The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
There are many stories surrounding the beginnings of the martial arts but probably the most widely used is the story of buddhabhadra. Bhodi, we will call him for short, came from India to China on a missions trip of that age to spread the teachings of Buddhism. He came across a spiritual temple that always seemed to be getting robbed. The people would come and pray at the temple and leave offerings for the gods. These were valuable at the time and the lowlifes of the times would just come and push over the weaker monks and take it. The monks were in terrible shape from sitting in meditation all day. So Bhodi thought hard about this problem and after watching the local wildlife defend itself he created some simple moves for the monks to practice to be able to use the same skills as the animals. Long story short, the birth of the Shaolin monks and their famous kung fu.
(If you are a martial arts historian I apologize for the gross watering down of the story)
This was the blending of martial skills with spiritual training for the first time (presumably). The monks continued to perfect this system and has been copied all over the world. Now the exact dates and details of this story are less important that the resulting system of self improvement that was created back then. It may have happened in China like I listed or it may have been some where else but the point is that combat and worship came together.
In modern martial arts we still use this same connection between the spirit and the combat skills we practice except it is divided into the three: Mind, Body and Spirit.
The Mind represents the constant pursuit of knowledge. The brain is like a muscle and if you don't use it you will lose it. It is important to work your brain in the directions you want it to grow because without work it will fall into basic routines of survival and you will lose creativity, concentration and memory. In terms of self improvement, learning is essential.
The Spirit represents a deeper understanding of the world and our place in it. There is a connection between all things and by developing your spirit you can see this clearer. This brings a greater peace to your life. The spirit is expanded more through experience than through learning. The knowledge that you acquire through life is called wisdom. Wisdom isn't so much learning anything new as it is remembering things you forgot at birth.
The Body is pretty obvious. Like I mentioned in the mind, if you don't use it you will lose it. Your body is capable of fantastic things if you ask it for them. If you ask little you will get little and when you need more for some reason you may get it but you will pay for it the next day. Our body is the vehicle that our souls rides around in. If you want a fantastic journey of the soul you need to take care of the vehicle. The martial arts practice that we teach is designed more for the enhancement of the physical ability of the human body that the actual act of combat. You will be more capable in combat but by being in great shape you will be more capable everyday.
This connection is the underlying foundation of The Sage Institute. By having a balanced approach to learning the martial arts you are actually practicing a balanced approach to living your life. The physical development inspires the mental development and vice versa. The spiritual development improves along the way as you embark on the journey of self growth. It doesn't matter what your body type is or what your occupation or talents are, you can be a martial artist and you can take this journey too.
With the complexity of life these days and the constant temptation of an easier way of doing things it is just as important today as it was to those monks back in China that we prepare for the battles of life. A strong mind will help you find the answers to the tough questions of life. A strong spirit will make them not matter. And a strong body will help you go farther into life with more confidence.
I call that a win win win.
Sensei Keith
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