I remembered last night a movie that exemplifies the monkey brain in a funny way. If you remember Jumanji, 1995 Robin Williams, the below clip, starting specifically at 00:19 seconds in, shows the monkey brain in action. You will get a good idea of the nefarious nature of the beast.
The Secrets of Self Protection/Defense
Yes, I found the gold, I am mining it out and bringing it to my training and practice both FA/MA and Life as we speak or should I say as I blog and hopefully you read the blog.
Why do we have conflict? We do we argue and fight? Why is there war and other such awful things in our world? Why do we even need things like the FA/MA and so forth? Why, why, why? Why is it a mystery to us when we go through conflict and then say to ourselves, what the fuck just happened?
The answers is complex but simple. It is an answer that warrants further research and jumps to the head of the class as to what should be taught as the fundamentals of any and all systems of self protection. It stems from the old saying, "Knowledge is Power!" If you bring it to the forefront of thought/brain/mind it cannot hide in its disguises.
If we understand it and make it something we keep in our conscious then we are better able to recognize it and thus divert it to where it belongs and that is not in the arena of "conflict!"
I will provide three words that will tell you what it is and if you are curious then you will "GO OUT AND DISCOVER" what it is, what it means, what you need to know about it and some clues as to how you can make good use of it to avoid the bad of conflict and make any conflict a win-win conflict.
Are you ready, you sure, this is it and it will only come this one time here and now, ready, ok, checking again are you sure? Ok, it is:
"The Monkey Brain!"
It is there, we all have it, and we all have to deal with it one way or the other. Take control, learn about it, and then learn through knowledge and practice to deal with it rationally and consciously.
Why do we have conflict? We do we argue and fight? Why is there war and other such awful things in our world? Why do we even need things like the FA/MA and so forth? Why, why, why? Why is it a mystery to us when we go through conflict and then say to ourselves, what the fuck just happened?
The answers is complex but simple. It is an answer that warrants further research and jumps to the head of the class as to what should be taught as the fundamentals of any and all systems of self protection. It stems from the old saying, "Knowledge is Power!" If you bring it to the forefront of thought/brain/mind it cannot hide in its disguises.
If we understand it and make it something we keep in our conscious then we are better able to recognize it and thus divert it to where it belongs and that is not in the arena of "conflict!"
I will provide three words that will tell you what it is and if you are curious then you will "GO OUT AND DISCOVER" what it is, what it means, what you need to know about it and some clues as to how you can make good use of it to avoid the bad of conflict and make any conflict a win-win conflict.
Are you ready, you sure, this is it and it will only come this one time here and now, ready, ok, checking again are you sure? Ok, it is:
"The Monkey Brain!"
It is there, we all have it, and we all have to deal with it one way or the other. Take control, learn about it, and then learn through knowledge and practice to deal with it rationally and consciously.
Swift, Silent, Deadly
I am a victim! There is a nefarious creature who creeps up on me swiftly and oh so silently that it has its deadly clutches around my mind and sends it into an emotional irrational frenzy that causes me great harm and by projection sends those closest to me into the same mental tailspin of destruction and insanity.It has its own agenda, emotions and an ego that makes a tsunami seem like child's play when it strikes. It creates destructive patterns that we can not see, feel, sense, or control. It triggers and uses against us those patterns that are coded directly into our brain which tend to be unconscious unless we "know" of them which in this case, till now, I had no idea they affected me in such a dangerous way.
They deal with the emotional part in relation to my very "self-identity." This creature does not want me to "see" the truth but instead the emotional story it wants, it turns me into a destructive path and enjoys it. It controls me instead of me controlling my life.
It makes me use the "YOU" word along with the "I" word, it takes away my free will so that instead of "listening" I defend/attack, it makes me feel as if I am not respected and forces me to perceive it wrongly as something "personal!" I skews my perception and hides it behind unrealistic emotional outburst so that I want to "even the score" when there is no score to even out.
It tricks me into making personal space and mind into a territorial issue where I need to defend against its incursion by outside stuff. When I get into the angry defensive and attack mode it excuses it and any mistakes it leads me into as I continue to spiral down into the depths of fear and anger.
It tells me that others opinions are not important disguising them as attacks. It wants me to be so focused on "being right" that I miss the chance to see how the problems can be solved amicably vs. all this anger, danger, fighting and ego stroking. It wants my ego to feed on it in lieu of resolving problems in a amicable and win-win way.
It gives me those unrelated and unnecessary issues and use them as weapons that are in reality vague,accusatory and psychic so that it will delay and circumvent truth and create confusion which is received as threatening and usually elicits an emotional response to feed the creature in others so the battle will continue on an emotional level vs. a logical one that would keep it out of a conflict mode.
This creature literally hijacks my mind and emotions and then causes the body to run amok exacerbating and inflaming me out of control. It says I have to stay in this defense/attack mode cause the problem has to be handle and fixed NOW when in reality it does not, it is a tactic to keep me from seeing and understanding and knowing that it is not a threat to my self identity or my life. It wants me to hurt instead of empathize; it wants me to punish instead of understand; it wants me to see criticism and ignore the complaint. It wants my fear to feed on instead of my acceptance of the problem.
It knows the difference between a legitimate complaint and an out and out criticism. It knows that a legitimate complaint is something that will be addressed and resolved which is counter productive to its needs, wants, and ultimate goals. It knows that to drag me into its clutches and infect others it has to get me to believe in criticisms as condemnation of me and it knows it can feed on more since criticisms mean no resolutions, just more emotionally charged crap.
It knows that I am vulnerable to criticisms so it will push them up immediately after a valid complaint is provided just to keep me in this horrible position and feeds off it. It knows that people are hypersensitive about admitting to mistakes or errors so when they hear the complaint the creature wishers in my ear, "this is a criticism, it is punishment or the punishment will follow real soon so fight and defend and be emotionally charges so you do listen, don't hear…"
There is only one thing I can do, I have to believe in this nefarious creature so I can recognize him in me and in others. If he comes, sometimes silently before I know it consciously, I must recognize the traits and immediately stop him cold. I must show that I WILL NOT attack; I have no INTENT to dominate; I will NOT go into a punishment mode. I will do this so the problem can be dealt with in lieu of escalating it into its domain of damaging anger and frustration where no one wins and everyone loses.
I will remember that emotions happen faster than my conscious thought. I will use self talk to teach myself to act properly and put up a barrier to defend against the clutches of this horrible creature. I will KNOW that if I let the creature loose within me that it will infect all those in my vicinity and cause them to succumb to this creatures evil ways. I will de-escalate myself first! I will KNOW when this creature is in the room and take corrective action.
Who is this creature? It is me or the part of me called by some as "The Monkey Brain!" It is the worst part of me and although given to me in a time where survival of me and the group meant life or death it is no longer, in these instances, a life or death situation so it can be suppressed. It is not needed mostly today but still sits deep within my DNA and comes to the surface at the threat of death causing it to kick in its antiquated survival tactics. I will learn to use it instead of it using me so it will provide needed protection only when life is "actually/really" threatened and all others it will remain behind the barrier I place before it where I am the gatekeeper, not the monkey brain.
This is my first step in this new goal, to recognize the monkey brain and its unproductive and damaging ways. I will see it and recognize it and then protect/defend myself from it. It will not infect me nor will I allow it to infect anyone else, those in my group, those that are loved ones.
I have a mission! I have a goal! I will not be its victim again!
I Ching is more ...
It is apparent to those of us reading this blog postings that both Isshinryu practitioners and others who study the I Ching that it is used for divination. It is also used to study ourselves and our connections in the world. It is also a means of checking our compatibility with others!
Yes, you heard correctly, you can check your natal trigrams/hexagrams against others such as wife, friends, co-workers, etc. to see how compatible you are.
Using the "Later Heaven Sequence of Trigrams" as well as the "Three Magic Square of Three" as a base for determination you can see how you match up with others. Cool, huh!
In general the following are tidbits of information that you would want to know if you decided to check this out about the I Ching so it is brief and mainly a means of spiking your personal interest so you will go out there and seek the complete system, etc.
GENERALLY
For man, K'un , would be the most representative. For woman, Ken , would be the most representative. [Note: you may ask, why not Ch'ien since it is really the perceived opposite of K'un? Don't know the answer to that one but Ken is the one for woman.]
The following graphic is representative of position of the eight trigrams to the magic square.
Man is assigned the no. 1 position, because the male initiates action [according to the times the I Ching was created/written, etc.; must try to be politically correct to not offend anyone, heehehe].
There is an "EAST" group (eldest son/daughter and middle son/daughter): Kan, Chen, Sun, and Li. There is a "WEST" group (father, mother, youngest son/daughter): K'un, Tui, Ch'ien, and Ken. The east is represented by water, wood, and fire while the west group is represented by earth and metal.
When comparing natal hexagram lines, which are of opposite polarity between the two, enhance the potential compatibility. If all lines are opposite in character indicate that this situation would be most compatible.
When lines are not all different or of opposite polarity the degree of "favorability" is then determined by how many of the lines are of opposite polarity/compatibility. You compare line one of the first with line one of the second, line two of first and line two of second, and so on.
Note: Did you know that ancient Chinese for "China" meant "Central Country" and that is why all the information derived from the I Ching must be adjusted according to location, etc. with emphasis on the huge six month differences between the northern and southern hemispheres. Interesting!
Yes, you heard correctly, you can check your natal trigrams/hexagrams against others such as wife, friends, co-workers, etc. to see how compatible you are.
Using the "Later Heaven Sequence of Trigrams" as well as the "Three Magic Square of Three" as a base for determination you can see how you match up with others. Cool, huh!
In general the following are tidbits of information that you would want to know if you decided to check this out about the I Ching so it is brief and mainly a means of spiking your personal interest so you will go out there and seek the complete system, etc.
GENERALLY
For man, K'un , would be the most representative. For woman, Ken , would be the most representative. [Note: you may ask, why not Ch'ien since it is really the perceived opposite of K'un? Don't know the answer to that one but Ken is the one for woman.]
The following graphic is representative of position of the eight trigrams to the magic square.
Man is assigned the no. 1 position, because the male initiates action [according to the times the I Ching was created/written, etc.; must try to be politically correct to not offend anyone, heehehe].There is an "EAST" group (eldest son/daughter and middle son/daughter): Kan, Chen, Sun, and Li. There is a "WEST" group (father, mother, youngest son/daughter): K'un, Tui, Ch'ien, and Ken. The east is represented by water, wood, and fire while the west group is represented by earth and metal.
When comparing natal hexagram lines, which are of opposite polarity between the two, enhance the potential compatibility. If all lines are opposite in character indicate that this situation would be most compatible.
When lines are not all different or of opposite polarity the degree of "favorability" is then determined by how many of the lines are of opposite polarity/compatibility. You compare line one of the first with line one of the second, line two of first and line two of second, and so on.
Note: Did you know that ancient Chinese for "China" meant "Central Country" and that is why all the information derived from the I Ching must be adjusted according to location, etc. with emphasis on the huge six month differences between the northern and southern hemispheres. Interesting!
I Ching Divination Data
In general, "the judgement and the image of the first hexagram derived from either the yarrow stalk method or the coin toss method define the situations i which one fines oneself. The line texts contain the specific advice it calls for. The judgement and image of the second hexagram, made up from changing lines, etc., show the result that can be attained if the counsel is followed. Line texts in the second hexagram are ignored."
The line with an X in the middle is a yin line that changes.
and the line with a O in the middle is a yang line that changes. 
This sometimes is confusing for the beginner simply because many books do not tell you why one has an X and the other an O. You can also look at the X and O as an "On" and "Off" or "Yang" and "Yin" symbol which if you follow the postings lately also equate to the binary system that "Leibniz" found to relate and validate the hexagram system of Shao Yung, the early heavenly system.
Stay tuned for more later …
The line with an X in the middle is a yin line that changes.
and the line with a O in the middle is a yang line that changes. 
This sometimes is confusing for the beginner simply because many books do not tell you why one has an X and the other an O. You can also look at the X and O as an "On" and "Off" or "Yang" and "Yin" symbol which if you follow the postings lately also equate to the binary system that "Leibniz" found to relate and validate the hexagram system of Shao Yung, the early heavenly system.Stay tuned for more later …
Bible, I Ching, Talmud, Torah, etc. - Acceptance Tolerance more ...
Short and sweet on this posting. Those of religious belief accept the Bible as our tome of the system. We accept it because it was written by our ancient sholars and it has been passed down through the millennium to the accepted tome of today's religious beliefs.
Those who accept the I Ching for what it is also do so because it was written by Chinese scholars of thousands of years past and it also has been passed down through the millennium and is accepted in those circles as well as the tome of its belief system.
This can also be said of the various other religious tomes, i.e.
• Bible
• Torah (Judaism)
• Talmud (Judaism)
• Chuang Tzu (Chinese)
• Analects of Confucius (Chinese)
• Mencius (Chinese)
• Tao Te Ching (Chinese)
• I Ching (Chinese)
• Avesta (Zoroastrian)
• Book of Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
• Doctrine and Covenants (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
• Pearl of Great Price (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
• Qur'an (Islam)
• Hadith (Islam)
etc. to name only a few which also have lasted for millennium.
So why are we so hesitant to accept any one or all? Every civilization either existing or long gone has its tome's or books that have survived book burnings, etc. though out history to present day.
In my humble opinion they all are good and they all serve a purpose. If maybe we look closer with an open mind maybe, just maybe, we can find connections of validation in all these tome's much like Liebniz did with the binary to hexagram (Shao Yung) connection.
Those who accept the I Ching for what it is also do so because it was written by Chinese scholars of thousands of years past and it also has been passed down through the millennium and is accepted in those circles as well as the tome of its belief system.
This can also be said of the various other religious tomes, i.e.
• Bible
• Torah (Judaism)
• Talmud (Judaism)
• Chuang Tzu (Chinese)
• Analects of Confucius (Chinese)
• Mencius (Chinese)
• Tao Te Ching (Chinese)
• I Ching (Chinese)
• Avesta (Zoroastrian)
• Book of Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
• Doctrine and Covenants (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
• Pearl of Great Price (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
• Qur'an (Islam)
• Hadith (Islam)
etc. to name only a few which also have lasted for millennium.
So why are we so hesitant to accept any one or all? Every civilization either existing or long gone has its tome's or books that have survived book burnings, etc. though out history to present day.
In my humble opinion they all are good and they all serve a purpose. If maybe we look closer with an open mind maybe, just maybe, we can find connections of validation in all these tome's much like Liebniz did with the binary to hexagram (Shao Yung) connection.
Critical Point
A very critical point in the study of the Ancient Classics, as well as our practice of the FA/MA, is the parallel cultural phenomena in East and West which are "mirror images" 
of each other. This was first discovered when the Early Heaven sequence was discovered to be a direct mirror image of the "Leibniz Binary system." The early heaven sequence was created by Shao Yung centuries earlier and when Leibniz got a hold of it from Jesuit's he discovered this truth.
We all should know that the binary system is a system of "1's" and "0's" and this system permeates the very core of our lives today, computer binary language from which all electronic and computer systems run.
The key to this system for Leibniz was number; to Shao Ying, it was the hexagram. This is redacted from the Wilhelm lecture titled, "The Later History of the Book of Changes."
What this means to us who practice an Asian art form such as karate we should always keep in our minds that our interpretations of this will in all likelihood be the opposite of what is actually meant.
Our perspective is of a Westerner and as proven here as well in the I Ching and the Isshinryu Ken-po Goku-i we should first understand it from their view, not ours, for ours is directly opposed to theirs.
Keep this in mind when studying the classics, studying the ken-po goku-i, Asian philosophies, and our own practice of the arts. That is if we truly wish to learn the Asian/Okinawan Art of Isshinryu!
p.s. Bushi Tatsuo Sensei asked of us to just take the time to learn about Okinawa, Okinawan people, and their lives and customs to better understand and learn.
of each other. This was first discovered when the Early Heaven sequence was discovered to be a direct mirror image of the "Leibniz Binary system." The early heaven sequence was created by Shao Yung centuries earlier and when Leibniz got a hold of it from Jesuit's he discovered this truth.We all should know that the binary system is a system of "1's" and "0's" and this system permeates the very core of our lives today, computer binary language from which all electronic and computer systems run.
The key to this system for Leibniz was number; to Shao Ying, it was the hexagram. This is redacted from the Wilhelm lecture titled, "The Later History of the Book of Changes."
What this means to us who practice an Asian art form such as karate we should always keep in our minds that our interpretations of this will in all likelihood be the opposite of what is actually meant.
Our perspective is of a Westerner and as proven here as well in the I Ching and the Isshinryu Ken-po Goku-i we should first understand it from their view, not ours, for ours is directly opposed to theirs.
Keep this in mind when studying the classics, studying the ken-po goku-i, Asian philosophies, and our own practice of the arts. That is if we truly wish to learn the Asian/Okinawan Art of Isshinryu!
p.s. Bushi Tatsuo Sensei asked of us to just take the time to learn about Okinawa, Okinawan people, and their lives and customs to better understand and learn.
Expectations (Kitai: 期待)
Frustration usually comes from our expectations.We make a mistake and get frustrated not because we really made a mistake which is just an event of the moment but from the expectations we put on ourselves.
We tend to expect things to be a certain way and when they go awry we perceive it as an attack and immediately experience frustration and fear which triggers the systems in our brain that kick in the adrenaline dumps that exacerbate it causing it to rise even more.
It can be a train ride that goes out of control and takes us on a roller coaster ride of emotions and the consequences of same which are detrimental in self protective situations as well as all of those life situations. In reality both are the same with the exception that the consequences in the physical world are psychological or physical or both.
We strive to take control of this in our training and practice. If we are not aware of all the variables that result from nature's conditioning, i.e. the hunter/warrior, we let it take control of us where the goal of karate-do is to give us the tools to control it, to a degree.
If we are not aware of it and just practice then we remain in the same old rut, spinning out of control, never achieving the level we seek to control and provide self awareness, self discipline, self control, and self protection … to name a few benefits.
This is why I go to great lengths to seek out knowledge. To program my brain with all the data I can so when I train and practice the brain/mind will find this data and associate it with the appropriate actions and intent so when I truly need it, it will come. Make sense? I hope so as I am not sure sometimes since I fully understand that communications of any kind is a most difficult art to master.
If we seek out karate for health and physical fitness and ignore any other aspects this may be all we desire and need but if you really wish to learn karate-do, fighting art, martial art, or what ever title you wish to place on it then to do so adequately and completely, i.e. yang-n-yin principle, then open the mind to the possibilities and train the mind/brain and thus the spirit and body.
Tao; I Ching; Ken-po Goku-i; Golder Flower, etc.
According to The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life translated by Richard Wilhelm.
Tao: The Chinese character for the word "Tao" is made up of the character for "head" and that for "going." Wilhelm translates Tao by Sinn (Meaning). Head can be taken as "consciousness," and "to go" as "traveling a way," therefore the idea would be: "To go consciously, or the conscious way."
Wilhelm goes on to let us know that in accordance with Chinese belief "the light of Heaven" which they say resides at a location approximately between the "eyes," where I like to refer to as the "third eye or metaphysical eye (philosophical eye or mirror of wisdom)," as the heart of heaven is what Chinese call the "Tao."
The light of heaven accordingly refers us to the fact that our nature, our very lives, are contained within the heart of heaven and are great secrets of Tao. The "light" in this particular reference is equal or likened to "consciousness," i.e. symbolic.
The Chinese refer to what we call, "Alchemist Instructions," as the method to take consciousness and life and bring them together. The union of both supposedly bring about "conscious life." The saying of one who accomplishes this, "The great Tao is completed."
Tao is sometime represented by a circle. This circle symbolically is shown by the Tai Chi symbol which encases the Yang and Yin within a circle. The circle represents and provides some very interesting things, concepts, etc.
When symbolism is referenced it may come as a drawing or a reference to a circular movement with a center. In the Fundamental Concepts section of the book, "The Secret of the Golden Flower," it says, "The union of opposites on a higher level of consciousness is not a rational thing, nor is it a matter of will; it is a psychic process of development which expresses itself in symbols. Historically, this process has always been represented in symbols, and to-day the development of individual personality still presents itself in symbolic figures."
The symbols referred to here and from the reference in this book are of the type called, "Mandala." Mandala means a "circle," more especially a magic circle, and this symbol is not only to be found all through the East but also among us; … "
When we practice with types of meditation, etc. we achieve things that are sometimes inexplicable for "life, if lived with complete devotion, brings an intuition of the self, the individual being."
The book goes on to tell us that, "A Very ancient magical effects lie hidden in this symbol (circle) for it derives originally from the - enclosing circle -, the - charmed circle -, the magic of which has bee preserved in countless fold customs. The image has the obvious purpose of drawing a sulcus primigenius, a magical furrow around the center, the templum, or temenos (sacred precinct), of the innermost personality, in order to prevent - flowing out -, or to guard by apotropaeic means against deflections through external influences."
The circle is an "enclosure" and much like our bodies enclosing it projects the idea of "circulation." This is not just motion in a circular fashion, but means, of marking off which equates to a fixation or concentration. In the book it says, "The sun wheel begins to run; that is to say, the sun is animated and begins to take its course, or, in other words, the Tao begins to work and take over the leadership."
The circle, circulation, is one turning the circle from within to "see" all sides of their own personality and thus causing all of them to become involved. Much like the rotation of light and dark, that is, day and night alternating. [person heart same heaven earth; blood circulates similar to sun and moon, etc.]
It is also believed that the circle symbolizes the circular movement to moral significance of activating all the light/dark forces within the human condition which also includes all the psychological opposites what ever the kind they are, exposing that which does not normally want exposure to the self.
The perfect being is symbolized by the "platonic man," who is round on all sides and unites within the male/female. This can be seen in the depiction of the "Vitruvian Man," who is encased in the circle along with the square where the circle is representative of Heaven, the square Earth, and the smaller circle between the square and circle at the top representative of the moon by its dimensional equation.
When we reflect on contemplate on any thought or idea, related thoughts and idea's will arise as if from out of thin air, so to speak, with what seems to be a reaching back into a realm that is referred to by Chinese scholars of I Ching as a primal source, i.e. Tao. We gloss over this as not possible in our desire to retain a hold on the outer and circumferential conscious as symbolized by a circle.
If we look at ourselves as being our own system, of man, as related to our solar system, and by connectivity of Tao that of the Universal system, these three systems are considered both diverse and identical.
The book goes on to say, "The unconscious can be reached and expressed only by symbols, which is the reason why the process of individuation can never do without the symbol. The symbol is the primitive expression of the unconscious, but at the same time it is also an idea corresponding to the highest intuition produced by consciousness. The oldest mandala or symbol drawing known to the author at that time was a Paleolithic so-called - sun wheel."
In another section it is said, "The protecting figure of the - enclosing circle is intended to prevent - outflowing - and to protect the unity of consciousness from being split apart by the unconscious."
The circle is also represented as a symbol in the art of Zen. It can mean or allude to infinity, enlightenment, or the void. It reflects that all things have a beginning and end as well as they tend to return completing a circle, etc. Symbolizing enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and the void; it is also an "expression of the moment" and thus is often considered a form of expressionist art."
The Zen circle is a simple, stark black circle usually painted on white paper in ink. Typically the circle is said to represent the material world that continues endlessly without cessation. There is a beginning to life (where the brush first touches the paper) and an end (where the brush leaves the paper), but this beginning and end continue one after the other, thereby signifying the wheel of birth, death and rebirth. The space within that circle is the emptiness, or the void, the understanding of which lies at the heart of Zen and the experience of which is the goal of meditation.
Then we have the circle formed by a snake which seems to bite its own tail or is this an attempt of the snake in consuming itself. Foremost is the symbolism of the serpent biting, devouring, eating its own tail. This symbolizes the cyclic Nature of the Universe: creation out of destruction, Life out of Death. The ouroboros eats its own tail to sustain its life, in an eternal cycle of renewal. Often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end ...
The other symbolic connections also include the view of our Universe. We can see that the path the Sun, Moon, Earth and stars is circular in nature. Elliptical circles. But circles none the same. When Heaven looks down on the earth it also perceives the circles that form across its surface which we refer to as the longitude and latitude lines. Basically circles that today help us find ourselves on our Earth.
Do not all the seeds from which live originates form a circle because being round and seen in one dimension forms a rough circle. The circle of life!
Lastly for this posting the circle is apparent in the Sun and the Moon. It is the shape of the Earth and all the other planets in the Universe. The eyes are the so called windows to the soul and they are round which if flattened to one dimension forms a circle. The circle or sphere are represented in all the myriad things from the duality created when the great Tai Chi formed from the Tao.
Something to contemplate on...
Tao: The Chinese character for the word "Tao" is made up of the character for "head" and that for "going." Wilhelm translates Tao by Sinn (Meaning). Head can be taken as "consciousness," and "to go" as "traveling a way," therefore the idea would be: "To go consciously, or the conscious way."
Wilhelm goes on to let us know that in accordance with Chinese belief "the light of Heaven" which they say resides at a location approximately between the "eyes," where I like to refer to as the "third eye or metaphysical eye (philosophical eye or mirror of wisdom)," as the heart of heaven is what Chinese call the "Tao."
The light of heaven accordingly refers us to the fact that our nature, our very lives, are contained within the heart of heaven and are great secrets of Tao. The "light" in this particular reference is equal or likened to "consciousness," i.e. symbolic.
The Chinese refer to what we call, "Alchemist Instructions," as the method to take consciousness and life and bring them together. The union of both supposedly bring about "conscious life." The saying of one who accomplishes this, "The great Tao is completed."
Tao is sometime represented by a circle. This circle symbolically is shown by the Tai Chi symbol which encases the Yang and Yin within a circle. The circle represents and provides some very interesting things, concepts, etc.
When symbolism is referenced it may come as a drawing or a reference to a circular movement with a center. In the Fundamental Concepts section of the book, "The Secret of the Golden Flower," it says, "The union of opposites on a higher level of consciousness is not a rational thing, nor is it a matter of will; it is a psychic process of development which expresses itself in symbols. Historically, this process has always been represented in symbols, and to-day the development of individual personality still presents itself in symbolic figures."
The symbols referred to here and from the reference in this book are of the type called, "Mandala." Mandala means a "circle," more especially a magic circle, and this symbol is not only to be found all through the East but also among us; … "
When we practice with types of meditation, etc. we achieve things that are sometimes inexplicable for "life, if lived with complete devotion, brings an intuition of the self, the individual being."
The book goes on to tell us that, "A Very ancient magical effects lie hidden in this symbol (circle) for it derives originally from the - enclosing circle -, the - charmed circle -, the magic of which has bee preserved in countless fold customs. The image has the obvious purpose of drawing a sulcus primigenius, a magical furrow around the center, the templum, or temenos (sacred precinct), of the innermost personality, in order to prevent - flowing out -, or to guard by apotropaeic means against deflections through external influences."
The circle is an "enclosure" and much like our bodies enclosing it projects the idea of "circulation." This is not just motion in a circular fashion, but means, of marking off which equates to a fixation or concentration. In the book it says, "The sun wheel begins to run; that is to say, the sun is animated and begins to take its course, or, in other words, the Tao begins to work and take over the leadership."
The circle, circulation, is one turning the circle from within to "see" all sides of their own personality and thus causing all of them to become involved. Much like the rotation of light and dark, that is, day and night alternating. [person heart same heaven earth; blood circulates similar to sun and moon, etc.]
It is also believed that the circle symbolizes the circular movement to moral significance of activating all the light/dark forces within the human condition which also includes all the psychological opposites what ever the kind they are, exposing that which does not normally want exposure to the self.
The perfect being is symbolized by the "platonic man," who is round on all sides and unites within the male/female. This can be seen in the depiction of the "Vitruvian Man," who is encased in the circle along with the square where the circle is representative of Heaven, the square Earth, and the smaller circle between the square and circle at the top representative of the moon by its dimensional equation.
When we reflect on contemplate on any thought or idea, related thoughts and idea's will arise as if from out of thin air, so to speak, with what seems to be a reaching back into a realm that is referred to by Chinese scholars of I Ching as a primal source, i.e. Tao. We gloss over this as not possible in our desire to retain a hold on the outer and circumferential conscious as symbolized by a circle.
If we look at ourselves as being our own system, of man, as related to our solar system, and by connectivity of Tao that of the Universal system, these three systems are considered both diverse and identical.
The book goes on to say, "The unconscious can be reached and expressed only by symbols, which is the reason why the process of individuation can never do without the symbol. The symbol is the primitive expression of the unconscious, but at the same time it is also an idea corresponding to the highest intuition produced by consciousness. The oldest mandala or symbol drawing known to the author at that time was a Paleolithic so-called - sun wheel."
In another section it is said, "The protecting figure of the - enclosing circle is intended to prevent - outflowing - and to protect the unity of consciousness from being split apart by the unconscious."
The circle is also represented as a symbol in the art of Zen. It can mean or allude to infinity, enlightenment, or the void. It reflects that all things have a beginning and end as well as they tend to return completing a circle, etc. Symbolizing enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and the void; it is also an "expression of the moment" and thus is often considered a form of expressionist art."
The Zen circle is a simple, stark black circle usually painted on white paper in ink. Typically the circle is said to represent the material world that continues endlessly without cessation. There is a beginning to life (where the brush first touches the paper) and an end (where the brush leaves the paper), but this beginning and end continue one after the other, thereby signifying the wheel of birth, death and rebirth. The space within that circle is the emptiness, or the void, the understanding of which lies at the heart of Zen and the experience of which is the goal of meditation.
Then we have the circle formed by a snake which seems to bite its own tail or is this an attempt of the snake in consuming itself. Foremost is the symbolism of the serpent biting, devouring, eating its own tail. This symbolizes the cyclic Nature of the Universe: creation out of destruction, Life out of Death. The ouroboros eats its own tail to sustain its life, in an eternal cycle of renewal. Often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end ...
The other symbolic connections also include the view of our Universe. We can see that the path the Sun, Moon, Earth and stars is circular in nature. Elliptical circles. But circles none the same. When Heaven looks down on the earth it also perceives the circles that form across its surface which we refer to as the longitude and latitude lines. Basically circles that today help us find ourselves on our Earth.
Do not all the seeds from which live originates form a circle because being round and seen in one dimension forms a rough circle. The circle of life!
Lastly for this posting the circle is apparent in the Sun and the Moon. It is the shape of the Earth and all the other planets in the Universe. The eyes are the so called windows to the soul and they are round which if flattened to one dimension forms a circle. The circle or sphere are represented in all the myriad things from the duality created when the great Tai Chi formed from the Tao.
Something to contemplate on...
Ken-po Goku-i and I Ching and Karate-do
Today is a day of discovery. As we study the I Ching and for those of us who practice Isshinryu the ken-po goku-i the following web page may provide some enlightening and thought provoking contemplation.
The Eight Trigrams and the Martial Arts
As I have alluded to for the past few years there is benefit in the study of the "ken-po goku-i" as passed down to us from Bushi Tatsuo Sensei through his style of Isshinryu Karate-do. As you read the site you will begin to see how this "could" have been or "might" have influenced his creation.
Something to think about! [caveat: this posting does not mean I agree or believe it to be fact but merely a means of promoting thought, etc.]
Bibliography:
Isshinkai Yahoo Group, "Re: [Isshin Kai Karate] finding Personal hexagram Okinawa History & traditions" dtd Tue, Jul 20, 2010 at 1:13 AM isshinkaiKarate@yahoogroups.com
The Eight Trigrams and the Martial Arts
As I have alluded to for the past few years there is benefit in the study of the "ken-po goku-i" as passed down to us from Bushi Tatsuo Sensei through his style of Isshinryu Karate-do. As you read the site you will begin to see how this "could" have been or "might" have influenced his creation.
Something to think about! [caveat: this posting does not mean I agree or believe it to be fact but merely a means of promoting thought, etc.]
Bibliography:
Isshinkai Yahoo Group, "Re: [Isshin Kai Karate] finding Personal hexagram Okinawa History & traditions" dtd Tue, Jul 20, 2010 at 1:13 AM isshinkaiKarate@yahoogroups.com
Seek and Ye Shall Find …
If the mind/brain is focused on a particular and then one truly studies life they will always find the connections. This is the nature of the mind/brain and our self.
Explain you say, ok, we are a universe unto ourselves and within that Universe we are connected to the Tao which is the Universe consisting of Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon, and stars to to forget all the myriad things that have created existence.
As a Micro-universe with a even more conglomeration of mini-universes within each of us we are our own perception and we have total and complete control over how it all plays out with only one caveat that on a very basic energy/vibrational level we are connected to all the myriad things of life which provide us the insight we can either use or not to form our self.
No one can do it and we can project onto others fault when it does not meet our goals but reality is that the only one who can influence the self is the self. If the self chooses to project outside itself then it suffers. Sometimes the self MUST accept the fact of it and the suffering it encounters in its decisions are our own and are growth, accept it.
We are driven by that which the Universe encoded within us under the guise of "survival" but we retain the ability to bend and manipulate that which is instinctive into something more allows us growth, accept it.
Each encounter psychologically or reality based, if what we perceive is actually reality, has potential, use it, accept it.
Explain you say, ok, we are a universe unto ourselves and within that Universe we are connected to the Tao which is the Universe consisting of Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon, and stars to to forget all the myriad things that have created existence.
As a Micro-universe with a even more conglomeration of mini-universes within each of us we are our own perception and we have total and complete control over how it all plays out with only one caveat that on a very basic energy/vibrational level we are connected to all the myriad things of life which provide us the insight we can either use or not to form our self.
No one can do it and we can project onto others fault when it does not meet our goals but reality is that the only one who can influence the self is the self. If the self chooses to project outside itself then it suffers. Sometimes the self MUST accept the fact of it and the suffering it encounters in its decisions are our own and are growth, accept it.
We are driven by that which the Universe encoded within us under the guise of "survival" but we retain the ability to bend and manipulate that which is instinctive into something more allows us growth, accept it.
Each encounter psychologically or reality based, if what we perceive is actually reality, has potential, use it, accept it.
Free of Opposites (Hantai no jiyu): 反対の自由
The inability of man to force the opposites (yang-yin) in human nature so far apart that all conscious connection between them is lost. In the case of primitive mentality, the Yang and the Yin have remained in their original proximity. Unable to escape the feeling of collision of the opposites, therefore a way of life is sought in which he would earn freedom of the opposites, i.e. as in the Hindu "nirdvandva," which means, "free of the opposites."
Jung reminds us that in this we "westerners" must remember we are not "orientals," and therefore have an "entirely different point of departure" in these things.
It is also of particular note, for me, that Jung also states, in part, "… this way of development has scarcely any meaning before the middle of life (normally between ages of thirty-five and forty).
Note: These suggestions are taken a bit out of the context, i.e. Jung's comments on the book translated by Richard Wilhelm and with commentary by C. G. Jung (The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life).
It shall also be noted that this book is directly affected by the "Book of Changes." Therefore, for this posting it also relates to us and the practice of FA/MA via the "ken-po goku-i." I find it interesting that the more I study Wilhelm's works, both Helmut and Richard, I see more relations in life be it of Oriental or Occidental sources.
All this is in regards to "Consciousness!" To be conscious, as I perceive it and that is also subjective, is to have the ability to see past the ego and what some call the "Id." To perceive clarity of life both internally and externally as it relates to Tao which is a combination of all the myriad things, i.e. Heaven, Earth, Man; the Sun and moon; the vary stars of the Universe.
To merely make life appear in a different light (Heaven: Sun and/or Heave: Moon which is the mirror of Sun's energy/light), and so becomes different. What is "different?" Good question …
The different may be, as alluded to by Jung, is when possibilities come to one either outside of themselves or from within; or rather, that it grew into some persons from without, and into others from within. In none of any cases of consciousness of a natural nature was it conjured into existence through purpose and conscious willing, but rather to be borne on the stream of time. Where else is it continually apparent that nothing can be forced by us to fruition but any value received in life must come from the normal stream of time, i.e. hurrying it up or circumventing the normal flow is counterproductive.
In this we further extrapolate that one must endure the stream of time as set through the natural order, the Tao, until its "time is of the present moment" as there is no other way.
So, I say, stop the temptation to turn "everything" into a purpose and method by force or conjuring of egoistic source but let the path unfold naturally as Heaven and Earth, the Universe; the Tao, intended. Let the nature of Yang and Yin proceed with out further force and follow the guidance provided in the Book of Changes.
After all, thousands and thousands of years experience must mean something! I Quote,
Jung reminds us that in this we "westerners" must remember we are not "orientals," and therefore have an "entirely different point of departure" in these things.
It is also of particular note, for me, that Jung also states, in part, "… this way of development has scarcely any meaning before the middle of life (normally between ages of thirty-five and forty).
Note: These suggestions are taken a bit out of the context, i.e. Jung's comments on the book translated by Richard Wilhelm and with commentary by C. G. Jung (The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life).
It shall also be noted that this book is directly affected by the "Book of Changes." Therefore, for this posting it also relates to us and the practice of FA/MA via the "ken-po goku-i." I find it interesting that the more I study Wilhelm's works, both Helmut and Richard, I see more relations in life be it of Oriental or Occidental sources.
All this is in regards to "Consciousness!" To be conscious, as I perceive it and that is also subjective, is to have the ability to see past the ego and what some call the "Id." To perceive clarity of life both internally and externally as it relates to Tao which is a combination of all the myriad things, i.e. Heaven, Earth, Man; the Sun and moon; the vary stars of the Universe.
To merely make life appear in a different light (Heaven: Sun and/or Heave: Moon which is the mirror of Sun's energy/light), and so becomes different. What is "different?" Good question …
The different may be, as alluded to by Jung, is when possibilities come to one either outside of themselves or from within; or rather, that it grew into some persons from without, and into others from within. In none of any cases of consciousness of a natural nature was it conjured into existence through purpose and conscious willing, but rather to be borne on the stream of time. Where else is it continually apparent that nothing can be forced by us to fruition but any value received in life must come from the normal stream of time, i.e. hurrying it up or circumventing the normal flow is counterproductive.
In this we further extrapolate that one must endure the stream of time as set through the natural order, the Tao, until its "time is of the present moment" as there is no other way.
So, I say, stop the temptation to turn "everything" into a purpose and method by force or conjuring of egoistic source but let the path unfold naturally as Heaven and Earth, the Universe; the Tao, intended. Let the nature of Yang and Yin proceed with out further force and follow the guidance provided in the Book of Changes.
After all, thousands and thousands of years experience must mean something! I Quote,
"I have been deeply impressed with the fact that the new thing presented by fate seldom or never corresponds to conscious expectation." - C. G. Jung
Heart - Consciousness
A person's HEART is the same as Heaven and Earth. The first tome of the ken-po goku-i. [Note: I was using both tome and pome until I found that pome is a fleshy fruit…giggle har har …]
In the Chinese book of Life it speaks of heaven, earth, man, etc. to include many references to "heart." In one particular instance it mentions heart with consciousness in parenthesis. Do they refer to man who is an alert or in an alert cognitive state where they are fully aware of themselves, their situation; both internally and externally?
Do they mean and does the ken-po goku-i mean that a person (man) must practice until they achieve a connection and rhythm that parallels that of Heaven and Earth. Referring to this book and its inferences to the I Ching, which is used for divination or shall we say fortune telling, can we imply that our practice in Isshinryu will be a singular form that transcends the mere physical allowing us to achieve the intent of the styles creator?
The section of the book of life makes a direct reference to Heaven, the creative, as one dark line which enters and becomes master with the result that the heart (of man/person consciousness) develops in dependence on things, is directed outward, and is tossed about on the stream. It goes on to reference the "light" which also means energy which we can imply to being "Chi or Ki energy." It tells us that we circulate the light (energy) within us (man/person) in order to achieve a level with Heaven and Earth.
Shall we contemplate this as a part of the intent when studying these terse tome's of the I Ching called the ken-po goku-i? I know I will!
In the Chinese book of Life it speaks of heaven, earth, man, etc. to include many references to "heart." In one particular instance it mentions heart with consciousness in parenthesis. Do they refer to man who is an alert or in an alert cognitive state where they are fully aware of themselves, their situation; both internally and externally?
Do they mean and does the ken-po goku-i mean that a person (man) must practice until they achieve a connection and rhythm that parallels that of Heaven and Earth. Referring to this book and its inferences to the I Ching, which is used for divination or shall we say fortune telling, can we imply that our practice in Isshinryu will be a singular form that transcends the mere physical allowing us to achieve the intent of the styles creator?
The section of the book of life makes a direct reference to Heaven, the creative, as one dark line which enters and becomes master with the result that the heart (of man/person consciousness) develops in dependence on things, is directed outward, and is tossed about on the stream. It goes on to reference the "light" which also means energy which we can imply to being "Chi or Ki energy." It tells us that we circulate the light (energy) within us (man/person) in order to achieve a level with Heaven and Earth.
Shall we contemplate this as a part of the intent when studying these terse tome's of the I Ching called the ken-po goku-i? I know I will!
The blood (血) circulating [char means pulse] (脈) is similar () to the Sun (日) and Moon (月).
The second tome/pome of the ken-po goku-i is likened to the extreme yin of the great Tai Chi which is represented by the broken line, i.e.
The same is applied here as stated in the first pome/tome above, i.e. "Being of an extreme nature it coupled with Extreme Yang shown above the first pome/tome above lead to the trigrams which also lead to the sixty-four hexagrams. The trigrams, hexagrams and all the Yao lines provide for the different levels of yang-yin in all things. There is never just Yang or just Yin in man who resides on Earth where Heaven and Earth, also extreme yang and extreme yin, create the myriad matter of life to include man. "
Blood is moved throughout the body by the heart. The blood circulates and with it circulates the energy of the Universe. Combination of the life giving blood along with the nutrients that supply the body the food it needs to generate energy along with various other practices, i.e. body mechanics, body alignment, mental and spiritual creates a "one" mind, body, spirit that equates to the ample life energy we call "Chi or Ki." When these three are in equilibrium then we can generate the energy manifest as Chi that the uninitiated sees as a mystical power that is actually normal and optimally utilized.
The sun and moon cling to Heaven, and grain, grass, and tress cling to Earth. When both Sun and Moon trigrams are used they represent the sun in the course of one day. The two together represent repeated movement of the sun, the function of light with respect to time.
The light of a setting sun calls to mind the fact that life is transitory and conditional. Like Heave and Earth the sun and moon can not exist with out one another and the balance created for the Earth is contingent on the energy pull of both which effects the myriad matter of Earth, i.e. wind, tides, etc.
The practice of karate-do teaches us to align the mind, body and spirit. Correct body alignment and mechanics associated with the various ways we use it, i.e. chinkuchi and gamaku along with kasha, that produce the proper health and energy producing Chi or Ki.
As can be seen the trigrams for moon and sun also connect us to the ears, eyes, and heart all of which also find meaning in the first tome of the ken-po- goku-i. It also reflects and connects us to the other six tomes or pomes of the goku-i according to its connection to Isshinryu and Okinawa Karate-do.
The first trigram is called "K'an" which represents the heart, the soul locked up within the body, the principal of light is enclosed in the dark - that is, reason. This trigram teaches the teacher; In teaching others everything depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil makes the material his own.
K'an is also defined as "The Abysmal" which in China means, "pit." Its element is water and water shows how to behave; water is constantly flowing; man shows this through the constant virtuous life. Water flows on and on, so he makes use of practice and repetition in the business of teaching.
This is the moon or K'AN or The Abysmal or the heart, etc. which fills out and expands to encompass all eight tomes of the ken-po goku-i. We can see that the constant effects of the sun and moon if followed teach us how to practice and train in the art of karate.
The sun is fire which illuminates all things both physical and metaphysically, i.e. external and internal. The sun illuminates so the "eyes," both the ones we see our environment but also that "third" eye that sees the spiritual aspects of practice and life. Li/Sun/Fire is brightness that carries over to reflection of its power and energy when if reflects off the surface of the moon at night, darkness thus teaching us that the Sun illuminates that darkness that is within due to the body that encases our souls.
The sun and moon attain their brightness by clinging to Heaven, from which issue the forces of the light principle. This is why blood circulations is similar to sun and moon whose existence is solely due to the creative and receptive aspects of heave and earth through the eyes and ears, heart and soul, etc. of man.
Bibliography:
Wilhelm, Richard. The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life. New York. Harcourt Brace and Company. 1962.
Chu, W. K. and Sherrill, W. A. The Astrology of I Ching. New York. Penguin Books. 1976
Wilhelm, Hellmut and Wilhelm, Richard. Understanding the I Ching: The Wilhelm Lectures on the Book of Changes. New Jersey. Princeton Bollingen Press. 1995.
Chu, W. K. and Sherrill, W. A. An Anthology of I Ching. London. Routledge and Kegan Paul. 1977.
Wilhelm/Baynes. The I Ching or Book of Changes. New York. Princeton Press. 1997.
The same is applied here as stated in the first pome/tome above, i.e. "Being of an extreme nature it coupled with Extreme Yang shown above the first pome/tome above lead to the trigrams which also lead to the sixty-four hexagrams. The trigrams, hexagrams and all the Yao lines provide for the different levels of yang-yin in all things. There is never just Yang or just Yin in man who resides on Earth where Heaven and Earth, also extreme yang and extreme yin, create the myriad matter of life to include man. "
Blood is moved throughout the body by the heart. The blood circulates and with it circulates the energy of the Universe. Combination of the life giving blood along with the nutrients that supply the body the food it needs to generate energy along with various other practices, i.e. body mechanics, body alignment, mental and spiritual creates a "one" mind, body, spirit that equates to the ample life energy we call "Chi or Ki." When these three are in equilibrium then we can generate the energy manifest as Chi that the uninitiated sees as a mystical power that is actually normal and optimally utilized.
The sun and moon cling to Heaven, and grain, grass, and tress cling to Earth. When both Sun and Moon trigrams are used they represent the sun in the course of one day. The two together represent repeated movement of the sun, the function of light with respect to time.
The light of a setting sun calls to mind the fact that life is transitory and conditional. Like Heave and Earth the sun and moon can not exist with out one another and the balance created for the Earth is contingent on the energy pull of both which effects the myriad matter of Earth, i.e. wind, tides, etc.
The practice of karate-do teaches us to align the mind, body and spirit. Correct body alignment and mechanics associated with the various ways we use it, i.e. chinkuchi and gamaku along with kasha, that produce the proper health and energy producing Chi or Ki.
As can be seen the trigrams for moon and sun also connect us to the ears, eyes, and heart all of which also find meaning in the first tome of the ken-po- goku-i. It also reflects and connects us to the other six tomes or pomes of the goku-i according to its connection to Isshinryu and Okinawa Karate-do.
The first trigram is called "K'an" which represents the heart, the soul locked up within the body, the principal of light is enclosed in the dark - that is, reason. This trigram teaches the teacher; In teaching others everything depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil makes the material his own.
K'an is also defined as "The Abysmal" which in China means, "pit." Its element is water and water shows how to behave; water is constantly flowing; man shows this through the constant virtuous life. Water flows on and on, so he makes use of practice and repetition in the business of teaching.
This is the moon or K'AN or The Abysmal or the heart, etc. which fills out and expands to encompass all eight tomes of the ken-po goku-i. We can see that the constant effects of the sun and moon if followed teach us how to practice and train in the art of karate.
The sun is fire which illuminates all things both physical and metaphysically, i.e. external and internal. The sun illuminates so the "eyes," both the ones we see our environment but also that "third" eye that sees the spiritual aspects of practice and life. Li/Sun/Fire is brightness that carries over to reflection of its power and energy when if reflects off the surface of the moon at night, darkness thus teaching us that the Sun illuminates that darkness that is within due to the body that encases our souls.
The sun and moon attain their brightness by clinging to Heaven, from which issue the forces of the light principle. This is why blood circulations is similar to sun and moon whose existence is solely due to the creative and receptive aspects of heave and earth through the eyes and ears, heart and soul, etc. of man.
NOTE: Those who wish to see graphics and the entire doc on these two ken-po goku-i tomes/pomes just put your email address in a comment, I will send it in pdf format.
Bibliography:
Wilhelm, Richard. The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life. New York. Harcourt Brace and Company. 1962.
Chu, W. K. and Sherrill, W. A. The Astrology of I Ching. New York. Penguin Books. 1976
Wilhelm, Hellmut and Wilhelm, Richard. Understanding the I Ching: The Wilhelm Lectures on the Book of Changes. New Jersey. Princeton Bollingen Press. 1995.
Chu, W. K. and Sherrill, W. A. An Anthology of I Ching. London. Routledge and Kegan Paul. 1977.
Wilhelm/Baynes. The I Ching or Book of Changes. New York. Princeton Press. 1997.
The Extreme of Tai Chi
Click the graphic to see larger view and right click it to download/save!
Let me provide a means to better convey my intentions with this graphic.
Luke said to Obi-wan, "I can feel the good in him." What Luke is saying is that although Darth Vadar has done to an extreme yang position, ergo the dark side, he still could feel/see the "seed" of good or yin in him and by casting doubt by his actions Darth began to feel the shift. He had reached the end and as symbolized by the I Ching, that sixth line for Darth, ended thus taking its natural way toward its opposite, yin.
Darth becomes good again and stands beside Obi-wan and Yoda. It just goes to say that we all have choices and the I Ching provides us a means to choose which direction we travel. Think about this when viewing the above.
As for Luke, up to this moment, he vacillated between his yang and yin until this brought about equilibrium. He fought the dark and light side where his free will could have chosen either path but his greatness within chose the correct and centered path.
Isn't Jedi just another way to say, "Hunter/Warrior?" ;-)
Luke said to Obi-wan, "I can feel the good in him." What Luke is saying is that although Darth Vadar has done to an extreme yang position, ergo the dark side, he still could feel/see the "seed" of good or yin in him and by casting doubt by his actions Darth began to feel the shift. He had reached the end and as symbolized by the I Ching, that sixth line for Darth, ended thus taking its natural way toward its opposite, yin.
Darth becomes good again and stands beside Obi-wan and Yoda. It just goes to say that we all have choices and the I Ching provides us a means to choose which direction we travel. Think about this when viewing the above.
As for Luke, up to this moment, he vacillated between his yang and yin until this brought about equilibrium. He fought the dark and light side where his free will could have chosen either path but his greatness within chose the correct and centered path.
Isn't Jedi just another way to say, "Hunter/Warrior?" ;-)
A person's [人 - "person or man"] heart [心] is the same [同] as Heaven [天] and Earth [地].
Man or person in relation to the trigrams is not specified yet when the hexagram is created using two of the trigrams it does designate a position in those hexagrams for all three; Man, Heaven and Earth.
In the Chun I or I Ching these trigrams, Heaven and Earth, are the creative and receptive where both are dependent on the other in creating the many myriad things that comprise life and are represented in the 64 hexagrams.
Because all hexagrams involve Earth, Man, and Heaven when seeking the advice of the Oracle, I Ching, in finding the actions appropriate to the particular question of the moment we find that the first tome of the Kenpo Gokui provided by Bushi Tatsuo Sensei to govern every thing about life of man, i.e. humans since man is meant to comprise all of humanity be it male or female, personally and socially.
Bushi Tatsuo by referencing that both Heaven and Earth are the same as the heart of man or man's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth I believe he was pointing us to the absolute beginning of all things.
It begins with the circle [which is representative of heaven] which the I Ching tells us is the "beginning" (wu chi) of all things. This also applies to his creating Isshinryu. When he spent the many years working it all out he then planted the seed of his creation or the date where Isshinryu actually began on the 15th of January which is a date best known for farmers to plant the seeds of crops.
This is why the first two tomes of the ken-po goku-i are a direct reference to the more spiritual aspects of the teachings of life and Isshinryu's connections are shown by these two references to the I Ching, etc. We will see that the other six [notice that the number also equates to the six Yao or Lines of the I Ching hexagrams] tomes of the ken-po goku-i will be referencing the many attributes and images of the trigrams and hexagrams, i.e. such as hard and yielding, eyes and ears, etc.
Man is "the principle of movement," the heart represents devotional stages, Heaven constant movement and changes, and Earth represents fixed and lasting. When all three are combined we shall see that it reflects life and in Bushi Tatsuo's Isshinryu the direct and indirect connections of practice/training to how we perceive and act in life.
If we take a look at other aspects of the style such as the "me-gami" we see the dragon flying off into the night sky. The dragon is symbolized in the I Ching under the trigram/hexagram for "heaven or Ch'ien." The dragon is known as energy which is Heaven since its energy is used to plant seeds in the Earth bringing forth growth, etc.
In the I Ching: Heaven follows dragons; dragons are energy and heaven as the creative supplies that type of energy; The I Ching references the symbolism of the "dragon flying in the heavens" which is directly depicted in the Me-gami of Isshinryu.
We see reference to the eyes in defining the heart in the I Ching which also references "eyes" which we see later in the ken-po goku-i, i.e. tome no. 7.
In addition the beginning or wu chi is followed by the great tai chi represented by the symbol where Yang and Yin entertain with seeds of each in the field of the other promoting a continuous motion and change. The I Ching refers to the "ridgepole" which is a line to represent or symbolize "oneness" and that singular line extends for the dot which is the circle at its smallest extending out parallel so that it devised the lower from the upper. The lower and upper in the I Ching is formed in the hexagrams using the trigrams placing in lower and upper, etc.
As the ridgepole is viewed it is also crossed forming a division between left and right. In our style of Isshinryu we have come to understand that the horizontal ridgepole represents "naihanchi" and the vertical ridgepole "sanction" which in turn gives birth to the third ridgepole and from the front can not be seen but when viewed as three dimensions provides for division of front and back or in our style Isshinryu.
Since heaven also represents hard or Yang this also is represented in the practice of Sanchin while the yielding or what we call soft is represented by the practice of Naihanchi. We can take one step further in the birth of Isshinryu we also have the birth of "Sunsu" which is comprised of both hard and yielding.
The ridgepole in its three dimensional view represents a world of opposites and when we practice sanchin we practice diametrically opposed or opposites as sanchin conflicts in practice. We also know that Heaven, Earth and the other six of the trigrams make up all there is to the additional sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching so we can, hesitantly say, that Naihanchi and Sanchin both connect to the representation/symbolization of Heaven and Earth for Man while these two types of kata contribute to the man in practice and training while the remaining six kata also can connect to the remaining six trigrams; thunder, mountain, wind, marsh, fire, water…Seisan, Seuichin, Wansu, Chinto, Kusanku, and Sunsu.
Man or person in relation to the trigrams is not specified yet when the hexagram is created using two of the trigrams it does designate a position in those hexagrams for all three; Man, Heaven and Earth.
In the Chun I or I Ching these trigrams, Heaven and Earth, are the creative and receptive where both are dependent on the other in creating the many myriad things that comprise life and are represented in the 64 hexagrams.
Because all hexagrams involve Earth, Man, and Heaven when seeking the advice of the Oracle, I Ching, in finding the actions appropriate to the particular question of the moment we find that the first tome of the Kenpo Gokui provided by Bushi Tatsuo Sensei to govern every thing about life of man, i.e. humans since man is meant to comprise all of humanity be it male or female, personally and socially.
Bushi Tatsuo by referencing that both Heaven and Earth are the same as the heart of man or man's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth I believe he was pointing us to the absolute beginning of all things.
It begins with the circle [which is representative of heaven] which the I Ching tells us is the "beginning" (wu chi) of all things. This also applies to his creating Isshinryu. When he spent the many years working it all out he then planted the seed of his creation or the date where Isshinryu actually began on the 15th of January which is a date best known for farmers to plant the seeds of crops.
This is why the first two tomes of the ken-po goku-i are a direct reference to the more spiritual aspects of the teachings of life and Isshinryu's connections are shown by these two references to the I Ching, etc. We will see that the other six [notice that the number also equates to the six Yao or Lines of the I Ching hexagrams] tomes of the ken-po goku-i will be referencing the many attributes and images of the trigrams and hexagrams, i.e. such as hard and yielding, eyes and ears, etc.
Man is "the principle of movement," the heart represents devotional stages, Heaven constant movement and changes, and Earth represents fixed and lasting. When all three are combined we shall see that it reflects life and in Bushi Tatsuo's Isshinryu the direct and indirect connections of practice/training to how we perceive and act in life.
If we take a look at other aspects of the style such as the "me-gami" we see the dragon flying off into the night sky. The dragon is symbolized in the I Ching under the trigram/hexagram for "heaven or Ch'ien." The dragon is known as energy which is Heaven since its energy is used to plant seeds in the Earth bringing forth growth, etc.
In the I Ching: Heaven follows dragons; dragons are energy and heaven as the creative supplies that type of energy; The I Ching references the symbolism of the "dragon flying in the heavens" which is directly depicted in the Me-gami of Isshinryu.
We see reference to the eyes in defining the heart in the I Ching which also references "eyes" which we see later in the ken-po goku-i, i.e. tome no. 7.
In addition the beginning or wu chi is followed by the great tai chi represented by the symbol where Yang and Yin entertain with seeds of each in the field of the other promoting a continuous motion and change. The I Ching refers to the "ridgepole" which is a line to represent or symbolize "oneness" and that singular line extends for the dot which is the circle at its smallest extending out parallel so that it devised the lower from the upper. The lower and upper in the I Ching is formed in the hexagrams using the trigrams placing in lower and upper, etc.
As the ridgepole is viewed it is also crossed forming a division between left and right. In our style of Isshinryu we have come to understand that the horizontal ridgepole represents "naihanchi" and the vertical ridgepole "sanction" which in turn gives birth to the third ridgepole and from the front can not be seen but when viewed as three dimensions provides for division of front and back or in our style Isshinryu.
Since heaven also represents hard or Yang this also is represented in the practice of Sanchin while the yielding or what we call soft is represented by the practice of Naihanchi. We can take one step further in the birth of Isshinryu we also have the birth of "Sunsu" which is comprised of both hard and yielding.
The ridgepole in its three dimensional view represents a world of opposites and when we practice sanchin we practice diametrically opposed or opposites as sanchin conflicts in practice. We also know that Heaven, Earth and the other six of the trigrams make up all there is to the additional sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching so we can, hesitantly say, that Naihanchi and Sanchin both connect to the representation/symbolization of Heaven and Earth for Man while these two types of kata contribute to the man in practice and training while the remaining six kata also can connect to the remaining six trigrams; thunder, mountain, wind, marsh, fire, water…Seisan, Seuichin, Wansu, Chinto, Kusanku, and Sunsu.
Mind-no-mind | Mushin | Wu-wei (no-action)
Reading the book by Wilhelm I ran across this and said, "cool!"
Don't read to far into this as by itself does not express it entirely but it does express a concept fundamentally.
Bibliography:
Wilhelm, Hellmut and Wilhelm, Richard. Understanding the I Ching: The Wilhelm Lectures on the Book of Changes. bollinger series. New Jersey. Princeton Publishing. 1995.
"No-action [wu-wei], is not quietism in our sense, but is the readiness to act the part in the phenomenal worlds assigned to man by time and his surroundings."
Don't read to far into this as by itself does not express it entirely but it does express a concept fundamentally.
Bibliography:
Wilhelm, Hellmut and Wilhelm, Richard. Understanding the I Ching: The Wilhelm Lectures on the Book of Changes. bollinger series. New Jersey. Princeton Publishing. 1995.
Constancy and Change by Richard Wilhelm
Ahh, another discovery that not only provides me a copy of the Eight Lectures of the I Ching by Hellmut Wilhelm but also two more major lectures by Richard Wilhelm.
In the introduction there are two quotes I wish to pass along. When discussing the comparison of Chinese culture to the world of cultures Wilhelm said, "A comparison of different cultures will give us the possibility of recognizing the human basis and to elevate it to conscious awareness. This, together with the preservation of individual particularities, will become increasingly a source of strength." "A world of sharply delineated individuals (leading a specific life, as do plants in the forrest), without negating in difference that which is held in common."
Then Wilhelm quotes T'ao Yuan-ming from his death poem, " … I have gone happily to draw water from the brook and have sung as I walked under a load of firewood. … As prong gave way to autumn, I have busied myself in my garden. … I have rejoiced in my books and have been soothed by my zither. Winters I have warmed myself in the sun, summers I have b ached in the brook.
Men fear to waste their lives, concerned that they may fail to succeed. They cling to the days and lament passing time.
Aware of my destined end, of which one can not be ignorant, I find no cause for regret in this present transformation."
I find these comforting and relevant in today's hectic speedy overwhelming life. It speaks of that life and then more. Coming from such a source relates the constancy of life and its fullness within change.
In the introduction there are two quotes I wish to pass along. When discussing the comparison of Chinese culture to the world of cultures Wilhelm said, "A comparison of different cultures will give us the possibility of recognizing the human basis and to elevate it to conscious awareness. This, together with the preservation of individual particularities, will become increasingly a source of strength." "A world of sharply delineated individuals (leading a specific life, as do plants in the forrest), without negating in difference that which is held in common."
Then Wilhelm quotes T'ao Yuan-ming from his death poem, " … I have gone happily to draw water from the brook and have sung as I walked under a load of firewood. … As prong gave way to autumn, I have busied myself in my garden. … I have rejoiced in my books and have been soothed by my zither. Winters I have warmed myself in the sun, summers I have b ached in the brook.
Men fear to waste their lives, concerned that they may fail to succeed. They cling to the days and lament passing time.
Aware of my destined end, of which one can not be ignorant, I find no cause for regret in this present transformation."
I find these comforting and relevant in today's hectic speedy overwhelming life. It speaks of that life and then more. Coming from such a source relates the constancy of life and its fullness within change.
What are you thinking about? Nothing.
Riding along in the car on the way to the train, going to work, my lovely wife is driving me and then she notices I am intently doing, "something in thought." Suddenly she says, "You are deep in thought, what are you thinking about?" and I respond, like I believe most men do, "Nothing."
Caveat: I am going to quote some folks here in this post and I do this simply because they said it so well there is not way I can improve on it. I normally give the name of the person quoted but today because of the subject matter will leave that off for privacy sake.
Needless to say my response elicits a bit of disbelief and anger from my wife because she says, "Impossible, all the books I read say we all constantly talk to ourselves in our minds and the chatter can not be stopped." I, of course, disagree.
Someone wrote the following and it rang the bell for me, "Mostly, I do not really think about anything. My natural resting state seems to be an inflow of what I see and hear and smell all around me and letting it flow through and leave. I rarely think in word and so I usually answer, Nothing!"
Now comes the question as to how this is possible. I have a theory and will express it but want to stress this is all mine and mine alone so take it with a grain of salt.
I have endeavored to find the answers as to why I do things and in conjunction try to figure out why women do things and thus get the response they get from the men.
Nature, that evil woman who decided to program males and females for survival. Yes, it deals with survival and those functions, instincts, etc. that both sexes are pre-programmed for that allow us to do what we are supposed to do to survive. Although technology and the industrial revolution have far outpaced both our humanity and mother natures natural evolutionary mandate (which, by the way we have absolutely not control over). We have arrived at a time where our natural tendencies want to do what they are programmed to do but our lives and environment no longer need to the extent originally intended.
Men are hunters/warriors, we are external creatures, we don't have those types of functions that women do, we don't talk about feelings and such, we talk about the hunt or the times we protected the group, etc. We are Yang, we are external, we tend to track and lock on to many things using our instincts to say "safe" or "danger" and then devise ways to protect the group. We also use these tracking functions to "hunt" our sustenance.
Women are gatherers and the threads that bind the group keeping it safe. They are communicators so the group remains connected and they communicate all the history and processes the tribe or group use to stay safe and provide for all food, shelter, and protection. If they did not communicate between each other then the group would not be a group but a bunch of individuals constantly colliding with one another creating discord.
The men are "out" hunting and when not hunting providing guard duty against the wild world protecting so they don't spend time inward and talking because that inattention leaves open vulnerabilities where the wild can get in and damage the tribe/group, etc.
Because women are communicators they take the responsibility of training and teaching the young. When boys and girls reach a certain point they branch off so the boys learn to hunt and protect from the men by watching and mimicking/practicing/learning by doing while the women through both actions and communications teach the girls their function to support the tribe/group.
So, when they ask what are we thinking we are not necessarily thinking thought and words but our minds are tracking through our senses and we are taking it in, determining the threat potential or the food/sustenance potential, and letting it either go to memory for later use/retrieval and then moving on to the next thing we see, hear, and smell around us.
Before you say it, yes, in today's world this might seem sexist or not politically correct but think about it, when you are riding the train to work as I do take a look around you. You will most likely see women in groups talking, men sitting and quietly/seemingly contemplating deep thought (in reality we are not, at least I will admit I don't except when studying I Ching or contemplating training/practice, etc.).
I have in my seeing,hearing, and smelling observed cars whizzing by with men focused on driving and nodding occasionally while the women sitting next to them are talking what seems to us guys, me anyway, as constant chatter. Simply, I don't get it (notice I didn't say we don't get it ;-). But, now maybe I do understand. I accept it and try hard to communicate back as needed but it is not natural for me as I want to see, hear, smell and in the end evaluate my environment for safety and survival.
If we were not so far ahead of mother nature's evolutionary ability maybe the hunter/warrior/gatherer would be less prominent in our DMA and maybe we would not be seeking things that end up in battles and wars and conflicts and other such things. Maybe in time mother nature will allow normal evolution to change us all so we are closer in balance to the center and not the distant Yang to Yin (for those who are not versed in Chinese classics think, men are from mars and women are from venus).
There is a purpose to this madness. Maybe knowing our true nature will allow us to accept each other as we are with understanding and thus live in greater peace and tranquility. You as men don't have to go out and join a dojo and learn all the warrior stuff but just accept we have those tendencies and seek out other ways to express it with out all the fear, anger, and physically expressions of aggression (aggression = testosterone).
Caveat: I am going to quote some folks here in this post and I do this simply because they said it so well there is not way I can improve on it. I normally give the name of the person quoted but today because of the subject matter will leave that off for privacy sake.
Needless to say my response elicits a bit of disbelief and anger from my wife because she says, "Impossible, all the books I read say we all constantly talk to ourselves in our minds and the chatter can not be stopped." I, of course, disagree.
Someone wrote the following and it rang the bell for me, "Mostly, I do not really think about anything. My natural resting state seems to be an inflow of what I see and hear and smell all around me and letting it flow through and leave. I rarely think in word and so I usually answer, Nothing!"
Now comes the question as to how this is possible. I have a theory and will express it but want to stress this is all mine and mine alone so take it with a grain of salt.
I have endeavored to find the answers as to why I do things and in conjunction try to figure out why women do things and thus get the response they get from the men.
Nature, that evil woman who decided to program males and females for survival. Yes, it deals with survival and those functions, instincts, etc. that both sexes are pre-programmed for that allow us to do what we are supposed to do to survive. Although technology and the industrial revolution have far outpaced both our humanity and mother natures natural evolutionary mandate (which, by the way we have absolutely not control over). We have arrived at a time where our natural tendencies want to do what they are programmed to do but our lives and environment no longer need to the extent originally intended.
Men are hunters/warriors, we are external creatures, we don't have those types of functions that women do, we don't talk about feelings and such, we talk about the hunt or the times we protected the group, etc. We are Yang, we are external, we tend to track and lock on to many things using our instincts to say "safe" or "danger" and then devise ways to protect the group. We also use these tracking functions to "hunt" our sustenance.
Women are gatherers and the threads that bind the group keeping it safe. They are communicators so the group remains connected and they communicate all the history and processes the tribe or group use to stay safe and provide for all food, shelter, and protection. If they did not communicate between each other then the group would not be a group but a bunch of individuals constantly colliding with one another creating discord.
The men are "out" hunting and when not hunting providing guard duty against the wild world protecting so they don't spend time inward and talking because that inattention leaves open vulnerabilities where the wild can get in and damage the tribe/group, etc.
Because women are communicators they take the responsibility of training and teaching the young. When boys and girls reach a certain point they branch off so the boys learn to hunt and protect from the men by watching and mimicking/practicing/learning by doing while the women through both actions and communications teach the girls their function to support the tribe/group.
So, when they ask what are we thinking we are not necessarily thinking thought and words but our minds are tracking through our senses and we are taking it in, determining the threat potential or the food/sustenance potential, and letting it either go to memory for later use/retrieval and then moving on to the next thing we see, hear, and smell around us.
Before you say it, yes, in today's world this might seem sexist or not politically correct but think about it, when you are riding the train to work as I do take a look around you. You will most likely see women in groups talking, men sitting and quietly/seemingly contemplating deep thought (in reality we are not, at least I will admit I don't except when studying I Ching or contemplating training/practice, etc.).
I have in my seeing,hearing, and smelling observed cars whizzing by with men focused on driving and nodding occasionally while the women sitting next to them are talking what seems to us guys, me anyway, as constant chatter. Simply, I don't get it (notice I didn't say we don't get it ;-). But, now maybe I do understand. I accept it and try hard to communicate back as needed but it is not natural for me as I want to see, hear, smell and in the end evaluate my environment for safety and survival.
If we were not so far ahead of mother nature's evolutionary ability maybe the hunter/warrior/gatherer would be less prominent in our DMA and maybe we would not be seeking things that end up in battles and wars and conflicts and other such things. Maybe in time mother nature will allow normal evolution to change us all so we are closer in balance to the center and not the distant Yang to Yin (for those who are not versed in Chinese classics think, men are from mars and women are from venus).
There is a purpose to this madness. Maybe knowing our true nature will allow us to accept each other as we are with understanding and thus live in greater peace and tranquility. You as men don't have to go out and join a dojo and learn all the warrior stuff but just accept we have those tendencies and seek out other ways to express it with out all the fear, anger, and physically expressions of aggression (aggression = testosterone).