The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts by Sean Michael Wilson

Author:Sean Michael Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala

One of the other demons asked, “I have a number of children, but they have not yet grown up. How should I have them study swordsmanship?”

The demon answered, “In the old days, mind-technique would become manifest after first ‘sprinkling the ground and sweeping up, and answering and replying,’45 then studying the Six Arts, and finally entering the Great Learning. Among all the gentlemen of the Confucian school, there were many who became adept at the Six Arts and then verified the study of the Way.

“While your children are still young, they will not have the power to master the connection between technique and principle, so do not bring up details first. Rather, have them follow along with their teacher, make efforts in the techniques that are appropriate for the moment, learn the movements of the hands and feet, and strengthen their bones and sinews. Beyond that, they should train their ch’i and cultivate their minds. The deepest principles will be inferred from this training. This is the proper order of training.

“You should not use a tree that has only two leaves as a pillar. Usually, you prop up a brace and support such a tree so that it will not grow crooked. And usually, from the time a person is young, you should not let him go along with a will toward the perverse. If his will does not go toward the perverse, there will be no wrong, even in play. When there is no wrong, there will be no harm done to what is correct. Between Heaven and Earth, it is rare for someone not to be of some use. But when we do harm due to perversity, and so damage our self-nature, we are of no use at all.

“Fundamentally, man’s mind is not without good. It is simply that from the moment he has life, he is always being brought up with perversity. Thus, having no idea that he has gotten used to being soaked in it, he harms his self-nature and falls into evil. Human desire is the root of this perversity.

“Men of little character develop their minds in simply benefiting themselves. Thus, if they do benefit themselves and some perversity is the outcome, they are not aware of that perversity; and, if they do not benefit themselves, but there is some propriety as the outcome, they are unaware of that propriety as well. They do not know how to distinguish between perversity and propriety of themselves. How much less will they understand the results of the two?

“Thus, Learning suppresses the confused actions of man’s desires, perceives the mysterious function of the natural principles of the essence of the mind, and makes clear the understanding of the results of perversity and propriety. Only in spurning the perversity of the confused mind is no harm done to the essence of mind or to our self-nature. This is not a matter of rising up to Heaven or sinking down to Earth. It is simply that when you spurn perversity, natural principle is manifest.

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