Martial arts and the Road to Self Enlightenment
By Spica Alpheratz
Originally released on Kibusho Martial Arts and Philosophy site - 1998
" To me at least, the way that I teach it, all types of knowledge ultimately mean self-knowledge, therefore, these people are coming in and asking me to teach them, not so much how to defend themselves, or how to do somebody in. Rather, they want to learn to express themselves through some movement, be it anger, be it determination or whatever. so, in other words, what I'm saying therefore, is that they're paying me to show them, in combative form, the art of expressing the human body." - Bruce Lee
As stated in previous articles, Martial arts transcend combat. Martial arts are a vehicle for self enlightenment. Martial arts allow the expression of the self. Through Martial practice, self understanding is progressed.
To begin, Martial arts create a acceptance of one's psychological and physical traits. What may work for one martial artist, may not be work for another. For example, a tall fighter may wish to capitalize on his/her superior reach. This may lead him/her to concentrate on kicks and long range fighting tactics. However, the tall fighter does have disadvantages. The tall fighter's longer limbs may be inefficient at closer ranges. The tall fighter may need a greater windup, therefore he/she may find his attacks to be jammed midway through. This may give the shorter fighter the advantage. As a result, the shorter fighter may decide to focus his/her energies towards short range tactics and grappling techniques.
In retrospect, no fighter who has reach his/her genetic potential is greater than another. A fighter attributes represent a fragment of the totality; a tall fighter may represent Yang while the shorter fighter represents Yin. Each fighter has particular circumstances which they respond to well. Some characteristics are advantageous in one scenario and disadvantageous in another. The practitioner learns to accept his/her physical characteristics by not fighting against him/herself. The fighter learns to capitalize on his/her strengths and have an awareness of his/her weakness's.
In addition, the martial artist learns to accept his/her psychological characteristics. An individual who leans towards intellectualizing may shine as a planner and a strategist. This may make him/her a superior offensive fighter. The fighter who favors impulsiveness may have quicker reactive reflexes. This is the necessary working material for a counter-attacking fighter. In short, the individuals psychological profile blends with his/her fighting style.
Also, martial arts are an expression of an individuals perceptions of reality. The martial artist is not just fighting but interacting with an object in reality, namely the opponent. The martial artist is doing his/her best to objectify his/her opponent. The martial artist strives to perform objective actions as he/she is trying to be successful by finding a hole in the opponent's defense. The artist is trying to determine when is THE right time to counterattack and what would be THE appropriate technique. Every action points to the judgment of the artist's reality. Because every martial art is a hypothesis's on the subject of combat, all are imperfect. Consequently the artist continually strives for greater efficiency in technique. This makes the artist search for new techniques which will be more effective for him/her. The martial artist will question why he/she chose to respond in combat with that particular technique. Deep reflection in ones actions leads to self knowledge. Each technique serves as a symbol of ones deeper motives. What was once feeling is articulated and examined by the logical conscious mind. Feeling and instinct are brought to full awareness with thorough analysis. The ultimate motives behind the choice of technique are discovered.
As an example, a favoritism towards kicks may symbolize the need for security and safety. Kicking allows the fighter to stay out of harms way. A preference for fancy techniques rather than simple ones may point to the individuals inclinations to romanticism and exaggeration instead of realism and directness. Constant use of fast techniques when slow techniques might be more effective may point to the artist's inability to think in anything other than absolutes(Slow techniques have the ability to defeat opponent in a concept known as broken rhythm. The theory behind broken rhythm focus's on the opponent's expectations and adjustment to fast techniques). How the martial artist responds is how he/she expresses themself. The artist expresses what he/she sees in combat which is individual and unique. Symbolically, this serves as a tool for analysis since it projects the artist's mental contents. Greater efficiency in technique may be increased by reflecting into the ultimate motives of one's actions.
In sum, martial arts further one's self understanding. Martial arts teach one to accept physical and psychological characteristics. Also, the artist projects his/her consciousness through combat. This serves as an amplification of the artist's inner vision and reality. The total result is that the artist becomes fully conscious of him/herself. However, martial arts are only one tool, the road to self realization is a lifelong process that can be learned everywhere.
