C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

History and Application of Budo as an Other-Power (Tariki) Practice      In Japanese philosophy, the concepts of “self-power” ( jiriki ) and “other-power” ( tariki ) have always fascinated me.  Primarily a concept found within the Jodo Shinshu sect of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, it has made its way into Japanese philosophical thought as a whole.  At first glance, it seems rather straightforward, but as one delves deep, you find that there is more to it than first meets the philosophical eye.  And as one practices , you find that the lines begin to blur, until eventually you cross over into a new way of seeing, of looking, and of being your Budo training that you wouldn’t have thought possible when you first took up the martial ways.  You come to realize that Budo training isn’t as much of a self-power practice as you had assumed.      At first, it may even seem absurd to think that Budo is a practice of other-power...

On the Physical Practice of Zazen and its Application to the Martial Ways      This is the 2nd part in my new series on the Budo Zen path for the martial artist.  Although this series is written for the martial artist, I hope that even those of you who may be lifters might benefit from its insights.  In many ways, it is as much about the intersection of Zen and physical practice in general, meaning that some of its insights will carry over into active pursuits outside of the Asian martial arts.      My intention is for this series to be practical.  I hope that it does have some degree of depth to it but, at the same time, my wish is for it to be easy to understand and easy to apply, though you do have to apply it.  Not applying what is written here would be akin to reading my pieces on strength training but never actually working out.      The cornerstone of Zen is the practice of zazen or ...