C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

  Introduction to a Series on Training Wisdom and Philosophy for the Budo Zen Martial Artist       “There has been much soul-searching and hand-wringing about the appropriate role of samurai or Budo Zen, focused on discipline and self-sacrifice, and what might be called pacifist Zen, focused on nonviolence and compassion. This supposed dichotomy is only a matter of emphasis, however. Budo Zen may focus on the determination of the martial artist Bodhidharma while pacifist Zen focuses on the serenity of the enlightened Buddha. One arrives at compassion through concentration, the other at concentration through compassion.” ~Roshi Richard Collins      Starting with this essay, I want to do a series on walking the path of the Budo Zen way.  The title of this essay, and of this series in general, is, in a way (pun intended) a bit nonsensical.  Budo means “martial way.”  Bu meaning “martial” and do meaning “way” so, techni...

“Attaining the way means attaining it completely with the whole body. With this awareness you should practice immovably.” ~Dogen Zenji      In this essay—as odd as it might seem at first—I want to use a couple of quotes from Dogen’s classic Zazen-Gi (which can be translated as “Principles of Zazen,” and is itself a book within his larger Shobogenzo or “The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye”) to look at how we might, from some practical perspectives, have the correct mind while practicing budo, and that this mind will lead us to fudoshin, or “immovable mind.” How do we cultivate this immovable mind so necessary for the practice of true budo?      To begin with, we need to have the correct attitude before we even start our training, and before every practice session that we undertake. Before you enter the dojo, dojang, or kwoon, you need to let go of the thoughts and worries of the day, and anything that is just bothering you generally in life. You may hav...

  Embracing the Pain and Hard Work of Budo Zen      Real Zen training sucks.  Real budo training sucks.  And that’s okay.  In fact, that may be the point.      Another fact: If your training, in budo or in Zen or in the combination of the two, doesn’t suck—at least some of the time—then you might not be training correctly.      First, both disciplines suck because they require hard work, and this is especially so if you’re combining the two.  Lots of hard work!  And this isn’t something that should just be “passed over.”  You need to embrace the pain, and embrace the hard work if you want to succeed, which is exactly, by the way, how it should be.  If you’re going to succeed at budo, at Zen, or—even better—at both, then you need to understand this early on in your training, and you need to embrace it early.  If you do, then something will happen that doesn’t suck : ...

  Living in the Now? On Zen, Mindfulness, Budo, and the Depths of TRUE Practice      Zen has become part of our lexicon in the modern English language.  I don’t believe this is a “good” thing.  If you ask the average American about Zen, they’re not going to be knowledgeable on the subject.  They tend to equate Zen with calm or “being peaceful” or something such as that.  Zen is often used the most as an adjective or an adverb.  “Sensei is the most Zen dude,” a young martial practitioner may say of his teacher.  Or a surfer might say that his “ride was very Zen.”      That is not Zen.      If someone is a little more knowledgeable on the subject of Zen, they may equate it with mindfulness or “living in the present moment?”  But is that correct?  And for the martial artist, or the Zen practitioner reading this, should that even be the goal?     ...

The Everything is Budo Practice of the Edo-Era Samurai Suzuki Shosan Suzuki Shosan has long been one of my favorite “Zen” samurai, and I have, for some time, wanted to write a profile on him.  I think more budoka need to know about him.  He simply isn’t as famous or well-known as other writers (of Budo Zen literature) from the early Edo period, such as Musashi, Yagyu Munenori, the zen priest Takuan Soho (author of the Unfettered Mind ), or Yamamoto Tsunetomo.  However, instead of writing a more “straightforward” profile of the legendary Tokugawa samurai, I have decided to write (either two or) three essays dealing with some of his viewpoints and “techniques” of Budo Zen that I think are important for modern budoka.  In doing so, I will also touch upon parts of his life that I think you will find interesting. In an earlier essay, as part of my series translating and commenting upon Musashi’s Dokkodo , I briefly discussed Shosan regarding his views on “do not fear de...