The Five Principles of Seishindo deal with the physical techniques of sex protection. I thought the Five Concepts, strategies that are used in all martial arts, and clearly defined in Seishindo, could also be applied in a non-martial sense and thereby be helpful in everyday, non-martial circumstances.
These next five posts are based on the Five Mental Attitudes, also employed in martial arts and defined in Seishindo. I think these "mental attitudes" can also be helpful in non-martial circumstances during everyday life. The first is KIME.
Kime, the first mental attitude is the focusing of your energy into the thing, the action, the specific technique being employed. (Nothing esoteric here just simple mental and physical acuity increased by training and consciously brought to bear on the activity at hand.)
This concept of focus and concentration is antithetical to the multi-tasking, plugged-in, fragmented, sensory bombarded and frenetic paced lifestyles to which most people in industrial nations are accustomed.
Many people seem to need constant stimulation whether via an MP3 player’s earphones stuck in their ears, constant television or radio broadcasts. It has become such a problem that laws have to be passed prohibiting texting or telephoning while driving.
Martial arts teaches how to focus; in fact it is an integral aspect to all styles but especially so in Iaido, the art of drawing a sword fluidly and naturally and as fast as possible. No mean feat when one considers that the Japanese katana is basically a four-foot razor blade; one mistake can be tragic. Nothing sharpens the mind better than imminent danger.
Training in karatedo sometimes includes breaking demonstrations. Breaking bricks and boards is not really about the power of the strike but the rather the sharp focus of the mind.
There are methods that can help non-martial artists improve their focus and practice kime. Clearing the mind in preparation for a task helps enormously. The best method for calming and centering the mind is meditation.
Simply sitting comfortably in a quiet place and allowing your mind time to “re-boot” can help.
Joseph Campbell considers it important to have one’s own space, a safe-haven from the barrage of the outside world. Quiet contemplation can help not only with concentration but also creativity. And what is so difficult or esoteric about sitting quietly for a few moments out of the day?
Meditation can also be practiced by simply putting our all into whatever we are doing, eating sleeping, raking the grass, walking or basically anything.
A Zen master was once asked what was the secret of Zen. He answered, eating, sleeping and defecating.
There is a book about a young Canadian who travelled to Japan to study Shotokan karatedo. C.W. Nicol entitled his book, “Moving Zen” a phrase he used to describe practicing kata.
(One of my prized possessions is a copy of Moving Zen a book Nicol dedicated to Hirokazu Kanazawa. I took my copy to a seminar and at dinner I spoke to Shihan Kanazawa who graciously signed the book for me).
A simple way to meditate and one found in Shihan Kanazawa’s books, is to sit cross-legged on the floor. Keep your back straight, hands folded in front of you, eyes closed. Simply breathe in through your nose and imagine the breath travelling down through your body and collecting in your tanden the point just about an inch or two below your belly button. Hold it there for a ten count and then slowly allow the air to unfurl from the tanden and flow up and out through your mouth. Repeat this about ten times and you should feel quite relaxed and focused.
For me meditation came with martial arts practice and began and ended each class. The practice of martial arts in and of itself, the techniques and the process were my meditation. I always felt better after a good class.
Studying Hakkoryu jujutsu also required learning Koho Shiatsu and that ironically improved my meditation. I think it was because I was conscious of giving (or perhaps allowing) my focused energy via the finger pressure massage of shiatsu to help another person thereby using a non-martial technique I had learned to help someone.
When I get up in the morning especially if it is early, I usually sit quietly in the dark sometimes with a cup of coffee. I allow my thoughts to run haphazardly through my head until after a few moments I feel quiet, calm and centered. I notice the days I can go through this little ritual are usually better then the days when I don’t (anecdotal evidence to be sure and definitely not a scientific observation, but there you have it).
Another way for non-martial artists to increase their mental focus is simply to notice things. In teaching self-defence seminars I often refer to being “Alert and Aware” of the environment, the surroundings you find yourself in and specifically the people present in those surroundings. This is not only useful for self-defence purposes but by forcing yourself to be aware you are living in the present and not inside a fog.
But there is no secret technique, no esoteric training, you need in order to be present in the moment. If you are watching television, a favourite show perhaps, then set time aside to watch the program. Do not be distracted by talking, phone calls, emails, playing games on your phone. Simply focus on what you are doing at the time you are doing it. Cultivate that habit so it becomes second nature. Apply this to all that you do. That’s it, that's all there is to it.
These next five posts are based on the Five Mental Attitudes, also employed in martial arts and defined in Seishindo. I think these "mental attitudes" can also be helpful in non-martial circumstances during everyday life. The first is KIME.
Kime, the first mental attitude is the focusing of your energy into the thing, the action, the specific technique being employed. (Nothing esoteric here just simple mental and physical acuity increased by training and consciously brought to bear on the activity at hand.)
This concept of focus and concentration is antithetical to the multi-tasking, plugged-in, fragmented, sensory bombarded and frenetic paced lifestyles to which most people in industrial nations are accustomed.
Many people seem to need constant stimulation whether via an MP3 player’s earphones stuck in their ears, constant television or radio broadcasts. It has become such a problem that laws have to be passed prohibiting texting or telephoning while driving.
Martial arts teaches how to focus; in fact it is an integral aspect to all styles but especially so in Iaido, the art of drawing a sword fluidly and naturally and as fast as possible. No mean feat when one considers that the Japanese katana is basically a four-foot razor blade; one mistake can be tragic. Nothing sharpens the mind better than imminent danger.
Training in karatedo sometimes includes breaking demonstrations. Breaking bricks and boards is not really about the power of the strike but the rather the sharp focus of the mind.
There are methods that can help non-martial artists improve their focus and practice kime. Clearing the mind in preparation for a task helps enormously. The best method for calming and centering the mind is meditation.
Simply sitting comfortably in a quiet place and allowing your mind time to “re-boot” can help.
Joseph Campbell considers it important to have one’s own space, a safe-haven from the barrage of the outside world. Quiet contemplation can help not only with concentration but also creativity. And what is so difficult or esoteric about sitting quietly for a few moments out of the day?
Meditation can also be practiced by simply putting our all into whatever we are doing, eating sleeping, raking the grass, walking or basically anything.
A Zen master was once asked what was the secret of Zen. He answered, eating, sleeping and defecating.
There is a book about a young Canadian who travelled to Japan to study Shotokan karatedo. C.W. Nicol entitled his book, “Moving Zen” a phrase he used to describe practicing kata.
(One of my prized possessions is a copy of Moving Zen a book Nicol dedicated to Hirokazu Kanazawa. I took my copy to a seminar and at dinner I spoke to Shihan Kanazawa who graciously signed the book for me).
For me meditation came with martial arts practice and began and ended each class. The practice of martial arts in and of itself, the techniques and the process were my meditation. I always felt better after a good class.
Studying Hakkoryu jujutsu also required learning Koho Shiatsu and that ironically improved my meditation. I think it was because I was conscious of giving (or perhaps allowing) my focused energy via the finger pressure massage of shiatsu to help another person thereby using a non-martial technique I had learned to help someone.
When I get up in the morning especially if it is early, I usually sit quietly in the dark sometimes with a cup of coffee. I allow my thoughts to run haphazardly through my head until after a few moments I feel quiet, calm and centered. I notice the days I can go through this little ritual are usually better then the days when I don’t (anecdotal evidence to be sure and definitely not a scientific observation, but there you have it).
Another way for non-martial artists to increase their mental focus is simply to notice things. In teaching self-defence seminars I often refer to being “Alert and Aware” of the environment, the surroundings you find yourself in and specifically the people present in those surroundings. This is not only useful for self-defence purposes but by forcing yourself to be aware you are living in the present and not inside a fog.
But there is no secret technique, no esoteric training, you need in order to be present in the moment. If you are watching television, a favourite show perhaps, then set time aside to watch the program. Do not be distracted by talking, phone calls, emails, playing games on your phone. Simply focus on what you are doing at the time you are doing it. Cultivate that habit so it becomes second nature. Apply this to all that you do. That’s it, that's all there is to it.
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