There are two paths in the martial arts. The directions are sport, and art. One of these leads to decay, the other leads to enlightenment.
If one studies the martial arts solely as a sport, he engages in contest, and that actually defines the difference between sport and art. If one practices the martial arts as art, he is attempting to conquer the part of him which resists and fights. Subdue the self, or subdue another, it is easy to see the difference.
If one is attempting to subdue another, he is holding the world responsible for his problems, not taking responsibility. Wether the accumulation of wealth, or just trying to beat somebody down, the student is not using the art the way it was designed, as a mirror for the soul. It is the soul, the individual, the spirit, the I AM that is the point of the martial arts, not defeating somebody else.
When one is doing the art as sport, he is making a strong body, and then risking that body to destruction. When one is doing the art as art, he is obsessed with finding out the truth about himself. He is engaged in defining what impulse is behind the muscle and quiver of fighting.
The True Martial Way can be defined by the degree of motion within the art. A young man studies the excessive motion of Karate and Shaolin and that type of art. As the student ages, he practices tai chi, slowing his motion down, trying to take responsibility for his every action.
Eventually, man becomes old, runs down, and begins to think about what it all means. He aspires to motionlessness, he is a person who watches the movement of the universe, and this is where he finds the truth. In motionlessness, he sees the truth of motion and who creates it.
When one does Yoga one is exercising, making the body strong, but not through the make up of combat. This does create a weakness, as the universe is motion, and we should duplicate that motion to understand it. That one weakness aside, yoga does allow one to go to the heart of the matter.
Putting the body in an asana, breathing, watching, we slowly become aware of who is doing the watching, who is creating the asana. We find the I AM that is behind all the motion of the universe, and thus we become who we were meant to be, spiritual, souls, individuals unique and creative and filled with passion. We could wait, and grow old through lack of a method, or we could pursue violence through the martial arts until we run out of violence, or, we could just accelerate the process with yoga, through posture and slow breathing, and find out who we really are.
Al Case has studied the martial arts for over forty+ years. He has written for the magazines,, including his own column, Case Histories. He is the developer of Matrixing Technology and Neutronics. You can get a free ebook at his website, Monster Martial Arts.
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