Budo Mind and Body by Nicklaus Suino

Author:Nicklaus Suino
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala Publications

5

Training the Spirit

The basis of true training in swordsmanship is to forge the spirit.

—Yamaoka Tesshu

The Heart of Budo

Budo is more than just learning how to fight. As I have indicated, real budo is a way of seeking and grasping the meaning of life. It is a particularly good tool for this because of its long history of development and refinement by people who understood that budo is a lifelong quest for personal perfection. The Japanese penchant for organizing and refining, applied to arts that naturally involve all aspects of a person, has created a razor-sharp spiritual instrument that can cut right to the core of what is real or true.

Those students who are attracted to budo for these more serious reasons will find many unsatisfactory arts and instructors. Schools in which fighting is taught for its own sake will not help them progress in psychological and philosophical areas. On the other hand, those schools that practice only form without the fighting foundations of budo, also merit little respect. The discerning martial artist will look for a school that teaches a legitimate, traditional martial art form with both the fighting aspects and the internal aspects intact.

Finding a good school is only the first step, however, in a long journey with many detours and pitfalls along the way. Just as martial arts offer many benefits, they also pose many difficulties, both external and internal. On the physical side, there is the difficulty of certain movements, exhaustion from rigorous practice, and the pain of sore or injured muscles. On the mental side, there is fear, including the fear of failure or fear of an opponent’s attack, as well as the frustration, discouragement, and even depression that can result from failure to make satisfactory progress.

In this regard, competitive martial arts are a double-edged sword, both helping us to develop ourselves, and creating barriers to progress. The challenge of pitting our skills against others can be an excellent teacher. It can show us where our skills are strong and where they are weak. It forces us to involve ourselves fully in the moment, helping us to cultivate a focused mind. Team competition can help build a sense of camaraderie among the participants. Unfortunately, competition can be so exciting that it can become the sole motivation for training. The desire to win sometimes replaces the more important goals of real traditional martial arts training. Students who care for nothing other than winning matches are out of balance. A good teacher must help them understand that real victory is something much larger than a drawing-room trophy.

Luckily, there are a variety of reality checks incorporated into traditional budo, as we shall discuss shortly. Once students understand what to look for, they will find implicit lessons in everyday practice. These lessons can be found in each of the physical, mental, and spiritual areas of budo. Good students will learn to pay attention to the indicators and adapt their training methods according to what those indicators reveal.

A wise teacher will remind students not to place too much emphasis on how they compare with others in the dojo.

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