Meditation and Martial Arts

[scohen.mma]

I've recently become so in love with Martial Arts and my practice of Shorin-Ryu Karate, that i'm even interested in Meditation. My school offers Kaze No-Ryu Bugei, Shorin-Ryu Karate, Japanese Judo, and some Koryu Uchinadi.

One of my Sensei's, Tony Aloe, said that we are essentially being trained as a Samurai (not as intense obviously). How did the Samurai meditate? what did they put on their minds, and how? How long? I was watching The Last Samurai, and when they looked like they were meditating, they would softy chant something that i didnt understand, is there something like that i should look into?

another thing, there is a UFC fighter who religiously practices Shotokan Karate. his name is Lyoto Machida, and i saw him meditating in one of his videos. I'm guessing he incorporates his meditation with his Martial Arts. something like that is what i want to know as well.

Any information on how i can start meditation in a Samurai way is greatly appreciated!

[MasterPain]

Read the Book of Five Rings. Musashi was the man.

Apart from that, the samurai were Japanese soldiers in a different age and culture. You could go through their rituals, without gaining much, because they had different beliefs and cultural reasons behind their rituals. Unless you were raised with Shinto and Buddhism, along with being part of a class of warrior nobility, the ritual would be mostly academic value.

[scohen.mma]

Read the Book of Five Rings. Musashi was the man.

Apart from that, the samurai were Japanese soldiers in a different age and culture. You could go through their rituals, without gaining much, because they had different beliefs and cultural reasons behind their rituals. Unless you were raised with Shinto and Buddhism, along with being part of a class of warrior nobility, the ritual would be mostly academic value.

Thankyou!!! i'll look him up. i actually discovered one of his quotes earlier:

“Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.”

Miyamoto Musashi

[MasterPain]

I can do you a favor here. At the bottom of the page are links to the rest of the book. This is a staple read for martial artists of all styles.

http://www.cyberpathway.com/musashi/index.html

[Zaine]

Musashi is, to put it lightly, the authority in this kind thing.

Meditation (for those who don't practice Shinto or Buddhism) is still a great way to calm yourself before and after practice. I recommend to anyone who struggles grasping something in any Martial Arts. Sometimes our minds get so clogged by all the information that we are supposed to remember that certain things don't "click" until we are able to sort everything out and a good way to do this is through meditation.

I would definitely look into it if it's something that you're interested in.

[SavageGeek]

Semi off-topic, but since you said "being trained as a Samurai" ... thought I'd recommend Inazo Nitobe's Bushido: The Soul of Japan. It doesn't deal with meditation at all, but it probes pretty deeply into the subject of the Samurai code of ethics and its related behaviors and the thought behind it.

Print copies are available and it's also online (it was published in 1905 so its in the public domain):

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/bsd/index.htm

[tallgeese]

Agreed. Nitobe's book is an excellent work. It should probably be required reading for martial artist.

[MadMartialArts]

I do martial arts and yoga and find the two to be very complementary. When it comes down to it, the point of it all is to learn awareness and to maintain your calm (fudoshin - immovable heart) even in the fray of battle. Meditation, which is an integral part of yoga, helps with all of that.

[sensei8]

Read the Book of Five Rings. Musashi was the man.

Apart from that, the samurai were Japanese soldiers in a different age and culture. You could go through their rituals, without gaining much, because they had different beliefs and cultural reasons behind their rituals. Unless you were raised with Shinto and Buddhism, along with being part of a class of warrior nobility, the ritual would be mostly academic value.

Solid post!!

[Kevin Wilson]

Great book. You need to read it many time (or at least I did before I could even begin to contimplate it) . Also I find with all technology in modern age my brain is buzzing at night. Medatation is great for reducing that fuzz and helping you concentrate.