Martial Arts and the Four Paths to Immortality

Newsletter 970

Last newsletter I talked about the path to immortality.
I mentioned that there were four paths to immortality,
of which the martial arts are one.
Let’s talk about these four paths.
Understanding all four paths will help you better progress
on the martial arts path.

There are fourth paths to enlightenment,
or immortality,
or getting out of your body,
or whatever you want to call it.
With no particular order in mind,
one of the paths is the monk.
Simply,
you study religious texts,
and meditate (pray) on them,
until you blast on out of your head.
Here is the problem.
You have to read a lot of religious texts,
not just the ones from one religion.
This is because you need context,
and context can be had from understanding
different points of view.
Let me explain it this way:
a guy who speaks English knows some stuff,
but a guy who speaks English AND Spanish
(or any other language)
can compare and contrast words and terms.
He has a richer experience in terms of phraseology,
anecdotes and mysticisms,
he will be,
for lack of a better word,
‘smarter.’
And don’t take it hard if you don’t speak two or more languages.
I only speak one,
and sometimes I don’t understand that one to well.
So you have to study different religions
until you understand what the various beliefs mean,
and then you can progress to the deeper concept,
which is the truth.
For instance,
before last newsletter
you were (perhaps) in awe of ‘immortals’ in the martial arts,
or were, at least, impressed by what you didn’t understand.
Now,
because of the last newsletter,
you do understand,
and you understand the concept behind immortality.
Not dying,
which is something a body can’t do,
but which an eternal spirit,
the ‘I am’ that you are,
can do.

A second path to immortality/enlightenment/
knowledge of your true self,
would be the fakir.
A fakir is usually a student of Islam or Hindi.
He denies the existence of the universe,
begging for meals,
not owning anything,
putting aside family,
until he achieves the ultimate realization,
that the universe isn’t real.
Which,
of course,
makes him real.
And it’s true.
But it is a path of no luxuries,
and self denial.
Not much fun,
if you ask me,
but don’t ask me,
because I don’t want to be judgmental
concerning a path that,
like it or not,
has results.

Another path to immortality
would be yoga.
I like this path,
though there is a major problem with it.
You sit in a posture and become aware of your body.
Change your posture and you change the way you are aware,
slowly becoming aware of more and more,
until you are aware of all,
or,
at least,
aware of yourself as separate from your body.
Sort of weird,
sinking into your body,
until you blast on out of it.
But there you go.
A minor problem is that the instructions for this
vary from strip mall to strip mall,
and few wish to study ancient writings,
and then compare schools,
until they have the truth of pure concept.
The major problem is that there is no motion.
Which brings us to the last path,
the one I prefer,
which solves this problem of no motion.

In the martial arts you use the body,
and you look at it,
but only as a tool for your motion.
You deny
as a fakir,
any distractions to your practice,
to your art and fighting.
You read countless texts,
from Bruce Lee to
the Book of Five Rings to
ancient Chinese writings,
trying to understand motion
and the contortions of your body,
what it means,
the energy involved,
and so on.
Eventually,
you understand that the universe is motion,
and you come to the truth:
you are the source of motion.
Which makes you the source of everything
that happens in the universe.

Okay,
I know I have slanted a bit here,
but that is only because I love the martial arts,
and I understand everything
from the viewpoint of the martial arts.
But what I say does make sense,
and makes use of the four specific concepts of the other three paths.

Study concepts,
from Bruce to Lao Tze,
and find the pure concepts of the arts.
deny that which would distract you
from practice or from freestyle.
Contort your body,
finding the nooks and crannies of awareness,
but while in motion.
And study motion,
realizing that it is you,
the spirit,
that causes motion in this universe.

Use all four paths
to propel you through the martial arts
to truth,
to the truth of yourself,
and find out what everybody is but nobody knows…
that you are a spiritual being.

And know it.
Not like reading about water,
but like jumping into the ocean.

Here’s a link to the Yoga Kata.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/yogata-the-yoga-kata/

Or, if you are feeling gutsy…

Black Belt Yoga

Have an immensely satisfying work out!
Al

BTW
If you like concepts such as are in this newsletter,
check out ChurchofMartialArts.com

A WIN!

Well Al, it has been almost a year since I started working with your Matrix Martial Arts material. I am pleased to tell you that I have improved more than I ever dreamt I could with your courses.
My body is stronger, more flexible, and pain free from the Yogata I learned. My Tai Chi has become a powerful, reliable, and completely energizing martial art. I have taken up the study of Karate again after 28 years of not practicing and the work is invigorating. My Bagua has become an art that is filled with effortless power. My mind is calmed and I am happy…I’m healthier and more aware of my body than I have been in my whole life. ~ Justin H

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
– Bruce Lee

Achieving the Proper Martial Arts Attitude

Proper Attitude

Good Evening!
Time for a great work out!
Get your body revving,
after all,
end of the month you’re going to be stuffing it.
You’re going to NEED a work out!
Grin.

Click on the cover to find the source of the martial arts…

Let’s talk about the proper attitude in the martial arts.

There were a lot of bikers
back at the Kang Duk Won.
independents,
Gypsy Jokers,
Hell’s Angels.
They made things fun.

You’d work a technique,
they’d offer a critique
based on how it worked in a fight.
Interesting stuff.
Kept it all real.

There was one Hell’s Angel,
and he liked to get drunk and run red lights.
He’d do this in a car,
get roaring drunk,
give somebody a ride,
and watch them shriek in terror,
while he laughed uproariously.

Now,
here comes the question,
why wasn’t he ever arrested or killed,
or suffer other tragedy?

Because he had the proper attitude.

Hard to swallow,
eh?
It’s like saying
being a homicidal maniac
is having the correct attitude.
Let’s look at it.

He was playing games.
He wasn’t being mean.
He wasn’t hurting anybody.
He had no intention to hurt anybody.
He’d plow through an intersection
right between the cars,
and…laugh.
No harm,
no foul.

Isn’t that interesting?

So,
what’s your attitude towards life?
I know a lot of martial artists are serious.
No laughing or joking,
this is serious business.
I remember one fellow,
who actually got upset
when I called the martial arts a game.
You ever think about the definition for a game?

‘a physical or mental activity or contest that has rules
and that people do for pleasure’

Or…

activity engaged in for diversion or amusement

Or…

often derisive or mocking jesting

Or…

a physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other

And so on.

So here is this guy,
makes up a game with potential death in it,
but because he laughs and has so much fun,
he never suffers ill consequences.

Now that’s martial arts.

And I want you to think of something:
when you are laughing and joking…that’s when good things happen.
When you are grim and serious…that’s when bad things happen.
And this is a pretty diehard 100% rule.

So I repeat the question:
What is your attitude?

If you don’t understand the point I’m making,
keep doing your forms,
you’ll get there.
That’s where the martial arts take you.

If you do understand,
then how can you achieve this attitude?
How can you learn to laugh at everything?
To hold to the idea that nothing matters,
so you might just as well laugh and have a good time.
Somebody dies,
they’re dead,
so why cry?
Rejoice in life,
because someday it’ll be you lying cold and stiff.

Interesting point, eh?

It’s not Miamoto Musashi,
but it’s very pertinent to our times,
to the type of people that populate the world.

Can you laugh when somebody insults you?
Can you laugh when tragedy hits?
Can you laugh when you lose?

Can you?

Okay,
check out my last two books,
do a search on amazon for them.
‘How to Matrix the Martial Arts,’ and
‘Binary Matrixing in the Martial Arts.’

And,
have a great work out!

Al

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

Enter the Martial Arts Spirit!

Enter the Spirit

Excellent day

for a Perfect

Martial Arts work out.

It will build your spirit.

Speaking of spirit,

let me take you to a strange place.

There are three levels of martial arts.

I know,

you’ve heard this before.

Body, mind and spirit.

But let me give you example,

and we’ll see where you are

in the martial arts,

and where you can go.

Body is a place of muscles.

We all start there,

we have bodies,

fun to use them.

Unfortunately,

this society has gone

competition crazy.

Thus,

a lot of people only use martial arts to build muscles,

to beat people up,

and so on.

Now,

the trick is to get into the mental stage.

The good martial arts get into it as fast as possible.

You focus on creating emptiness

before you strike.

You learn to use the mind

to appreciate distance

through the cultivation

of harmonious techniques,

and so on.

The real point,

however,

is to get to the spiritual stage.

The spiritual stage is hard to define,

and this because the abilities you get

are the stuff of pure imagination.

Most people find hints of the spiritual stage

all over the place.

A dream that comes true.

A moment when all the stop lights are green.

Moments of peace in your personal life

that border on the divine.

Now,

as you know

I am traveling the US

and meeting people.

One of the people I intended to meet

was a fellow name of Tom

who lived in North Cal.

The reason was because

I had trained him in the martial arts,

some thirty plus years ago.

I knew this was going to be interesting.

We spent the first night

talking into the wee hours.

We talked about people we had known,

experiences,

and what the martial arts were all about.

His life has been a major success.

He has taught people,

 run manufacturing plants,

and created a life of peace and harmony.

Currently a contractor,

he is an artisan.

He can run a straight line of bricks,

or meander them

like a hobbit’s worm,

up and down

and all over the place,

leaving the mind that perceives

dazed with the perfection of chaos.

So the martial arts worked.

But,

what was more important

was the connection between us.

Two old guys

reading each other’s minds,

knowing who was to say what

and when.

Grinning at the first line of a joke

because all you need is the first line

to know it all

and laugh.

But,

let me tell you exactly what was happening.

We were not speaking of the past.

We were solidly in the moment.

A spiritual person does not bother with the past.

He is in the moment,

and our encounter

was glowing with each ever present second.

I want you to think about something.

Go to a party,

listen to what the people say.

Chances are

they are bullswapping old jokes,

old tales,

things that have happened to them.

This is the trouble with working a same old same old job,

you know.

You go start up the machine,

talk to the same people,

and after a few days it becomes comfortable.

When does it enter the past?

Work is good,

it should be in the present.

But so many people

want to go unconscious,

do the same old same old.

You have to fight that.

You have to struggle against the desire

to be the same old same old,

familiar only with each day

as a version of the last.

Do you understand?

Here is the hard part.

An uncomfortable experience,

something you have never done before

is unique.

It may not feel good,

but it is breaking the same old same old

and creating a fresh,

new,

experience of now.

Here’s the easy part.

Do your forms,

and you eventually break the same old same old.

And,

once you have broken the mold,

life becomes a fresh experience,

every day,

no matter what you do,

even if you do the same old same old.

Tom and I were talking about the past,

but we had never talked of the past,

so it was a unique moment of now.

The experiences he told me of,

I had had,

but had never heard

from another human being,

so it was all fresh.

Most important,

we had done our forms a million times,

and we had broken out of the same old same old form

and entered that spiritual realm,

where each enactment of the form

is a unique moment,

untainted by the past.

But you have to want to make that step

you have to beat the mind,

go beyond the physical,

and find life as a unique moment

that never ends.

It can be done,

and it is the point of the martial arts.

Not to beat up some idiot dufus,

who is so stuck in the same old same old,

that he is unhappy

and picks fights,

but to find out that each moment of life

is brilliant and glowing.

Not the muscles or the mind,

but the isness of now

so brilliant

you can’t shut it down.

When you reach that stage,

you know it,

because the lights are always green,

and if you ever encounter a red one,

you know it is just because

life has handed you a moment,

and you need to slow down,

appreciate it,

wallow in the pure usefullness of your own sweet self.

You are in the spiritual stage,

when life glows,

when you find yourself greeting everybody

like an old friend

even if you just left them

a moment a go.

You are in the spiritual stage

when life just picks you up and tosses you

and you can’t stop shouting in pleasure.

You are in the spiritual stage

when the world becomes your true body

and you turn your attention on something

and it happens.

Life moves with your whim,

with your imagination,

with the delicate nuance

of your bare whispered thought.

Okey donkey.

I know…

carried away again.

But I just want everybody to understand

and to experience life

in its most true and pure form.

And that is the purpose of Matrixing and Neutronics.

Check out this URL,

there’s an instant download,

that starts you on the matrixing journey,

and speeds everything up

so that you can enter the spiritual stage

much, much earlier.

http://www.monstermartialarts.com/Master_Instructor_Course.html

Beginner or master,

the data of the master instructor course

is crucial to you understanding

exactly how the body can be used,

and once you have understood this,

once you have matrixed the body itself,

everything changes.

Oh,

it will still take work,

but not as much.

It’s mental,

you see.

Knowing the things that the best instructors know intuitively,

but don’t seem able to explain.

Okey donkey again,

You guys and gals have a most marvelous

and perfect work out.

I’ll talk to you later.

Al

 

This has been a page about martial arts spirit.

Martial Arts and the Silence of the Soul

Martial Arts and the Silence Within

Have you ever noticed that a church is silent? That there is a spirituality that pervades? That there is an ambience which cannot be denied, and which causes respect within the soul?

You are the universe.

There is a similar feel to a Martial Arts training hall. The bowing and respect, the knowledge that one is partaking in a practice that has been assembled and passed down, the ritualistic movements which engender a specific approach to awareness, it all comes together to create a silence within.

There is sometimes joy and shouting, jokes and buffoonery, but there is also a silence that gnaws and worms and transforms.

The first time I became aware of this, I was talking to my instructor in his office. Nobody was in the dojo, and it was silent, and I realized that he had his radio on. But it was so low that it couldn’t be heard.

What was the point of having a radio on and turned so low it couldn’t be heard?

Years later I would have my own school. During the afternoon I was frequently alone, and I would listen to the radio. Sitting at the desk, perhaps reading, perhaps working on a letter, the radio seemed to be loud, so I turned it down.

Within a short while, it seemed like somebody had turned the radio up, so I turned it down again.

And again and again.

Finally, the radio was as low as it could go, but it was like a shout to my ears.

I had cultivated the silence within to the degree that the world was loud: I preferred silence to the raucousness of man. I had rid myself of so many distractions that I was listening without ear, and anything that threatened to distract seemed to be a shout, a yell, an assault upon my person.

I turned the radio off.