 |
| Hiya! Take that! - Whoa, I didn't see that one coming from above onto my shoulder neck back!! |
Yi Long: Kungfu in Modern Combat Sports
 |
| At the monastery, everyone stood back as I went off |
In the dojo we learn the Way of Combat when we would rather be mastering meditation, and it never ends well... One must be disciplined, peaceful, and humble. For the best mastery is mastery of oneself. Just ask war cheerleader Alfred, Lord Tennyson. As soon as one seeks to master others, a world of hurt opens up:
What is the best way to fight?
 |
| Kung fu is for self-defense and protecting Dharma |
It's hard to say. What was once a Buddhist temple practice developed alongside mental training of the heart and mind in meditation eventually became the martial (war) arts independent of their roots in moral and wisdom training.
It is said that South Indian Bodhidharma brought these skills to China, which gave rise to the Chan ("Meditation") school that went on to Japan as Zen, to Korea as Seon, and Vietnam as Thien.
It combines Chan Buddhist philosophy and martial arts. It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in Henan, China during its 1,500-year history. In Chinese folklore there is a saying, "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven." More
The Charge of the Light Brigade
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson: European pride? Let's ride into the jaws of death?
I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred....
V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Rematch with Thai kickboxer
WARNING: Fighting is ugly and fraught with danger, so it is always best avoided. The highlight reels make it seem fun and easy, but the truth is much uglier, vicious on the street, technical in the ring.
Dulce et Decorum Est
By Wilfred Owen
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.*
*Latin phrase is from the Roman poet Horace: “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”
- Seth Auberon, CC Liu, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
No comments:
Post a Comment