Mushin and Other Unique Aspects of Budo Zen Some Thoughts on Zen-Influenced Budo and the Differences Between Budo Zen and “Common” Zen Along with a Few Other Musings I write quite a bit about Budo Zen and Zen Budo. Budo Zen is Zen that is influenced by the principles of Budo and other principles found within martial ways in and outside of Japan (most commonly Korea and China). Zen Budo is martial training that is influenced by the principles of Zen, as opposed to its more common influences. It’s a popular thought in modern martial arts that the Japanese Budo is one thoroughly influenced by the ways of Zen, but that’s just not historically accurate. Most martial ways, including those from Japan, have been influenced—assuming they are even influenced at all by philosophy—by Taoism and Confucianism, specifically Neo Confucianism, than they have been by Zen. Within the Japanese martial arts, Shinto also had an overriding in...
How to Make More Mass-Building Gains and Continued Progress Over Months and Years In this essay, I want to go into detail over a subject that I’ve touched upon in other articles and essays over the years. By using the methods that I will propose, you will make more muscle gains and continuous gains for weeks, months, and years to come. This is one of the ways to ensure that you progress continuously with little in the way of ruts or plateaus. We are often shortsighted, not just as bodybuilders but as humans. Although it is important to focus on the present moment and the current workout that you are doing, you need to have a long-term vision regarding your training that will ensure that you make continued progress. Many lifters start on a basic, muscle-building program and make good gains. Maybe a lifter starts his training journey with a full-body routine or, at the least, a limited split routine ...