The Life-Giving Sword

I am currently reading 'The Life-Giving Sword' by Yagyu Munenori - a highly recommended read. Munenori was a fellow swordsman of my hero, Miyamoto Musashi and achieved the position of sword instructor to the shogun which Musashi never managed to achieve.


"It is missing the point to think that the martial art is solely in cutting a man down. It is not in cutting people down; it is in killing evil. It is the strategem of killing the evil of one man and giving life to ten thousand."

Munenori writes about training and coming to a state of no-mind which is a re-occurring theme in my martial arts reading which I find fascinating. Munenori talks about "exhaustively extending" your knowledge through study and training. If there is something you don't know or understand it will linger in your mind and create doubt. The doubt will slow your actions during combat as you will over-think rather than react. The point of extending knowledge is to get to the point of being able to completely empty your brain. At this point you can engage in combat with the state of 'no-mind', without doubt or fear and know that your training will take care of you.

"When you perform an action you will be in harmony with what you have learned, without even being aware of it."

In kung fu we learn that knowledge is learned through repetitions over time. So this is something to bear in mind when you are yet again having to practice a basic punch or kick rather than being able to practice 360 degree flying kicks.

Nick
Yellow sash