When I was running
the martial arts school in the US I once had a student, a girl who was just
eleven years of age. She, as a fourth
level student, even more so than most of the students I had of that rank, possessed
many skills far, far beyond the skills of the black belts of many US
schools. Her skills were tremendously enhanced
by her musculature development. For
example, if asked to climb to the top of a flag pole unaided and without using
her legs, she could and would do it.
However, she suffered problems that most children never face. Her father had earned a black belt in his
younger days had a terminal illness; her mother, a former Olympic Games
competitor whose misfortune it was to have been competing in the 1980 Olympic
Games swimming competitions – the US and other nations boycotted those games
due to the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union - has an ongoing issue
with an illness that can, at times, keep her bedridden; and this girl
accidentally damaged one of her knees in some kind of physical education (p.e.)
activity at her academic school that imposed limits on her ability to compete.
Unfortunately, it was her dream to compete
for the US in Taekwondo.
Understandably,
cloud shadows began to obscure her mind and her behavior began to reflect
that. Her mother approached me to help
with advice, and so I thought long and hard about what I should say and how I
should say it. Once I established the ideas
I would offer then I had to decide on the words to be used and how to present
them. Eventually, I determined that
spoken words were to likely to be transient so I put them on paper, and this
then, is what follows shortly.
First, a couple of
days ago I encountered this paper on my computer and realized that the advice
applied not only to her for her time, but to any whose life’s difficulties may
be working to a point wherein they may feel themselves to be submerged by them –
something that had even happened to me a bit before leaving the US. Though I was getting back on the correct
track, in rereading this, I realized that I had as yet fallen short of that
goal. This advice may be just as applicable
to others as it was to the young lady, and as it was to me, and so I reprint it here.
To be a complete Martial Artist,
one must possess the ability to harmonize the Body and the
Mind as one.
Remember:
The Tiger is taught. He is The Dragon, however,
very
Strong and exceedingly must be found.
Like the
Quick,
but he always acts on Tiger , he is also very
instinct. Strong and exceedingly Quick, but he uses his wisdom to help guide him in making his choices -
Therefore he always has a
choice!!
Four Noble Truths:
A):
All people suffer, but understand that all existence, in all possible
forms, endures suffering and this life cannot bring a true end to this
suffering in a way which we might understand as satisfaction since life is not
permanent.
Corollary - The measure of happiness is also the
measure of unhappiness.
B):
Be true to yourself when looking at the origin of your suffering: the
desire and craving for permanence and pleasure.
C): Understand that the truth is that all
suffering can be eliminated by eliminating the need for craving and desire –
even if that desire is simply the elimination of one’s own suffering.
D): Understand the
truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering – the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path:
To fol To
follow the Eightfold path requires enormous discipline but your goal is to live
a life that brings happiness and positivity, not only for yourself but for all
around you as well. In addition, the
following of this path leaves you with no regrets when you are aged and looking
back.
A): Right View - a view of life based on
the understanding of the Four Noble Truths as the basis for understanding all
aspects of life as they really are. Life
is comprised of impermanence of material things and conditions (all things,
even those made by nature, change over time.
Man-made things tend to fall apart and degrade, living things grow age
and die, and all natural things such as mountains, rivers, and oceans change
over time). Right view is not
necessarily an intellectual item but, instead, is a capacity of the mind to
understand life’s natural form. It
begins with the intuitive insight that all life is subject to suffering and
ends with the understanding of the true nature of all things.
B): Right Resolve - resolve to renunciate
craving and desire, and establish within yourself a good will towards ALL life
(including the non-harming of non-human creatures. Right Resolve can be best described as a
commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Gautama Buddha distinguished three type of
Right Resolve: a) intention of renunciation in which the pull of desire and
craving is resisted. b) the intention of
good will which means that one resists feelings of anger, hatred, aversion, and
the like. c) the intention of
harmlessness in which we choose not to think or act with cruelty, violence, or
aggressiveness. Through this we can
better understand the interconnectedness of all life.
C): Right Speech - the first principle of
ethical conduct in the Eightfold Path, adhering to Right Speech means never lie
or make false speech, use words intended to harm others, use gossip or other
idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth, or slander or speak badly of others.
D): Right Action - remember that your body
expresses itself in a very natural way.
Unwholesome behavior leads to an unsound states of mind. This principle is best explained in terms of
behavior avoidance. a) abstain from
harming ALL living things either intentionally or even by accident. b) do not take what is not given therefore do
not steal, commit fraud, take by deceit, or by dishonesty. c) do not seek sexual misconduct. Right action means to act kindly and compassionately
towards others, though you must understand that you will at times encounter
those who would not behave in that way towards you.
E): Right Livelihood - engage in no
profession that brings harm to others or any living creatures. Such livelihoods would include selling of
people or other sentient creatures, dealing in weapons, jobs involving the
production of meat and meat products, selling of drugs, or occupations that
would violate the principles of Right Speech or Right Conduct.
F): Right Effort - Effort is an act of will
so unless you willing act in positive ways you cannot achieve a positive
environment. Maintain a wholesome mind
because mental energy is THE force behind Right Effort. An unhealthy mind will lead to unwholesome
states as mental energy is also the force that fuels desire, envy, jealousy,
aggression, hate, and violence. Instead,
let your mental energy fuel kindness, benevolence, honesty, and self
discipline. Remember, use Right Effort
to: a) to prevent the arising of undeveloped unwholesome states b) to abandon
unwholesome states that have arisen c) to arouse wholesome states that have not
yet developed d) to maintain and perfect to wholesome states you currently use.
G): Right Mindfulness - always be actively
aware of your own body, thoughts, and feelings and control them so that your
mind is always in Right Mind and that you follow the path of Right
Resolve. Gautama Buddha accounted for
this as the four foundations of mindfulness: a) contemplation of the
body b) contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral) c)
contemplation of the mind’s state d) contemplation of phenomena (that is, both
things going on around you as well as things directly affecting you).
H): Right Concentration - always
concentrate your mind so that you are able to achieve full awareness, not only
of self, but of all about you. In this
way, if you are following the Eightfold Path you are developing your mind
towards a wholesome concentration which then reinforces Right Mindfulness,
Right Effort, Right Action, Right Speech, Right Intention, Right View, and
finally, Right Livelihood.
Keep in mind that
others, even friends and family members, may act in ways that we do not
anticipate and these behaviors can make us very unhappy. Have no expectation, especially of the
behaviors of others, and when something bad happens, try to understand the
negative feelings behind the action. No
expectation also helps when we receive gifts at Christmas or for birthdays
which we do not like or school exercises, tests, or grades we receive do not
match our hopes. Such situations are
better understood through No Expectation because instead of bringing
unhappiness greater effort is made towards better understanding of the thought
behind the gift or understanding of the unexpected situation.
Also, remember
that following the Eightfold Path requires a higher level of discipline and
therefore leads to a higher level of discipline. This discipline will tremendously enhance
your life and provide you special advantages in many situations.
A): Right View -
B): Right Resolve - Wisdom
C): Right Speech -
D): Right Action - Ethical Conduct
E): Right
Livelihood -
F): Right Effort -
G): Right Mindfulness- Mental Development
H): Right Concentration –
Be a
Dragon and Always Cloak Yourself with a Smile!
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