Martial Art as a Way for Man

Omori Sogen

Omori Sogen shows how martial art, which most consider a competitive or combat sport, can become a Way for Man once it transcends aiuchi (mutual killing) to ainuke (mutual passing) in the true spirit of Budo. This excerpt from Zen to Budo was translated by Tanouye Tenshin Rotaishi and was edited by Mr. Trevor Leggett of England. The complete version of Zen and Budo is available as a separate publication and will also be included in the upcoming biography, Omori Sogen: The Art of a Zen Master.

A person once asked [Yamaoka] Tesshu, "What is the secret of swordsmanship?" Tesshu answered, "It is entrusted to the Asakusa Kannon." The student at once went to Asakusa, searched everywhere in the temple and came to realize that the sign with the phrase "Se Mu I" (Se-give alms, carry out, conduct; Mu-void; I-fear) must be it. When he repeated this to Tesshu it is said that Tesshu answered, "Kekko," (very good) and laughed.

Se Mu I comes from the sutra of the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion (Jpn. Kannon, Chin. Kwan Yin). In the sutra the Bodhisattva Kannon (Kanzeon Bosatsu Makasatsu) gives fearlessness in the midst of calamity of any kind. Consequently people call this bodhisattva Se Mu I Sha-the "Giver of Fearlessness."

The gift of fearlessness is the removal of fear or anxiety from the kokoro (mind, hearts) of people. To say it in another way, to give fearlessness is to give absolute peace of mind. If the highest stage of swordsmanship is to give fearlessness, then without doubt it is identical to Zen. Given this, the next question is what is the process by which a swordsman attains that state?

Here I would like to remind you of the quotation used at the beginning of this chapter from Nakae Toju's Bun Bu Mondo. He stated that there are those who do not revere Heaven's decree. They are atrocious, treacherous and have no respect for anything. They should either be brought to justice and punished, or a campaign should be launched against them so that the whole nation can be returned to peace. This is called Bu (Martial).

There are people who lack human qualities and whose behavior is atrocious. They break the peace, violate the civil order and stand in the way of Bundo (Bun-civilization, literature, art, civil affairs; Do-Tao, Way). The jitsuryoku (force, ability, genuine strength) of Budo is needed to defeat and put down this trouble and disorder. In Zen it might be acceptable if priests do not have this force, but any Martial Way without jitsuryoku is not a genuine Martial Way.

Shimizu Jirocho once asked Tesshu, "Teacher, in an actual fight, swordsmanship is of no use, is it not?" Tesshu asked him to explain what he meant. Jirocho replied, "When I draw my sword and face the opponent, although I will probably get wounded, I simply glare and say kono yaro (you bastard!) and they usually run away. Tesshu then said, "Is that so? Then with your long sword try to strike me. I will take you on with this short wooden sword and if you can even scratch me you will be the victor." Jirocho glared at Tesshu who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. After a moment Jirocho said to himself, "This is no good. No matter how I try, I cannot attack the teacher, I have no strength in my hands and feet. Teacher! I don't understand what is happening." Tesshu answered "This is the same as when you say kono yaro and your opponent is carried off his feet."

Tesshu then wrote the characters Gan Fu Ho Ko Ki Hi Dai Jo Bu and gave the paper to Jirocho. The phrase means it will not be fearlessness if your gan (glare, stare) does not have koki (vibrant force or dazzling light). Even without this force, you might argue that this frame of mind is equivalent to Zen, but it does not qualify as part of the Martial Ways.

For example, one can speak ill of the young Musashi and call his swordsmanship beastly. As you recall, in fighting for his life he sought victory with all of his strength and will. We recognize that this was an animal form of egotism and that by definition it is fundamentally opposite to Zen because Zen negates the ego. Zen works at a deeper level than the ego. But once that egotism is penetrated, the result is far more genuine than that achieved by seeking for No-self, No-Mind in mere abstractions.

As with Musashi, egotism can cut through egotism and thereby transcend it. There is then a synchronous change of "self," sonomama (just as is), to "No-Self." It is like the puckery persimmon that changes, sonomama, to a sweet persimmon. There is a firm and concrete nature to these things.

Suzuki Shozen in his work Roankyo puts it this way:

... present day instruction in zazen teaches to avoid awakening thoughts. But if you ask me, the thought of avoiding thoughts is already a thought. It's just that they have not realized this. To awaken great thoughts means that all small thoughts cannot be present. People today think that zazen is to be practiced without awakening thoughts and I am opposed to this. I awaken thoughts as great as Mt. Sumeru.

There are many teachers of Zen that teach that the world of Mu is like the empty sky. This will cause the immature Zen student to understand Void as something empty and this abstraction will lead to a flimsy enlightenment.

When one forgets his biological origins and characteristics, he separates himself from the multi-faceted nature of human existence. Such are the peace activists who call for "Peace!" in their hollow and feeble way. The current reality for all humans is truly severe: eat or be eaten. In the face of these conditions, it is time to unfold the great lessons of these teachings from Budo.

By putting our whole being into following the Way, the inevitable destruction of aiuchi (mutual killing and mutual striking) is transcended and becomes ainuke (mutual passing), the true swordsmanship stage of Se Mu I. Having first made that experience our own, it is our duty to share it with the world. Starting from the defensive posture of aiuchi (mutual killing and mutual striking), let our opponents cut the flesh that embraces nuclear weapons and we in turn will cut their bones. In this way we will be able to live and they will also prosper.1

In my opinion, we must step forward into the world of Zen and Swordsmanship in Oneness, the state of ainuke that appears with the sword that "Gives Life."

1 Editor's note: this is a particularly difficult paragraph to translate. First, recall that this essay was written in 1968 during the active phase of the Cold War. Secondly the penultimate sentence of the paragraph is based on a famous saying from swordsmanship: My opponent cuts my skin, I cut his flesh. He cuts my flesh, I cut his bone. He cuts my bone, I kill him. Omori Roshi is saying that, although the Superpowers find themselves in a posture of kill or be killed, this posture can be transcended into ainuke, a mutual recognition that no fight is possible.

Omori Sogen Rotaishi (1904-1994) was the founder of the Daihonzan Chozen-ji/International Zen Dojo and the Institute of Zen Studies. In 1979 he was acknowledged by a Kaido ceremony, taking on the rank of Archbishop in the Tenryu-ji lineage. Given this recognition he made Chozen-ji a Daihonzan (main temple headquarters) the first one in Rinzai Zen established under canon law outside Japan. His influence extended far beyond the world of Zen as noted in his service as Advisor to both the Tokyo Bar Association and the All-Japan Kendo Federation. He has written over twenty books on Zen and was the president of Hanazono University, the principle Rinzai university in Japan.