subject: The Truth Behind The Discipline Of Zen Karate! [print this page] What do you get out of doing the Martial Arts? What strange abilities can you really discover and awaken? Is there a reality that could be called Zen Karate...or zen aikido, or zen whatever other martial art you might study?
There is a thing called zen, and the best book for describing it is Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. Past that, zen is the experience of yourself, as discovered through specific discipline. My specific discipline and experience was through karate.
The discipline is achieved through the practice of kata and bunkai, and through this discipline you learn to control your body. People who fight just because they like to fight, as in MMA, never experience this discipline. They might know how to do the martial, but they don't know how to do the art.
And, if you can learn to control all the intricacies of your body, you realize that it took control of mind to do so. The struggle to make your body do the things that you want it to do exactly as you want comes from you making your mind do exactly what you want. And now we come to the crux of the situation.
Why doesn't life move the way you want it to? Why can't you drive that fast car, have the cheerleader, get that great job? The reason, for most people, is that they haven't learned to control themselves.
I am not talking about controlling your body, nor even your mind, now. I am talking about controlling you, the person who controls your body and mind. You.
You want to be as snazzy as Bruce Lee, as rapid as Jet Lee, able to jump through hoops better than Jackie Chan? Learn to control your body, then learn to control your mind, and, ultimately, learn the secrets of controlling yourself. Learn to control that person who is controlling your body and mind.
I recommend the martial arts as the the best path for learning to control yourself. Karate, aikido, wudan, they are all valid paths for learning how to control yourself, and to see yourself as separate from body and mind. Learn to do this, dedicate yourself to the fighting art that will make you have zen karate, or zen kung fu or zen whatever, and you will be able to control the universe, and all the fast cars and cheerleaders therein.
