Zoom Rabbit's University of Zen Swordsmanship

[Zoom Rabbit]

Ray: Exactly. And although 'switching the mind off' in a swordfight might not sound like a good idea...it is. The mind not thinking can react or act without having to retreat from wherever its thought is focused.

 

'No matter where you go, there you are.'--Buckaroo Banzai

 

Be nowhere then. Then you can be *anywhere.*

 

Kylilin: Hee-hee. You said 'buttocks' in a serious post. Extra points!

 

(Note: my satellite link is down, so I'm stuck with an I-mac that has a tendency to crash which is still hooked up via good old-fashioned phone modem for contingencies like this. I'm not doing a big, long post only to see it disappear when the web browser does. My next lesson is in...well, the future. Sorry.)

[Ray Jones]

.. hmm is it really the imac .. the LF's where down for the last 3 or 4 hours ..

 

 

anyway .. my 56k 'prays' for you satellite link

 

[Admiral Odin]

I'm tired and don't feel like typing a lot right now. So my lesson:

Oh and Zoom I know where we can open a new university.

 

Essential Vocabulary

 

Handle: were you grip the blade. Many different types and lenghts exsit.

 

Tang: The part of the blade that enters the handle, connects the blade to the hilt at the pommel.

 

Shoulder: The part of the blade that makes the trasngression into the tang. If you think of the tang as a head, then you can see where the term shoulders come

 

Pommel: The last part of the hilt, usually large, and varies in shape. Great for hitting a person in close quaters.

 

Cross Guard: This is the top part of the hilt. It doesn't not protect the had, and is used to stop your knuckles from hitting a shield.

 

Hilt: The hilt is the combination of the Pommel, Cross Guard, and Handle.

 

That does it for the hilt now for the blade.

 

Edge: The cutting surface of a sword

 

Point: Used for thrusting, and well the point of the sword.

 

Stark: The part of the blade that comes into contact with the hilt, it is the stronger part of the entire blade. Use this part when parrying.

 

Schwech: This is the lower part of the blade, it is weaker, and the point is located here. Don't parry with this area.

 

Fuller: This is where the blade has one or more curves on the flat sides. A cross section would show a diamond with two sides biten off. A fuller makes a sword lighter and stronger.

 

Ridge: Opposite of a fuller, and adds a raised surface to the sword, this strengthens the sword, and makes it rigdied.

 

Rassco: ON longer swords, a piece of leather that is above the cross guard, allowing a person to grip the long sword higher without touching the blade or metal.

 

Ring Guard: This is a metal ring added to the cross guard offers greater hand protection and if there is more then one ring, you can get finger the cross guard allowing more control.

 

Flamberg: This is a rapier, that has a blade that is curvy. Looks like a flame, thought to inflict more damage this isn't true. Cause same amount but when parring a strange vibartion will occur, that may scare an unprepared opponent. THat and they look great.

 

Handles: Basic types are wood, leather and wire wrapped. and combination.

 

Wire wrapped: A handle wrapped in leather wire, rough on hands.

 

Leather wrapped: A handle covered in leather, your hand might slip if moist. This paticular one features a wire under the leather for style.

 

Hilts:(see above) Special ones: swept hilt, and basket hilt.

 

Swept hilt: The rapier style offers great hand protection.

 

Basket hilt: Seen on claymores, the entier hand is enclosed in a metal basket.

 

That does it for swords, but now on two other items.

 

Gaunlet: These are gloves, made of leather, or steel and protect teh hands.

 

Live blade: Many swords are dull, a live blade is one that has a razor sharp edge.

 

Wastril: A wooden practice sword, shoudl be the same weight as a sword.

[Zoom Rabbit]

Admiral: Me, too. Yoda's Swamp, the busiest off-topic forum at Lucasforums. A lot of those kids seem downright bloodthirsty. If this thread turns into just the three of us again, we can start a new one over there and simply copy-paste our lessons over with a minimum of effort.

 

I'm adding a link into my sig, too. Who knows? Might draw more students...although there is a lot of text for a new poster to read through. Ah, well.

 

Satellite's back up. Fixed it with foul language. That's right--who's your daddy, bitch? I thought so.

 

Working with and developing chi (basic meditation, ambidexterity yoga.)

 

Here we go with the 'samurai super powers' sh*t. The yogas of the east are basically just different ways of developing the mind and body's less obvious abilities. A full lifelong pursuit of yoga (a term synonymous with meditation) can lead to the development of psychic abilities, mystical understanding and profound spiritual enlightenment. Can. The technique I'll be describing here is only the development of the mysterious body energy called 'chi' to the extent that it would be useful to a westerner practicing swordsmanship.

 

Sorry. If I try to teach a full-blown yoga lesson, no one will read it. Besides, there are better teachers than I on the web.

 

What is chi?

 

Chi is simply your body's natural life energy, which flows through you in everyday life. It is something most of us are aware of at one time or another in our lives--a tingling 'rush' of energy up the spine, or a welling of energy within the heart when moved to tears. The only real surprise is that we can learn to summon and control this energy.

 

The oriental masters have such control of chi that they can literally break bones with it, or use it to ground themselves solidly enough to the ground that several people can't pick them up. To a swordsman, feeling the chi moving through his body and down the length of his blade is to have precise control of terrible force. None of this comes easy, however...for some, daily meditation must be performed for years just to develop a perception of chi, much less any control over it.

 

Basic meditation:

 

This is best done right after getting up in the morning, before breakfast, or right before bed, well after dinner. You want to be hungry, or at least have a minimum of food in your system (digestion occupies a certain portion of the mind, and meditation works best when it not thusly distracted.) Later, you will be able to meditate any time you want, no matter what is going on around you, but at first it is best to meditate alone and in silence.

 

Sit down cross-legged on your bed, with your spine straight upright. Arrange your legs so you're sitting 'yogi style,' with one leg resting atop the other (not crossed.) Let your hands clasp one another loosely in your lap and close your eyes. You will be focusing on your breathing.

 

As you breath in deeply, visualize the air as shining light, filling up your lungs; as you exhale, this light moves from your lungs out into the body. Just do this for awhile and get the hang of it--breathe in, light filling lungs...breathe out, light going out to the body.

 

Notice that the energy tends to rise to the head, and escape out the top? The trick you must develop is to clamp off the energy (which is the chi) at the throat, and send it back down into the trunk of your body. Continue to do this until the body is 'full' and a tingling sets up at the hands and feet. Allow this tingling (which is the chi is useable form) to rise back up the body, and when it gets to the throat, release your clamp and allow it to flow up into the head.

 

Important: After you have flushed yourself with chi in this fashion, it is necessary to 'come back down to earth.' This is easy to accomplish--just feel whatever it is you are touching and acknowledge the solidity of it. This is a principle called grounding...don't ask me to explain it, but it's important that one remembers to finish the meditation in this fashion.

 

The above yoga should give the beginner the tools necessary to develop an awareness of chi and how to amplify it for use in swordsmanship. Indeed, if you performed this meditation properly, you should feel thoroughly energized--I usually work out right after meditating (especially if I'm going to bed soon, to wear myself out.) The following yoga should help the beginner develop the ability to use their non-dominant hand more effectively.

 

Ambidexterity yoga:

 

In the olden days, the samurai warrior used two swords. Who went to fight without using all their weapons? For them, it was a matter of training both hands since early childhood. Essentially, a samurai grew up ambidextrous. For us westerners, though, we have probably had no such training. Most of us have one good right hand and use the left to scratch our ass. Fortunately, I have developed a yoga technique which can help reverse this atrophy (which takes place in the brain, after all.)

 

Perform the basic meditation posture as I describe above, only fold your hands together at chest level and point both forefingers straight up. Anyone who's seen old school Star Trek knows this hand gesture as the 'Spock contemplative look.' In the east, it is called the 'mudra of supreme enlightenment,' and is basically a means of focusing chi up into the mind...there are many mudras used in the east, for a variety of purposes, but this one is best for the application at hand.

 

After meditating in this position for awhile...switch your legs and hands. If your left leg is on the bottom, switch it with the right. And if your left thumb is folded over the right, rearrange your hands so that the right is on top.

 

That's the trick. When you do this, you should feel 'strange.' This is because this subtle rearrangement of body energy lower down affects how it flows within the brain, causing it to reverse momentarily. While you are 'reversed' in this fashion, communication between the two halves of the brain is increased, and the formation of new pathways is encouraged.

 

You should see more use in your non-dominant hand almost immediately. Of course, making use of that in swordsmanship requires working the hand more to familiarize yourself with how it feels and develop the necessary musculature...but the yoga I teach above should ease the 'awkward' aspect of it.

 

Okay, that's enough class for today.

[Redwing]

Zoomie: So you're going to help them get BETTER at it?

 

Yay! Thread's back. ^_^

[Zoom Rabbit]

Is chi manipulation with swords such a dangerous thing in the modern world, overflowing with guns? Well...

 

'Hocus-pocus and mystical religions are no substitute for a good blaster at your side, kid.'

 

--Han Solo

[Admiral Odin]

I wasn't reffereing to the swap but to a new forum outside LF. This one has people who would ask questions. .

[Ray Jones]

Originally posted by Zoom Rabbit

The oriental masters have such control of chi that they can literally break bones with it, or use it to ground themselves solidly enough to the ground that several people can't pick them up. To a swordsman, feeling the chi moving through his body and down the length of his blade is to have precise control of terrible force. None of this comes easy, however...for some, daily meditation must be performed for years just to develop a perception of chi, much less any control over it.

 

it's incredible what you can do with a strong chi.

 

..

finding chi may be easier than improving chi.

 

..

i found chi. but i am not able to break stones. but it improved anyways without me meditating .. everytime you use/feel chi you learn more about it.

 

so at the end knowing chi is like .. driving bike or having sex?

 

hmm. i've tried meditation .. i figured out that the 'results' i gain from it are NOT connected to or caused by my meditation .. it depends on how i use my mind .. (yeah right. meditation isnt usage of mind .. ) .. otherwise said.. i just know what to do to feel/use my chi .. sure its just what 'normal' people 'do' if they meditate and i have my own way/truth (Monkey Sutra Visions .. remember? ) to describe it or to 'initiate' meditation things .. maybe i cant let my mind go if i just sit on the ground.

 

 

so sometimes it seems not the way is the goal .. but the goal is the goal ..?

[Zoom Rabbit]

Admiral: Wha--? You're espousing another website?!? Shame on you... Zoomie=LFN dedicated forum lounger.

 

Ray: If you've already found chi, basic meditation is pretty much beside the point. Chi is like, yes, riding a bicycle...and meditation is the art of learning to use training wheels. If you already know how to ride the bike--forget the darn training wheels.

 

As for developing and amplifying your chi...have you tried the breathing exercises I talk about, and 'clamping off' at the throat? Could be a useful pointer. *(Shrugs.)* Or not. Everyone's wired somewhat differently, after all.

 

Note: A 'wastril' is pretty much the same thing as a 'bokken.' Both are wooden practice swords which seek to reproduce the performance of the bladeform associated. Just thought I'd make note of that.

[Admiral Odin]

Of course. Besides having a number of people interested in swords/swordsmanship. I'm a mod for the weapons section.

 

Eversad

[Ray Jones]

hey i just returned from my holidays and i visited many places .. one of it was a ancient castle which was altered to a museum ..

 

Mr. Wallenstein lived there back in the days if anyone know this name .. anyways there where many weapons (mostly swords and guns from the 17th 18th century.. ) exposed and one of it you will like .. it was a hunting sword for deer hunting with a pistol build in .. i never saw such before it was quite handy and nice worked out .. i'll search the net for it if you want .. i would have taken a photo of it .. but .. there was this NO PHOTOS sign ..

 

and i visited a wooden castle from the 9th/10th century builded by slavs .. very interesting ..

 

zoom..

 

i tested around with meditation and found out .. it is good to find myself and some of my (or maybe just some) "truth" .. interresting i didnt recognized this before .. oh .. and breathing exercises are working fine as i can say it so far, i think i'll go deeper into that ..

[Zoom Rabbit]

Ray: Here are even more exercizes specifically for 'going deeper.' Enjoy.

 

Admiral: Some day. My plate of projects is full enough here as it is (for now.)

 

Advanced chi manipluation yoga (shugendo, sword tuning, third eye)

 

What is 'shugendo?'

 

Shugendo was the 'mountain religion' of the yamabushi warrior monks of feudal Japan. These enigmatic characters from history lived in nature, which was the source of power for their wizardry. Feared for the skills they possessed in harnessing the forces of nature, they were eventually hunted down and destroyed by the shogun warlords of later medieval times.

 

The 'kamikaze winds' which defeated the invasion fleets of the Chinese emperor Kublai Khan twice (in 1274 and 1281 ce) are rumored to have been caused by yamabushi magic spells.

 

Recreating the doctrines of sugendo is impossible, but it is known that the yamabushi worked with the same four elements that wizards and mystics of other traditions use. Truly, to see the four elements is to begin to see the pattern of infinity in everyday life.

 

Okay. Back up, rabbit. We've all heard this hippy claptrap before--the 'four elements,' an outdated view of the universe abandoned years ago when science came about. The ancients used to think that there were just four elements--earth, water, air and fire--of which everything real in the universe was made. Nowadays...we know that there are much more than four elements, as any idiot with a periodic table can show you. Right?

 

Nope. Actually, those four elements refer to the vibrational states of form that all we know of as 'real' can take. Earth=solid, water=liquid, air=gas, fire=plasma. Since those things are themselves nothing more than vibration (energy) on the quantum level, understanding this relationship between the four states (or 'elements' if you will) is the key to understanding being itself.

 

So there's the doorway to interrelating your mystic headspace to the universe around you. And it's called the four elements.

 

Sword tuning

 

Here is an exercize that makes use of the principle I talk about above, which combines the yoga I taught in my last lesson and our favorite subject matter: swords. This technique intends to energize the sword itself with your own chi, and also develop the physical relationship you have with it.

 

Lynk, if you just read that last sentence...bite your tongue!

 

Perform the sitting meditation and flush yourself with chi using the breathing exercizes I talked about earlier (last lesson.) When you are *full,* get out your sword and hold it easily in both hands, edge forward and the point skyward. Close your eyes, and send your chi down your arms, through your hands and into the handle. Allow it to well up there...and see in the chi the element earth, the solid foundation from which the sword's blade springs.

 

Next, send the chi up the blade, and into the center of balance.* As it collects there, see the chi as the element water. Here is the fluid center of the blade's motion, through which your bodily force is transmitted into kinetic energy like a wave through the ocean.

 

After this, send the chi up to the center of percussion* and see it as the element fire. Here is the striking force of the blade, where all of your energy goes and does its terrible work. (Note: the sequence in nature is solid, liquid, gas and plasma--dependent upon temperature--while in a meditational context the sequence of solid, liquid, plasma and gas is always followed.)

 

The fourth element, is of course air...and you should send your chi up off the tip of the blade and out into the air just as a ringing tone of steel upon steel does. Note also the gentle, barely perceptible vibrations that travel down the blade as you hold it.

 

To finish this exercize, it is important to ground properly. Simply feel the vibrations traveling back down into the handle, and into your hands. You're done--now go outside and try out your newly energized sword. If you actually do this, you will see the benefits of this in your sword's 'action.'

 

Third eye

 

We've all heard new agers talk about the 'third eye,' and probably come away with the impression that either A: they've gotten into grandma's medicine cabinet again, or B: are talking about some far-out bizarre psychic mind trick that only a priveleged few will ever get to experience. It seems...that this third eye can see almost magically through things, time and space. Kind of like a 3-D universe telescope in the head.

 

Well, what they're talking about isn't actually so far out. Try a simple experiment--close your eyes and picture a white horse. Did you 'see' it? That's your third eye...we simply think of it as the template of the imagination in our dry, western worldview.

 

Mystics and seers do something quite different than the rest of us with their third eyes, of course. With much effort and meditation (or in some cases, by divine gift) they have learned how to quiet the imagination and use that eye to see other things. Fully developing these abilities is too ambitious a subject for us to attempt here, but I will pass on a simple exercize that can help you develop your awareness of this third eye in daily waking life.

 

When the two eyes are open and seeing, the third eye takes on one of two functions--it either visualizes for the imagination, or simply follows the gaze of the other two. This technique takes advantage of the second function, but it is necessary to stifle the first beforehand.

 

Place an object on the table in front of you, at about arm's length. Stare at it, and allow the sight of it to fill your attention. There is just the object, and nothing else.

 

Slowly, look off to the left from the object, then back to it. Look off to the right, then back.

 

Now...keep your two eyes centered on the object. Slowly adjust your gaze off to the left without moving your eyes from the object. Return your gaze to center, then slowly shift it off to the right (again, keeping your eyes centered on the object.)

 

This will be hard to do at first. The physical eyes want to follow your attention, but when you do learn how to keep them still while moving your gaze about the room...you will have learned the beginning step to making use of that all-mysterious *third eye.*

 

Of course, if you picture a white horse the exercize is ruined and you have to start over...

 

Class dismissed! Go out and see stuff.

 

*COB and COP are discussed in my 'Back yard practice' lesson.

[Redwing]

Sword techniques to chi manipulation...interesting

 

and looong

 

*Runs off*

[Kylilin]

A Book of Five Rings

 

 

The Fire Book

 

In this the Fire Book of the NiTo Ichi school of strategy I describe fighting as fire.

 

In the first place, people think narrowly about the benefit of strategy. By using only their fingertips, they only know the benefit of three of the five inches of the wrist. They let a contest be decided, as with the folding fan, merely be the span of their forearms. They specialise in the small matter of dexterity, learning such trifles as hand and leg movements with the bamboo practise sword.

 

In my strategy, the training for killing enemies is by way of many contests, fighting for survival, discovering the meaning of life and death, learning the Way of the sword, judging the strength of attacks and understanding the Way of the "edge and ridge" of the sword.

 

You cannot profit from small techniques particularly when full armor is worn. My Way of strategy is the sure method to win when fighting for your life one man against five or ten. There is nothing wrong with the principle "one man can beat ten, so a thousand men can beat ten thousand". You must research this. Of course you cannot assemble a thousand or ten thousand men for everyday training. But you can become a master of strategy by training alone with a sword, so that you can understand the enemy's strategies, his strength and resources, and come to appreciate how to apply strategy to beat ten thousand enemies.

 

Any man who wants to master the essence of my strategy must research diligently, training morning and evening. Thus can he polish his skill, become free from self, and realise extrordinary ability. He will come to posess miraculous power.

 

This is the practical result of strategy.

[Zoom Rabbit]

Redwing: Why is it that whenever I actually say something profound in a post you say it's 'long?' *Sigh* Kids today...I blame teevee for this attention span issue.

 

Hint: I break my lessons into smaller sections so that one can read smaller bits at a time without losing one's place. Tired of reading? Come back tomorrow...

 

Anyone notice how the book of Five Rings is following the elemental formula I discuss in my lesson on Shugendo? He adds a fifth element to the equation, though--many do. Some call this fifth element 'energy,' while Musashi call his 'nothingness.' I would myself call the fifth energy and his (nothingness) the source of the other five...but that's just so much mystical dancing on the head of a pin now, isn't it?

 

Scholarly note: I'm not sure if the 'sword tuning' exercize I describe above will work with lightsabers, being founded upon the element of fire (plasma) rather than earth (solid.) Sorry.

 

[Redwing]

Well, I felt the need to reply to make sure you knew people were reading the thread. At late-night hours, "long" and "interesting" are usually the best adjectives my poor mind can come up with. ^_~

[Kylilin]

The Book of the Void

 

 

The Ni To Ichi Way of strategy is recorded in this the Book of the Void.

 

What is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing. It is not included in man's knowledge. Of course the void is nothingness. By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.

 

People in this world look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the void. This is not the true void. It is bewilderment.

 

In the Way of strategy, also, those who study as warriors think that whatever they cannot understand in their craft is the void. This is not the true void.

 

To attain the Way of strategy as a warrior you must study fully other martial arts and not deviate even a little from the Way of the warrior. With your spirit settled, accumulate practice day by day, and hour by hour. Polish the twofold spirit heart and mind, and sharpen the twofold gaze perception and sight. When your spirit is not in the least clouded, when the clouds of bewilderment clear away, there is the true void.

 

Until you realise the true Way, whether in Buddhism or in common sense, you may think that things are correct and in order. However, if we look at things objectively, from the viewpoint of laws of the world, we see various doctrines departing from the true Way. Know well this spirit, and with forthrightness as the foundation and the true spirit as the Way. Enact strategy broadly, correctly and openly.

 

Then you will come to think of things in a wide sense and, taking the void as the Way, you will see the Way as void.

 

In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness.

 

 

Twelfth day of the fifth month, second year of Shoho (1645)

 

Teruo Magonojo for SHINMEN MUSASHI

[Admiral Odin]

Zoom: However if you construct the lightsabers with my instructions then it should work fine.

[Zoom Rabbit]

Admiral: Actually, the yoga won't work with lightsabers because they don't exist...

 

Kylilin: the void is the perfect place to write my next lesson.

 

Advanced Japanese swordsmanship (two swords, one sword and no sword)

 

In the advanced stages of swordsmanship, the words and teachings of another swordsman are less and less relevant. To study the forms, cuts and tricks of another is to force one's own practice into limitation. In the beginning, tips are helpful to the novice; as one gains proficiency, one sees that such standardized forms are limited. Mastery is the point at which the teachings of others are utterly worthless.

 

To the master swordsman, there is no this cut versus that cut--there is only cutting. There is no fancy trick to get the sword to its target...the sword merely goes where it needs to go. This bears reflection. One can learn new cuts and thrusts in swordsmanship, learn every fancy move a teacher has for you, but there will come a point where you will realize that there are an infinite number of sword maneuvers possible...and all you need do is the one which is best suited for the task at hand.

 

When the swordsman need not think at all about what he is doing, but is fast and deadly...it can be said that mastery is at hand.

 

Two swords

 

The samurai as a rule used two swords to fight. In the old, old days they used two full-length swords, and developed the slightly shorter wakizashi sword in medieval times. To see why, just try working out with two full-length swords--at some point, you're likely to clip the end off one of the two anyway. Instant wakizashi...

 

I recommend practicing with two wooden bokkens before trying two steel swords, and becoming very well comfortable with them. Two swords is hard for us westerners.

 

One sword

 

When a swordsman practices with two swords, he becomes used to the additional work. This conditions him.

 

However, if this swordsman loses one of them, or only has one sword to begin with...he now has both hands to use where he is used to having only one. If he takes this opportunity to press his advantage in speed and power on a foe who thinks he's just gained an advantage, the element of surprise will carry the day.

 

So, do not be afraid to lose a sword. In that moment following you have a chance; watch for it.

 

No sword

 

A sword is a useful fighting tool because it has the qualities of steel, is well-balanced and is sharp. Make note: just about any heavy or hard object has useful fighting quality, has a center of balance (trust me--everything does) and doesn't necessarily have to be sharp.

 

Afficionadoes of the unarmed martial arts learn well how to use the parts of their body as weapons. These people are therefore never unarmed.

 

For a swordsman who would use a tool to extend his warrior's reach, a weapon can still be found just about anywhere. A chair can be spun about to block and hit; in a bar fight, a pool cue would be a good choice. The master swordsman will occasionally pick up the random object and test its heft, almost unconsciously registering how it would perform as a weapon in a pinch.

 

No sword is considered the height of a swordsman's proficiency. In the days of the samurai, the toughest and baddest warriors were the ones who brazenly wore no sword. Either they wouldn't need them, or their enemy would bring one with him.

 

That concludes today's lesson, and my slated lesson plan. I'm thinking over some posts on antique sword collecting, to be forthcoming soon.