替えることは勇氣を持たなければなりません
Kaeru koto wa yuuki wo mota nakereba narimasen
To change you need to be brave.
The best martial artists embrace change. A martial artist has to embrace change because they know as Heraclitus once said, “The only constant in life is change.” Normal people fear change and resist it because they perceive it as being uncomfortable and scary. A martial artist isn’t a normal person and they know kaeru koto wa yuuki wo mota nakereba narimasen (替えることは勇氣を持たなければなりません) or that “to change you need to be brave.” Martial artists know that comfort and fear are the currency that they have to pay to get the change that they want. In terms of change, there are four distinct levels in learning: shu (守), ha (破), ri (離), and myou (妙). Shu is the beginning or rote stage of learning where we precisely master the form or kihon-waza (基本技) or where we change our bodies into the art. Ha is the details stage where we break the kihon-waza into its smallest details and gain a real understanding of the technique and solidify the change. Ri is the transcendence where we lose the form entirely and are completely changed. The form does not disappear but transcends to where we can see it but in a certain way we cannot. In Buddhism they call this shikisokuzeku (色即是空) or “form is emptiness, emptiness is form.” At the end, shuhari transforms into myou which is the last stage but it really isn’t a stage but rather what ri or true mastery looks like. Myou is a person’s enlightenment. When we watch martial arts masters move, their movements seem almost supernatural or not of this world - that is myou. Myou means “wondrous” or “mysterious” where we can see that it is Aikido or Karate, but at the same time not really Aikido or Karate. For instance, in swordsmanship, we are taught to defend our centerline with a strong stance. Miyamoto Musashi’s myou can be seen in his happou biraki (八方開き) or “open on all eight sides” stance where he is seemingly completely open to attack and not defending his centerline. A normal person cannot stand with all eight sides completely open - they would get completely destroyed. To get to Musashi’s level of myou requires a lot of change. Musashi’s completely open stance is a kind of metaphor for martial artists in that to get to his level of enlightenment or change requires a certain level of vulnerability. Researcher Brene Brown said, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.” Therefore, to truly change requires vulnerability and a lot of courage. We need vulnerability to trust the process and we need courage to step into the unknown. In life and in the martial arts, change is never comfortable. However, if we perceive it as painful and bad, then it will be painful and bad. If we can perceive change as being the gateway to our greatest selves, then the fear and uncomfortableness is a little bit more tolerable and manageable. The best have the courage to be open and vulnerable to the possibility of what can be and that’s why the best martial artists embrace change.
Today’s goal: When you feel the pangs of fear creep in, have courage and say to yourself, “I am open and vulnerable to the possibilities of what can be.”
Watch this video to better understand change