GrandMaster Art Mason's Martial Musing

Over the last few nights like so many other Canadians I have been watching the Winter Olympics. The coverage on CTV has been excellent, especially in the way it has shown some back stage footage. What cause my attention? Figure skating.

Watching these athletes working backstage on their routines was very inspiring. You can see the love and dedication for their sport in their eyes and actions. This is the sign of a champion in any sport.  As martial artists where do you rank?

These men and women made it to the Olympics not just on their ability alone. They also got there as a result of their thinking processes. What was their self talk like? What was it about? The answer is obvious.

For the martial arts, the art must be in the mind and heart in order to successful in it. You see everything as a technique or movement and not just in classes. When the mind becomes like this, the martial ways will permeate your life. You will not just walk the path of the warrior you will live it!

How often during the day does your training come to your mind?

True Martial Art study is a melding of mind, body and spirit.  Ancient martial arts texts will often refer to the ‘spiritual warrior.’  But has this part of martial arts training been lost in the last few decades, diluted by competition and the drive for higher and higher ranks?

When I began my martial arts training many years ago one of the first things my instructor dealt with in me was my ‘ego’.  He said that ego had no place in martial arts training. Being since I wanted to become a Black Belt someday I knew I had to follow his instruction to the letter. I let go of my ego, became quiet and started to learn. Our school at that time was very competitive in nature. He was an international tournament champion, one of the best of the times. My first competition was 5 months into training. I lost, a very close fight, but I lost. Afterward he asked me know I thought I had done in the fight. I grumbled and said I believed some of my kicks were close enough and should have been points. He laughed and said, “winners never complain.”

As time went by I discover that the less I was concerned about winning, the more I won. I went into the ring to have a good time and see how many points I could score. The competition became against myself rather than the other guy.  I was beginning to understand the function of my ego.

My passion in the arts was not found in competition. To me it really showed nothing of the true artist, only how good his physical conditioning was at that time. The better shape I was in the better I did in the ring.  My passion was self defense.  As my fighting days came to a close, my passion for finding truth in self defense began to flower.

Often times self defense in a Dojo is practiced in perfect conditions. Your partner of Uki will cooperate as to allow learning of the required techniques.  Sometimes you would have Uki’s that required tremendous force to control, others were very easy and then sometimes your techniques simply fail.  Every person is different, what was the universal thread to put these techniques together?

Soon came the rediscovery of ‘ego.‘ Once again when the ego is silenced the techniques work on anyone.  The wisdom of martial arts training and study is not found in the style that you teach or learn. It is found in the understanding that all movement is universal and that the true advanced study of martial arts is only about movement. The EGO stands still! Ego fights for position. The EGO resists and holds it ground.  In ego there must be a winner and loser, a right and wrong. No mind (no ego) means only to move, move from moment to moment following the Uki’s attempts at control.

Martial Arts and Wisdom are not found in a ring or in a rank. They are found in the understanding of flow and movement. The mind of no mind.