| A very special kind of training is critical in martial arts | | | | When focusing the mind, the mind must be |
| because martial arts is about life and death. In one | | | | concentrated. Then, after the mind becomes |
| split second, your life will be either spared or taken, | | | | concentrated, discernment must be developed, which |
| and that outcome depends entirely upon your | | | | means that the mind must use its concentrated |
| preparation. | | | | qualities to penetrate the illusions of existence with |
| The adversary you face will be stronger, faster, | | | | discernment and wisdom until existence is abandoned |
| better trained, and more determined than you will be. | | | | and reality manifests. This is critical, because reality is |
| Count on it. To think otherwise is fatal. He or she will | | | | the ground of the warrior, while existence, and all the |
| also understand that body follows mind; that mind | | | | falseness of existence, is the ground of the |
| comes before body, and therefore they will train | | | | defeated. |
| their minds, as well as their bodies, to perfection. | | | | To focus the mind, begin by sitting cross-legged on |
| If you are up against an opponent who has taken | | | | the floor. Keep your back straight and you hands |
| the time and tremendous effort required to stabilize | | | | lying palms up in you lap, one hand cupped within the |
| his or her mind, and you haven't, there is a good | | | | other with the right hand on top. Then concentrate |
| likelihood that your body will fail in that split second | | | | your mind. Concentrate your mind on your breathing. |
| when your life hangs in the balance. | | | | For whatever length of time you decide to sit, which |
| Mind has its own split second of truth, just as body | | | | is your own determination, resolve not to move |
| has its split second of life and death, the difference | | | | regardless of the pain or discomfort, and determine |
| being that life is temporary, whereas mind continues. | | | | not to move the mind off the breath regardless of |
| This distinction has tremendous inferences regarding | | | | what thoughts or emotions come up. You will know |
| your psychological preparation for combat and how | | | | every in breath and every out breath from beginning |
| you will face a mortal enemy - whether you face | | | | to end. Your success or failure in accomplishing this |
| your enemy with confidence, clarity, and courage, or | | | | will indicate the control your mind has over itself. If |
| whether you face him with a split second of | | | | there is no control here, there will be no control in |
| hesitation, a split second of subconscious fear. | | | | that split second where life or death is determined. |
| Since body and mind are connected, both must be | | | | As you focus unerringly on every breath, the mind |
| developed in tangent. If one is developed over the | | | | will become calm enough to remain on the breath |
| other, then that fine balance necessary to cut | | | | without effort. Then, the body will react from this |
| through the illusions and falsity of sense impressions | | | | unusual peace from conflict of thought and emotion |
| will not be maintained. This balance that is critical if | | | | by physical reactions. You will feel your hair standing |
| you are to have the courage to come face to face | | | | out from your body as if you have seen a ghost, |
| with the reality of each situation and be able to | | | | and shocks will rack your body like lightning strikes. |
| maintain that reality each and every split second | | | | You will feel as if pure water is washing over you, |
| without fail. Once that fine balance is disturbed, you | | | | and then flooding your body, and you will feel as if |
| will either underreact or overreact, and either could | | | | you are floating. Then you will feel a tremendous joy, |
| prove fatal when facing an adversary that has | | | | and a uncanny focusing of the mind, followed by a |
| mastered the balance of body and mind. | | | | feeling of equanimity where the mind no longer |
| When training your mind, two things are critical -- | | | | discriminates between anything. All things are now |
| focus and discernment. If focus is weak, you cannot | | | | equal, all emotion and judging is gone. There is only |
| gather your strength accurately into a point of | | | | the reality of 'what is' in this very moment. |
| explosive contact. And if discernment is not | | | | As you are training the mind in concentration, you will |
| mastered, you will never have the extreme | | | | begin your training in discernment by investigating |
| confidence necessary to act decisively and without | | | | your physical body. You will investigate your body |
| hesitation. | | | | hair, your head hair, your nails, teeth and skin, and |
| But training the mind takes a warrior, because in the | | | | envision every organ. You will envision the death of |
| process of training the mind, you will be effectively | | | | your body, and see it lying dead on the ground, |
| dismantling the very things that will keep you from | | | | bloated after a few days, being eaten by insects, |
| victory, which are your false illusions of what and | | | | and then animals, until there are only bones and |
| who you really are. In other words, you will face | | | | sinews left with a smattering of blood, and then only |
| your own physical, psychological, and spiritual death, | | | | bones, and then a pile of bones, and then bones |
| and no one but you will be the executioner. You will | | | | scattered here and there until they turn to dust and |
| fall into a hole so deep, so real, and so lonely that | | | | melt into the earth with nothing but the forest floor. |
| anything in the unreal world that we call existence will | | | | Then, after the mind tires of investigating the body, |
| become as nothing. | | | | it will rest in concentration again, until it is ready to |
| This kind of experience is not for the weak-willed, or | | | | investigate again. Then, it will further develop |
| the ones who are merely experimenting with the | | | | discernment by investigating itself; how it (the mind) |
| martial arts; this is for the ones who will triumph | | | | contacts the world through its sense organs, and |
| regardless of the adversary, the ones who will be | | | | how the sense organs are made of elements of the |
| fearless in the face of impossible odds. The ones | | | | earth, no different from any other creature or |
| who are a true warrior in every sense of the word. | | | | substance, and that the body is not only part of the |
| It is extraordinary for martial arts students to be | | | | earth but is the earth, and eats the dead bodies of |
| exposed to the real methods of mind training that will | | | | the earth, and dead plants of the earth, and will |
| insure victory, and rarer still for that student to | | | | someday return to the earth. |
| follow the instructions to completion. Only a few, a | | | | You will investigate how these sense organs make |
| handful will ever attain that pinnacle of perfection of | | | | contact with an object seen, heard, smelled, tasted, |
| body and mind that this training intimates; which is | | | | felt, or thought about, and how after that initial |
| the deathless realm. Only a few will be successful | | | | contact there is an impulse to love it or hate it, and |
| because the training is rugged, not easy, and the | | | | how during that initial feeling thoughts and emotions |
| most difficult thing that one could attempt in life. The | | | | arise to facilitate drawing that object close if you |
| martial arts student will be dismantling the ego; which | | | | love it, and pushing it away of you hate it. And how |
| is everything that he or she believes in and counts | | | | all of this distracts you from your focus. |
| on, and everything that they believe to be | | | | You will investigate existence itself, and see if there |
| themselves, because it is these beliefs and images | | | | is anything within existence that doesn't change. |
| that insure defeat. | | | | Whether anything within existence can provide such |
| The amount of time spent training in Martial arts | | | | lasting happiness that you are afraid to lose it, and |
| should be split evenly between mind training and | | | | whether there is a little man or woman behind your |
| physical training. Mind training should not take a | | | | body and mind, a self that experiences existence. Or |
| second seat to body training, or an imbalance will be | | | | is there only mind? |
| the result. If the ego grows and is not controlled, | | | | Then you will rest again by concentrating your mind. |
| defeat is certain. This is because the ego, now built | | | | You will concentrate the mind until the mind |
| up psychologically, will subconsciously be afraid of its | | | | transcends itself with a shift in consciousness where |
| own demise, and that subtle fear will be enough to | | | | you will let go of body and mind together, all in one |
| make the difference when facing a seasoned warrior | | | | brief release. Then the discernment and wisdom will |
| without his or her ego in the way. When you face | | | | be automatic. Regardless of what you see in the |
| the deathless person, you can see it in their eyes, | | | | world, there will be the reality of its impermanence, |
| and you had better be ready, for there will be no | | | | the reality of its stress, and a reality from the |
| hesitation on their part, no illusions or images, just | | | | freedom from ego that allows you to become a true |
| what has to be done in the next second, and it will | | | | warrior. |
| be done efficiently and from an uninhibited center. In | | | | All of this requires training, however, physical and |
| other words, a place of transcendent focus. | | | | mental training. It requires faith, determination, vision, |
| As previously stated, when training your mind, two | | | | mindfulness, effort, and wisdom. But the rewards are |
| things are critical -- focus and discernment. If focus is | | | | great; a thirst for truth and a disregard for falsity |
| weak, you cannot gather your strength accurately | | | | that creates boundless joy, unlimited energy, |
| into a point of explosive contact. And if discernment | | | | tranquility in the face of danger, equanimity when |
| is not mastered, you will never have the extreme | | | | faced with adversity, a focused, concentrated mind, |
| confidence necessary to act decisively and without | | | | a heightened awareness. |
| hesitation. Both focus and discernment must be | | | | And the courage of a lion. |
| developed together. | | | | |