Traditional Martial Art travel
around the world to fully evolve into the modern sport like Wrestling, Fencing,
Archery, Boxing, Javelin, Judo and Taekwondo, these sports are the featuring
event in the modern summer Olympic game. Chinese Wushu recently failed in its
bit to be included in Olympic game. In modern days martial art is becoming one
the attractive event for the school children, Army and Police force to arrest criminal and self –defense, not only
that it is one of the biggest industry for
movies and television show business.
A large numbers of people who
practice martial art don’t know anything about meditation. There is explicit
connection between martial art and meditation. Taekwondo is one of the biggest events
for the martial art industry of Nepal. Taekwondo is the only one sport of Nepal
which brought Olympic bronze medal for the Nation in 1988 through Bidhan Lama,
Sangina Baidhay qualified for the
2004 Athens Olympics game and Deepak Bista was able to participate in 2008
Beijing Olympics. Government
of Nepal through National sport council is investing millions of rupees for the
development such art like Taekwondo, Karate, Wushu, Boxing and others many more
but not able to have expected result.
Something is missing in martial
art which has to be realized, I am
practicing Taekwondo since last twenty year with my forth degree black belt but
never ever encounter with the topic like
meditation during my training course with my instructors. There are many
martial art movies and every martial art trainer and player loves to watch it
where they can see and feel the connection of martial art and mediation but in real
life training there is no mediation. These movies are the sources of
inspiration which kick me to realize the need of meditation in connection to
martial art. The teaching of martial art in Asia has historically followed the
cultural tradition of teacher and disciple apprenticeship with strict
discipline. Student learnt what the instructor teaches but many martial art
instructors are lamenting in lacking of their knowledge of meditation. Martial
art without mediation is standing in one leg. The fully equipped true martial
artist and trainer must possess the knowledge of mediation otherwise; it will
not give expected result. I am very much thankful to Osho (Master of modern
meditation) who came into my life to ease my query of mediation. I am
practicing mediation and martial art, meditation is the essence of martial
art. I am very much happy to instruct
meditation and martial art to my student during training hours. The martial art
trainer must be aware of the mediation otherwise they have no rights to play
with the future of growing children. Still there is misconception in people
that meditation is related to a certain religious group, it has no association
with any kind of religion.
Meditation is important factor
of martial art, without awareness fighter will not be able to focus for the right
opportunity to strike and defend. The symptom can be seen in the face of those fighter who do not practice
meditation, likes abnormal breathing, fear, urine feeling, anxiety, thirsty, and
drying up of lips before arriving to the fighting ring. This is the situation
of the player who does not practice meditation and they burn their vital energy
so quickly before ring. Meditation is the only tools of martial art which
control the energy and help to re-activate it in course of time.
It is true that awareness in
the ring is quite different than sitting quietly crossing the leg but
meditation is not just about sitting silently with leg cross, it teaches how to
focus on mind, without proper focus, power generated in the muscular system
goes weak. The more focus the player is, the more efficiently activate the cell
through nervous system, as much cell are activated that much power can be
gained for the further fighting round.
Martial art training aim to
result several benefits to trainee such as physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual health through systematic practice of martial art, a practitioner
physical fitness may be boosted up with strength, stamina, flexibility,
movement coordination, as the whole body is exercise and the entire muscular
system is activated.
It is difficult to track our
the evolution of Martial Arts due to lack of historical records, from ancient
myths and legends to historical evolution, martial art have been shaped by many
factors, different continent have their own skill and technique of fighting. In
those days’ extensive trade used to occur across the nation, many diplomat,
business man and monk used to travel via jungle for their own purpose where
they encounter with the unwanted wild animal and dacoits. To defend the self,
travelling monk developed unarmed martial art observing the movement of animal
like tiger, cat, monkey, snack, crane etcetera. According to the earlier legendary tells, The
Indian Buddhist monk Boddhidharma believed to live around 550 AD. Boddhidharma was
the founder of meditation philosophy in Zen Buddhism and influencing the
unarmed combat art in the Shaoline temple China. The founder of Shaoline temple
taught meditation, energization method and martial art for the purpose of
developing spiritual goal.
The
primary goal of the mediation is to gain accurate perception of reality. Our
five senses: eyes, nose, ear, mouth and skin can pick up the things which can be
seen, smell, hear, test and feel but there is something apart from that which
is known as Sixth sense. The five senses can only detect the gross
manifestation of reality but it cannot handle the subtle manifestation. Modern
science has only detected the electron and radio waves and there is much more
to know. Accurate perception of reality cannot be perceived through five sensory
information .Meditation is the only tools to know the cosmic thing which is not
possible through our five sensory organs. The Sixth sense is in each human body;
meditation is the only tools to re-activate our Sixth sense. Mediation is a
technique to explore inner potentiality, knowing one’s body and other person. In
true sense, it is connecting with the nature.
The
benefit of meditation in martial art include improved awareness, reducing the anxiety, more order though
process, enhance academic skills, creativity is stirred up, biological aging is
slow down, energies are activated, the immune system and physiological process
are strengthened, intuition awakened and appreciation for own life and love and
respect for other life will enhance.
The
true martial artist conceived that martial art is a pathway to ultimate realization
for the spiritual attainment or enlightenment. Tae Chi master Shi Ming wrote in
“Mind over Matter” that learning to defend oneself with block and attack an
enemy with kicks and punches is a lesser art. The real aim of martial art
training is to realize the Tao or enlightenment. Advanced martial artist no
longer think of hitting anyone. Literarily, the definition of Tao is way or
path. The purpose of martial arts training is not to increase one chi at an
other’s expenses but to experience a oneness with nature and other person
through a practice that allow one to become conscious of and flow with the
universal wave of energy.
Martial
art is very much popular now a day so it is taught in Dojo, School, and Army
and to the police personnel for self-defense, physical fitness and to arrest
the dangerous criminal but still mediation is missing in them that is why there
is so much aggressive behavior among the practitioner. If we can mix martial
arts and meditation than only it become perfect art, the strong root for the
strong tree. The instructors without the knowledge of meditation are not a true
instructor. Breathing and Active meditation practices like Poomse, Kata and Tie
Chi are already existing in training course but instructor are unaware of it, they
are just performing it mechanically. So, National Sport council of Nepal must
ponder upon this matter of meditation for the successful achievement. The large
amount of investment in sport will not go vain if we include meditation in each
category of national sport.
By Giri Bahadur Sunar
The author is a sociologist,
Meditation Practitioner and Forth Degree Black Belt holder in Martial Art
(Taekwondo), can be reached at girithejorba@gmail.com
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