C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

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.    ...

  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...