On this page:

• Civilian defensive arts
• Competition
• Dojo kun
  
• Dojo philosophy
• Religion and us
• The tea master and ronin
• Traditional vs. modern hybrid (mixed) systems  

CIVILIAN DEFENSIVE ARTS

The art of fighting* lies in using the mechanical functions of the human body against itself. You can damage the power system by striking at muscles and nerves; you can lock bones so that they cannot move; and you can destroy the balance of the system so that it can be prostrated.

When practitioners of the highest level of the arts of the Wu-Shin Chi-Dao Foundation for Self-Development face an opponent they bring to the confrontation thousands of years of philosophical, religious and practical thought. They have lived most of their lives according to the principles established centuries ago and, in the process, they have strengthened their bodies and probably also earned long and healthy lives.

The ingredients that make up a civilian defensive art have been mixed together, one by one, since before the beginning of civilisation.

The basics:

More sophisticated techniques

The fundamental division of fighting into entertainment, sport, ritual, self-defence, and recreational (civilian activities) or as warfare (martial activity) probably occurred in prehistoric times. By the time the first civilisations were well established this division had become ritualised. The Greeks, for instance, treated the Olympic games as a religious festival and during the games war was suspended throughout the land.

The skills of war (martial arts) are generally cruder than the civilian fighting arts, and the weapons used are heavier. In the martial arts, the sanctioned objective is to kill your opponent, and is well remunerated. In the civilian environment the killing of an aggressor incurs the full force of the law, and if the action taken was excessive, the 'defender' would be punished.

The civilian defensive arts were not developed for the defence of soldiers fighting on battlefields. Neither are they sports. The combat that civilian defensive artists practise is free of restraints unless it is practised as a fighting sport. Boxing and wrestling have always been fought within the constraints of rules, however rough and elastic these may have been. Civilian defensive arts have one objective only: to neutralise an attack by any means, and, as rapidly as possible. The amount of justifiable force used would be determined by the very nature of each confrontation, regulated by the moral persuasions of the parties involved.

Perhaps the earliest evidence for the beginning of the defensive arts, to be considered with caution, is provided by two small Babylonian works of art dating from between 3000 and 2000 BCE. Each shows two men fighting; one has his hand in the characteristic blocking position, with the other fist fully chambered, both fundamental to modern civilian defensive arts. The other depicts two men employing a grappling technique holding onto each others belts, which is a rare form of wrestling, found today only in the Japanese form of wrestling called sumo.

What is certain is that the defensive arts that reached the East from Mesopotamia were primitive, and that in India and China they first began the development that culminated in the sophisticated systems of today.

The Wu-Shin Chi-Dao Foundation for Self-Development offers formal instruction in traditional variants of both the Martial and Civilian-Defensive Arts.

*(Aggressor immobilisation; survival; self-defence; self-protection; physical conflict resolution)

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COMPETITION

Our organisation, the Wu-Shin Chi-Dao Foundation for Self-Development, does not agree with the 'Concept of Competition', and in particular, the modern extreme commercialisation of Sport.

We do not support the principles…

• where being the 'best', or doing the 'most' is rewarded;
• where one's 'performance' is graded against those of others;
• where moving at one's own pace is barely tolerated.

We promote the following Core Concepts of Personal Values…

'Awareness; Benevolence; Honesty; Respect; Responsibility; Sincerity'.

None of which are fostered by the ethics of modern sport.

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DOJO KUN

1. BE HUMBLE, COURTEOUS AND HONOURABLE
2. REGULATE YOUR PRACTICE TO YOUR PHYSICAL CONDITION
3. STUDY AND PRACTICE ONLY IN EARNESTNESS
4. A TRANQUIL AND ALERT MIND PRODUCES REFLEX THOUGHT AND ACTION
5. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH
6. LEAD A SIMPLE LIFE
7. NEVER BE ARROGANT
8. BE UNTIRING AND UNCEASING IN YOUR ENDEAVOURS IN SPITE OF ALL OBSTACLES

- FREEDOM THROUGH ENLIGHTENMENT -

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DOJO PHILOSOPHY

RELIGION AND US

Our martial and civilian defensive disciplines, teachings, lessons, classes, guidelines, protocols, etiquette, etc, HAVE NO RELIGIOUS CONNOTATIONS whatsoever. If you are not prepared to accept our assurance on this matter we respectfully suggest that further enquiries about our services would be inappropriate and pointless.

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THE TEA MASTER AND RONIN

The lord of Tosa had gone to Edo (the old name for Tokyo, until 1868) to make an official visit to the shogun. He could not bear to go without his master of cha no yu, of whom he was extremely proud. In the Japanese art of cha no yu, the tea ceremony, every gesture must be performed with a great deal of concentration. It is a matter of tasting the mystery of the 'here and now,' thanks to a very delicate ritual.

In order to gain admittance to the palace, the master of the tea ceremony had to dress in traditional samurai attire, including the two swords that is the uniform's most distinctive feature. Since his arrival in Edo, the cha no yu specialist had not set foot out of the palace. Several times a day he performed his art in his lord's apartment, to the great pleasure of those invited there. He even presided in the presence of the shogun himself. One day, his lord gave him permission to go out and wander about the city. Seizing this opportunity to visit the capital, the tea ceremony master, still dressed as a samurai, ventured out into the crowded, busy streets of Edo. While crossing a bridge he was suddenly bumped by a ronin, one of those wandering warriors who can be either the most gallant of knights or the most arrogant of brigands. This one had the air of being one of the worst sorts. He stated in a cold tone: "So, you are a Tosa samurai. I don't appreciate being bumped aside by the likes of you; I think we need to settle this little matter by sword."

In desperation the tea ceremony master confessed the truth; "I am not a real samurai, despite appearances. I am only a humble specialist in cha no yu who knows absolutely nothing about wielding a sword."

The ronin had no desire to believe this story, especially as his real motive was to steal some money from his victim, whose timid character he had sensed. He remained unyielding in his demands and raised his voice to further impress his listener. A crowd quickly formed around the two men. Profiting from this stroke of good fortune, the ronin threatened to publicly declare that a Tosa samurai was a coward and was scared to fight.

Seeing that it was impossible to make the ronin see reason, and fearing that his conduct would bring shame to his lord's honour, the tea ceremony master accepted the duel out of principle and resigned himself to dying. But, not wanting to die passively and give people cause to say that Tosa samurai didn't know how to fight, he had an idea. Recalling that he had passed a sword school several minutes before, he thought that he would at least learn how to hold a sword correctly and face his inevitable death honourably.

He said to the ronin, "As I am running an errand for my lord, I must first fulfil my duty. This could yet take another two hours. Do you have the patience to wait for me here?" Either out of chivalrous respect for the rules of bushido, or imagining that his victim needed this time to put together an impressive amount of money, the ronin agreed to the delay.

The cha no yu master rushed off to the school he had noticed earlier and asked to see the master immediately on a matter of great urgency. The doorkeeper was little inclined to allow entrance to this strange visitor who did not appear to be in his right mind and did not carry a letter of recommendation. But, touched by the man's tormented expression, he finally decided to bring him to his master. The sword instructor listened with great interest to his visitor's retelling of his misadventure and his desire to die as a samurai. "This is truly a remarkable, even unique case," said the master.

"This is no time to joke," his visitor replied.

"I'm not joking at all, I assure you. You are truly an exception. Customarily, students who come to see me wish to learn how to wield a sword and how to win. You, on the other hand, want me to teach you the art of dying. But first, couldn't you serve me a cup of tea in that you are a master of this incomparable art?"

The visitor didn't complain, as this was certainly his last opportunity to perform his art. Appearing to completely forget his tragic fate, he carefully prepared the tea, then served it with surprising calm and presence of mind. He performed each gesture as if nothing else had any importance at that moment.

Having observed him attentively throughout the entire ceremony, the sword master was profoundly impressed by the visitor's degree of concentration.

"Excellent!" he cried out. "Excellent! The level of self-mastery you have attained in practising your art is sufficient to allow you to act with dignity before any samurai. You have everything that is required for a death with honour, don't worry. Please just listen to a few pieces of advice. When you see your ronin, think as if you were about to serve tea to a friend. After a polite greeting, thank him for granting you the delay. Next, delicately fold your jacket and place it on the ground, with your fan on top, just as you would for the tea ceremony. Place the headband signifying your resolution around your forehead, roll up your sleeves, then announce to your adversary that you are ready for the duel. After drawing your sword from its scabbard, raise it above your head while closing your eyes. All that will be left for you to do is to concentrate to your fullest extent so as to be ready to vigorously lower your weapon at the very moment you hear the ronin utter his battle cry. I wager this will result in both your deaths."

The visitor thanked the master for his valuable advice and returned at the appointed time to the spot near the bridge where the ronin awaited him. Following the instructions he had been given, the cha no yu master prepared for combat just as if he were about to offer a cup of tea to a guest. When he raised his sword and closed his eyes, his adversary's face changed expression. The ronin could hardly believe his eyes. Could this man who was now facing him really be the same man he had challenged?

In a state of extreme concentration, the tea ceremony master awaited the shout that would be the signal for his very last movement, his ultimate action. But after several minutes (that seemed to him like hours) had gone by, no cry had yet been uttered. No longer able to restrain himself, the impromptu samurai opened his eyes.

No one was there. There was no longer anyone facing him.

The ronin, not knowing how to attack this formidable opponent who revealed not a single flaw in his concentration, nor the slightest trace of fear in his bearing, had backed away step-by-step until he was out of sight, no longer seeking compensation and quite thankful for having gotten away with his skin intact. ………

[It is our trained state of mind that determines the eventual outcome of conflict, not the level of our physical skills.
(This training is one of the goals of the Wu-Shin Chi-Dao Foundation for Self-Development)].

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TRADITIONAL VS. MODERN HYBRID (MIXED) SYSTEMS

Either could be good, but only one would be appropriate - depending on what are your goals.

It is very common for modern martial artists to reject traditional techniques and methods of training in favour of, 'simplified' and 'practical' approaches. A number of eclectic or 'free style' martial artists will advise you (ad nauseum) to reject basic punches, blocks and stances since 'no one does it like that in the street'. They will follow their arguments up citing problems with various traditional techniques, e.g. 'Zenkutsu dachi exposes your front knee to attack', and 'Blocking doesn't work in real fights - ducking, bobbing and weaving does'. This process of questioning traditional fighting methods was popularised by the late Bruce Lee who often criticized the 'classical mess' of kung-fu and karate. Another such martial artist Joe Lewis, founder and many times world champion of modern kickboxing, was also against traditional forms. He declared that 'karate techniques from the waist up are fraud'.

While it is always healthy for the martial arts to develop by critical examination of the ways of the past, it is quite unhealthy to rashly excise large chunks of past methods. This is more likely to result in a dilution of martial arts through information loss rather than result in any real development. Many of the techniques evolved and were tested in battle conditions while others were the product of entire lifetimes of research and development. It is both presumptuous and risky to start making sudden, major changes to classical or traditional arts, especially when those changes are based more on whim rather than hard data gained over an extensive period of informed and scientific research - together with an appreciation that a particular approach may rely on an entirely different principle from that which one assumes to be the core reasoning behind a technique.

However, the central problem with the 'free style' approach is that it looks to the destination only and not to the journey along the martial way. It copies the training methods and fighting strategies of certain martial artists, as they are at their pinnacle, without examining the way these individuals achieved their level of expertise. Bruce Lee, for example, studied Wing Chun kung-fu among many other classical martial arts before he created his eclectic system, Jeet Kune Do. Much of Lee's focus and crispness in movement can be attributed to his study in the traditional martial arts. Whether a reader will agree with that observation or not, it is a fact that all his training in the traditional arts helped make him what he was; every bit of knowledge left its mark on his style. It would be a mistake to think that Lee's training system just before his death holds the key to its effectiveness. That would be akin to a raw beginner copying the training routine of a world-class body builder. Training must be relevant to the experience of the participant for it to be effective. It must follow a structured process of development.

Senior grades will attest to the fact that a failure to concentrate on basics leaves the standard of all the remaining techniques much poorer; focus is lacking and the students fail to develop the necessary balance and body awareness. Most importantly, through learning traditional forms my experience has been that students become more adaptable in assimilating new ways of movement, particularly with the wide knowledge base of Wu-Shin Chi-Dao. In this way traditional forms do not 'limit' or 'restrict' students, as is often claimed, but rather give students the means to overcome limitations. Conversely, those who exclude techniques from their repertoire are in fact limiting themselves.

Lastly, remember that in this world of infinite angles, movements and possibilities, traditional forms give you some framework within which to interpret and respond to a situation, One day, when all forms have ceased to perform their function, you may be able to abandon them. Then you will have reached what is called the state of Wu-Shin - the state of 'no form'.

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