佚斎樗山 Issai Chozan (1659-1741)_ 猫の妙術 Neko No Myōjutsu

8/10/2019 Issai Chozan (1659-1741)_ Neko No Myjutsu

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8 / 1 8 / 1 4 I s s a i C h o z a n ( 1 6 5 9 - 1 7 4 1 ) : N e k o n o my j u t s u

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ZEN IRODALOM ZEN LITERATURE Zen foldal vissza a Terebess Online nyitlapjra

M o

Issai Chozan (1659-1741)aka Niwa Jurozaemon Tadaaki

Neko no myjutsu

(English:)The Cat's Eerie Skill / The Cat's Uncanny Skill / The MysteriousTechnique of the Cat

(Magyar:) A csodlatos macska / A macska fantasztikus tudomnya

Written by the samurai Niwa Jurozaemon Tadaaki (pen name Issai Chozanshi, 1659-1741) in 1727.

Tartalom

Contents

A csodlatos macskaNmetbl fordtotta: HetnyiErn

PDF: A macska fantasztikustudomnyaJapnbl fordtotta: YamajiMasanoriKeletkutats,1994 sz. 71-83.oldal

The Marvelous CatTr. by Takeharu Teramoto &Fumio Hashimoto

PDF: The Swordsman and the

CatTr. by D.T. Suzuki

The Mysterious Technique ofthe CatTr. by William Scott Wilson

Mysterious Techniqueof the CatTr. by da2elni4na [DanielNishina]

Secret of Kendo and TheCat's Eerie Skillby Hiroshi Ozawa


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Die wunderbare Kunsteiner Katzebers. Karlfried Graf Drckheim

Ito Tenzaa Chuya zen-mester tantsaA csodlatos macskaNmetbl fordtotta: Hetnyi Ern (1912-1999)In: Dr. Hetnyi Ern:A buddhizmus zen-aspektusa japn szvegek tkrben, Krsi Csoma SndorBuddholgiai Intzet, Buddhista Misszi, Budapest, [Hzi soksz.], 1986, 38-43. oldal [Javtottszveg, online szerk.]

Forrsa:Karlfried Graf Drckheim (1896-1988):Die wunderbare Kunst einer Katze[Japn kardvv iskola szjhagyomnya a 17. szzadbl TERAMOTO Takeharu

s 5 R HASHIMOTO Fumio fordtsa nyomn nmetre tdolgozta K. Drckheim]

Illusztrcik: Klaus Bertelsmann

Shoken vvmester hzban egy hatalmas patkny garzdlkodott. A mester, megunva azegyre jobban kellemetlenked llat zelmeit, macskjt a hzba vitte, s rzrta az ajtt. Apatkny azonban nem ijedt meg a macsktl, gy megharapta, hogy az rmlten meneklt.

A hzigazda erre szomszdaitl szerzett nhny btor macskt, s ezeket zrta be ahzba. A patkny egy sarokban lapult, de mihelyt egy macska kzelteni merszelt,

tmadott s megfutamtotta ellenfelt. A patkny oly flelmetes volt, hogy a macskkmsodszor mr nem is merszkedtek a kzelbe.


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Shoken igen megharagudott, s maga fogott a patkny ldzshez. Az llat azonban olyangyesen kerlte ki a vvmester tseit, hogy mindig megmeneklt.

Ezutn a hzigazda ily szavakkal fordult szolgjhoz: Mondjk, hogy l a krnyken egy hres patknyfog macska, menj s kertsd el!

A szolga tvozott, s nemsokra megjelent a macskval. Az llat nem ltszott semklnsen okosnak, sem klnsen vadnak. Shoken nem is remlt tle eredmnyt. De mivelmst nem tehetett, ezt is bezrta a hzba.

A macska nyugodt lptekkel indult elre, mintha semmi veszlytl sem tartana. A patknysszehzta magt, s mozdulni sem mert. A macska lassan folytatta tjt, s vglegyszeren torkon ragadta a patknyt.

Este Shoken hzban gylst tartottak a megvert macskk. A f helyet az reg gyztesmacsknak ajnlottk fl, s miutn tisztelettel kszntttk, ily szavakkal fordultakhozz: Mi valamennyien j hrnvnek rvendtnk, mestersgnket lelkiismeretesengyakoroltunk, karmainkat gondosan lestettk, hogy eredmnyesen kzdhessnk apatknyok s ms ragadozk ellen. De soha nem gondoltuk volna, hogy ilyen patkny isltezik. Te vajon milyen mdszert alkalmaztl? Krnk, ne tartsd titokban tudomnyodat!

Az reg macska elmosolyodott, s ezt vlaszolta: Ti, ifj macskk, valban derk llatok vagytok, de nem ismeritek a helyes utat. Ezrt, havalami vratlannal kerltk szembe, elvtitek a clt. No de mesljtek csak el nekem,hogyan gyakoroltatok?

Egy fekete macska gy vlaszolt: Hres patknyfog csaldbl szrmazom, s gy magam is ezt a hivatst vlasztottam. Ktmternl magasabbra ugrom, kpes vagyok kis lyukakba befurakodni. beren alszom, snyomban flpattanok, ha patkny kzelt. Eddig mg mindig elfogtam ellenfelemet. Ez alegutbbi patkny azonban ersebbnek bizonyult nlam, s n csfos veresget

szenvedtem. Szgyellem magam.Az reg macska vlasza gy hangzott: Gyakorlsi mdszered nem volt ms, mint fizikai erkifejts. Szellemedet ez a krdsfoglalkoztatja: miknt gyzhetek? Ezek szerint mg clhoz ragaszkodsz! Ha az regektechnikt tantottak, gy ezt azrt tettk, hogy ezzel az svny egy fajtjt ismertessk.Mdszerk egyszer volt, mgis a legmagasabb rend igazsgot tartalmazta. Az utkorazonban pusztn a technikra helyez slyt. Ekzben sok mindent kitalltak, mint pldul:ha ezt vagy amazt gyakoroljuk, akkor ez vagy amaz lesz az eredmny. s vgeredmnybenmi ez? Nem tbb, mint gyeskeds. s mindenkor ez a helyzet, ha technikra seredmnyre gondolunk, s kzben kizrlag elmnkre tmaszkodunk. Szllj tehtmagadba, s gyakorolj megfelel mdon!

Ezutn a tigrisbundj macska szlalt meg: A lovagi mvszetben gy vlem, a szellem a legfontosabb. Ezrt gyakorlsaim sornmindenkor ezt az ert fejlesztettem. Szellemem, gy rzem, aclkemny s szabad. Brjaama ert, amely a mennyet s fldet eltlti. Ha ellenfelem szembetallja magt ezzel azervel, gy megbnul, hogy a gyzelem mr eleve biztostott. Szinte ntudatlanul tmadok,a technikval egyltaln nem trdm ez utbbi nmagtl alakul. De ez a rejtlyespatkny alak nlkl kzeltett, s nyom nlkl tvozott. Arra, hogy tulajdonkppen mitrtnhetett, nem tallok magyarzatot.

Az reg macska vlasza gy hangzott: Az er, melyet gyakorlsaid sorn megszereztl, valban az, mely a mennyet s a fldet

megtlti. De a te birtokodban mgsem volt ms, mint puszta pszichikai er, amely nem ismondhat kivlnak. Mr az a tny, hogy a birtokodban lv ernek tudatban vagy,meghisthatja a gyzelmet. Szemlyes ned rszt vesz a kzdelemben. Mi trtnik akkor,ha az ellenfl ereje a nagyobb? Azt kpzeled, hogy csupn te birtoklod az ert, s mindenki


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ms gyengbb nlad? A te szabad s aclos, mennyet s fldet eltlt erd nem maga aHatalmas Er, hanem csupn annak tkrzdse szellemedben, Szellemed csak bizonyoskrlmnyek kztt tltdik fel ama ervel, gy a Hatalmas Er, amelyrl Mencius beszl,s a te erd klnbz forrsbl erednek. Egy si kzmonds szerint a sarokba szortottpatkny a macskt is megmarja. Ha az ellenfl hallos csapdban van, gy megfeledkezikletrl, bajrl nem gondol gyzelemre vagy veresgre. Ennek kvetkeztben pedigakarata aclkemny. Hogyan is volna teht vlt szellemi erddel legyzhet?

Ezt kveten egy idsebb, szrke macska szlalt meg:

Valban gy van, ahogy mondod. Mg a legnagyobb pszichikai er is formval br. s aformval br megragadhat. n ezrt mr rgta a lelkemet fejlesztettem. Teht nem aztaz ert fejlesztettem, amely a msik szellemt legyzi. Nem is bocstkozom kzdelembe.Ellenkezleg: megbklni igyekszem ellenfelemmel, szinte eggy vlok vele, ssemmikppen sem tanstok ellenllst. A patkny, legyen br ers, ha tmad, nemtallhat esetemben semmit, amire tmaszkodhatnk. De ez a legutbbi patkny mgistltett rajtam. Jtt, ment flfoghatatlan mdon , mint egy istensg. Ilyesmi mg nemfordult el velem.

Az reg macska azt felelte erre: Amit te megbklsnek nevezel, nem a lnyegisgbl fakad, nem a Nagy Termszetrsze. Csinlt, mestersges megbkls, teht csel. Tudatosan igyekszel az ellensgtmadszellemt megbntani. s ppen ezrt, mert erre gondolsz brha csak felletesenis az ellenfl szndkodat flismeri. Tudd meg, hogy minden tudatos szndk akadlyozzaa Nagy Termszet rezgseit, s ilyenformn megakasztja a spontn mozdulat folyamatt.Ha azonban semmire sem gondolunk, akkor mozgsunkat e lnyegi rezgs irnytja. Ezesetben valban nincs megragadhat formd, teht ellenformaknt sem jelentkezhetsemmi. Hol van ez esetben az ellenfl, aki kpes volna ellenllni?

A macskk feszlten figyeltek, s az reg macska kisvrtatva folytatta eladst: Ne higgytek, hogy amit tlem hallottatok, az a legmagasabb rend. Nem is olyan rgen aszomszdos faluban lt egy kandr. Egsz nap aludt. Olyasmi, amit szellemi ernekneveznk, nem ltszott a megjelensn. Soha nem ltta senki, hogy patknyt fogott volna.

De ahol tartzkodott, sehol sem volt patkny tallhat. s ahol csak megjelent, ahol csakfeltnt, ugyanez volt a helyzet: nyoma sem volt patknyoknak.Egy alkalommal flkerestem, s magyarzatot krtem. Nem vlaszolt. jra krdeztem, deismt csak hallgatott. Nem az volt a ltszat, mintha nem akart volna vlaszolni, haneminkbb gy tnt, mintha nem tudn, mit is feleljen. Aki tudja, az nem szl s aki szl, aznem tudja. Ez a kandr megfeledkezett nmagrl s megfeledkezett a klvilgrl.Semmiv vlt, s gy elrte a szndk nlklisg legfels fokt. Elmondhatjuk, hogy efokon valsul meg az isteni lovagi svny clja: ls nlkl gyzni.

[A magyar fordt elhagyta a szveg befejez okfejtsst.]


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Die wunderbare Kunst einer KatzeVon Zen-Meister Ito Tenzaa Chuyahttp://www.buddhismus-studium.de/materialdownloads/material_itokatze.pdf

bungsanweisung einer altjapanischen Fechtschule, bersetzt aus dem Japanischen vonTakeharu Teramoto und Fumio Hashimoto, bearbeitet von Karlfried Graf DrckheimMit Zeichn. von Klaus Bertelsmann

Diesen Text verdanke ich meinem Lehrer im Zen, Takeharu Teramoto. Teramoto,Admiral a. D. und Professor an derMarineakademie in Tokio, hatte als seine bung (Gyo) das Schwertfechten. SeinMeister war der letzte Meister einer Fechtschule, in der seit Anfang des 17.Jahrhunderts die Geschichte der 5 Katzen als geheime bungsanweisung von Meister zuMeister gereicht und schlielich ihm von seinem Meister berlassen wurde.

Es war einmal ein Fechtmeister namens Shoken. In seinem Hause trieb eine groe Ratte ihrUnwesen. Selbst am hellen Tage lief sie herum. Da machte der Hausherr einmal das Zimmer zuund gab der Hauskatze Gelegenheit, die Ratte zu fangen. Die aber sprang der Katze ins Gesicht undbiss sie so, dass sie laut schreiend davonlief. So also ging es nicht. Und so brachte der Hausherreinige Katzen herbei, die in der Nachbarschaft einen tchtigen Ruf genossen und lie sie in dasZimmer hinein. Die Ratte kauerte in einer Ecke, und sowie eine Katze ihr nahte, sprang sie sie an,biss sie und schlug sie in die Flucht. So ungestm sah die Ratte aus, dass die Katzen alle zgerten,sich noch einmal heranzuwagen. Da wurde der Hausherr zornig und lief selber der Ratte nach, umsie zu tten. Sie aber entschlpfte jedem Hieb des erfahrenen Fechtmeisters, und er konnte sienicht

erwischen. Er schlug dabei Tren, Shojis, Karakamis u. a. entzwei. Aber die Ratte huschte durchdie Luft schnell wie ein fahrender Blitz, entging jeder seiner Bewegungen und sprang ihm insGesicht und biss ihn. In Schwei gebadet rief er schlielich seinem Diener zu: Man sagt, sechs bissieben Cho von hier sei eine Katze, die die tchtigste in der Welt sei. Geh und hole sie her. DerDiener brachte die Katze. Sie schien sich nicht viel von den anderen Katzen zu unterscheiden, sahweder besonders klug, noch besonders scharf aus. So traute der Fechtmeister ihr auch nichtsBesonderes zu, aber er machte die Tr etwas auf und lie sie hinein. Ganz ruhig und langsam gingdie Katze hinein, so als erwarte sie gar nichts Besonderes. Aber die Ratte fuhr zusammen undrhrte sich nicht. Und die Katze ging ganz einfach und langsam auf sie zu und brachte sie im Maulheraus.

Am Abend versammelten sich in Shokens Haus die geschlagenen Katzen, baten respektvoll die

alte Katze auf den Ehrensitz, knieten vor ihr nieder und sagten bescheiden: Wir alle gelten alstchtig. Wir alle haben uns auf diesem Wege gebt und uns die Klauen geschrft, um damit jedeArt von Ratten, ja sogar Wiesel und Ottern besiegen zu knnen. Wir htten niemals gedacht, dasses eine so starke Ratte geben knnte. Aber mit was fr einer Kunst habt Ihr sie so leicht besiegt?


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Machet doch kein Geheimnis aus Eurer Kunst und erzhlt uns doch Euer Geheimnis! Da lachtedie Alte und sprach: Ihr jungen Katzen, Ihr seid zwar ganz tchtig. Aber Ihr wisst im rechten Wegnicht Bescheid. So verfehlt Ihr, wenn etwas Unerahntes Euch begegnet, den Erfolg. Doch erzhlterst Ihr mir, wie Ihr Euch gebt habt.

Da rckte eine schwarze Katze heran und sagte: Ich stamme aus einem Haus, das fr denRattenfang berhmt ist. So entschloss auch ich mich zu diesem Weg. Ich kann Wandschirme vonzwei Meter Hhe berspringen. Ich kann mich durch ein winziges Loch zwngen, durch das sonstnur eine Ratte durchkommt. Von Kind auf habe ich alle akrobatischen Knste gebt. Auch wenn

ich beim Aufwachen aus dem Schlaf noch nicht ganz da bin, eben dabei, mich wiederzufinden undsehe da eine Ratte ber den Balken laufen schon habe ich sie. Die Ratte von heute aber warstrker und ich habe die furchtbarste Niederlage erfahren, die ich in meinem Leben jemals zuerleiden gehabt. Ich bin beschmt Da sagte die Alte: Worin Du Dich da gebt hast, ist ebennichts als nur Technik! (shosa die reine physische Kunst.) Dein Geist ist aber besetzt mit derFrage: Wie gewinnen? So haftest Du ja noch am Zielen! Wenn die Alten Technik lehrten, sotaten sie es, um damit eine Weise des Weges (mi-chisuji) zu zeigen. Ihre Technik war einfach,beschloss jedoch die hchste Wahrheit in sich. Die Nachwelt aber beschftigt sich nur noch mitTechnik. Dabei erfand man zwar vieles, so nach dem Rezept Wenn man dies und das bt, dannkommt dies und jenes dabei heraus. Was aber kommt dabei heraus? Nichts als eineGeschicklichkeit. Unter Preisgabe des berlieferten Weges entstand so unter Aufbietung von vielKlugheit der Wettbewerb in Technik bis zur Erschpfung, und nun kommt man nicht weiter. Dasist immer so, wenn man an Technik und Erfolg denkt und dabei ausschlielich die Klugheitbettigt. Zwar ist die Klugheit eine Funktion des Geistes, wenn sie aber nicht auf dem Weg fut undallein auf Geschicklichkeit abzielt, dann wird sie zum Ansatz von Falschem und das Errungenezum bel. Also geh in Dich und be von nun an im rechten Sinn weiter.

Darauf rckte eine groe Katze mit einem Tigerfell heran und sprach: In der Ritterkunstkommt es, so meine ich, nur auf den Geist an. So habe ich mich daher seit jeher in dieser Kraftgebt (ki wo neru). So ist mir, als sei mein Geist stahlhart und frei und geladen vor dem Geist,der Himmel und Erde erfllt (Menzius). Sehe ich den Feind, schon schlgt dieser allgewaltige Geistihn in Bann und ich gewinne den Sieg schon im voraus. Erst dann gehe ich vor! Ganz unbewusst,so wie es die Lage erfordert. Ich richte mich nach dem Klang meines Gegners, banne die Ratte,

wie es mir beliebt, nach links oder nach rechts und komme jeder Wendung entgegen. Um dieTechnik als solche kmmere ich mich berhaupt nicht. Die kommt von selber. Eine Ratte, die berden Balken luft, starre ich nur an, und schon fllt sie herunter und ist mein. Aber diesegeheimnisvolle Ratte da kommt ohne Gestalt und geht ohne Spur. Was ist das? Ich wei es nicht.

Da sagte die Alte: Worum du dich da bemht hast, ist wohl das Wirken, das aus der groenKraft kommt, die Himmel und Erde erfllt. Aber was du gewonnen hast, ist doch nur einepsychische Kraft und ist nicht von dem Guten, das den Namen des Guten verdient. Allein schon dieTatsache, dass du dir der Kraft, mit der du siegen willst, bewusst bist, wirkt dem Siege entgegen.Dein Ich ist im Spiel. Wenn das des anderen aber strker ist als das deine, was dann? Wenn dudenFeind mit dem bergewicht deiner Kraft besiegen willst, stellt er dir die seine entgegen. Bildest du

dir ein, allein stark zu sein und alle anderen schwach? Wie aber soll man sich verhalten, wenn esetwas gibt, das man beim besten Willen nicht mit dem bergewicht der eigenen Kraft besiegenkann das ist die Frage! Was du da als frei und gesthlt und als Himmel und Erdeerfllend in dir fhlst als geistige Kraft, das ist nicht die groe Kraft (ki no sho) selbst, sondernnur ihr Abglanz in dir. Es ist dein eigener Geist, also nur der Schatten des groen Geistes. Es gibtsich zwar so, wie die groe Kraft, in Wirklichkeit aber ist es etwas vllig anderes. Der Geist, vondem Menzius spricht, ist stark, weil er von groem Klarsinn bleibend erhellt ist. Dein Geist abergewinnt seine Kraft nur unter bestimmten Bedingungen. Deine Kraft und die, von der Menziusspricht, haben verschiedenen Ursprung, und so ist auch ihr Wirken verschieden. Sie unterscheidensich wie der ewige Strom eines Flusses, z. B. des Yangtsekiang, und eine pltzliche Flut, die berNacht kommt. Was aber ist der Geist, den man bewhren soll, wenn einem etwas gegenbersteht,das von keiner bedingten Geisteskraft (kisei) besiegt werden kann das ist die Frage!

Ein Sprichwort sagt: Eine Ratte in der Klemme beit auch die Katze. Ist der Feind in derTodesklemme, ist er auf nichts angewiesen. Er vergisst sein Leben, vergisst alle Not, vergisst sichselbst, ist frei von Sieg und Niederlage. Und darum ist ein Wille wie Stahl. Wie knnte man ihn mit


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einer Geisteskraft besiegen, die man sich selbst zuschreibt?

Nun rckte eine ltere graue Katze langsam heran und sagte: ja, wirklich, es ist wie Ihr sagt.Die psychische Kraft hat, so stark sie auch sein mag, in sich selbst eine Form (katachi). Was aberForm hat, so klein es auch sei, es ist fassbar. Daher habe ich seit langem meine Seele (kokoro, dieHerzkraft) gebt. Ich be nicht die Kraft aus, die den andern geistig berwltigt (das sei, wie diezweite Katze). Ich schlage mich auch nicht herum (wie die erste Katze). Ich vershne mich mitmeinem Gegenber, lasse mich mit ihm eins werden und widersetze mich ihm berhaupt nicht. Istder andere strker als ich, so gebe ich einfach nach und bin ihm gleichsam zu Willen. Meine Kunst

besteht gewissermaen darin, die fliegenden Kieselsteine in einem losen Vorhang aufzufangen.Eine Ratte, die mich angreifen will, mag noch so stark sein, sie findet nichts vor, worauf sie sichstrzen, nichts, woran sie ansetzen knnte. Aber die Ratte von heute ging einfach nicht auf meinSpiel ein. Sie kam und ging unfassbar wie Gott. Dergleichen habe ich noch nie gesehen.

Da sagte die Alte: Was du Vershnlichkeit nennst, kommt nicht aus dem Wesen, nicht aus derGroen Natur. Es ist eine gemachte, knstliche Vershnung, ein Kniff. Bewusst willst du damitdem Angriffsgeist des Feindes entgehen. Weil du aber, und sei es auch noch so flchtig, darandenkst, so merkt er ja deine Absicht. Gibst du dich aber in solcher Geistesverfassungvershnlich, so kommt dein dem Angriff zugewandter Geist nur durcheinander, wird getrbt,und die Przision deiner Wahrnehmung und deines Handelns ist gestrt. Was immer du mitbewusster Absicht tust, schrnkt die ursprngliche und aus dem Verborgenen wirkendeSchwingung der Groen Natur ein, strt den Fluss ihrer spontanen Bewegung. Wo sollte daWirkkraft herkommen? Nur wenn man wenn du nichts machst, sondern dich mit deiner Bewegungder Schwingung des Wesens (shizen no ka) berlsst, hast du keine greifbare Form mehr, undnichts auf Erden kann als Gegen-Form auftreten und dann gibt es auch keinen Feind mehr, derwiderstehen kann.

Ich bin durchaus nicht der Meinung, dass alles, worin Ihr Euch gebt habt, zwecklos sei. Allesund jedes kann eine Weise des Weges sein. Auch Technik und Tao knnen ein und dasselbe seinund dann ist der groe Geist, das Waltende, schon in ihr mitenthalten und bekundet sich auch imHandeln des Leibes. Die Kraft des groen Geistes (ki) dient der Person des Menschen (ishi).Wessen ki frei ist, der kann mit unendlicher Freiheit allem in der rechten Weise begegnen. Wenn

sein Geist sich vershnt, wird er, ohne irgendeine besondere Kraft im Kampf einzusetzen, auchnicht an Gold oder Stein zerbrechen. Nur auf eines kommt es an: dass kein Hauch von Ich-Bewusstsein im Spiel sei, sonst ist alles verdorben. Wenn man auch noch so flchtig an all dasdenkt, so ist es nur etwas Erknsteltes. Es kommt nicht aus dem Wesen, nicht aus derursprnglichen Schwingung des Weg-Krpers (do-tai). Dann aber wird auch der Gegner einemnicht zu Willen sein, sondern seinerseits widerstehen. Was fr eine Weise oder Kunst also soll mangebrauchen? Nur wenn du in jener Verfassung bist, die frei ist von jeglichem Ich-Bewusstsein,wenn du handelst ohne zu handeln, ohne Absicht und Tricks, im Einklang mit der groen Natur,bist du auf dem rechten Wege. So lasse man jegliche Absicht, be sich in der Absichtslosigkeit undlasse es einfach aus dem Wesen geschehen. Dieser Weg ist ohne Ende, unerschpflich.

Und dann fgte die alte Katze noch etwas Erstaunliches hinzu: Ihr msst nicht glauben, dass

das, was ich euch hier sagte, das Hchste sei. Es ist nicht lange her, da lebte in meinemNachbardorf ein Kater. Der schlief den ganzen Tag.

Irgend etwas, das nach geistiger Kraft aussah, war nicht an ihm zu bemerken. Er lag da wie einStck Holz. Niemand hatte ihn je eine Ratte fangen sehen. Aber wo er war, gab es ringsherumkeine Ratten! Und wo auch immer er auftauchte oder sich niederlie, lie keine Ratte sich sehen.Ich suchte ihn einmal auf und fragte ihn, wie das zu verstehen sei. Er gab keine Antwort. Ich fragteihn noch dreimal. Er schwieg. Aber eigentlich war es nicht so, dass er nicht antworten wollte,sondern er wusste offenbar nicht, was er antworten sollte. Aber so ist das ja: Wer es wei, dersagtes nicht, und wer es sagt, der wei es nicht. Dieser Kater hatte sich selbst vergessen und so auchalle Dinge im Kreis. Er war nichts geworden, hatte den hchsten Stand der Absichtslosigkeit

erreicht. Und hier kann man sagen, er hatte den gttlichen Ritterweg gefunden: Zu siegen ohne zutten. Dem stehe ich noch weit nach.

Shoken hrte dies wie im Traum, kam herbei, grte die alte Katze und sagte: Nun be ich


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mich seit langem schon in der Fechtkunst, aber das Ende habe ich noch nicht erreicht. Ich habeEure Einsichten vernommen und glaube, den wahren Sinn meines Weges verstanden zu haben,aberinstndig bitte ich Euch, sagt mir doch noch etwas mehr ber Euer Geheimnis. Da sprach die Alte:Wie kann das zugehen? Ich bin nur ein Tier und die Ratte ist meine Nahrung. Wie knnte ich bermenschliche Dinge Bescheid wissen! Ich wei nur soviel: Der Sinn der Fechtkunst liegt nicht blodarin, ber einen Gegner zu siegen. Sie ist vielmehr eine Kunst, mit der man zu gegebener Stundein die groe Klarheit des Lichtgrundes von Tod und Leben gelangt (Seishi wo akiraki ni suru). Einwahrer Ritter sollte mitten in aller technischer bung immerzu die geistliche bung dieses

Klarsinnes pflegen. Hierzu aber muss er vor allem die Lehre vom Seinsgrund von Leben und Tod,von der Todesordnung (shi no ri) ergrnden. Den groen Klarsinn gewinnt aber nur, wer frei istvon allem, was ihn von diesem Weg abbringt (hen kyoku, Mitten-Ferne), besonders aber von allemfixierenden Denken. Ist das Wesen und seine Begegnung (shin ki) sich ungestrt selbst berlassen,frei vom Ich und allen Dingen, kann es sich, wann immer es darauf ankommt, in voller Freiheitbekunden. Wenn Euer Herz aber noch so flchtig an etwas haftet, wird das Wesen verhaftet und zuetwas In-sich-Stehendem gemacht. Ist es aber zu etwas In-sich-Stehendem geworden, dann ist mitdem Ich, das in sich steht auch etwas da, das ihm widersteht. Dann stehen sich zwei gegenberundkmpfen gegeneinander um ihren Bestand. Ist das aber der Fall, dann werden die jedem Wandelgewachsenen wunderbaren Funktionen des Wesens gehemmt, ist die Todesklemme dann da, dannhat man den dem Wesen eigenen Klarsinn verloren. Wie knnte man in dieser Verfassung demFeind in der rechten Haltung begegne und ruhig Sieg und Niederlage ins Auge fassen? Selbstwenn man den Sieg davon trge, es ist nur ein blinder Sieg, der nichts mit dem Sinn der wahrenFechtkunst zu tun hat.

Frei sein von allen Dingen bedeutet nun nicht eine leere Leere. Das Wesen als solches hatkeine Eigennatur. Es ist an und fr sich jenseits von allen Formen. Es speichert auch nichts in sichauf. Wenn man aber, was es auch sei, und wie geringfgig es sei, auch nur flchtig fixiert undfesthlt die groe Kraft bleibt daran kleben und das aus dem Ursprung flieende Gleichgewichtder Krfte ist dahin. Wird das Wesen auch nur ein wenig durch etwas verhaftet, ist es in seinerBewegung nicht mehr frei und strmt nicht mehr ungestrt in seiner Flle hervor. Ist dasGleichgewicht aus dem Wesen gestrt, dann fliet seine Kraft, wo sie dennoch hinkommt, schnell

ber wo sie aber nicht hinkommt, reicht es nicht aus. Wo sie berfliet, bricht gleich zu vielhervorund es gibt kein Aufhalten mehr. Wo sie nicht hinreicht, ist der wirkende Geist geschwcht undversagt und kann sich hier wie dort, wenn es darauf ankommt, nicht der Lage entsprechendbewhren. Was ich Freiheit von den Dingen nenne, bedeutet also nichts anderes als dies: Speichertman nichts auf, lehnt man sich an nichts an, stellt man nichts fest, dann ist kein Stand und keinGegen-Stand da. Weder ein Ich noch ein Gegen-Ich. Wenn dann etwas daher kommt, so begegnetman ihm wie unbewusst und hinterlsst keine Spur. Im Eki (Buch der Wandlungen) heit es:Ohne Denken, ohne Tun, ohne Bewegung, ganz still: nur so kann man das Wesen und das Gesetzder Dinge von innen her und ganz unbewusst bekunden und endlich eins werden mit Himmel undErde. Wer die Fechtkunst so ausbt und sie so versteht, der ist der Wahrheit des Weges nahe.

Shoken, als er dies hrte, fragte nun: Was soll das bedeuten, dass weder ein Ich noch einGegen-Ich, weder ein Subjekt noch ein Objekt, da ist? Die Antwort der Katze: Wenn und weilein Ich da ist, ist auch ein Feind da. Stellen wir uns nicht als ein Ich hin, so ist auch kein Gegnerda.Was wir also so nennen, ist nur ein anderer Name fr das, was Gegensatz bedeutet. Insofern dieDinge eine Form wahren, setzen sie auch immer eine Gegenform. Wo immer etwas als ein Etwasfeststeht, hat es aber eine Eigenform. Ist mein Wesen zu keiner Eigenform verfasst, so ist auchkeine Gegenform da. Wo kein Gegensatz ist, gibt es auch nichts, was gegen einen antritt. Das aberheit: Weder ein Ich noch ein Gegen-Ich ist da. Lsst man sich selbst ganz fallen und wird alsofrei,von Grund auf und von allen Dingen, so befindet man sich im Einklang mit der Welt, ist eins mitallen Dingen in der groen All-Einheit. Auch wenn des Feindes Form ausgelscht wird, es wird

einem gar nicht bewusst. Nein, nicht dass man sich dessen berhaupt nicht inne wrde, aber manverweilt nicht dabei und der Geist bewegt sich weiterhin frei von aller Fixierung und antwortetauch im Handeln einfach und frei aus der Mitte des Wesens.


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Ist der Geist von gar nichts mehr eingenommen und frei von aller Besetztheit, so ist auch dieWelt, so wie sie ist, ganz unsere Welt und mit uns eins. Dies bedeutet, man nimmt sie nun jenseitsvon Gut und Bse, jenseits von Sympathie oder Antipathie. Man ist in nichts mehr befangen undbleibt auch an nichts in ihr haften. Alle Gegenstze, die wir vor uns haben, Gewinn und Verlust,Gut und Bse, Freud und Leid, kommen aus uns. In der ganzen Weite von Himmel und Erde ist fruns darum nichts so erkennenswert, als nur unser eigenes Wesen. Ein alter Dichter spricht: EinKrnchen Staub im Auge und die drei Welten sind noch zu eng. Ist uns an nichts mehr gelegen, soist das kleinste Bett immer noch weit. Das heit: Dringt ein Krnchen Staub uns ins Auge, sokann es sich nicht mehr auftun. Denn es dringt etwas dort hinein, wo es helle Sicht nur dann gibt,

wenn nichts darin steckt. Dies mag uns zum Gleichnis dienen fr das Sein, das leuchtenderleuchtendes Licht ist und in sich selbst ledig von allem, was etwas ist. Wenn sich aber etwasdavor stellt, vernichtet die Vor-Stellung seine Tugend. Ein anderer Dichter sprach so: Ist man vonFeinden umstellt, hunderttausend an der Zahl, so wird zermalmt, was man selber an Form ist. Aberdas Wesen ist und bleibt mein, so stark der Feind auch sein mag. In dieses kommt kein Feind jeherein. Konfuzius sagt: Auch eines einfachen Mannes Wesen kann man nicht stehlen. Gertaber der Geist durcheinander, dann wendet sich das Wesen gegen uns selbst.

Dies ist alles, was ich Euch sagen kann. Gehet nun wieder in Euch und forscht selbst in Euchnach. Ein Meister kann dem Schler immer nur die Sache mitteilen und sie zu begrndenversuchen. Die Wahrheit zu erkennen und sie sich anzueignen, das vermag immer nur Ich-Selbst. Dies nennt man Selbstaneignung (jitoku).

Das bermitteln erfolgt von Herz zu Herz (ishin denshin). Es ist eine Weitergabe aufauerordentlichem Wege, jenseits von Lehre und Gelehrsamkeit (kyogai betsuden). Dies bedeutetnicht, der Lehre der Meister zu widersprechen. Es bedeutet nur, dass auch ein Meister die Wahrheitselbst nicht weiterzugeben vermag. Dies gilt nicht nur fr Zen. Angefangen von den geistlichenbungen der Alten ber die Kunst der Bildung der Seele bis hin zu den Knsten immer ist dieSelbstaneignung das Kernstck, und dieses wird nur weitergegeben von Herz zu Herz, jenseits vonaller berlieferten Lehre. Der Sinn jeder Lehre ist nur: auf das, was jeder in sich selbst hat, ohnees selbst schon zu wissen, hinzudeuten und es bewusst zu machen. Es gibt kein Geheimnis, das derMeister dem Schler bergeben knnte. Zu lehren ist leicht. Zu hren ist leicht. Schwer ist esaber, dessen bewusst zu werden, was man in sich selbst hat, es zu finden und wirklich in Besitz zu

nehmen. Dies nennt man ins eigene Wesen blicken. Wesensschau (ken-sei, kensho). Widerfhrt esuns, haben wir Satori. Es ist das Groe Erwachen aus dem Traum der Irrungen. Erwachen, inseigene Wesen blicken, Selbst-Wahr-Nehmung ist alles dasselbe.


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1 0 / 2 9e r e b e s s . h u / z e n / ma c s k a . h t ml # a

Zen-Master Ito Tenzaa ChuyaThe Marvelous CatTranslated by TERAMOTO Takeharu s

5R HASHIMOTO Fumio

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a Master of combat called Shoken. His house was plagued by a bigrat. It ran about even in broad daylight. One day Shoken shut the room door and gave thehousehold cat an opportunity to catch the rat. But the rat flew at the cats face and gave it such a

sharp bite that it ran off screeching. Evidently the creature couldnt be got rid of so easily. So themaster of the house collected together a number of cats that had won a fair reputation in theneighborhood and let them into the room. The rat hunched itself up in a corner. As soon as a catapproached it, it bit the cat and scared it off.

The rat looked so nasty that none of the cats dared to take it on a second time. That put Shokeninto a perfect rage. He went after the rat himself, determined to kill it. But the wily beast escapedevery blow and feint from the experienced Master he just couldnt wear it down. In his attempts todo so, he split doors, shojis, karakamis, and so forth. But the rat flashed through the air likelightning, jumped up at his face, and bit the Master. At last, running with sweat, he called out tohis servants: "They say that six to seven cho from here there is the toughest and cleverest cat inthe world. Bring it here!

The servant brought the cat. It didnt look so very different from the other cats. It didnt lookparticularly sharp or bright. So Shoken didnt expect anything special from it. But he thought hewould try it all the same, so he opened the door and let it into the room. The cat entered verysoftly and slowly as if it was expecting nothing out of the ordinary. But the rat recoiled and stayedmotionless. So the cat approached it slowly and deliberately and carried it out in its mouth.

That evening the defeated cats met in Shokens house, respectfully accorded the old cat the placeof honor, paid it homage and said humbly: "We are all supposed to be highly efficient. We have allpracticed and sharpened our claws in order to defeat all kinds of rats, and even weasels andotters. We had never suspected that there could be a rat as strong as that one. But tell us, whatart did you use to vanquish it so easily? Do not keep your art a secret. Let us into the mystery."

The old cat laughed and said: "You young cats are indeed efficient. But you dont know the rightway to go about things. And so when something unexpected happens, youre unsuccessful. But firsttell me how you have practiced."


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A black cat came out to the front and said: "I come from a line of celebrated rat catchers. I toodecided to become one. I can jump over screens two meters high I can force myself through atiny hole that only rats can negotiate. From the time I was a kitten I have practiced all theacrobatic arts. Even when I wake up and I still havent quite come to, and I see a rat scamperingacross the balcony, I get it straightway. But that rat today was stronger and I suffered the mostfrightful defeat that I have ever experienced in my whole life. I have been put to shame."

Then the old cat said: "What you have practiced is only technique (shosa), sheer physical skill. Butyour spirit is preoccupied with the question: How am I going to win? And that problem is still

consuming you when you reach the target. When the ancient Masters taught technique, they did soin order to show their pupils a means of the way (michisuyi). Their technique was simple yetcontained the highest truth. But posterity has been preoccupied with technique and techniquealone. In that way much has been discovered according to the rule: if you do this or that, then thiswill happen. But what does happen? No more than dexterity-skill pure and simple. The traditionalway has been abandoned much ingenuity has been applied to an exhaustive pitting of techniqueagainst technique, until we have indeed reached the point of exhaustion. We can go no further.That always happens when people think of technique and success and put no more than ingenuityinto play. Ingenuity-cleverness is however a function of the spirit, if it is not based on the Way andaims at perfect skill, then it falls victim to error and what has been achieved is lost. Think aboutthis and practice from now on in the right spirit."

At that a big tabby-cat came forward and said: "In the art of fighting it is a matter of the spirit,and it must always be so. Therefore I have always practiced strength of spirit (ki wo neru). As faras I am concerned, my spirit always seems as hard as steel and free and charged with thepresence of the Spirit that fills heaven and earth (Mencius). As soon as I can see an enemy, he isalready vanquished no sooner do I see him than he is thrall to that mighty Spirit and I havealready won the battle in advance! I do so quite instinctively, as the situation demands. I moveaccording the feel of my opponent I take the rat from the right or the left as I wish and Ianticipate my adversarys every move. I never worry about technique as such. It happens of itsown accord. If a rat runs across the balcony, I have only to stare at it for it to fall into myclutches. But the rat of which we are speaking comes without shape or form and goes withoutleaving any trace. What does that mean? I cannot say."

Then the old cat remarked: "What you have been concerned with is, of course, the effect of thatgreat Power that fills heaven and earth. But what you have actually achieved is only a mentalpower and not that good power which serves the name of Good. The very fact that you areconscious of the power with which you intend to conquer prevents your victory. Your ego is inquestion. But what if your adversarys ego is stronger than your own? When you try to overcomethe enemy with the superior force of your own power, he pits his own power against yours. Do youimagine that you alone can be as strong and that all others must be weak? The real question ishow to behave when there is something that in spite of all ones willing one cannot defeat with thesuperior weight of ones own power. What you experience as free and tempered and fillingheaven and earth within you is not the great Power itself (ki no sho) but only its reflection in you.It is your own spirit, and therefore but a shadow of the great Spirit. It appears to be the great

power, but in reality it something quite different. The spirit of which Mencius speaks is strongbecause it is permanently illumined by great understanding. But your spirit obtains its power onlyunder certain conditions. Your power and that of which Mencius speaks have different origins. Theyare as different from one another as the eternal flow of a river, for instance the Yangtse Kiang isfrom a sudden downpour one night. But what is the spirit that one should rely on when face with anenemy who cannot be conquered with any mere restricted mental power (kisei)? That is the realquestion! There is a proverb that says: A rat in the trap will even bite the cat. The enemy is in thejaws of death he has no resources to depend on. He forgets his life: he forgets all need he forgetshimself he is beyond victory and defeat. And thus his will tempered like steel. How could oneconquer him with a spiritual power which one scribes to oneself alone?"

Then an aging gray cat came slowly forward and said: "Yes, it is indeed as you say. Mental power

whatever its strength has a form (katachi) in itself. But whatever has form, however small it maybe, can be grasped. Therefore I have for a long time trained my soul (kokoro, the power of theheart). I do not practice the power which overcomes others spiritually (sei), like the second cat.And I do not hit out around me (like the first cat). I reconcile myself with my opponent, get on to


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equal terms with him, and do not oppose him in any way. If the other is stronger than I am, then Iwill simply acknowledge that, and so to speak give into his will. My art is rather to gather theflying pebbles in a loose cloth. A rat tries to attack me may be as strong as you like, but it will findnothing to fly against, nothing to get to grips with. But todays rat simply didnt respond to mytrick. It came and went as mysteriously as God Himself. I have never encountered one like it".

Then the old cat said: "What you call propitiation does not arise from being, from the Greatness ofNature. It is an artificial, botched-up reconciliation - a mere artifice. Your conscious intention is toelude the adversarys spirit of attack. But because you are thinking about it, however fleetingly, he

realizes what your plan is. If you try to conciliate him, with a spirit thus composed, then your spirit(in so far as it concentrates on the attack) will be confused, mixed up, and your sharpness ofperception and action will be considerably reduced. Whatever you do with fully conscious intentrestricts the original pulsation of the Greatness of Nature as it takes effect from the depths ofMystery: it upsets the flow of your spontaneous movement. How then are you to put a miraculouspower into practice? Only when you think of nothing, and do nothing, and in your movementsurrender yourself to the pulsation of Being (shizen no ka), will you have lost all tangible form,and be so that nothing on earth can act as a counter-form then there is no enemy left to resistyou."

"I do not believe that everything that you have practiced is pointless. Everything can be a means ofthe Way. Technique and Tao can be one and the same, and then the great Spirit, the "governingSpirit", is already incorporated in you and is revealed in the action of your body. The power of thegreat Spirit (ki) serves the human person (ishi). He who has free access to (ki) can encountereverything within infinite freedom and in the right way. If his spirit is reconciled, it will not shatterever on gold or rock, and need exert no special power in battle. Only one thing is necessary: thatno trace of egotism of I-consciousness comes into play, lest everything should be lost. If you thinkabout all that, however fleetingly, then all will be artificial. It will not arise from Being, from theoriginal pulsation the body of the Way (do-tai). Then the adversary will not submit to you but resistin his own behalf. What sort of a way or art is to be used? Only when you are in that dispositionwhich is free of all conscious of self, when you act without acting, without intention and stratagem,in unison with the Greatness of Nature, are you on the right Way. Abandon all intent, practicepurposelessness and let it happen simply out of Being. This way is unending, inexhaustible." And

the old cat added something astounding: "You must not believe that what I have told you today isthe highest of things. Not long ago a certain tom-cat was living in the next village to me. He sleptthe whole day long. No trace of anything resembling spiritual power was to be observed in him. Hejust lay there like a lump of wood. No one had ever seen him catch a rat . But wherever he was,there wasnt a rat to be seen! And wherever he popped up or laid himself down, no rat everappeared. One day I looked up and asked what that meant. He did not answer me. I asked himanother three times. He was silent. But that doesnt mean that he didnt want to reply. Instead heclearly didnt know what he should say. But that is how it is: "He who knows says nothing, and hewho says it knows it not". The cat had forgotten about himself and everything roundabout him. Hehad become "nothing". He had reached the highest level of purposelessness. We can say that hehad found the way of divine knighthood, which is to vanquish without killing. I am still a long waybehind him".

Shoken heard all this as if in a dream, came by, greeted the old cat and said: "For a long time nowI have been practicing the art of fighting, but I have not yet reached the end. I have absorbed yourinsights and I think that I have understood the true meaning of my way, but I ask you earnestly totell me something more about your craft".

The old cat replied "How is that possible? I am only an animal and the rat is my food. How shouldI know about human affairs. All I know is this: the meaning of the art of combat is not merely amatter of vanquishing ones opponent. It is rather an art by which at a given time one enters intothe great clarity of the primal light of death and life (seishi wo akiraki ni suru). In the midst of allhis technical practice a true Samurai should always practice the spiritual acquisition of that clarityof mind. For that purpose however he must plumb before all else the teaching of the ground of

being of life and death (shi no ri). But only he acquires great clarity of mind who is free fromeverything which could lead him off that way (hen kyoku). When Being and encounter with Being(shin ki) are left undisturbed, to themselves, free from the ego and from all things, then wheneverit is appropriate it can declare its presence complete freedom. But if your heart even fleetingly


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attaches itself to something, then Being itself is attached and is turned into something arrested initself . But if it becomes something arrested in itself, then there is something there that resists theI that is in itself . Then two entities face one another and fight one another for dominance."

"If that happens then the miraculous functions of being, even though used to all change, arerestricted, the jaws of death gape close, and that clarity of perception proper to Being is lost. Howthen is it possible to meet the adversary in the right frame and peacefully contemplate "victoryand defeat"? Even if you win, you win no more than blind victory that has nothing to do with thespirit of the true art of combat."

"Being free from all things does not of course mean an empty void. Being as such has no nature initself. In and for myself it is beyond all form. It stores up nothing in itself. But if one grasps andremembers even fleetingly what it is and how fragile it is, the great Power will cling to it and it willcontain the equilibrium of forces that flows from the Source. But if Being is even slightly subject toor imprisoned by something, it is no longer able to move freely and cannot pour forth in all itsfullness. If the equilibrium that emanates from Being is disturbed, if its power is at all apparent itquickly overflows but without power its balance is inadequate. Where it overflows, too muchpower breaks out and there is no holding it back. Where it is inadequate, the active spirit isweakened and wanting is never sufficient for the situation it is called on .

What I call freedom of things means only that if one does not lay up stores, one has nothing to relyon. Without secure provision there is no position to take up and nothing objective to have recourseto. There is neither an I nor an anti-I. When something comes along, one meets it as it wereunawares, without any impact. In the I-Ching (the Book of Changes), it is written "Without thinking,without action, without movement quite still. Only thus can one proclaim the nature and law ofthings from within, quite unconsciously, and at last become one with heaven and earth. Whoeverpractices and understands the art of combat in that sense is close to the truth of the Way".

When Shoken heard this, he asked: "What does that mean, that neither a subject nor an object,neither an nor an anti-I is there"?

The cat answered: "If and because an I is there, there is an enemy there. If we do not present

ourselves as an I, then there is no opponent there. What we call opponent, adversary, enemy, ismerely another name for what means opposition or counterpart. In so far as things maintain aform, they also presuppose a counter-form. But wherever something is present as a something, ithas a specific form. If my being is not constituted as a specific form, then there is no counter-formthere."

"When there is no counterpart, no opposition, there is nothing which can come forth to oppose me.But that means that neither an I nor an anti-I is there. If one wholly abandons self and thusbecomes free, from the foundations upwards and from everything, then one will be in harmonywith the world and one with all things in the great universal oneness. Even when the enemys formis extinguished one remains unconscious of it . That does not mean that one is wholly oblivious ofit, but that one does not dwell on it, and the spirit continues free from all attachment and even in

its actions responds simply and freely from the center of being. If the spirit is no longer bypossessed by anything and is free from all obsession, then the world, just as it is wholly our worldand one with us. That means that henceforth one apprehends it beyond good and evil, beyondsympathy or antipathy. One is no longer caught up in anything in the world. All oppositions whichpresent themselves to us, profit and loss, good and evil, joy and suffering, have their origin us.Therefore in the whole spread of heaven and earth nothing is so worthy of discernment as our ownbeing. "

"An ancient poet said: "A speck dust in ones eye and even the three worlds are still too narrow". Ifnothing matters to us any longer and is no longer of consequence to us, then the smallest bed istoo wide for us. " In other words, if a speck of dust enters our eye, the eye will not open for wecan see clearly only if there is nothing within, but now the dust has penetrated to obstruct the

vision within. Similarly with being that shines forth as light and illumination, and is essentially freeof everything that is "something". When however something does present itself, the verypresentation destroys its essence. Another writer put it this way: "If one is surrounded by foes, bya hundred thousand enemies, ones form is so to speak pulverized. But my being, my nature, is


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mine and remains my own, however strong my enemy may be . No adversary can penetrate mybeing my self". Confucius said: "You cannot steal the being of even a simple man". But if the spiritis confused, then being will turn against us."

"That is all that I can tell. Now return to yourselves and know yourselves. A master can only teachhis pupil the lesson and try to justify it. But "I myself" have to realize the truth and take it as myown. That is called self-appropriation (jitoku). It is transferred from heart to heart (ishin denshin).It is a bestowal by extraordinary means, beyond instruction and erudition (kyogai betsuden) thatdoes not mean that the Masters teaching is to be contradicted. All it means is that even a Master

cannot pass on the truth itself. That is not only true of Zen."

"From the spiritual exercises of the ancients on the art of forming the soul right up to the artsproper, self appropriation is always the essence of the matter, and it is always transmitted fromheart to heart, apart from tradition, from all teachings which are handed down. The meaning of all"teaching" is only to show what everyone possesses in himself without already knowing it, andthen to make him aware of it. There is no secret that the master can "hand over" to the pupil.Teaching is easy. Listening is easy. But it is difficult to become aware of what one has in onesself, to mark it out and really to take possession of it. That is known as looking into ones ownbeing. It is self perception, the self perception of being (ken-sei, kensho). If that happens to usthen we have Satori. It is the great awakening out of the dream of errors. Awakening, looking intoones own being, perception of the self one really is - they are all one and the same thing".

Takeharu Teramoto was an Admiral and Professor at the Naval Academy in Tokyo. His form of practice was swordfighting (Gyo). His own Master had been the last Master of a school of combat in which the story of five cats hadbeen handed down from Master to Master since the beginning of the seventeenth century as a form of instruction,and had finally reached Teramoto through his own Master.


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M o Issai Chozan (1659-1741): Neko no myjutsuThe Mysterious Technique of the CatIn: The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts: And Other Talesby Issai ChozanshiTranslated by William Scott WilsonKodansha International, 2006

The tale Neko no myjutsu written in 1727 by Niwa Jurozaemon Tadaaki (16591741), a samurai of the Sekiyado fief [The Sekiyado fief is located in the ancientprovince of Shimosa, now divided between Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures]... Little isknown of this man, whose nom de plume was Issai Chozanshi, but he was clearlyacquainted with swordsmanship, philosophy, and art had made an extensive study ofBuddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto and seems to have been familiar withthe works of Musashi and the priest Takuan.

Issai Chozanshi ( M o ). Chozanshi was likely one of the literati, more

interested in a quiet life of studying the arts and communing with like-minded friends

than in being involved with politics or the great topics of the day. Surely the name hechose as his literary moniker gives us an insight into his personality. The M of Issai

can mean to avoid (as in society), to take pleasure in (as in studies), or to playaround and be content. For the Chinese Confucian scholar Mencius, the Itsudo ( M

) was the Way of making people happy and at ease. Tellingly, too, the compound M O

means to amuse yourself with your own pursuits. Thus, Issai is the artist who amuseshimself and others. Chozanshi, on the other hand, may be taken as the philosopher ofStinking Tree Mountain. The cho ( )Ailanthus glandulosais a tree known for its

twisted and unpleasant-smelling timber. In the Chuang Tzu, when a man complains thatthe cho in his yard is useless, ignored by carpenters and avoided by everyone, ChuangTzu points out that this precise uselessness is why it has lived so long. He then asks

his complaining neighbor, Why dont you plant it in the village of Nothing-at-All or inthe field of Empty-of-Breadth? Knocking about, you could engage in Non-Action at itsside free and easy, you could sprawl out and sleep beneath it. It will not be cut downprematurely by axes great or small, and will be harmed by nothing. Even though itcant be used, how will it ever be troubled or distressed?


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There was a swordsman by the name of Shoken.1 One day, a large rat turned up in his house. Therat would not leave, and took to roaming around the house, even in broad daylight. Eventually,Shoken managed to trap the rat in a room, so he could set his cat upon it. But as the cat enteredthe room, the rat advanced, hurled itself at the cats face, and sank its teeth into it. The cat let outa scream and ran away. Realizing he was up against more than he had bargained for, Shoken wentaround the neighborhood and borrowed a number of cats that had made names for themselves asthe best of their kind. He chased them into the room where the rat was making its nest in thecorner of the alcove, but when one of the cats approached, the rat once again pounced and sank itsteeth into it. When the other cats saw this appalling situation, they all fled in fear.

Shoken was outraged and chased the rat about, trying to kill it with a wooden sword he carried at

his side, but the rat would sl ip away and avoid being struck. Furthermore, although all the paper-covered sliding doors were smashed down and torn in the fracas, the rat would jump and escapeinto the center of the room, always moving with the speed of lightning. It seemed that sooner orlater the rat was going to leap at Shokens face and give him a taste of its teeth. Shoken brokeinto a sweat and said to himself, Ive heard that not far from here, there is a cat that is first-rateand in fact unequalled. Id better go borrow that one, and thereupon sent a man off for it.

The cat was brought in and he took a look at it, but it did not appear to be particularly clever oreven very active. Still, he thought, First Ill try putting it into the room anyway, and so he openedthe door just a little and put the cat inside. The rat cowered right where it was, and was unable tomove. The cat walked over in a leisurely fashion and dragged the rat away as though it werenothing at all.

That night, all the other cats gathered at the house and, inviting the old cat to take the mosthonored seat, all genuflected before him and, with great respect, said, We are all called first-ratecats. We have disciplined ourselves in our Way, and sharpen our claws to crush even weasels and


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otters, not to mention rats. Up to now, however, we have never encountered such a strong rat asthis one. Yet you overcame him easily, perhaps by some personal technique. We humbly requestthat you impart your lordships mysterious technique to us, holding nothing back.

The old cat laughed and said, All you young cats work with considerable skill, but you haventheard about the method of the Correct Way. Thus you have met a situation contrary to yourexpectations and have come to grief. Nevertheless, I would first like to hear about how each ofyou have trained.

An agile black cat stepped up from the midst of the group and said, I was born into a house ofmousers, and have exerted myself in that Way, leaping over seven-foot screens and squeezingmyself through tiny holes, so that from the time I was a kitten there was no quick or nimble trick Icould not do. Whether it was the strategy of pretending to be asleep or suddenly exploding in ablaze of energy, I never faltered, even with rats that ran along the rafters and beams. But today Ihave encountered a rat stronger than I could imagine, and have gotten the beating of a lifetime.This is something I never expected.

The old cat said, Ahh, your discipline is only a performance of skill. Thus, you still haventescaped from the mind that aims at something. The men of old taught performance in order toinform others of the Way, so such performances were simple and contained a profound principlewithin them. In these later times, performances of skill are considered specializations: variousdetails are concocted, dexterity is inordinately refined, the ancients sayings are consideredinsufficient, and the practitioner uses his own wit and contrivances. In the end, it all comes downto a contest of performance skills dexterity consumes itself, and for what? Those who practicerefining the dexterity of men of little character, and those who specialize in wit and contrivancesare all like this. Wit may be used by the mind, but it is not based in the Way. When one specializessolely in dexterity, he is at the edge of make-believe2 and, contrary to what you might think,there are many instances of wit and contrivances becoming nothing but drawbacks. You shouldreflect on such matters in this way, and make great efforts.

Next, a large brindled cat came forward and said, To my way of thinking, we respect the chi3 ofmartial arts. Therefore, I have disciplined my chi over a long period of time. Now that chi is

serene and exceedingly strong, and would seem to fill Heaven and Earth. I trample my opponentunderfoot, by first defeating him and then advancing. Following the voice, responding to the echo, Icontrol the rat and there is nothing I cannot answer to. I have no thoughts or intentions for using aperformance of skill, and my performance flows out on its own. I can just stare at a rat runningalong the rafters and beams so that it falls off and is taken. Nevertheless, this strong rat has noform when it comes, and leaves no traces when it goes. What kind of thing is this?

The old cat said, Your training can only function by depending on the power of chi. You are stilldepending on yourself. This is not the highest good.4 If you are going out to defeat your opponent,he may also be coming out to defeat you. And what about when defeat turns into no defeat at all?You may disguise your intentions to crush your opponent, but your opponent may do the same. Andwhat about when a disguise turns into no disguise at all? How can it be that only you will be strong

and all your opponents weak? Thinking that your chi is serene, exceedingly strong, and fillingHeaven and Earth, is all just considering its form. It resembles Menciuss vast and expansive chi,5but in fact it is not. Menciuss chi depends on complete clarity and so is strong and sturdy. Yours isstrong and sturdy because it depends on power. Thus, their functions are not the same. They areas different as the eternal flow of the Yellow River and the force of an overnight flood. Moreover,when someone will not yield to the energy of your chiwhat then? There are occasions when acornered rat will bite a cat, contrary to expectations. Pressed with certain death, there is nothingfor it to fall back on. It forgets about life, forgets about its desires, does not consider victory orloss as inevitable, and has no thoughts of preserving its own skin. Thus, its resolve is like iron.How could you defeat an opponent like this with the force of chi?

Then a middle-aged gray cat advanced composedly, and said, The chi of which you speak is fully

active, but has a form. Things that have a form may be indistinct, but can be seen. I havedisciplined my mind for a long time. I do not develop force, nor do I contend with things. I am inharmony with others, and run counter to nothing. When someone attempts to be tough with me, Imeet him with harmony and so become his companion. My technique is like catching pebbles with


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a large curtain. Though you may speak of a cornered rat, there is nothing to fall back on tocontend with me. Nevertheless, todays rat could neither be overcome with force nor met withharmony both coming and going, he was like a god. Ive never seen anything like him up untilnow.

The old cat said, Your harmony is not natural harmony. You think, and so create harmony. Thoughyou intend to avoid your opponents sharp spirit, you still retain a small bit of intention, so youropponent sees through your tactic. If you attempt to reach harmony by inserting your mind, yourchi will be corrupted and you will be approaching negligence. When you think and then do

something, you obstruct your natural perception. And if you obstruct natural perception, how canthe mysterious function be given life from anywhere at all? Simply without thinking, without doinganything, move by following your natural perception and your movement will have no form.6 Andwhen you have no form, there is nothing in Heaven and Earth that could be your opponent.

That said, each and all of your disciplines are not without value. The meaning of the phrase formand spirit are consistent,7 is that the highest principle is contained within a performance oftechnique. Chi is what generates function throughout the body. When that chi is serene andeverywhere, response to things will be boundless and when you are in harmony, there will be nocontending with strength. Though you are struck with metal and rock, you will not be crushed.Nevertheless, even the smallest thoughts will all become [conscious] intentions.8 This is not thespontaneity9 of the Way. Thus, when you face off with another, if your mind has not been subdued,the mentality of opposition will exist. What technique will you use then? No-Mind10 and respondingnaturally is the only answer.

Still , the Way is not limited, and you should not think that what I say is the ultimate. Long agothere was a cat in my neighborhood it slept all day and had no vitality at all. It was like a catmade out of wood.11 People never saw it catch rats, but wherever the cat was, there were no ratsin the vicinity. And this was true even if it changed locations. I went over and asked why this wasso, but it gave me no answer. Though I asked it four times, still four times it did not answer.12 Itwas not that it could not answer, but that it didnt know what to say. This is, as you know, anexample of Those who know dont speak those who speak dont know.13 That cat had evenforgotten that it had forgotten itself, and had returned to a state of Nothingness.14 The very spirit

of the martial, it killed nothing.15 I am far and away unable even to approach that cat.Shoken listened to this as though in a dream. He went over to the old cat, folded his hands overhis chest, bowed his head with deep respect, and said, I have disciplined myself in the art ofswordsmanship for a long time, but still have not reached the summit of that Way. Tonight,listening to each of these theories, I have attained the highest degree of my path. May I requestthat you point out its very deepest mysteries?

The cat said, No, Im just an animal. Rats are my meals. What would I have to do with the actionsof human beings? Still, there is something I heard in secret. That is that the art of swordsmanshipis not exclusively in making efforts to defeat others. It is the art of dealing with the GreatTransformation, and being clear on the matter of life and death. A man who would be a samurai

should always maintain this kind of mentality, and should discipline himself in that art. For thisreason, you should first of all penetrate the matter of life and death make no particularadaptations to the mind have no doubts and no vacillation do not use your own wit, contrivances,or prejudices harmonize mind and chi rely on nothing and be as serene as a deep pool. If youare always like this, you will be completely free to respond to any change.

But when the smallest thing enters your mind, form wil l appear. And when there is form, therewill be an opponent and there will be yourself. Facing each other, there will be conflict and in asituation like this, the mysterious functions of change and metamorphosis will not occur withfreedom. First, your mind will fall into thoughts of death and you will lose all clarity of spirit. Howthen will you stand readily and with resolve for a fight? Even if you should win, it would be what iscalled a blind victory, and this is not the true object of the art of swordsmanship.

Nothingness is not what you would call empty-headedness. It is the foundation of the mind andhas no form. You should never be taken by phenomena.16 Once you are the least bit taken bysomething, your chi will be drawn to it. And once your chi is even slightly drawn to something, it


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2 From Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching, 57: When man makes a great deal of skill andcunning, off-beat ways arise more and more. Chozans word make-believe also canmean falsehood. Both meaningsone directed inwardly, the other outwardlyareappropriate.

3 Chi: The vitality that is the very foundation of the body.

4 Tao Te Ching, 8: The highest good is like water it benefits the Ten Thousand Things,but does not contend with them.

5 Mencius: Again he asked, What is this broad and expansive chi? He said, Itsdifficult to say. It is extremely great and strong, and because of this it nurtures anddoes not harm. Thus it fills the space between Heaven and Earth.

6 I Ching, The Commentaries: Change does not think, it does not act [with intent]. Itis serene and does not move. It perceives and thus penetrates everything underHeaven. Note that change ( ) can also be read as easy.

7 Lit., The utensil and the Way are consistent. The meaning is that the manifest is theutensil, and the spirit within is the Way. I Ching, The Commentaries: With form, the

ascendant is called the Way, while the descendant is called the utensil.

8 Sakui ( ), intention, is a homonym of sakui ( ), artificiality.

9 Shizen ( ): Lit., of-itself-so, means both the natural world (which includes

ourselves) and its internal laws. See discussion of tzu jan in the introduction.

10 Mushin ( # ): The Zen Buddhist ideala mind without calculations, prejudices, or

pre-valuing. Lit., no mind. It is the mind empty of all artifice, completely open towhatever enters it. It reflects the manifest world like a mirror, without the distortion ofideas of right and wrong, gain and loss, or attraction and repulsion. It is the

enlightened mind.11 This refers to the story in the Chuang Tzu of a man who trained gamecocks. Hedeclared that any outward manifestation of energy, ferocity, or reaction to things aboutthem indicated that the cocks were not yet trained to the highest degree. It was onlywhen you look at them and they resemble cocks made of wood, that their disciplineand training are complete.

12 Chuang Tzu: Nieh Chueh was trying to question Wang Ni: Four times he asked him,and four times he simply said, I dont know.

13 Tao Te Ching, 56: The one who knows does not speak the one who speaks does

not know.

14 Tao Te Ching, 14: Continuous and consistent, it cannot be given a name. It returnsagain to Nothingness. This mubutsu ( ' ), traditionally translated as Nothingness

in Taoist texts, is the great source of everything in the universe. Chozan, however,seems to mix its meaning with the Zen Buddhist Mu Ichi Motsu ( ' ), meaning

that not one thing exists on its own, that everything is contingent on other thingsNothingness with a slightly different twist. Thus we should not, and indeed cannot, relyon anything. Rather, we should always return to the boundless source of Nothingness.

15 I Ching, The Commentaries: The wise and sagacious men of ancient times had thevery spirit of the martial and did not kill.

16 In the Fudochishinmyoroku, the Zen priest Takuan (15731645) emphasized that themind of a swordsman should not be taken (stopped or moved) by anything at all. If it


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were to be taken, its freeflow would be clogged up and the unfettered movement ofboth body and mind would be arrested.

17 In the Taiaki, also by Takuan, we read: Presumably, as a martial artist, I do notfight for gain or loss, am not concerned with strength or weakness, and neitheradvance a step nor retreat a step. The enemy does not see me. I do not see theenemy. Penetrating to a place where Heaven and Earth have not yet divided, where yinand yang have not yet arrived, I quickly and necessarily gain effect.

18 See note 7.

19 Referring to a poem by the Zen priest Muso Kokushi (12751351). The full verseruns:

How many times have the green mountains turned to yellowThe vigorous confusion of this world never ends.A speck of dust gets in your eye and the Three Worlds are closed up.But if there is nothing in your mind, all about you is broad and wide.

20 Analects, 5,26: A great army can be robbed of its general, but even a commonman cannot be robbed of his will.

21 Ishin denshin ( # f # ): A Zen Buddhist phrase meaning that the transmission

of the enlightened mind does not rely upon words or texts. In The BloodstreamSermon, Bodhidharma states, In the arising of the Three Worlds, they all return to theOne Mind. Both Buddhas in the past and Buddhas in the future transmit mind with themind. They do not stand on words.

22 The martial arts, etc.

23 In The Book of Five Rings, the great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi states, In thisWay especially, if you misperceive it or become lost just a little, you will fall into

distortion. You will not reach the essence of the martial arts by merely looking at thisbook. . . . Rather, you should consider these principles as though they were discoveredfrom your own mind, and continually make great efforts to make them a physical partof yourself.

24 Kensho: Lit., seeing ones nature. At its deepest, this is making the discovery on ones ownthat the Buddha nature is within ones own mind. In Bodhidharmas Sermon on Awakening to OnesNature, he states, Pointing directly at mans mind see your own nature and become a Buddha.This is a special transmission beyond the scriptures, not standing on words or letters.

Story Neko no myjutsu' (Mysterious Technique of the Cat)Posted by da2elni4na [Daniel Nishina]May 4, 2010http://da2el.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/story-neko-no-myojutsu-mysterious-technique-of-the-cat/

[I encountered this story recently and looked around, finding some varying versions ofthe Japanese and translations. My "tweak" translation below for the most part took outthe inclusion of other translators' elaborations. Maybe my mind is, more than before, in


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nothing more than superficial force. It may resemble Mencius' Kzen no ki, but in reality it is not.Mencius can perceive very well and has the knowledge to discern matters, and is very solid. Butyour solidity is dependent on force and the effect is not even comparable. It is like the differencebetween an ever-flowing great river and the force of a flashflood after a night's rain. What to dowhen faced with an opponent that is unperturbed by the force of your ki? We know the proverb, Abiting cat gets bitten by the rat.' When a rat is cornered it forgets life, forgets desires, forgetswinning and losing, forgets safety it is in a state of mushin'. How to defeat such an opponentwith only force?

Next, an older grey cat came forth quietly and said, As you have stated, that type of ki power canbe very strong but still retains a form, however slight. I have trained my mind for many years,and without force of ki or opposition, always trying to harmonize with everything. My technique islike a curtain surrendering to the pressure of a stone thrown at it. Even a strong rat finds nomeans to fight me. But that rat today, it wouldn't yield to force, respond to harmonizing it wasalmost god-like. I've never seen a rat like that before.

The Old Cat answered, The harmonizing you speak of is not of nature but instead something thatis contrived. Accordingly, even if you strive to concentrate, if there is even the faintest wavering inyou, the opponent will know it. Also, if one harmonizes based on one's own mind, the energy willbe tainted and spoiled. If you act based on thinking, then you obstruct the sense ofnaturalness/spontaneity, and subtlety cannot arise. Do not think or do. Move in accord with sense,and you will no longer have any enemies on this earth. This is not to say that the training that eachone of you is doing is of no use. Where there is energy (ki'), there is principle, and where there isprinciple, there is energy (ki'). There is principle in action, and energy is something that comprisesphysical function. When that energy becomes magnanimous, it can respond to things without limit.So, when harmonizing, without strength, even if one is hit by a rock, one will not break. Theslightest thought makes everything an intention. Accordingly, the enemy wil l never respect you.There is no need to use any technique. It is enough to be mushin', and respond spontaneously.There is no end to the path, so one must not take what I say to be the enlightening secret.

Long ago, there was a cat in my neighborhood who seemed to do nothing but nap all day. That catlooked spiritless, almost like a cat made out of wood. No one ever saw it catch a rat, yet wherever

it was and wherever it went, no rat could be seen. I once visited the cat and asked it to explain. Iasked four times but it remained silent each time. It was not that the cat did not want to answerbut rather that it did not have a reason to answer. What I understood from that was, those whoknow, do not speak those who speak, do not know. That cat forgot about itself, forgot aboutthings, and had returned to a non-thing. It was truly Divine, martial no killing. I was nowherein comparison to that cat.

Shken, who had been listening in on this dreamlike conversation, could not contain himself andsuddenly burst in. I have been training in swordsmanship for many years but I have yet to masterits essence. Tonight I have learned about many different kinds of training and learned much. If Imay request, please guide me to the innermost secrets.

The Old Cat replied: I cannot. I am just an animal that catches rats for food. What do I knowabout human affairs? I have heard this, though. Swordsmanship is not to attain victory over anopponent, but to face change and illuminate life and death. Warriors continually develop theirmind/heart, and must train their technique. Accordingly, if one can, through the principle of lifeand death, without using deliberation, innovation, and without doubt and hesitation, make peacefulthe heart/mind and energy, and make usual being quiet and at ease, then one can freely respondto change. Conversely, if one does not have such a mind, then there arises form, and thus enemiesare born one must face them and fight them, and no longer be able to respond to change. That is,one's mind first falls into the realm of death and loses its vitality how to then decide a dueloptimally? Even if one wins, it is nothing more than luck, and not related to true swordsmanship.

No-mind, no-object' does not mean vacant. The mind does not originally have a form, and

accordingly cannot harbor objects. If there is even a hint of harboring something, one's energytends to gather there, and if that happens it becomes difficult to be magnanimous, open, and free.What is tended toward becomes excessive, and where it is not so there arises a lacking. Wherethere is excess the momentum causes spillage, and where there is lacking, it becomes useless,


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and together, the ability to respond to change is lost. The no-mind, no-object that I speak of is notaccumulating, not gathering there is no enemy, there is no self simply put, there is no thought,no doing, quietly not moving, sensing what is on the earth, and finally, proceeding it is close tomastering this principle.

Shken then asked,What is meant by There is no enemy, there is no self'?

The Old Cat replied, Because there is a self, there is an enemy. If there is no self, there is noenemy. The enemy is the same as yin-yang, fire-water. Everything that has a form has

relativity/opposition. If there is no image (form) in one's mind, then of course there is nothingrelative, and no reason to fight. This is called, No enemy, no self'. Forget both object and self,quietly and easily, rid yourself of all delusion and attachment, harmonize, and become one. Even ifone destroys the form of the enemy, the self does not know it. No, it's not that it doesn't know, it'sthat there is no mind there and so there is just moving in accordance with sense. According to thismind, The world is my world, I am the world' there is no captivation by right-wrong, like-dislike. Everything comes from one's mind pain-pleasure, gain-loss the broad universe is notsomething to be sought outside one's mind. The ancients said, A speck of dust in the eye can makethe three worlds look narrow. Free your mind.' That is, if you have dust in your eye, you can't openyour eye. There is something where there shouldn't be anything. This is about the heart/mind. Theancients also said, Even surrounded by countless foes, this form may be smashed, but this mind ismy mind.' Confucius said, Even the basest man cannot be deprived of his will.' If one is perplexedor lost, that mind helps the enemy. This is all I have to say.

The rest is up to each person to seek for himself. One's master can transmit technique, or tasks then there is only to realize the principle. The truth must be realized by the individual. This iscalled self-attainment. It is also called, Heart/mind to heart/mind transmission' this is foundeverywhere self-attainment is, whether zen study, mental methods of the saints, or performingarts. To teach is only to point out and help know that which a person has but cannot see himself. Itis not to receive from the master. Teaching is easy, and listening to teachings is easy. However, itis difficult to find with certainty that which one has, and make it one's own. This is called kensho'.Satori' is to wake from the dream that is delusion. These are the same thing.

Secret of Kendo and The Cat's Eerie Skillby Hiroshi Ozawa, Professor of Tokyo University of ScienceIn: Essence of Training (Keiko) in Japanese Culture: Technique (Waza) Acquirement and Secret ofKendo, pp. 9-11.http://tenproxy.typepad.jp/recent_engagement/files/essence_of_training_in_japanese_culturee.pdf

The story of The Cat's Eerie Skill (Neko no Myojyutsu) is in one of traditional books ofswordsmanship secrets called Inaka Soshi, which was written by Chozan Issai (given name: NiwaJuro Uemon Tadaaki) in the 18th century (between Genroku and Kyoho period). Chozan was asamurai in Sekiyado Domain located at the turnoff of Tone River, which was very prosperous withimportant transportation passage to Edo and Choshi. He got paid as a flag commissioner (hatabugyo) in the domain and was well - acquainted with Shintoism, Confucianism and Buddhism withparticular knowledge of Taoism and Zen Buddhism. The story of The Cat's Eerie Skill was valuedby Tesshu Yamaoka and hardly shared with anyone although he shared other books regardless ofthe school. The story sounds rather too well - made and artificial, but I will try to explain it plainly.

The story starts with There used to be a swordsman named Shoken. A big rat started living in hishouse and is giving him a hard time by running wildly in his reception room in the daylight.

He decided to borrow a couple of feisty cats from his neighbors and put them in the room, butnone of them was a match for the rat. Being impatient, he grabbed his wooden sword with onehand and tried to strike him, but he slipped right through his swing. He almost got scratched when


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he wasn't paying enough attention.

Exhausted from the battle with a big rat, Shoken wiped the sweat and took a short breath. Then heremembered about the rumor of an incomparably talented cat that lives six or seven blocks fromhis house. He sent an errand immediately and borrowed the cat, but he was very disappointed atthe appearance of the cat as he looked old, dull and very weak.

"I might as well take a chance and put him in the room, said Shoken. So he opened the screendoor and threw the cat in the room. To his surprise, the wild rat became terrified all of a sudden

and couldn't even take a step. Without any attempt, the cat grabbed him by the mouth and draggedhim to Shoken. Thus, all the hassles caused by the rat ended quickly.

The main subject of the story is the lesson of the dull cat to the other feisty cats and it starts fromhere.

Quick black cat began talking as he was getting frustrated. I started my mouse catching trainingas a kitten and have studied the feat of agility and acrobatics. I have never failed to catch ratsrunning on beams, either. The dull cat responded, The only thing you learned was the form oftechnique. That is why you are constantly seeking for the moment to use your technique. Theprinciple of technique is taught during the practice of technique acquirement. The principle itselfmay seem simple but it contains the deep truth. If you only imitate the form of technique withoutknowing the truth or principle, you tend to compare your techniques with someone else's. Sincethey aren't based on the truth or principle, they become artificial and do more harm than good.He warned the harmful effect that may be caused by those who are exclusively oriented towardtechniques or who are proud of their techniques.

Next, Big striped cat stepped forward saying, What I think is important in martial arts is force ofenergy (ki). I have trained it for a while. My energy has become very strong and expandedgreatly. Only after I overpowered my opponent with my concentrated energy (kiai), I fought withhim freely according to his tactics. I could employ any techniques with ease, but my tactics wasn'teffective at all against the rat. The dull cat said, The only thing you trained was using the forceof energy. In that case, you are still relying on yourself. It works only when your opponent has

less energy, but if the opponent has more, he will be beyond your control. You have no chanceagainst someone who would risk losing his life like that rat.

Older gray cat said, I already learned the theory and have made an effort to train my mind. Ihave refrained myself from expressing my anger, kept myself from fighting with anyone, andmaintained my peace of mind. This is, so to speak, my tactics of beating the air. However, mypeace of mind didn't stand a chance against the rat. The dull cat said, Your tactics is closer to thesecret than the tactics using the force of energy, but alas, it's not natural because you reasonedyourself into making peace. You need to throw away discretion and use your techniques in adetached state of mind according to your sense. Thus, the dull cat denied each cat's trainingmethod that was dedicated for technique (waza), energy (ki) and mind (kokoro) respectively. Hechanged the tone of his voice and came to a conclusion. Even the best man meets his match.

When I was young, there was a cat in the neighboring vil lage. He did nothing but slept all day, andhad no energy in him. He was just like a wooden cat, but strangely, there was not even a rat seenaround him. If he was taken to a rat - infested place, they would disappear instantly. I asked himwhat he did, but he would just laugh and didn't give me an answer. He who knows the truth neverspeaks and he who doesn't always speaks. He was truly great because he attained the selfless,unfettered state of mind. He was far more superior to me.

It is a difficult concept to learn, but the secret of kendo is to attain the self-less, aimless state ofnothingness where you respond like a wind without leaving any trace.

Cf.

The Cat's Eerie Skill: A Translation of Issai Chozan's "Neko no myjutsu" by

Karl F. FridayIn: Keiko Shokon (Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Vol. 3). Ed. by Diane Skoss. BerkeleyHeights, NJ: Koryu Books, 2002, pp. 17-34.


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& In: The Overlook Martial Arts ReaderVol. 2. Ed. by John Donohue, The Overlook Press, 2004, pp.106113.

http://www.uranus.dti.ne.jp/~hyamada/echigo/neko.htm

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佚斎樗山 Issai Chozan (1659-1741)_ 猫の妙術 Neko No Myōjutsu

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