If one studies the martial arts simply as a sport, he engages in the fact of contest, and that actually defines the difference between sport and art. If one studies the martial arts as an artistic form, he is attempting to conquer the part of him which resists and fights. Subdue the self, or subdue another, these are the differences between sport and art.
If one is attempting to subdue another, he is holding the world responsible for his problems, not taking responsibility. Wether the accumulation of wealth, or just trying to beat somebody down, the student is not using the art the way it was designed, as a mirror for the soul. It is the soul, the individual, the spirit, the I AM that is the point of the martial arts, not defeating somebody else.
When one is doing the art as sport, he is creating the strongest body, and then tossing that body to destruction. When one is doing the art as art, he is obsessed with finding out the truth about himself and what this thing called life is really all about. He is engaged in defining what impulse is behind the muscle and quiver of fighting his fellow man, and then defeating that impulse
This all said, the True Martial Way can be defined by analyzing the degree of motion within the art. A young man practices Karate and Shaolin and that excessive type of motion. As the student ages, he may move into taiji, slowing his motion down, looking at it, trying to understand his every action.
Eventually, man becomes tired, still, and begins to think about what it all means. At this point he has become motionless, a person who watches the movement of the universe, and this is where he finds the truth. In motionlessness, he sees the truth of who is behind all motion.
When one does Yoga one is exercising, making the body strong, but not through mock fighting. This does create a weakness, as the universe is motion, and we should study motion to understand life. That one weakness aside, yoga does encourage progression to the heart of the matter.
Putting the body in an asana, breathing, watching, we slowly become aware of who is doing the watching, who is creating the asana. We find the I AM that is behind all the motion of the universe, and thus we become who we were meant to be, spiritual, souls, individuals unique and creative and filled with passion. We could wait, and grow old through lack of a method, or we could pursue violence through the martial arts until we run out of violence, or, we could just accelerate the process with yoga, through posture and slow breathing, and find out who we really are. - 30300
About the Author:
Al Case has studied the martial arts for more than 4O plus+ years. He has written for the magazines,, including his own column, Case Histories. He is the developer of Matrixing Technology and Neutronics. You can get a free ebook at his website, Monster Martial Arts.
