THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION IN MARTIAL ARTS

Meditation has been practiced throughout the ages for two thousand five hundred years, from generation to generation. It spread from India to China, to Japan, to other parts of Asia, and then finally to the West. Historically it is known that in Japan, the Samurai meditated for long periods before battle. Zen Buddhism spread among samurai in the 13th century and it helped to shape their standards of conduct, particularly overcoming fear of death and killing. Meditation prepared the warriors to face their fears and was a way of life for the Samurai. Many martial arts originating from China and Japan were originally taught in combination with meditation plus other disciplinary arts such as calligraphy, poetry and music. The “Yin” of the meditation balanced the “yang” of the martial art. As western cultures began to copy the practice of martial arts, they often dropped the important practice of meditation in favor of the physical aspects of martial arts. Eastern cultures have long understood that the body and the mind reflect each other; you cannot train one without the other. As the mind calms, the body relaxes and vice versa. The concept of Yin-Yang describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Yin, the darker element, is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night; yang, the brighter element, is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Nothing is ever absolutely Yin or Yang that is why there is a white dot (yang) within the Yin and a black dot (yin) within the Yang.
Meditation can be as beneficial to us today as it was to those of centuries past. Mental focus is reinforced through “Ki/Chi” exercises and meditation. As mental focus improves, our martial art learning accelerates. Benefits carry over into daily life, and are especially noticeable at school or work.

MOKUSO

“Mokuso” is a Japanese word simply meaning meditation. All Tai Shi Kai karate classes commence and end with a brief period of Mokuso, kneeling meditation. The entire class, Shihan, Sensei, Sempai and all Kohai will participate in the “Mokuso”. The purpose of Mokuso at the beginning of the class is to clear the mind of the day’s accumulated activities and stresses. The customary way to perform Mokuso/meditation is in the traditional Seiza, (kneeling), position. The hands should rest lightly on the thighs; this enables the hands to remain free to respond quickly in defence. This position was practiced by the Samurai warriors who mediated for long periods of time and had to be on guard in case of attack at all times. If students find that prolonged sitting in Seiza is painful because of injury, then Mokuso may be performed standing up, but the spine must remain erect. Good posture is essential in the practice of all meditation. Correct positioning of the body centres on the spine, which must remain straight and vertical. The head should remain upright, not tilted forward. This ensures correct alignment of the internal organs and meridian channels allowing vital Ki/Chi energy to flow freely through the body. The eyes should be closed during Mokuso to prevent visual distractions. During Mokuso the mind should initially focus on breathing. This will help prevent the mind wandering and deteriorating into idle daydreaming. Breathe in through the nose, slowly drawing air into your lungs, but feeling as though you are drawing it down into your lower abdomen. Then breathe out through the mouth releasing built up tension with each breath out, relaxing the body and the mind in preparation for the lesson ahead. Breathing should be natural, not controlled. It is normal to experience itches and other body sensations, if this occurs relax and simply observe. Try to concentrate on the sensation of breathing to the exclusion of everything else. Mokuso is part of the training of the mind called “Mushin” which comes from the martial art of Aikido. Mushin is a Zen term, “mu” meaning negation; “Shin” meaning heart, mind or feeling, making the somewhat confusing translation as “no mind”. The art of Mushin leads to a state of awareness that is void of distractive thoughts & emotions. This in turn produces a state of mental clarity and heightened awareness. Through Mushin the mind is not absent, but instead freed. Legend has it that the true Samurai were able to defeat their opponents easily because of their trained ability of enhanced perception, (sensory and intuitive), known as pure mind. Through the practice of meditation, the Samurai learnt to transcend the many distracting thoughts of the mind until a state of inner stillness and clear awareness, (Mushin) was reached. Meditation was an important compliment to technical training for the Samurai.
Takuan Soho, a famous Japanese Zen Buddhist monk said “Do not
Think of defence or your mind shall be trapped even for an instant on
defending yourself. Do not think of attack or your mind shall be trapped upon this or that technique. Technique is to be forgotten so that the swordsman may move naturally and instinctively. Only when the spirit, mind, body and sword become as one and free of all that you have learned can one become a Kenshi, (master swordsman)”. This philosophy applies to all martial arts disciplines where attack or defence techniques are practiced.

MUSHIN

Through the art of Mushin, the mind is no longer bound by fear or self consciousness. No longer distracted, inhibited or congested. The mind is open, focused and spontaneous. This is the ultimate goal of every serious martial artist. The true state of Mushin will take many years of dedicated practice. In an ideal world, meditation sessions at the beginning and end of each martial arts class should last 10-20 minutes or longer. However lengthy meditation sessions would eat into training time which is limited as it is. To promote long term benefits of meditation the serious student needs to establish a regular routine of meditation practice outside of class time.

As students advance in their karate training they will come to realise the importance of Mokuso. Most students come straight to karate training from a busy day at work or school, rushing to get ready for karate, driving through peak hour traffic and arriving at training with a load of pent up tensions. The Mokuso period, (however brief), is the time to clear our heads of the excess baggage we carry around with us, clear our minds of busy thoughts and worries, wipe the slate clean so to speak. A relaxed body and mind will be more open to learning and enable the student to focus on techniques without distractions. A relaxed state of mind will allow the student to react faster and be more energy efficient.

In summary the short term goal of Mokuso at the beginning of a training session is to compose the mind and focus on the task ahead. The purpose of Mokuso at the end of the class is to reflect on what was learnt during the lesson and clear the mind afresh. Although our Mokuso meditations are brief, their importance cannot be over emphasised. The long term goal of meditation is to attain a state of pure thought, free to perceive and respond. A clear minded karateka is a well prepared karateka; relaxed, focused and ready for action.

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