{"id":1773,"date":"2025-01-21T16:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/?p=1773"},"modified":"2025-01-21T16:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:23:11","slug":"budo-beat-10-zen-and-the-art-of-getting-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/?p=1773","title":{"rendered":"Budo Beat 10: Zen and the Art of Getting Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u201cBudo Beat\u201d Blog features a collection of short reflections, musings, and anecdotes on a wide range of budo topics by Professor Alex Bennett<\/a>, a seasoned budo scholar and practitioner. Dive into digestible and diverse discussions on all things budo\u2014from the philosophy and history to the practice and culture that shape the martial Way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned from decades of budo practice, it\u2019s that the path to ‘enlightenment’ is paved with bruises\u2014to both ego and body. You spend years being told to strike with precision, to focus your energy, to pour your heart into every movement, only to have some sensei casually drop a line like, \u201cAh, but you must also enjoy getting hit.\u201d It\u2019s as if budo were designed by an eccentric (or perhaps even perverted) philosopher who moonlighted as a slapstick comedian. And yet, there\u2019s wisdom buried in the absurdity, like a Zen koan wrapped in a pratfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you grow impatient, neither strikes, nor thrusts, nor kicks will succeed.<\/em> Steady your heart, and you will find freedom in your actions.<\/em>\u201d [1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve heard something similar more times than I can count over the years as I inch closer to success in my 8th Dan examination in kendo. I covered a similar theme here<\/a>, so clearly it’s a significant issue for me. In any case, just last week, another sensei of mine said it again: focusing solely on striking your opponent makes you lose your mental calm, fall into confusion, and open yourself up to defeat. \u201cThe trick\u201d, he said, \u201cis to avoid obsessing over landing a hit. Instead, calmly watch your opponent and keep a \u2018mindset of self-protection.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait,\u201d I said. \u201cYou mean, avoid getting<\/em> hit?\u201d This sounded counter-intuitive. After all, in kendo, defence is hardly the emphasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then, another sensei told me a couple of months before, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to get hit. If you get hit, it means you\u2019re making your opponent feel like they\u2019ve got you figured out\u2014like you\u2019ve handed them the keys to your front door. But here\u2019s the twist: it\u2019s a fake key. They step in, triumphant, only to find you sitting there with a cup of tea and a trapdoor lever. All you\u2019ve got to do is let them think they\u2019ve won, then use that against them once they\u2019ve committed. And then? You won\u2019t get hit… unless, of course, you\u2019re too slow pulling the lever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

?!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe key is to avoid rushing or panicking,\u201d he clarified, \u201cto remain still and composed, carefully reading the opponent\u2019s movements. If you avoid unnecessary fixation, openings will naturally present themselves\u2014like moonlight streaming into a humble home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s starting to make sense, sort of. Each sensei gives me a piece of the puzzle to mull over. Still, this \u201cmindset of self-protection\u201d might sound logical, but it seems at odds with the usual budo values, like \u201csutemi<\/em>\u201d\u2014throwing yourself wholeheartedly into a sacrificial attack. Yet, here\u2019s the paradox: to protect is to attack. The real challenge lies in finding harmony between offence and defence.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wada Heisuke, founder of the Shin-Tamiya-ry\u016b school of swordsmanship in the early Edo period, captured this perfectly: \u201cStriving solely for victory in battle reflects the mindset of the unskilled, while the skilled focus on ensuring they cannot be defeated. By prioritising this unyielding stance, one naturally lures the enemy into seeking an advantage. In their attempts to exploit perceived openings, they inevitably falter. Seizing such moments with precision leads to a victory free of unnecessary risk. This principle should not be misconstrued as mere chance or luck; it is far from happenstance. True skill lies in steadfast preparation to remain unassailable, compelling the opponent to overreach. By capitalising on these critical lapses, one forces the enemy into hurried, ill-considered actions, securing triumph with calculated grace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the drive home from the dojo, I let this idea simmer. Excellence, I concluded, means polishing your mind until it reflects like a mirror and finding a balance between readiness and response. When you\u2019re truly prepared, you strike naturally, capitalising on openings as they appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This ties in neatly with other teachings I\u2019ve come across, like \u201cthe mind of dew\u201d and \u201cthe principle of the moon on water.\u201d Dew on a blade of grass falls instantly with the slightest touch, symbolising how a fully charged spirit, free of distraction, can react instantaneously to an opponent\u2019s movements. (Thank you, Hayashi Tatsuo-sensei.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the famous \u201cmoon on water\u201d principle is about adaptability. Just as the moon\u2019s reflection shifts with ripples on the surface of a pond, you must adjust seamlessly to an opponent\u2019s actions. Victory comes when you seize the moment they reveal their intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, it\u2019s never about forcing victory. True skill is a mind so clear and calm that victory arrives unbidden, like rain falling from the heavens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one strikes them down, yet when the time comes, the raindrops from the heavens fall on their own.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> Sait\u014d Akinobu, Jikishin Kage-ry\u016b Ken’ei Gokui Ky\u014dju Zukai, 1901<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The \u201cBudo Beat\u201d Blog features a collection of short reflections, musings, and anecdotes on a wide range of budo topics by Professor Alex Bennett, a seasoned budo scholar and practitioner. Dive into digestible and diverse discussions on all things budo\u2014from the philosophy and history to the practice and culture that shape the martial Way. If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned from decades of budo practice,...","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,1],"tags":[42,53],"class_list":["post-1773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-b-b-blog","category-uncategorized","tag-kendo","tag-zen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1773"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1783,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions\/1783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}