Tsuki Kage Dojo - Shugyo Renshu Essay
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Shugyo Renshu 修行 練習 By Nathan Scott Page best viewed with browser character coding/encoding set to "Japanese [Shift_JIS]" May 10th, 1999 (last revised 7/23/2003) "Weakening the physical senses by practicing austerities is one way to allow the spiritual senses to become stronger. Activities like Zazen, fasting, ascetic practices in the mountains, and so on exhaust the body and allow the spiritual senses to become more active." Onisaburo Deguchi, Founder of Otomo Religion (Aikido Journal, Vol.25, No.1) Shugyo (修行) may be defined literally as "conducting oneself in a way that inspires mastery". While the meaning of the kanji used in "shu" was originally translated as 'using a brush to strike away the dust that obscures the viewing of a persons original elegance', the combined kanji of "shu" and "gyo" (carrying out, walking along) is now generally translated as simply "severe or austere training". The kanji rendered for this version of "shugyo" is most commonly associated with Buddhist asceticism, and most notably, the "shugenja" (修験者, ascetic mountaindwelling monks). In addition to ascetic Buddhism, the act of shugyo can be applied to any serious endeavor or "michi" (path). For example, the term "musha shugyo" (武者 修行, an exponent of martial [arts] conducting themselves in a way that inspires mastery) refers to a "knighterrantry" tour, a practice of travelling around the country in order to train and test their martial skills that was followed by many serious budo ka of preMeiji Japan (and to a lesser degree postMeiji). The kanji used in the term "shushi" (修士, master) also combines the same shu character with the character for "man" (alternately read as "samurai"). The implication of this kanji combination is that the person, and perhaps only the person, that follows the way of austere training can obtain the skill level of a "master". A related term worth mentioning is "kugyo" (苦行), which translates literally as "carrying on while suffering", and is understood functionally as referring to asceticism, penance, or mortification. In centuries past, shugyo were periods of time where the adherent (usually certain types of monks or warriors) would submit themselves to extreme conditions mentally, spiritually and physically, in order to achieve certain enhanced or enlightening experiences. This was viewed as an important forging process that, among other things, taught one what their actual limitations were; or more appropriately, what their lack of limitations were. There are several well known shugyosha (修行者, practitioner of austerities) that are known to have followed such severe training in more recent years. The famous Karateka Mas Oyama (founder of "Kyokushinkai karate", pictured right) was known for his long periods of mountain training.
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essay about sugyo
Transcript of Tsuki Kage Dojo - Shugyo Renshu Essay
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ShugyoRenshu
ByNathanScott
Pagebestviewedwithbrowsercharactercoding/encodingsetto"Japanese[Shift_JIS]"
May10th,1999(lastrevised7/23/2003)
"Weakeningthephysicalsensesbypracticingausteritiesisonewaytoallowthespiritualsensestobecomestronger.ActivitieslikeZazen,fasting,asceticpracticesinthemountains,andsoonexhaustthebodyandallowthespiritualsensestobecomemoreactive."OnisaburoDeguchi,FounderofOtomoReligion(AikidoJournal,Vol.25,No.1)
Shugyo()maybedefinedliterallyas"conductingoneselfinawaythatinspiresmastery".Whilethemeaningofthekanjiusedin"shu"wasoriginallytranslatedas'usingabrushtostrikeawaythedustthatobscurestheviewingofapersonsoriginalelegance',thecombinedkanjiof"shu"and"gyo"(carryingout,walkingalong)isnowgenerallytranslatedassimply"severeorausteretraining".Thekanjirenderedforthisversionof"shugyo"ismostcommonlyassociatedwithBuddhistasceticism,andmostnotably,the"shugenja"(,asceticmountaindwellingmonks).
InadditiontoasceticBuddhism,theactofshugyocanbeappliedtoanyseriousendeavoror"michi"(path).Forexample,theterm"mushashugyo"(,anexponentofmartial[arts]conductingthemselvesinawaythatinspiresmastery)referstoa"knighterrantry"tour,apracticeoftravellingaroundthecountryinordertotrainandtesttheirmartialskillsthatwasfollowedbymanyseriousbudokaofpreMeijiJapan(andtoalesserdegreepostMeiji).Thekanjiusedintheterm"shushi"(,master)alsocombinesthesameshucharacterwiththecharacterfor"man"(alternatelyreadas"samurai").Theimplicationofthiskanjicombinationisthattheperson,andperhapsonlytheperson,thatfollowsthewayofausteretrainingcanobtaintheskilllevelofa"master".
Arelatedtermworthmentioningis"kugyo"(),whichtranslatesliterallyas"carryingonwhilesuffering",andisunderstoodfunctionallyasreferringtoasceticism,penance,ormortification.
Incenturiespast,shugyowereperiodsoftimewheretheadherent(usuallycertaintypesofmonksorwarriors)wouldsubmitthemselvestoextremeconditionsmentally,spirituallyandphysically,inordertoachievecertainenhancedorenlighteningexperiences.Thiswasviewedasanimportantforgingprocessthat,amongotherthings,taughtonewhattheiractuallimitationswereormoreappropriately,whattheirlackoflimitationswere.
Thereareseveralwellknownshugyosha(,practitionerofausterities)thatareknowntohavefollowedsuchseveretraininginmorerecentyears.ThefamousKaratekaMasOyama(founderof"Kyokushinkaikarate",picturedright)wasknownforhislongperiodsofmountaintraining.
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UeshibaMorihei(founderof"aikido")alsosupplementedhistrainingquiteofteninhisyoungeryearswithshugyoandasceticmisogitraining(spiritualcleansing):
"Onceayear,MoriheitookseveralofhisbestdisciplestotrainwithhimonMountKurama,locatednearKyoto.Thesmallgrouplivedonrice,pickles,misosoup,andwildherbs.MoriheiwouldriseatfiveAMtopray.Aftermorningprayersandmisogi,theywouldswingheavyswordsfivehundredtimesandthenpracticefootwork.FromtenAMtonoontheytrainedinbodytechniques.AfternoontrainingranfromthreetofivePMthedisciplestookturnsactingasMorihei'spartnerasheranthroughseriesafterseriesoftechniques.Intheeveningsthediscipleswouldreviewtheday'straining.Everythreedays,Moriheiwouldannounceatmidnight'timefornighttraining'..."Excerptfrom"InvincibleWarrior",byJohnStevenspg.125
TesshuYamaokawasoneofJapan'smostfamousandinterestingswordsmen.TesshuwasinfluencedbyZen,andeventuallyfoundedhisowntraditioncalled"Ittoseidenmutoryu"(thetraditionofnosword),perhapspartiallyinreactiontothedissolveofthewarriorclassin1868.Thoughhewasalsoanexceptionalartist,andcreatedoveramillionpiecesofcalligraphyinhislifetime,hegavemoneytoothershisentirelifeanddiedapoorman.
ItissaidthatTesshurequiredhisdisciplestofollowaprogressivelystrenousphysicaltrial,thatwouldhavebeenconsideredbrutaleveninhisowntime:
1ststageTwodaycommitmenttoengageintwohundredcontestsperday,alone,andwithoutstoppingagainsttwentyopponentswhoarepermittedtorestandattackinrotation.Priortocommittingtothe1ststage,thedisciplehadtocarryoutthetrainingfor1000dayswithoutfail.
2ndstageThreedaycommitmentsameasabove.
3rdstageSevendaycommitmentsameasabove.
4thstageOnethousanddaystrainingwithoutstopping,from4amto8pmeachday,competingagainstonehundredopponentsperday.
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Mostpeopledelvetopushtheirlimitationsdiscoverthattheyareabletoendureoverallstresstoatleastdoubletheperformanceofwhattheyhadassumedtheywerecapable.MyfirstexperiencewithexpandinglimitationswasinHighSchool,duringwhichIhadenrolledinanOutdoorLeadership/Survivalschool.ThiswasaonemonthlongbackpackthroughthemountainsofWyoming,inwhichwewererequiredtoendureconditionsrangingfromdesertterrainstoiceglaciers.Theentirecoursewasanescalationofchallenges,whichconcludedwithafivedayselfextraction,inwhichwewereexpectedto
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navigateourownwayoutofthemountains(twentymiles,notrails)withnofoodandonlypurifiedwater.Thiscoursewasalifechangingexperiencethatinspiredmyannualshugyo's.
Nowadays,theterm"shugyo"tendstobeusedinasomewhatloosercontext,andrenderedwithdifferentcharacters().Thischaractercombinationrefersto"thepursuitofknowledge",andisusedinthecontextofthedojoinreferencetostudyingintenselyandwithfocusduringtraining(aka:"shuren"[],training,discipline,drill),ormorephilosophically,pursuingapathoflearning.Thishomophonecarriesalessseverefeelingthatthatoftheformershugyo,andassuchshouldnotbeconfusedwiththeusageofthetermasexplainedabove.
Myownmethodofshugyobeginswithamodifiedfast(todetoxify/cleansethebodyandmind,discipline,perseverance,etc.)thatconsistsofahalfglassofjuicemixedwithgoodproteinpowderinthemorning,(alotof)water,greenteaandchinesemixedherbalteaduringtheday,andsometimesmisosoupbrothatnight.Thefastshouldbestrict,buttaileredaccordingtoactivitylevelforreasonsofhealth.Thoseinvolvedinonlymorepassivemisogiormedititationmaynothaveneedforproteinpowder,butinanyeventthebasicruleistolistentoyourbody.Asonepointofinterest,I'vefoundthatallsixsensesarenoticablyheightenedduringthefast.Colorsaremorebrilliant,hearingismoreaccute,scentsappeartobestrongerandtheperceptionofthemindoverallbecomessharper.
Thefastingsectionofashugyocanofcoursebemodifiedtosuittheneedsofthebody.Forexample,suddenprolongedfastsfollowedbythesuddenreintroductionoffoodwillmostlikelyslowtheadherent'smetabolismdown,
causingthebodytogointo"survival"modeandstoreallfoodasfatonthebodyforfuturefuelneeds.Topreventthis,agradualreductionoffoodovertwodayscombinedwithaminimalintakeoffood(crackers,smallamountsofbeefjerky,etc.)duringthemodifiedfast,concludingwithatwodayreintroductionshouldbesufficientinmostcases.Thefastandshugyoshouldbeasomewhatpersonalexperience,sothecriticismandremarksofothers(suchas"oh,thatsnotaREALfast")shouldbeconsideredirrelevanttoyourownpurposesandexperience.
Duringashugyo,theintensityoftrainingshouldbeincreased(maintainingatleastasixdayaweekbasicschedule),meditation,andsometimesevenaspectsofmisogi(waterpurificationritualawholeothersubject)and/orchinkonkishin(meditationto"calmthespiritandreturntothedivine")canbepracticed.Thereisnoonewaytoconductashugyo,asthepracticemustbeadaptedtoeachpersonaswellasthatoftheirintendedgoal.Usually,1014daysissufficienttoachievebeneficialresults,butIhavegoneaslongas30dayswithnoilleffectstemporaryorotherwise,otherthansubstantialweightloss.However,
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therearesignificanthealthissuestoconsider,suchashowtomaintainadequateprotein,calcium(forbonesandteeth),vitaminsandmineralsthatmustbeinviduallyresearched.Forexample,Irefrainfromliftingweights,heavybodyconditioning,anddeepstretchesduringShugyo,asIbelieveitmaybehazardoustoregionspecificmuscles,ligamentsandbones,consideringthelimitednutrientsingested.Ifphysicalweaknessormentalfocusbecomesproblematic,ahalfglassorsoofvegetablejuice(freshsqueezedpreferably)withextrasleepisusuallyadequatetorevitalizethebodiessystem.
Variousmethodsoffastinghavebeenrecordedhistoricallybymanyoftheoldestculturesaroundtheworld,andwasonceconsideredtobeapartofmaintainingnormalhealthbysomeofthesesocieties.Recently,westernDoctorshavebeguntoacknowledgethehealthbenefitsoffastingaswell.IthasbeenestimatedthattheaverageadultAmericancarriesatleast510poundsoftoxicchemicalsacquiredthroughprocessedfoodintheirbodyatanygiventime.Thesetoxinsarebelievedtocontributetodiseaseandillhealth.Fastingallowsthebodytimetocompletelyprocessthebackupofunprocessedtoxins(atleastthreedaysisgenerallyrequired),whichresultantlystrengthensthegeneralhealthofthebodyanditsimmunesystem.Furtherinformationaboutfastingcanbefoundontheinternetandinvariousresearchperiodicals.
PersonalTrainingMethods
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OvertheyearsIhaveadoptedcertaintrainingmethodsthatareperhapsnotgenerallyacceptedbythoseinvolvedprofessionallyinphysicalfitness.Pleasekeepinmindthatthesemethodswereresearchedandadaptedformepersonally,andmaynotsuiteveryone.Anyoneinterestedinfollowingsimilarmethodsshouldconsiderconsultingadoctororprofessionalbeforedoingso.
BudonoSeishinTanrenSpiritualForgingThroughBudo:
Everyonehastheirownreasonsandgoalsforstudyingmartialarts.However,forastyletobeconsidereda"martialart"bydefinition,studentsmuststrivetothebestoftheirabilitiestolearnandmastereffectivetechniquewhetherthisisevercompletelyachievedornot.Evenifeffectiveness(selfdefenseorcombat)isnotoneofthereasonsoriginallychosenfortraining,tonotdosoisaGREATdisservicetothefounderofthestyle,andallotherswhohavecommittedtheirlivestotheart.
Thislogicmaybehardtounderstandforsome,butIassureyouthatthereisamuchhigherlevelof"shuyo"(,cultivationofthemindandspirit,characterdevelopment)and"shushin"(,ethics,trainingmorals)foundthroughthepursuitofeffectivetechniques,thoughtheassumptionthatsenselessviolenceisbeingendorsedshouldofcoursenotbeconfusedwiththistypeofserioustraining.Onceastudenthasbeenonthereceivingendofeffectivetechniqueenoughtimes,theytendtobecomefarmoresensitivetoandcompassionatetowardsotherswhomightsufferatthehandofsimilartechniques.Thosethatsuffertendtodevelopcompassionforothersthatsuffer.Oneofthemainoverallresultsofshugyogeikoisthedevelopmentof"seishintanren"(,forgingthespirit)and"seishinryoku"(,moral/spiritualstrength).Thesequalitiesareverydifficulttodevelopoutsideofselfenduced"shugyo",andprovidetheproponentwithveryvaluablelifeskills,inadditiontoeffectivetechnique(forthosethatmighthaveneedforthem).
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Keepinmind,however,thatthereareendlesssportsforthosethatprefercompetitionZenforthosethatwishtomeditate,varioussocialgatheringsforthosethatprefertodiscussthedeeperprinciples,generalexerciseforthosethatdesiretoloseweight,anddancestudiosandgymnasticsforthosethatwanttoperfecttheirbodiesandenhancebiomechanics.Whileaspectsofthesearefoundinmartialarts,itisnotfairtostudyonlyapartofanartinhopesofachievingones'personalgoals.Todosowouldbeselfish,andtheartstudiedandBudocommunityasawholewouldsufferasaresult.
Budo/bujutsu(martialways/martialarts)traininginvolvesconditioningthebody,mindandspirit.Thesethreecomponentsencompassallaspectsofahumanbeing,andmustbegivenattentiontosomedegreeregardlessofthestyleoreraofagivenartstudied.Whatalotofpeopledon'trealize,isthatitisequallyimportanttostimulateallthreeareasofthemselvestomaintainoptimumhealth.Therearecountlessactivitiesthatexercisethebody,andtosomedegreethemind,or,conversely,themindandlessofthebody,aswellasothersthatfocusalmostexclusivelyonaspectsofthespirit.Buttraditionalbudo/bujutsuistheonlyendeavorthatrequiresparticipationinallthreeareas.Thismakesmartialartspotentiallyapowerfulanduniquetooltoimproveone'slife,ifsochosen.Todothismeanstofollow"jinseibudo"(livingthewayofbudo),orapplyingtheskills,wisdomandenlightenmentgainedintrainingtootherareasoflife.Ihaveneverhadanyonebeoffendedbypolitenessorthoughtfulness,andhavehadconsiderablesuccessinotherarea'soflife(inmyhumblejudgment)throughthecultivationofprincipleslikeperseverance,determination,endurance,initiative,disciplineandhonor.TheseareallcommonprinciplesthatareemphasizedinproperlytransmittedBudo.Thechoiceisthestudentsastowhethertheywanttoletbudotrainingbetheirpathtopersonalenhancement,orifthereareothercombinedendeavorsthatprovidethismorecomfortablyforthem.Therearemanypathsthatonecantakeinlife,andtheyareallcorrect.Findingthecorrect("rightoneforyou")instructorisparamounttopropertransmissionofbudo.Iwouldgosofarastosaythatitismoreimportanttofocusontheinstructorthanontheart,asaskilledbudokacanmakeanystyleeffective.Itissaidthatitisbettertospendfouryearssearchingfortherightinstructorthantospendoneyeartrainingunderthewrongone.
KataigeikoHardDailyTraining:
Generally,Itrainforatleasttwohoursaday,67daysaweek.Muchofthistimeisstudying,whilesomeofitisteaching(teachingisastudyinitself).Whilemyearlierdaysofstudyweresomewhatgenericincontentandmanner,thenineteenninety'shavebeenmuchmoreintensiveand"oldstyle".Itisduringthistimethatmytrainingmethodsbecamefocused.Somemay(andhave)calledmeabitfanaticandobsessiveasaresult,buttoexcelatsomethingonemustforgethemselveswithrepeatedpractice,andpushbeyondtheirperceivedlimitations.Someofthebesttrainingandlearningexperiencessomtimesoccurwhenfatiguedor(notseriously)injured.Thisisnotthetimetoskipclass.Ifyouaresick,stayhome.Ifyouareseriouslyinjuredordeeplyfatigued,trytowatchclassandlearnsomething.
JunanTaisoBodyConditioning:
Conditioningoftheknuckles,wristbone(tegatana),forearmsandshinsareamongafewoftheusefulthingsforanyBudokatokeepconditioned.Inadditiontovarioustraditionalmakiwara,Ifindthatriverbedstonesareagreat,portablewaytoconditiontheknucklesandwristbone(tegatana)duringtheafternoonwhileworkingordrivingtoclass.Inthedojo,Ihavesetupaverticalbeamwrappedin1/2"hemprope(wara)forhandconditioning,andtwopaddedcanvasmakiwaraagainstanotherbeamforshinsandforearms.Beadvisedthatitiseasytofindyourselfin"thezone"(or"Fray")afterawhile,andoneshouldtrytoremainconsciousoftheirknucklesbleedinganddiscontinueconditioningatthispoint.Thismethodofconditioningwouldgenerallybeconsidered"Japanese/Okinawan"innature.I'malsoawareofsomeChinesemethods,whichusuallyinvolve"ditdajow"(ahealingointmentusedbeforeandafterconditioning),whichisconsideredjustaseffective,whileleavinglittleornocallousorscars.My
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feelingisthattheChinesemethodisaslightlylonger,lowerimpactmethod,wheretheJapanesestyleishigherimpactandquickerinregardstodevelopment.Inanyevent,conditioningshouldbemaintainedatleastseveraltimesaweek.
TaisoExercises:
Likeanythingphysical,itisgoodtoalternatebetweencardiovasculartypeactivityandheavierendurancetypeactivity.Jogging,jumproping,cartwheels,handspringsandwalkingonthehandsareallgoodcardiovascularactivitiesthatbuildthebodyupandestablishbetterbalanceandcontrol.
Muscleflexibilityshouldalsobementioned,whichisfarunderratedforgood,longtermphysicalhealth.Asthebodybecomesolder,itstiffensandhardens.Ligament,bonedamage,andlimitedrangeofmotioniscommoninolderpeople.Thisismostlytheresultoftightmusclesthatconstrictmovement,combinedwithreducedlongtermstimulationthroughoutthejoints.Theolderonebecomes,thegreatertheneedforflexibility.Stretchingshouldbeperformedwhilethemusclesarewarm,andpumpedwithbloodnotcoldbeforeaworkout.Ifthereisnotsufficienttimetowarmthemusclesthroughexercise,othermethodssuchashotointments,vigorousrubbingwiththehands,poundingthemuscleswithyourfists,orhotwatertoachievequickwarming.Limitedstretchinginahottuborshowercanalsobebeneficialandconvenient.
OsoreruFear:theGreatOppressor
ThelastthingIwouldsayinrelationshiptoshugyo,trainingandlifeingeneralistoconstantlyendeavortoconquerfear.Iknowthisismucheasiersaidthandone,butfearistherealkillerinones'life.Toovercomefearislikehavingamassiveweightliftedfromyourback.Whilefearcanbetosomedegreeareaction,itisprimarilyamindsetbasedonlackofunderstandingorknowledge.Thereisabigdifferencebetweencaution,foolishnessandfear.Forinstance,itwouldbefoolishtojumpinfrontofamovingtrain.However,thistypeofdangershouldnotbefeared,justunderstoodasafoolishdecision.Thesameappliestocaution.Feartechnicallydefinesas"apprehensiontowardsthatwhichisnotknown".Ifyoubecomeeducatedaboutandembracethatwhichcausesyourfear,youcanovercomeit.
Amajor,commonfearformostpeopleisdeath.Eachpersonmustaddressthisissueforthemselves.Personally,Iwouldprefernottodieyet,butifIdodiebyanymeans,thenIacceptthatitmusthavebeenmytimetodieandremainthankfulforthefulllifeI'veled.SomemethodsofworkingonthisinhibitorthatI'vefoundbeneficialare"extreme"endeavorssuchasskydiving,technicalclimbing(rockclimbing),scubadiving,etc.
Pleasetakeamomenttoconsidertowhatdepthfearcontrolsyourperspective,decisionsandobjectivityinlife.
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