Written by Zen in the Martial Arts – By Joe Hyams
Reading ‘Zen In The Martial Arts’ there are many things that wholly resonate with me and my experiences thus far as an aspiring black-belt candidate and martial artist that is very much a work in progress. Whether it be “Emptying my cup” or “Seizing the Moment” (by being present and living in the moment…) there are elements of Zen that I seem to relate intuitively. There have been times I have felt a sense of full balance and engagement through intuition rather than conscious thought; an almost surreal perception of equilibrium paired with a natural “non-thinking” instinctive response. Is this “zen?” I don’t know, but it seems to be something that resembles what zen may be relative to a synergy between mind, body and spirit that transcends conscious thought.
In my reading of this book, one chapter really captivated me relative to where I am in my life, training and the culmination of my experiences to this point in time. In the chapter ‘Know Your Limits’ I love the quote by Bruce Lee, “You must accept the fact you are capable in some directions and limited in others, and you must develop your capabilities.” There are times when I get frustrated; I see much younger students do things I can no longer do, their speed, agility and flexibility far exceed mine because of their youth–I am not as fast, not as flexible and much less agile than I once was. However, I do possess some things they may not, such as some wisdom and learning that there are opportunities for me to identify and hone some of my strengths aside from just the physical (body) as to further develop them. Some of these are my resiliency to push through pain and a “can do” resolve. Rather than my focusing to develop a head-high round house kick I can focus on a mid-level or lower-leg kicks and sweeps to bring the target down to a level where I can reasonably reach it. I can further develop HOW and when I expend energy; rather than trying to keep up with more youthful students relative to the energy expended during sparring, I can move and pivot until they tire and the opportunity presents itself. I suppose it means to spar smarter, not harder.
The world could all use some “zen,” but for now I will focus on knowing what my limits are and further developing my strengths to be the best martial artist I can be where I am today and where I might be if tomorrow comes.