| Thanks to several centuries of enlightened | | | | * Nature points the Way. It is not possible |
| teachings by extraordinary men in the martial | | | | to express in words what is most real, |
| disciplines, we don't have to be restricted | | | | sublime, and ultimate. Recognizing the |
| to lives of getting and spending, waiting in | | | | limitations of the intellect, martial |
| quiet desperation for the pain to cease. | | | | training traditions guide with the lamp of |
| | | | direct experience. The fool wastes energy |
| Most of us in the Arts focus on the tasks in | | | | talking, while the Master gets on with the |
| front of our noses (the correct hand forms | | | | work-usually outside. |
| kicks/body alignments), forgetting our option | | | | |
| to consciously evolve along the way to | | | | * Change or die. You are here to evolve, and |
| physical perfection. | | | | that means transformation-rarely pleasant, |
| | | | always necessary if we wish to do more than |
| Words are easy, but we can avoid just blowing | | | | languish in a past of illusions. That which |
| mouth-wind here by listing some timeless | | | | does not change dies soon thereafter. It's |
| guides for self-growth, followed by training | | | | important to keep your training fresh and |
| suggestions: | | | | stimulating; this usually will mean putting |
| | | | some quality hours into solitary disciplines. |
| * The physical and cerebral functions die, | | | | |
| while the spirit continues to grow. This is | | | | * Comfort is dangerous, seek the difficult. |
| a no-brainer, but it's amazing how many clubs | | | | In training, eat bitter every day. Don't |
| are satisfied with learning only to kick | | | | forget to hammer the basics: they will keep |
| butt. What's left when full contact is a | | | | your workouts honest-and provide you with |
| thing of your matured past, with only knee | | | | powerful tools to manifest new ideas. |
| pains to jolt a dim memory? Lots of ways to | | | | |
| answer that one-and it's better to cultivate | | | | * Bitter alone is a poor diet. Eating bitter |
| chi and meditation practices now. | | | | every day is only one side of the tri-lateral |
| | | | equation. One thousand kicks daily will not |
| * Assume you know nothing-then the Superior | | | | stretch your mind's rational capabilities, |
| Man will appear. The most formidable opponent | | | | nor will it feed psychic circuits of |
| is your own ego. In training, first learn to | | | | intuition. A complete Art of leg maneuvers |
| listen and watch carefully, then proceed with | | | | combines proper attention, visualization, and |
| selfless attention and caution. Your higher | | | | conscious breath control patterns, along with |
| functions will then operate without | | | | repetitions of well-aligned kicking form. |
| impediments. | | | | |
| | | | * Suffering is a great Teacher, but |
| * No authority exists outside of your Self. | | | | life-threatening poverty is not Noble. It is |
| The successful student-master relationship is | | | | a fact of human existence that we learn a |
| necessarily a symbiotic one. Each needs the | | | | great deal more from our struggles than from |
| other in order to bring the task at hand to | | | | complacency. But if we are to advance in |
| fruition. Many modern followers of the | | | | training, we must maintain a decent standard |
| martial arts have forgotten that the grading | | | | of living, thus guarding the Three Treasures |
| system produces no absolute ranks. The system | | | | of the Temple. |
| is circular: the student must decide by what | | | | |
| criteria he wishes to be graded, and then he | | | | * Chasing the illusions of wealth, position, |
| finds an acceptable person to confer the | | | | status, social power will stunt your |
| content of the desired curriculum. Similarly, | | | | evolution. Modern men have been divested, |
| the teacher must decide the qualities of a | | | | emasculated, and tamed through social |
| potentially desirable student, then contract | | | | programming by the culture of commerce. We |
| with that candidate. Both are dipping from | | | | are told to defend marketing strategies, |
| the same well, both are reflections of a | | | | bottom lines, and aggressive growth policies |
| Being offering meta-cultural sustenance. | | | | of business cartels. These social programmers |
| | | | love money. What do you love? |