Universal Wisdom: The Way of the Bow

Universal Wisdom

The way of the bow

Life continued its pace in the huts during the day. The Master had suspended talks to the community of monks in the monastery and gave himself to prepare Chang Ting Noble Art of Strategy. No one interrupted during the talks and only the Master Tenno accompanied them, for he too needed them for the good government of his monastery. This was the cause for which our teacher made him get notice of what was to be carried out in the huts with the Noble Ting Chang.

The Esmeraldas Sweeper took care of everything related to guns and the good state in the clearing of the forest that had a real dojo in the moonlight. The Master Tenno was in charge of kyudo and kendo, or ways of the bow and the sword arts in which he had excelled since he could receive the teachings of Herrigel himself.

- Maestro - Sergei told him one day and, in passing - Who was Herrigel?

- Eugen Herrigel was a German teacher, and his wife had gone to Japan to improve. He, in the way of the bow, and she, in the ibetana, or flower arrangement. Both had attained enlightenment and returned to college life at the University of Erlangen, which would become Rector.

- Had he gone to perfect archery?

- No. I had gone to teach at Imperial College but what moved him was the deep desire to delve into Zen Buddhism Discovering the Art of Archery was a real accident that helped him in his path to enlightenment then in the art, not known to possess the Japanese language but the mood that teachers demanded any apt pupil.

- Why not stay in Japan?

- Because they realized that their testimony would be crucial in the West to the mutual enrichment of East and West. Until then, Zen had been taught in Europe and America by Master Suzuki, but it was Japanese while Herrigel was one of the first Westerners to be recognized as a Zen Master Zen achieve awakening was very famous book "The Zen in the Art of Archery. " The Chinese translation had been made by the Master of the German original Tenno.

- It seemed so humble and discreet!

- It is, but you you just stay in appearances. It also has a keen sense of humor. You will already know if you are discreet and do not you put their noses where they do not call you. What happens to the other side of the river does not concern you.

- Ear and copying, Master!

- Account Herrigel that, since being a student, had been attracted by the mysticism but found no support in the German academic environment of the time. When, soon after starting his activity as professor at the University of Heidelberg, was invited to teach the history of philosophy at the Imperial University of Tohoku Sendai, Japan, accepted with enthusiasm and for six years was used in the study Zen through archery practice and deep meditation.

- Is that why you so deeply aplicáis archery and swordsmanship?

- Above all, the Tai Chi is the mother of all arts. The Tai Chi gives us the form in a vacuum, reveals the power of space in motion, others makes us feel all that exists.

- Even with the enemy?

- There are no enemies but adversaries to be bring back to their true nature. Thus, if in the Tai Chi found that we are instruments of immense strength, we can apply it to the sword, the bow, the stick or bare hand deployment in judo or taekwondo.

- Why do not you like to be called martial arts?

- Because they are not even the samurai knights have been applied to the art of war. While in the West have done much damage to turn them into sports with the ominous objective to overcome and defeat the opposite.

- So it is not overcome?

- Never, Sergei. The Bushido is the art of stopping the arrow in the air, not having to answer the contrary. To stop their anger, their anger and aggression. In the end, it all works out in a dance.

- Today we've run out of story, Master.

- You think so? Remember me tell you tomorrow what happened to the Indian Master Narada, because we should not wait for our guests.

José Carlos García Fajardo