think about most. If you are not happy with this scenario then you need to think differently. Remember when you were a kid and would pretend to be someone else? Now I am not suggesting you imagine you are superman, but seeing yourself in a different light and focusing in on this, all the time will make the transformation happen if you put enough into it. If you want to be successful, act successful.  This will help reprogram the sun conscious mind.

Also part of letting go is to realize that nothing, including ourselves is permanent. Everything changes and evolves. With this said, why them do we insist on becoming attached to things that are not forever? There is nothing wrong with enjoyment, but attachment is terrible for your self esteem, and stress levels. I just makes you unhappy and jealous!

Now here are two true stories to show you what I mean by attachment.  Many years ago I had a friend with a beautiful white Camero. This was his pride, to the point of obsession. One day we were out driving, and he was following me to a house. This person lived on a dirt road. When driving my friend was keeping a little to close. A stone came off one of my back tires and chipped the front of the car. The chip was the size of maybe a small fingernail. He ended the friendship and sold the car. He was devastated! He also always wondered why his life seemed to be so stressful and going nowhere. He almost broke up with his girlfriend when see suggested he was overreaching.

Here is another example. I borrowed my Dad’s car to go to the mall one night. At the mall I was in a minor accident.  I was worried about how angry my father was going to be with me. He was only worried about me being injured. As he said, there is nothing that can happen to a car that cannot be fixed or replaced.

My dad even though he really loved his car also, was not attached to it.  Attachment and letting go, go hand in hand. Can you think of something you are attached to? Material or human, let go, and then you can find the joy in the object or person in reference. How? Remember that nothing is forever. Letting go allows you to fully enjoy the physical experiences life has to offer.

Calm your mind and see things as they really are.

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense”.……Buddha

What do you believe to be true? Why do you believe it? If it was true, is it still true today?  These are questions that we all need to ask about our beliefs. Just because you heard it from a friend, saw it on CNN or read it on the internet does not make it truth.

Do the things you hold as truth really harmonize with you? If they don’t it is time to toss them out.  The great purpose of life is to be happy, and if the things we believe to be true do not hold with this we must get rid of them.

Everything in our world is created with our minds. When our beliefs serve us, rather than us serving our beliefs, we can create our life on purpose.

There are many great philanthropists in the world, when I think of these men and women people like Bill Gates comes to mind.  But what really is giving, why should we do it, but more importantly how should we do it?

Giving is very misunderstood. Churches will teach you that you should give 10% of your gross salary to their work (if you belong to a church) and you will be rewarded a 100 times in merit and other rewards.  At the same time telling you to not focus on being rewarded.

Most people when they think of giving with think of money or some physical item like food and clothing.  Sadly this also falls short of the real meaning of giving.  Giving is also a donation of your time, the most precious thing we have to offer.

Today no matter were you go you will find a hand out looking for money. There is certainly no lack of opportunity for giving.  The government even gives us tax credits for doing it. But how best do we do it?

In the Diamond Sutra the Buddha talked about giving. He said that “you must give without attachment to the thing given.”  He also said “you must not be attached to merit or rewards you will receive from giving. ” This is all pretty straight forward and is taught by many religions across the planet.  “Giving from the heart without thoughts of rewards, or that you are losing something by giving.”

The final part of this teaching however is the most difficult. This is “not being attached to not being attached.” This may sound like a puzzle, but what it means is not being attached to the great feelings you get in giving without thought of return. This is true Altruism, and is the Zen in the art of giving.

Now perhaps this posting has caused your head to hurt. Don’t despair, this is all good. Everything we are and everything we do comes from MIND. Understanding this and the concept of non attachment leads to a properous and happy life.  Everything is thought and how we think. Now I have you thinking….

This is wisdom from The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. This hangs on my wall. I hope you enjoy it.

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples: no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

“In the struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we posses.”

“Love and compassion are necessities not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”

“A learned person will become noble only when he or she has put into real practice what has been learned, instead of just mere words.”

“Compassion and love are precious things………..they are not complicated. They are simple, but difficult to practice.”

“The purpose of religion is not to build beautiful churches or temples, but to cultivate positive human qualities such as tolerance, generosity and love.”

“Come together and think in terms of one world. What we call Buddha is warm heartedness developed indefinitely — love perfected.”

“We should think of compassion as being the preserve of the sacred. It is one of our basic human qualities.”

“From the very core of our being we desire contentment. For harmony each individuals identity must be fully respected.”

“Our planet is our house. We must take care of it if we are genuinely concerned about happiness for ourselves, our children, our friends, and other sentient beings who share this great house with us.”

“The seed for nirvana exists in all of us.”

What is an addiction? One online dictionary defines it as -”the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”

Now I want to add to this definition.  All addictions are chemical in nature. People become addicted to their emotions. This is not that they like anger, but they love the chemical rush that happens in their bodies at the time of anger, depression or any other emotion that they are addicted to.  This works exactly the same way as a heroin addiction or any other outside chemical addiction does.

We are all addicted to something. For some it is emotions as I stated above (do you have a teenager?) or even the way we think on a day to day basis.  In other words we become addicted to our beliefs too.  Here is a great example of addiction and withdrawal. A relationship breaks up. One person is devastated at this breakup. Why? Because they miss the way that person helped them to feel.

So since we all have addictions why not chose ones that empower us? One of my addictions in life is the martial arts. Because martial arts training and teaching is a MIND/BODY collaboration the brain produces Endorphins. Endorphine are a chemical that cause a sense of peace and well being in a person. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus during martial art practice. Endorphins are also the bodies natural pain reliever.  Is this an addiction? You better belief it is! However it is an addiction that will not destroy your body or your life.

I encourage everyone reading this to look at their lives and see what your addictions are. Find the bad ones and replace them with something like martial arts training, Tai Chi, Yoga, running or anything that will get the Endorphins flowing.  Your stress levels will drop and you will develop a sense of well being.  In this state you can also start to change the way you think about yourself and life, and make improvements all for the better.

The is a very old Zen Koan. Find the meaning…..

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.
The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great,
The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide.
The whole moon and the entire sky
Are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
Dogen

A young man is searching the country to find meaning in his life. He hears of a Zen Master in the mountains near a village a few miles away.  He after days of searching he finds the old master and says. “Oh great master I have come to ask you to teach me about Zen”.  The master replies, “so you want to learn Zen, well you must answer me one question first.” The young man eager to please the master agrees. The master takes the boy to a window in the monastery and says. “see those 3 pine trees across the field? Tell me what the middle one means”. The boy thinks for a moment and replies, “it shows nature in its great abundance!” The boy is proud of his answer but the master shakes his head and says” no, that is not the meaning, come back when you understand”.

The boy goes outside to the garden of the monastery and sits, looking at the middle tree. “what does it mean he asks”.  He sits in reflection of the tree. The next morning he go back in to the see the master. He tells the master than he has come to a realization. “The tree signifies life, the root taking nourishment from the ground and the branches reaching to the sky”. The master shakes his head, the boy returns to sitting outside.

This goes on for weeks. Finally while sitting looking at the tree the boy jumps up and runs across the field. His anger exploding he kicks the tree and says ” this is stupid, you don’t mean ANYTHING!!!!!!” The boy then runs back into the monastery, and with anger in his voice yells out to the Zen Master, “Your question is stupid, the tree doesn’t mean ANYTHING!!!!!”

The master smiles at the boy and says “you are finally after weeks of thinking, correct, the tree means nothing, it is EMPTY, empty like your mind is now. Now you are ready to learn Zen”.

This story is about all of us. We go though life worrying about a reality that does not exist, looking for meaning were there is none, and looking for answer in the wrong places.  When the mind is disciplined and becomes empty we hear all the answers to all the questions we have from within.

When you stop looking for meaning, and empty your mind, you will find meaning.

If you listen to the news or read a paper there is so much negativity is can be overwhelming. Now from a business standpoint bad news sells, so this is what we get. I am however more interested in the thinking that causes this versus the situations themselves.

The first line of our Student Creed states. “I develop myself physically and mentally based on the martial art spirit.”  A martial art student trains the body to develop the mind, yet so many students of the arts are often so negative. The reason, they train the body, and forget the mind after the training is finished for the day.

Martial Arts is not a hobby, it is a Way of Life. With this in mind we must take responsibility for the day to day ‘thinking’ we are doing.  You see whatever you think about, or focus on expands in your world.  If you focus on suffering, you will suffer, if you focus on being happy, you will be happy. It is really that simple, yet it isn’t.  Changing how you think does take some time and work.

No matter what your life is like right now, this moment, it is exactly right. There is no good luck or bad luck, only the thinking that caused the results you are currently experiencing.  The only way to make a life better is to think differently. When you do, everything will change.

Parents, this is a big responsibility for you, especially when you have young children.  Parents will often comment that their children don’t do what they are told to do. This might be true, but they will always do the things their parents do and this includes mimicking the way they think. (happy, frustrated, angry, violent, etc). Take a look at what you are presenting to your children.

Here is something you can think about. Take a look at the world you live in. Look at your house, the plants and trees in your yard, the things in your possession, the world around you. Aside from the creations of nature, everything you see is a result of the thoughts of someone.  Thoughts that then became reality. There are NO exceptions to this!

We all want a better life, and the only way to get this is to improve our thinking processes. Be honest with yourself, no excuses. (excuses are thoughts too!). Work each and everyday on yourself and “take out the trash.” You will be amazed the difference in a very short time.