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The ancient origins of the mysteries of the martial arts is, more than anything, what this site is dedicated to exploring and unearthing. This topic absorbs an enormous amount of my time and energy and is a subject I have been studying in detail for almost 20 years at the time of writing.
To me the various combative systems from around the world exist, simultaneously, on several different levels of interpretation. Most obviously they exist as fighting methods. More esoterically they are also methods of self-cultivation and dynamic meditation leading a practitioner to deep spiritual truths that transcend time and space. Martial arts can also be used for developing a high level of fitness and health, developing better concentration, as pure dynamic art forms comparable to dance or gymnastics, or as a key to unlocking social awareness. Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do and so on can all be used to achieve one or more of these ends, and others besides. I would argue that there is no “correct” interpretation and I personally have little time for those that argue (insist) for a uni-dimensional approach. There may have been a time in the past when the arts existed as purely utilitarian forms of combat that had little or no use outside of a battlefield but to limit ourselves to such an interpretation nowadays is to ignore a long history that has recognized that the arts are more than fighting methods. In any case, the chances of most of us ever being on a battlefield are virtually non-existent.
As I write this I just turned 41 less than a month ago. I am getting close to reaching my thirtieth anniversary involved in the practice of budo and Karate in particular. Though I still train twice a day for up to 4 hours, I have children and I have been living in Japan now for around 15 years (one of the safest countries in the world), and I simply don't see enough 'real life' violence to be particularly concerned about it. Like many in Japan, I do not train in martial arts out of fear for my personal safety (or that of my family). Quite frankly, I also think that training for a fight that will probably never happen is a waste of time and energy (and money!).
What continues to attract me to my practice and push me along a path of research and writing that may not seem to be immediately connected to martial arts is my fascination with the 'deeper' aspects of the arts. I believe that in the various combative forms we practice lie - sometimes hidden, sometimes not, sometimes commercialized - traces of a much earlier wisdom that was more readily accessible and acknowledged. I believe that talk of concepts like chi or ki can be traced back tens of thousand of years ago to shamanism; that breathing techniques and correct body posture can open access to the pineal gland so that we may experience visions that are directly comparable to the art of the Lascaux Caves in France and that found in the Tassili mountain range in the Sahara. I believe that Zen and associated ascetic meditative practices restore contact with the right brain hemisphere, a contact and understanding that has been declining for the last 40,000 years or so. In short I believe the martial arts are both physical AND spiritual practices and this, primarily, is what this site seeks to uncover.
I will allow time to reveal the full extent of my research, but for anyone looking to get a bit of an insight right now, check out my interview with Tony Wright, author of Left in the Dark and my notes on The Origin of Consciousness and My Stroke of Insight, which retells the experience of Dr Jill Bolte Taylor over a period of hours while she knowingly suffered a stroke during which she experienced numerous shifts between right and left brain hemisphere dominance.
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Graham Hancock and the Sacred Vine.
Psychedelic Drugs: A Brief History.
Left in the Dark
Tony Wright Interview
The Origin of Consciousness
My Stroke of Insight
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