Last year was the Year of the Tiger, which for many carried some kind of significance or symbolism in training. For me, it was a fun thing to ponder on, as the tiger is a symbol for earthly, physical attributes that include sensing danger, being practical, and so on. As the year started, many people were forming entire themes around this symbol. Soke's theme for 2010 was Rokonn Shoujou, which had many meanings including "Purify the Heart Through Laughter", but seemed to me to be more about the common phrase "Live, Laugh, Love". Considering Soke dyed his hair a vibrant purple, it would seem that he was admonishing us to not take ourselves seriously, to step out and live vibrantly. Of course, that's my interpretation.
But, even with all the themes and various blog posts by people who defined their 2010 training by these things, it seems we all ended up centering our training around our own needs and the needs of our individual training groups and dojos.
One thing I've especially noticed this year is just how different people are in the direction of their training. This is purely my thoughts, of which I found I am not alone by any means, but it would seem that what once started out as differences in training among individuals has now become differences in the training evolution between groups of people. This gap seems to have gotten wider and wider over the decades, but seems to me that there is an accelerated rate in just how different these things are. Each generation grows farther apart from each other. For example, you have two major evolutions going on that view kihon, or fundamentals, as either sticking to and perfecting the classic forms such as low, extended postures, extreme body mechanics and so on. Then, the other side views kihon as a process of using smaller movements, changes in space and angles in subtle actions, and so on. Some view these differences as simply as learning to move like Soke by training the way he used to in order to evolve to how he is now, or focusing on the biomechanics and specific principles to bypass the unnecessary to develop "Soke movement" in a streamlined manner. Both sides have valid points and many things can be learned from each. But, often this presents tension as each side believes they are on the right track and view the other with smirks and snickering. It really goes against the primary thing Soke created the Bujinkan for, a fellowship of buyu (warrior friends) to share and grow together in budo. It becomes disheartening when people are this way, as I feel it is the differences that present the bone yard of secrets and missing pieces to the puzzle. We truly need each other and to stop believing we hold the answers ourselves. Soke has shown us time and time again that just when we think we 'know', we really don't.
Soke announced at Daikomyosai that the theme for 2011 will be "Kihon Happo". Now, we know Kihon Happo is the name given for the eight techniques that define the base or foundation of our training. But, this is not necessarily true as you consider the importance of the Sanshin no Kata, Kamae, Ukemi Taihenjutsu, and other skills which also are foundational to our art. But, the Kihon Happo does serve as a base of techniques you apply with a partner in order to learn about how to affect an attacker. What is important to understand, however, is that it is not about the techniques, or it would be called Kihon Ha-jutsu ("jutsu" means technique). The term "po", as used in Happo, means 'law' or 'principle'. So, the Kihon Happo really are fundamental principles, not techniques. The techniques are just the vehicles or tools to explore those principles.
Now that I've cleared this up, here's the part that makes Soke the kind of man he is. When he announced the theme, he didn't write the kanji for Kihon Happo as we know it. He wrote them differently. To borrow from Jack Hoban's New Year message, 季 ("ki") can mean "season" or "end," 翻 ("hon") can mean "turn around" or "reverse," 初 ("ha") can mean "first time" or "basic" (it is also the first kanji of Hatsumi), and 崩 ("pou") can mean "collapse" or "break down."
So, to look at this from a narrow definition, it would seem Soke's "Kihon Happo" now has many meanings and one can spend the whole year trying to figure it out. Those who have their 'way' will surely come out with their seminar circuits geared around this theme and others will probably assume one thing or another and train accordingly. Only those who are training with Soke firsthand will have the opportunity to really know what he means by all of this. But, regardless, we each know what we need in our training and, by the end of 2011, most of us naturally will be focusing more on that than anything else.
However, in thinking about the new kanji for "kihon happo", I am reminded and enlightened on some perspectives which I would like to share in this new training year. Our seasons are a process of change, phases of evolution as each year goes by. It is a balance of growth and destruction, as one phase changes into the other. There is no defining line between each season and sometimes things like weather can show similarity to a former or future season. If you didn't have a calendar to tell you, would you be able to tell exactly when summer becomes fall, fall becomes winter, winter becomes spring, or spring becomes summer? With Kihon Happo, the same can be said. Soke and his teacher, the late Takamatsu Soke, said that the Kihon Happo are the basis for all martial arts, for all techniques. Can you tell when one begins or another begins? Can you separate the Kihon Happo by their physical characteristics in a kata or is it like trying to separate the seasons by their weather patterns? Remember, the Kihon Happo are not about techniques, or it would be a -jutsu, not -po. The other meaning to "ki" is end. But, end does not mean death. "End" can also mean to prepare the way for a beginning. It's the cleaning of the canvass to set the right moment or environment to create a true expression. It is crucial in becoming "zero", a concept that Soke has been teaching on for many years.
"Hon" as in reverse or turning around can be seen as the point in which you need to turn around and go back. Some things may be missed and you need to go back and find them before continuing. It also can be a reverse of perspective. Sometimes, when trying to solve a puzzle, taking a few moments to do something else and come back later can give a whole new perspective. Sometimes, taking a moment to put yourself in another person's shoes can allow you to see things from their perspective and give you a deeper understanding of yourself. Sometimes, going backwards can be going forwards. An old martial arts philosophy teaches that gaining a black belt is a process of dirtying your white belt through experience, but once it is black, the process then becomes the wearing away of the outer threads, the blackness or dirt, to strip away experience to return to the newness of being a white belt again. It's a forward/backward process of gaining and losing, of building and destroying, of death and rebirth. It is exactly how the seasons and all of life itself evolves through time.
"Ha", as in "first time" or "basic" really is important. There's something to be said about the vibrancy of being new, of experiencing something for the first time. Experience can rob us of that experience, as familiarity leads to numbness, boredom and blindness. For me, I think this is a reminder that we need to approach every aspect of training as if it is our first time, because it is. We are in winter. We experienced winter last year. We are about to experience spring. We experienced spring last year. Has this winter been the same as last winter? Will spring be exactly the same as last spring? It may 'seem' to be the same for some people, but is it really? Or is it just our perspective that can make it appear similar?
I enjoy the holidays every year. I'm like a kid sometimes about it. But, I also enjoy the new year, as we put away all our decorations, use the opportunity to clean our house, and look forward to what opportunities 2011 will have to offer. It's a feeling of renewal, of letting go of the past and looking forward to a fresh start. But, really, it only is one day later than yesterday. It's the new perspective that makes it what it is. It's a matter of choice and action. Imagine if we can be like this every day, every hour, every minute? Why does it take a calendar to tell us when? That attitude, to me, is a basic. It also is key in adding vibrancy to one's training and opens the eyes, mind and heart to gain the most out of every experience. It lies at the heart or root of our class motto "Shikin Haramitsu Daikomyo".
The last kanji, "Po", as in "break down" or "collapse" is interesting. From a technical perspective, one could see it along with "Ha" (basic) to mean 'breaking down a basic'. For many, this sorely needed. Many people are so busy following advanced concepts that they either have not broken down their basics enough or haven't done so in such a long time that their physical skills have deteriorated. It is a common critique in Japan that us Westerners have inadequate fundamentals. I remember being in Japan in 2007 when a black belt could even do a basic roll very well, not because of any physical illness or handicap, but from obvious lack of training. Yet, this person acted as the 'know it all' and even has a dojo with students! If he isn't training in basics enough in his own life, one can only imagine how much he pushes his students to do the same. Lead by example is still the most powerful influence.
So, how do we put all this in our own training direction for 2011? I don't know because I'm not Soke and I can't commute to his classes. But, for me, I think it is good to grab a few things and then continue with the needs of my own training and the training of those who look to me for guidance. I would like to challenge each of us to strip away our old views, to stop and turn around and look at the "same old" for what we may have missed. I also want to challenge us to approach our training as the new person seeing it all for the first time. Resist the tendency to just do things the way we've always done or understood them. Find the newness in the experience, as this isn't the same winter as last winter. I also think we need to keep breaking down our fundamentals, and break down all our techniques into their fundamentals.
Most important for me, however, is that this year there seems to be an emphasis on the space between the forms. There's the Kihon Happo, but there's the space that separates them from each other. Yet, it's like finding the space between Winter and Spring. There really is no space/kukan, as in emptiness. It's really a blur from one to another. So, it's really more about the transition, the change, since without transition you have no evolution, no life, and thus no budo. Just as in the differences in views regarding training direction, we also need to look at the space between the differences, to discover that it really isn't a space but a blur. We all gain from each other and enrich each other if we allow it to blur instead of creating a space, a dead spot, in our Bujinkan fellowship and connection to each other.
So, that's it. It's the connection and transition between the parts as each is connected to each other in a process of evolution, of constant newness of forward moving experiences and the power of looking back in reflection with the fresh eyes to discover what our blindness missed along the way.
Happy New Year!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
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