Written by Week 6 it is and I have finished my first book – Zen in the Martial Arts, by Joe Hyams. It’s not a very long book, but it has a lot of depth. Depth and wisdom broken down in short chapters that you can apply not only to your martial arts studies but also to your work or private life.
I find it amazing to read about the growth and journey of martial artists that have trained with the greatest who any kid knows nowadays. Mr. Hyams practiced in his back yard with Bruce Lee and travelled the world to seek teachings from several other legends in different martial arts. Hyams was not only practicing kenpo karate, Jeet Kune Do but 8 other disciplines. In his work life he was a columnist and author, interviewing Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Spencer Tracy. He was married to Elke Sommer, a German actress and model back in the days.
Talking about living a life!
To summarize his book I am using his last wife Melissa’s explanation. The book is not really about martial arts. It’s about life and philosophy, and how to turn a negative into a positive, how to defuse a situation by the way you handle it.
I took a lot of advice out of it. Some of it I already could pass on. My fellow OneHeartChallenge practitioner David san is talking about self-doubt in his recent post. It is reassuring that even the greatest had doubts and found ways to deal with it. Bruce Lee pictured the doubt written on paper that gets burned afterwards to not allow the doubt to enter the mind.
The mind in general is super potent. Hyams describes martial artists healing much quicker than expected by concentrating and “thinking” about the healing process. Picturing the future success that is achieved rather than the pain, time, and effort it takes to get there is a powerful tool. I will have to try it throughout this year when the challenges from work, life, and martial art seem to overpowering.
Next book on the list “Karate-dō : my way of life” from Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern karate.
Dirk-san,
Your comments bring back a lot of memories for me. I remember reading Zen In The Martial Arts when I was a kid- a great read. I found a lot of things in the book reaffirmed what I was learning and experiencing. Perhaps it was like being connected to something universal.
You’re going to love Karate-Do, My Way of Life. That’s a special one for me too. When I was living with Master Uezu, he gave me his personal copy. You can’t get a better endorsement than that!
Best of luck on your journey,
Chris Chase
I am looking forward to reading this book and in doing so, opening up some new perspectives and challenging old ones! Dirk-san, I appreciate and am grateful everyday to be on this journey with you and many others that our part of our dojo family. Our minds are like a massive toolbox comprised of various implements, opinions, experiences, knowledge, behaviors, feelings and emotions…etc. It is WHEN and HOW we use them; the one thing we can control is our response, that is what either hinders our growth and progress, or enables it.