That is the Question On the Importance (or Unimportance) of Spiritual “Experiences” such as Kensho and Satori in Budo Zen and Zen-Influenced Budo Are Experiences of Spiritual “Awakening” Important? Should They be Purposely Cultivated? Can Kensho be Achieved—as Some Budoka Claim—Through the Training of Budo Alone? After writing the following, I have been hesitant to post it. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. Nonetheless, I decided that I would go ahead and do so. If you practice Zen, Budo, or both—or you have enjoyed reading my past essays on the subjects—then perhaps you will find something in it that is of interest. It is, at times, deeply personal, as well, which had something to do with my hesitation in making it public. I’m also unsure as to whether or not it conveys my thoughts adequately on the subjects it addresses, but if it helps even one reader, then that’s good enough. ...
A Simple 3-Days-Per-Week, H/L/M Bodyweight Regimen I received an email the other day asking me if I was going to write another part of my Bodyweight Training and Beyond series. I wrote Part 3 of that series back in January, and mentioned at the end of it that I would soon do a 4th part. I have yet to do so, however. I have a tendency to get on “kicks” where I cover a certain topic for several different essays or for weeks on end before moving on to something else, and I haven’t written that much on bodyweight training of late. I wrote back to the reader that, yes, I do plan on writing another part to that series, maybe even several. I’ve made quite a few notes on isometric training along with “dynamic tension” that I plan on including in the next part. The reader also had a request. He asked if I had a suggestion for how to design a 3-days-a-week workout using only one’s bodyweight. He has a chinning bar a...