The Moon

A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut only to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and found him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as a gift." The thief was bewildered, but he took the clothes and ran away. The Master sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, " I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

What to Look For in a Self-Defense Martial Art School

This is a difficult article to write. The public's perception of martial arts have been so ill-effected by the media that is seems like an impossible task to get to the truth of the matter. Just discard everything you have seen in the movies and on TV.

The first thing that you have to decide on is whether you are looking for a self-defense art or a sport. There is no such thing as both. This is perhaps the greatest misconception on the public's part. For arguments sake, we will address the search for a "self-defense" school.

If you choose a commercial store front type school, chances are that it will be filled with children and have nothing to do with self-defense. A large amount of students is whats needed to be able to afford the storefront overhead. There are exceptions to this rule but it is rare. Usually the best bet is to stick with an adult only school. Generally these will be in a private setting.

Nowadays the perspective student will view the schools website before actually visiting the school. Some websites are fancy and some are not. This in no way should be a factor whether or not this school is for you. The teacher might be a great instructor but a lousy website designer! Be aware of teachers who claim to be a member of a "Martial Art Hall of Fame", regardless of what it is called, that there is no "official" martial art hall of fame like the "Baseball Hall of Fame" in Cooperstown NY or the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in Cleveland OH. Anyone can join any martial art hall of fame. All you have to do is pay the fee. You may also want to say away from schools that require a membership contract with no way out of it.

See if it is possible to watch an advanced class. Watching a beginners class will not give you a sense of what to expect in the long run. When you go to the school to observe a class, the first thing you should watch is how the students are acting when the teacher is not present. Are they joking around on the mat? Generally a "joking around" atmosphere is not the best for serious self-defense training. Next, when the class begins, watch how the students are attacking one another. Are they attacking realistically? Are they practicing against multiple opponents? Is the teacher in control of the class. Is he a "Sensei / Sifu" or just their buddy? Is the class being taught by the actual head instructor of the school or is it an assistant instructor? As far as how the schools design looks, a Japanese dojo for example is generally very austere. But this again is like a websites design. It may be a great school but the instructor has no interior design sense. If the school appears "hokey" which makes you uncomfortable, then perhaps is not for you.

When meeting the teacher, feel free to ask questions about the martial art and its history. Some martial arts have a long and distinguished lineage and some are relatively new systems. Neither will ensure that the martial art will be effective for self-defense or will be a good match for you. If the teacher claims to have officially taught the military or the police, those things can be checked out. Assuming that it is true, that is still no guarantee it will be what you are looking for. Your best bet is always to watch the class carefully and see if it strikes a cord within you.

Although sometimes debated, an internal discipline such as meditation as well as the physical martial art should be part of any serious self-defense training. Without an internal discipline such as meditation, the physical training may amount to nothing more than aerobics in fancy pajamas.

There is no perfect way to determine before hand which is the right school for you. You must visit the school, observe the class in action and then make a educated decision about joining. If you made a mistake, simply move on.

Ted Hanulak is the head instructor / Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis http://www.aiki-jutsu.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak

The Masterpiece

A master calligrapher was writing some characters onto a piece of paper. One of his especially perceptive students was watching him. When the calligrapher was finished, he asked for the student's opinion - who immediately told him that it wasn't any good. The master tried again, but the student criticized the work again. Over and over, the calligrapher carefully redrew the same characters, and each time the student rejected it.

Finally, when the student had turned his attention away to something else and wasn't watching, the master seized the opportunity to quickly dash off the characters. "There! How's that?," he asked the student. The student turned to look. "THAT.... is a masterpiece!" he exclaimed.

Kanji by www.takase.com

Delicious

One day while walking through the wilderness a man stumbled upon a vicious tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. Desperate to save himself, he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal precipice. As he hung there, two mice appeared from a hole in the cliff and began gnawing on the vine. Suddenly, he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry. He plucked it and popped it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious!

2 Words

There once was a monastery that was very strict. Following a vow of silence, no one was allowed to speak at all. But there was one exception to this rule. Every ten years, the monks were permitted to speak just two words. After spending his first ten years at the monastery, one monk went to the head monk. "It has been ten years," said the head monk. "What are the two words you would like to speak?"
"Bed... hard..." said the monk.

"I see," replied the head monk.

Ten years later, the monk returned to the head monk's office. "It has been ten more years," said the head monk. "What are the two words you would like to speak?"

"Food... stinks..." said the monk.

"I see," replied the head monk.

Yet another ten years passed and the monk once again met with the head monk who asked, "What are your two words now, after these ten years?"

"I... quit!" said the monk.

"Well, I can see why," replied the head monk. "All you ever do is complain."

"Is That So?"

A beautiful girl in the village was pregnant. Her angry parents demanded to know who was the father. At first resistant to confess, the anxious and embarrassed girl finally pointed to Hakuin, the Zen master whom everyone previously revered for living such a pure life. When the outraged parents confronted Hakuin with their daughter's accusation, he simply replied "Is that so?"
When the child was born, the parents brought it to the Hakuin, who now was viewed as a pariah by the whole village. They demanded that he take care of the child since it was his responsibility. "Is that so?" Hakuin said calmly as he accepted the child.

For many months he took very good care of the child until the daughter could no longer withstand the lie she had told. She confessed that the real father was a young man in the village whom she had tried to protect. The parents immediately went to Hakuin to see if he would return the baby. With profuse apologies they explained what had happened. "Is that so?" Hakuin said as he handed them the child.

Destiny

During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."

He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny."

"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

The Bell

A new student approached the Zen master and asked how he should prepare himself for his training. "Think of me a bell," the master explained. "Give me a soft tap, and you will get a tiny ping. Strike hard, and you'll receive a loud, resounding peal.

Jujutsu

literally meaning the "art of softness", is a Japanese martial art consisting of grappling and striking techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for dispatching an armed and armored opponent in situations where the use of weapons was impractical or forbidden. Due to the difficulty of dispatching an armored opponent with striking techniques, the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it, and came to be known as jujutsu.

There are many variations of the art, which leads to a diversity of approaches. Jujutsu schools (ryū) may utilize all forms of grappling techniques to some degree (i.e. throwing, trapping, joint locking, holds, gouging, biting, disengagements, striking, and kicking). In addition to jujutsu, many schools taught the use of weapons.

Today, jujutsu is still practiced both as it was hundreds of years ago, but also in modified forms for sport practice. Derived sports forms include the Olympic sport and martial art of judo, which was developed from several traditional styles of jujutsu by Kano Jigoro in the late 19th century....

More at Wikipedia

Ego

The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a national hero for his success as both a statesman and military leader. But despite his fame, power, and wealth, he considered himself a humble and devout Buddhist. Often he visited his favorite Zen master to study under him, and they seemed to get along very well. The fact that he was prime minister apparently had no effect on their relationship, which seemed to be simply one of a revered master and respectful student.

One day, during his usual visit, the Prime Minister asked the master, "Your Reverence, what is egotism according to Buddhism?" The master's face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, "What kind of stupid question is that!?"

This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry.

The Zen master then smiled and said, "THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism."

The Finger

Whenever anyone asked him about Zen, the great master Gutei would quietly raise one finger into the air. A boy in the village began to imitate this behavior. Whenever he heard people talking about Gutei's teachings, he would interrupt the discussion and raise his finger.

Gutei heard about the boy's mischief. When he saw him in the street, he seized him and cut off his finger. The boy cried and began to run off, but Gutei called out to him. When the boy turned to look, Gutei raised his finger into the air. At that moment the boy became enlightened.

Enlightenment

One day the Master announced that a young monk had reached an advanced state of enlightenment. The news caused some stir. Some of the monks went to see the young monk. "We heard you are enlightened. Is that true?" they asked.

"It is," he replied.

"And how do you feel?"

"As miserable as ever," said the monk.

Empty Your Cup

A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. "It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted. "You are like this cup," the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup."

Too Many Masters

A martial arts student approached his Sensei with a question. "I'd like to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. In addition to learning from you, I'd like to study with another teacher in order to learn another style. What do you think of this idea?"

"The hunter who chases two rabbits," answered the master, "catches neither one."

Zen Archer

After winning several archery contests, the young and rather boastful champion challenged a Zen master who was renowned for his skill as an archer. The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull's eye on his first try, and then split that arrow with his second shot. "There," he said to the old man, "see if you can match that!" Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow, but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain. Curious about the old fellow's intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log. Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit. "Now it is your turn," he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground. Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss, the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target. "You have much skill with your bow," the master said, sensing his challenger's predicament, "but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot."

Not An Inn

A famous spiritual teacher came to the front door of the King's palace. None of the guards tried to stop him as he entered and made his way to where the King himself was sitting on his throne.

"What do you want?" asked the King, immediately recognizing the visitor.

"I would like a place to sleep in this inn," replied the teacher.

"But this is not an inn," said the King, "It is my palace."

"May I ask who owned this palace before you?"

"My father. He is dead."

"And who owned it before him?"

"My grandfather. He too is dead."

"And this place where people live for a short time and then move on - did I hear you say that it is NOT an inn?"

True Self

A distraught man approached the Zen master. "Please, Master, I feel lost, desperate. I don't know who I am. Please, show me my true self!" But the teacher just looked away without responding. The man began to plead and beg, but still the master gave no reply.

Finally giving up in frustration, the man turned to leave. At that moment the master called out to him by name. "Yes!" the man said as he spun back around. "There it is!" exclaimed the master.

The Wood Coffin

A farmer got so old that he couldn't work the fields anymore. So he would spend the day just sitting on the porch. His son, still working the farm, would look up from time to time and see his father sitting there. "He's of no use any more," the son thought to himself, "he doesn't do anything!"

One day the son got so frustrated by this, that he built a wood coffin, dragged it over to the porch, and told his father to get in. Without saying anything, the father climbed inside. After closing the lid, the son dragged the coffin to the edge of the farm where there was a high cliff. As he approached the drop, he heard a light tapping on the lid from inside the coffin. He opened it up. Still lying there peacefully, the father looked up at his son. "I know you are going to throw me over the cliff, but before you do, may I suggest something?" "What is it?" replied the son. "Throw me over the cliff, if you like," said the father, "but save this good wood coffin. Your children might need to use it."

FAT SENSEI - By Jorge Angulo

How many times have you seen an overweight martial arts instructor? Let me tell you if I had a dollar for every overweight martial arts instructor that I’ve seen or know I surely would be a millionaire. Now I don’t mean to offend anyone and to be honest with you a few months ago I found myself fat and out of shape. Like the commercial say “life comes at you hard” and it did for me.

After a failed business and my wife’s difficult and very stressful pregnancy I found myself 36 pounds fat!

You see, I’m a stress eater. When I’m under great stress I don’t panic I handle the problem but I also throw down a cheese burger. Well, after doing that for a few years I was very unhappy with myself. For those who know me in general I’m a very disciplined person and the weight gain was a major slip in my discipline. All my life I’ve had to work very hard at staying in shape I’m not a “genetically gifted” thin guy.

As a former (now retired) police officer fitness was not an option it was a must it was part of my job. Eight months ago while watching my two year old daughter playing I was struck with the reality that I was 44 years old and that I wasn’t going to be around for her until she was old and grey. I have two other daughters my oldest is going to be 20 years old and I will enjoy being grandpa “SOMEDAY” and my other daughter is going to be 11 so I will (God willing) also be grandpa for her kids.

Now Sophie my youngest that’s another story! I also realized that as a martial arts instructor I’m a leader, someone whom my students look up to and whom I influence in many ways.

Man what do they think when they see this rolly polly guy in the martial arts uniform doing his stuff? Or worse what would happen if I got attacked and had to use all my self defense knowledge against some young punk and in the process of defending myself I ran out of gas?

Think about it, fights are usually fast and very violent and if your out of shape I don’t care what martial art you know if you run out of gas during the altercation you will get your assed kicked, if your lucky. Don’t take my word for it just watch a professional or amateur boxing match or MMA (mixed martial arts) event. It is fair to say that most times the competitors are in very good shape and if a decisive blow is not struck usually the better conditioned athlete will win.

Not many martial arts/ self defense instructors will tell you this but some times the best defense is to get the hell out of there.

Imagine if you had to run from a gang of hoods and because you’re out of shape they catch up to you and kick your ass? I can hear it now, “That will never happen to me, I’ll just kick the bad guys ass with my secret Samurai technique which was handed down by Moses himself to the founder of my great art!”

Everyone wants the fantasy and martial arts teachers are not immune to it. The bottom line is that as a martial arts instructor we have a responsibility to be in shape it’s not an option, it’s our job. With the alarming growth of obesity in this country and that fact that “we” influence our student’s adults or children alike, we need to lead by example. The realities of life are very simple, if you run out of gas during an altercation chances are your going to get your ass kicked. Martial arts teachers are always stressing discipline and control.

What kind of discipline and control does Sensei Shamu have when he weighs 300 hundred pounds and looks like a stuffed sausage in his martial arts uniform? All is not lost friends everyone can do something about carrying a few pounds around and in some cases a few tons. Myself, I discovered high intensity circuit type training from trainer extraordinaire Mark Twight owner of Gym Jones in Salt Lake City Utah. Mark was responsible for getting the actors in shape for the movie 300. It wasn’t CGI Sensei Gordo, it was hard work and discipline that got the actors in the shape they were in for the movie.

I was so inspired by Marks work that I dove in head first into his type of workout prescriptions and lost 36 pounds! I even added a gym to the back of my martial arts school and now we train around 50 people at the small, sparse, but very smartly equipped gym. It’s very hard work and I had to make some changes in life style but it has been worth it. Today, I’m still working on being in the best shape possible and loving every minute of it. I have influenced several students into following me and they too have made fantastic changes in their health and physics.

I’m looking forward to being Grandpa to my “FUTURE” grandchildren and hopefully being around to see Sophie have a few kids of her own. Like always, I hope that through this article I will inspire someone to make a healthy change in their life. My writing style is peppered with humor and a bit of sarcasm but the truth is always there.

By Jorge Angulo

Finding God

A hermit was meditating by a river when a young man interrupted him. "Master, I wish to become your disciple," said the man. "Why?" replied the hermit. The young man thought for a moment. "Because I want to find God."

The master jumped up, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, dragged him into the river, and plunged his head under water. After holding him there for a minute, with him kicking and struggling to free himself, the master finally pulled him up out of the river. The young man coughed up water and gasped to get his breath. When he eventually quieted down, the master spoke. "Tell me, what did you want most of all when you were under water."

"Air!" answered the man.

"Very well," said the master. "Go home and come back to me when you want God as much as you just wanted air."

Without Blinking an Eye

During the civil wars in feudal Japan, an invading army would quickly sweep into a town and take control. In one particular village, everyone fled just before the army arrived - everyone except the Zen master. Curious about this old fellow, the general went to the temple to see for himself what kind of man this master was. When he wasn't treated with the deference and submissiveness to which he was accustomed, the general burst into anger. "You fool," he shouted as he reached for his sword, "don't you realize you are standing before a man who could run you through without blinking an eye!" But despite the threat, the master seemed unmoved. "And do you realize," the master replied calmly, "that you are standing before a man who can be run through without blinking an eye?"

How Long Will It Take?

A martial arts student went to his Sensei and stated, "I am devoted to studying your martial art. How long will it take me to master it." The Sensei's reply was casual, "Ten years." Impatiently, the student answered, "But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?" The Sensei thought for a moment, "20years."

The Journey of Ten Thousand Miles

Many martial arts today pride themselves on being a "defensive art". In other words, if someone attacks you, only then do you defend yourself. What if you are confronted by an assailant who you know is going to attack you but hasn't yet. Let’s say the assailant is still in the “threatening mode”. Do you wait for him to attack? Well, if you follow the philosophy of a defensive art, you must wait…

If you want to survive however, you must attack first.

Attack first?? That's barbaric! But are you really attacking first? The old question goes: "What does the journey of ten thousand miles begins with?" The common answer is "The first step". The more appropriate answer is "The thought of the first step". Thought proceeds action. Therefore the assailant was attacking with his "mind" and when you seemingly attack first, you are just beating him to the punch. Hence, you remain defensive. If the assailant hadn't confronted you in the first place there would be no confrontation. This is not a play on semantics to justify a moral dilemma. This is a fact.

Now, many "decent" people, confronted in such a manner will hope that they can maybe talk their way out of it. The ole' "I'm not looking for trouble" speech. This is a fine speech but it usually ends with the assailant sucker punching the victim. While the victim prays for a peaceful outcome, the assailant attacks.

True martial arts training should include the development of that intuitive perception through disciplines such as Zen meditation. The benefits of a mindfulness meditation in relation to martial arts are immeasurable. To be honest, the victim in the above paragraph was more than likely overcome and frozen with fear to begin with. Regardless of any martial art training the victim might have had, it’s useless if he cannot move. If you are relatively calm during the confrontation due to a regular regiment of meditation, you will know when it's about to hit the fan. If your mind is running in fear and your heart is in your throat, chances are you will miss the signs.

The signs are there. But will you see them?

By Ted Hanulak Sensei

Dead Zen

A student asked the Zen Master Gudo, "What happens to a man of enlightenment after death?"

"How should I know?" replied Gudo.

"Because you are a Zen Master," answered the Emperor.

"Yes sir," said Gudo, "but not a dead one."