Buddhism and kendo

[alexpollijr]

How many of you guys are actually buddhist, and from which branch?

Do you have incorporated elements or concepts from buddhism into kendo?

[KhawMengLee]

Mahayana Buddhist. I dunno about incorporating it into kendo...its pretty much my lifestyle so I don't think I had to incorporate it in.

[emitbrownne]

I'm follow no religion, but I do apply techniques from tai chi and Zazen breathing to help me focus. I'm fortunate to work around the corner from a buddhist centre where they practice Zazen, and have been given a few tips..

[saki_wooah]

Mahayana buddhism, but more interested into Hinayana (or Theravada). Well in fact I read things about Hinayana and consider it to be more... traditionnal and close to Buddha's teachings. I only use the meditation concept during mokuso. But Buddhism cprecepts don't really coordinate with Kendo...

[KhawMengLee]

true...but I like the philosophy of mahayana...its more compassionate.

eg. three men are lost in the desert. The come to a high wall and the first guy climbs to the top and sees an oasis on the other side. He cries in joy(insert Homer Simpson's "wooohooo!" here) and jumps over. The second man does the same. The third upon seeing the oasis stops and climbs back and heads back into the desert to lead others to this oasis.

And Buddhism/Taoist concepts DO coordinate into most martial arts my dear. Take chudan (water), there is a buddhist saying, "make yourself like a still forest pool".

This refers to the middle path, the balance of spirit and one's life. A pool of water has a calm surface, disturbances cause ripples but ultimately it always heads back to the calm.

How does this refer to kendo? Well, take chudan...one cannot be too tense or too relaxed in this position. There has to be an equilibrium to the stance...arrgh...to much to explain...just go watch a Bruce Lee flick and heed the stuff about being like water.



MENG

[Phorest]

Can you guys point me towards a place where I can find out some additional info. on Buddhism? I'm curious.

[nodachi]

I really like books about "don't know" written by Seung Sahn. They are about Zen Buddhism.

They are very clear, except for when he is trying to purposely give confusing Koans. Read any of his books of letters from students of his to him and his answers to them. It is a good place to start. Easy to read, not too heavy, so it doesn't feel like work to read them.

Ok, commercial is over.

[alexpollijr]

Phorest

You might begin with the widely available books by H.S. The Dalai Lama. Then you can move forward to Daissetz T. Suzuki books on zen buddhism, for instance.

[saki_wooah]

Phorest,

http://www.buddhanet.net/

read the cartoons ^-^

[ben]

Phorest - try
http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Zen.html
It's part of a huge virtual library on Buddhism.

(Alex I can't believe YOU of all people started this thread! :P)

Personally I will risk all manner of derision and say plainly that I started Zen because of kendo. I'd always been interested in both but it took more gumption to start studying zen than it did kendo, coz, y'know, it's RELIGION man! A lot of people I know are still hung up on the Christianity they got inculcated with as children and haven't worked out what to do with it. I haven't either but I just thought fuck it! What have I got to lose except my ego?

As to how it fits with my kendo, I'll have to get back to you on that...

b

[alexpollijr]

Hey don't look at me that way Ben

It's just that I've found out that some aspects of Buddhism DO incorporate into kendo. But that does not change my position about all things 'spiritual' in kendo, so don't throw that 'sword of no-sword' thing at me

Take breathing, for instance. It's fundamental to zazen, and it's also something that can be useful in kendo too. The ability to relax and be able to 'flush' all things from your mind prior to practice it's very useful when practice is right after a busy workday (as it is for me two times per week).

[ben]

Er Alex, breathing is also something useful to LIFE. (sorry couldn't resist)
Seriously though, it IS funny how people "forget" to breathe, particularly in times of stress. Mostr people breathe very shallowly. If you watch a baby breathe, their chest and stomach expands naturally with each breath. Somewhere along the way we forget how to do that...

My zen teacher says that zazen always comes back to the breath. If you have some stress during zazen, just come back to the breath. Also posture. Straight spine and natural breath. That's all. Fits pretty well with kendo IMHO.

Interestingly in Japan Zen is not terribly popular as a religion. Many more people belong to the Pure Land (Jodo Shinshu) sect than to either of the Zen sects. I think this is because it emphasises compassion and salvation, whereas Zen is much more DIY, therefore less comforting when it comes to the experience of life-and-death.

Some kenjutsu koryu share a pretty strong affinity with Shingon (a sect of tantric or esoteric) Buddhism, which is much less well known in the West, but has a much longer history in Japan than Zen. Any practitioners of Shingon Mikkyo on the boards, I'd love to hear how your practice ties in with kendo (and/or koryu).

I can't resist retelling a little story about a Shingon priest and a Zen priest who were stuck on a long boat trip together (it's a Zen story so you know who's gonna come off looking better, but that's by-the-by). Anyway after a while the Shingon priest is goaded by his many followers into producing a display of magic. After chanting some sutras and throwing about some incense, he manages to conjure up a fiery image of the god Fudo Myo-o. One of the supporters sees the Zen priest sleeping through this miracle and shouts, "Oi! Our priest here can produce this miraculous apparition. What can your Zen school do that can approach the wonder of such a phenomenon?" Whereupon the Zen priest walks over to the apparition, flops out his willy and pisses on it, extinguishing it. He then explains, "A fire on board a boat is a very dangerous thing, so I have put it out with a miracle issuing from my own body."

*Cast*
Shingon priest - Nakadai Tatsuya
Shingon follower - Sakai Masaaki
Zen Priest - Mifune Toshiro

The End

b

[KhawMengLee]

Sorry for this brief hijack:

Tatsuya Nakadai is damn cool. He always brings out the character of whomever he plays in Kurasawa's films. I liked his role in Kagemusha and Sanjuro.

Toshiro Mifune is cool as well...

[Mushin]

When I am old and lie in my deathbed.
I shall think of my life and look back,

and see a pillow.

[Hyaku]

How many of you guys are actually buddhist, and from which branch?

Do you have incorporated elements or concepts from buddhism into kendo?

Yes I work for a the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist sect. Our school Kendobu and that of other school Kendobu throughout Japan run by the sect have no connection whatsoever with buddhism apart from the fact that we get paid by them to teach Kendo. Also we offer scholarships to Kendoka. As do we to Judo, Baseball etc

Hyaku