ACRAWFORD
08-25-2004, 16:09
This article was written by a personal friend and fellow student, it is his wish that I share it with the members of the board and see what they think about it.
Seeing The Shadow Of Zanshin
By
Hank Ramirez
23 Aug04
Many of us have heard of the word Zanshin, or total (situational) awareness. The highest expression of Zanshin is summed up in the story of a veteran Samurai who had survived many battles. The story recounts that one day the Samurai was walking in his garden with his retainer. During their walk the retainer had the thought that he could kill his master. At that same moment the Samurai stiffened and began peering around in search of something or someone. Not long after that he withdrew from the garden and went into his house. After a time the retainer asked the Samurai why he had acted so strangely. The Samurai’s answer was that during his life he had become sensitive to the lethal intent of others when it was directed at him. This ability had helped him through the years to survive many battles. While in the garden he once again became aware of a lethal intent directed towards him. When he heard this the retainer confessed to his master and repented of the lethal thought.
While many of us aspire to gain such an ability, very few of us know of a practice that will bring us closer to attaining our goal. When we talk to Sempai or Sensei we are often encouraged to practice kata (of whatever variety). So we diligently practice and practice. In the practice we get very good at kata and we eventually come to have a situational awareness of what goes on around us. We come to find out that we can nearly constantly use our peripheral vision. We learn to read the body movements of those around us and come to have a pretty accurate understanding of their disposition. If we participate in kumite tournaments we may perfect our ability to predict a particular type of attack. Yet we are unable to touch the higher aspects of Zanshin that the veteran Samurai had at his disposal.
So I wondered at the more common traits of the masters of martial arts. Most specifically I wondered at the incongruities. The most obvious and prevalent incongruity is that of courtesy. I then wondered why the masters would put so much emphasis on courtesy? After all, the ones with the guns (swords, naginata, unarmed fighting ability) make the rules, right? So why wouldn’t they just swagger down the street after doing kata a hundred times and run roughshod over everyone that comes into their path and take what they want? I suspect the reason is because courtesy and etiquette are a kind of kata that brings us into the higher reaches of Zanshin.
What triggered me to all of this was a face-to-face conversation I had with a young man. It happened that we were at the Dojo and I was recounting a story of Musashi to him. As I was speaking he looked down the hallway and saw a young lady we both knew. Upon seeing her he turned and walked down the hallway towards her. I watched in dumfounded amazement as he walked away. “How Rude!” I thought, that he would walk away without excusing himself. He acted as if I didn’t exist. Then it hit me. In order to be courteous and exercise etiquette one must be aware of the people around you.
People have been known to be courteous and practice proper etiquette in the Dojo and at work while despising the one they are interacting with. This is an empty practice. It is empty because it has an outward form without a supporting inner structure. It is self-destructive because on the one hand part of our being is built up outwardly and at the same time the inner substance of our being is being corroded. Generally speaking, the person practicing such a manner of life is the equivalent of an empty egg. Coming into contact with anything harsh our thin outer shell of civility cracks and the corrosive poison that lurks within comes out. I must also point out that in the American culture there are those who are not trained in courtesy or etiquette. These are merely boorish and are to be considered kindly.
I believe that the story of the veteran Samurai and his retainer illustrate a key point. Namely, that we can all perceive the intent of others. This is corroborated because the masters also speak of “capturing the opponent’s” spirit. My thought is that if we can project our “spirit” to capture another’s spirit, we can perceive another’s intent toward us. The question lies in what medium we use to perceive the attack or intent.
Consider if you will, a pair of red-lensed glasses. They tint our perception of the world around us and they BLIND us to red light. In analogy this equates to our emotional state. If we are an angry person we project our anger onto everything in our field of vision, our family, our coworkers, our environment. Our anger blinds us to the anger of others that is directed toward us. This means we are unable to contrast what we project to what is directed at us. Often we see this expressed by people commenting on the faults of another. This is also coined in the phrase the first thing you recognize in others is yourself.
On the other hand, if we, like the masters, practice loving people; we project something that is quite different that is negatively directed towards us. So when someone hates us or wishes us harm we potentially have the ability to Zanshin not only by being aware of people’s posture and movements but also through the contrast of their unseen intent.
When we practice loving people through the practical demonstration of courtesy and etiquette somehow we lose the red colored glasses and perceive the world around us in its natural light. We even begin to perceive the true nature and substance of things. This happens because we tend to exist farther away from what I want for my pleasure and stand closer to the benefit of others. This means that I am in a position to be in harmony with my surroundings and the people within it. If I am “in harmony” (or another term could be “at peace”) then perceiving what is in contrast to peace is that much easier.
Seeing The Shadow Of Zanshin
By
Hank Ramirez
23 Aug04
Many of us have heard of the word Zanshin, or total (situational) awareness. The highest expression of Zanshin is summed up in the story of a veteran Samurai who had survived many battles. The story recounts that one day the Samurai was walking in his garden with his retainer. During their walk the retainer had the thought that he could kill his master. At that same moment the Samurai stiffened and began peering around in search of something or someone. Not long after that he withdrew from the garden and went into his house. After a time the retainer asked the Samurai why he had acted so strangely. The Samurai’s answer was that during his life he had become sensitive to the lethal intent of others when it was directed at him. This ability had helped him through the years to survive many battles. While in the garden he once again became aware of a lethal intent directed towards him. When he heard this the retainer confessed to his master and repented of the lethal thought.
While many of us aspire to gain such an ability, very few of us know of a practice that will bring us closer to attaining our goal. When we talk to Sempai or Sensei we are often encouraged to practice kata (of whatever variety). So we diligently practice and practice. In the practice we get very good at kata and we eventually come to have a situational awareness of what goes on around us. We come to find out that we can nearly constantly use our peripheral vision. We learn to read the body movements of those around us and come to have a pretty accurate understanding of their disposition. If we participate in kumite tournaments we may perfect our ability to predict a particular type of attack. Yet we are unable to touch the higher aspects of Zanshin that the veteran Samurai had at his disposal.
So I wondered at the more common traits of the masters of martial arts. Most specifically I wondered at the incongruities. The most obvious and prevalent incongruity is that of courtesy. I then wondered why the masters would put so much emphasis on courtesy? After all, the ones with the guns (swords, naginata, unarmed fighting ability) make the rules, right? So why wouldn’t they just swagger down the street after doing kata a hundred times and run roughshod over everyone that comes into their path and take what they want? I suspect the reason is because courtesy and etiquette are a kind of kata that brings us into the higher reaches of Zanshin.
What triggered me to all of this was a face-to-face conversation I had with a young man. It happened that we were at the Dojo and I was recounting a story of Musashi to him. As I was speaking he looked down the hallway and saw a young lady we both knew. Upon seeing her he turned and walked down the hallway towards her. I watched in dumfounded amazement as he walked away. “How Rude!” I thought, that he would walk away without excusing himself. He acted as if I didn’t exist. Then it hit me. In order to be courteous and exercise etiquette one must be aware of the people around you.
People have been known to be courteous and practice proper etiquette in the Dojo and at work while despising the one they are interacting with. This is an empty practice. It is empty because it has an outward form without a supporting inner structure. It is self-destructive because on the one hand part of our being is built up outwardly and at the same time the inner substance of our being is being corroded. Generally speaking, the person practicing such a manner of life is the equivalent of an empty egg. Coming into contact with anything harsh our thin outer shell of civility cracks and the corrosive poison that lurks within comes out. I must also point out that in the American culture there are those who are not trained in courtesy or etiquette. These are merely boorish and are to be considered kindly.
I believe that the story of the veteran Samurai and his retainer illustrate a key point. Namely, that we can all perceive the intent of others. This is corroborated because the masters also speak of “capturing the opponent’s” spirit. My thought is that if we can project our “spirit” to capture another’s spirit, we can perceive another’s intent toward us. The question lies in what medium we use to perceive the attack or intent.
Consider if you will, a pair of red-lensed glasses. They tint our perception of the world around us and they BLIND us to red light. In analogy this equates to our emotional state. If we are an angry person we project our anger onto everything in our field of vision, our family, our coworkers, our environment. Our anger blinds us to the anger of others that is directed toward us. This means we are unable to contrast what we project to what is directed at us. Often we see this expressed by people commenting on the faults of another. This is also coined in the phrase the first thing you recognize in others is yourself.
On the other hand, if we, like the masters, practice loving people; we project something that is quite different that is negatively directed towards us. So when someone hates us or wishes us harm we potentially have the ability to Zanshin not only by being aware of people’s posture and movements but also through the contrast of their unseen intent.
When we practice loving people through the practical demonstration of courtesy and etiquette somehow we lose the red colored glasses and perceive the world around us in its natural light. We even begin to perceive the true nature and substance of things. This happens because we tend to exist farther away from what I want for my pleasure and stand closer to the benefit of others. This means that I am in a position to be in harmony with my surroundings and the people within it. If I am “in harmony” (or another term could be “at peace”) then perceiving what is in contrast to peace is that much easier.