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Part 34

12/28/2015

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 34: An Unexamined Belief is not Worth Believing

It is because they have mistaken the dawn for a conflagration that theologians have so often been the foes of light.
-JOHN OWEN (1616-1683)

Last Wednesday I received an email from a reader asking what was I suggesting in my previous post, Part 33 (Pacifism in Martial Arts, Violence in Religions). In short, to rephrase him, do we all have to embrace martial arts and abandon religion? To which my reply is: who am I to tell others what to believe? Not any smarter much less holier than anyone, I have never received any divine or supernatural revelation, and don't plan to. Please, enough of that.

In fact, if there is an underlying theme of all these weekly posts, it is this: under any circumstances, no one should ever be told what to believe—and what not to believe. As long as we blindly follow the believe of others without examining it, then we are bound as hostages. Didn't Socrates once say that an unexamined life is not worth living? Then allow me to expand his maxim by saying an unexamined belief is not worth believing.

After all, as described in Part 9 (An Eskimo Hunter and the Local Missionary Priest), the Aztecs seriously believed in sacrificing thousands of innocent men, women and babies merely to appease Huitzilopochtli (god of the south), Tezcatlipoca (god of the north), Huehueteotl (fire god), Tlaloc (god of the rain), and Xipe Totec (god of the east and water). In Hinduism, as described by Klaus Klostermaier in A Survey on Hinduism (1994), there was serious disagreement over whether Lord Siva (Destroyer or Judge) or Lord Vishnu (Preserver or Protector) was more divine, and many have been killed for their belief in this matter. The Lingapurana promises Siva's heaven to one who kills or "tears out the tongue" of someone who reviles Siva. Indeed in Christianity, burning witches and heretics as well as practicing slavery was part of the belief.

If only there was a skeptical and infidel among the Aztecs or ancient Hindus then…

Therefore, only by socratically examining our belief can we truly be free and liberated. According to Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened…" Surely this maxim applies to the truth. Knocking on the Door of Truth or kicking the tires are basically the same thing. Before making a purchase of merely a worldly possession, basic due diligence is in order—either by trying on a wristwatch, browsing a book, kicking the tires of a car, or reading some third-party reviews. Otherwise we'll end up with an uncomfortable watch, a junk book, or a lemon. Then why should we apply different standards with a belief that we embrace for life? As impulse buying may cause severe buyer's remorse, wouldn't impulse believing cause believer's remorse? It would be tragic if on our death bed we, belatedly, discover that we don’t truly believe in what we thought we have always believed in.

Most people inherit their beliefs from their parents and think it's inappropriate to convert. They forget that Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), Jesus of Nazareth, and Muhammad were converts themselves and were at once condemned as infidels by their societies. The Buddha rebelled against Hinduism and ran away from his father Suddhodana, who was so disappointed by his son's departure and search for enlightenment, that he sent 10,000 messengers to persuade his son's return. Jesus' parents, uncle and aunt were Torah-observant Jews, yet he rebelled against Judaism for which he was eventually crucified. Muhammad rebelled against the tyranny of Meccan tribes who worshiped pagan idols—that's why his forced hijra or migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 to escape their persecution—which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Believe it or not, believers have to thank those who were once unbelievers.

[To be continued.]
Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 33

12/21/2015

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 33: Pacifism in Martial Arts, Violence in Religions

The notion of aiki as discussed in Part 32 (Aiki: the Source of Spiritual Dimension and Pacifism in Zen Martial Arts?) cannot be separated from the underlying spirit of Bushido (bu = martial arts, shi = warrior, do = the way), which has both influenced, and been influenced by, Zen Buddhism. As outlined by Taisen Deshimaru in The Zen Way to the Martial Arts (1982), the three most important elements in Bushido is "pacification of the emotions", "tranquil compliance with the inevitable", and "self-control in the face of any event".

On the surface, it seems like a paradox that pacifism, tranquility, and spirituality became the most important principles in Zen martial arts. After all, Zen martial arts is supposed to be violent, and cannot be separated from Miyamoto Musashi's classic, The Book of Five Rings (1645) which provides timeless advice and swordsmanship techniques for samurai warriors on how to skillfully overpower an opponent and throw an adversary off-guard. However, if only we are honest to ourselves, we'll see how pacifist martial arts—and how violent religions—can be.

Take judo, for example. Literally, judo means "the way of gentleness", and it has been a far cry from an instrument of aggression and domination. Judo was developed by a Japanese educator, Jigoro Kano (1860-1938) out of survival necessities to defend himself against bullies, as he weight only a hundred pounds (45 kg) in his twenties. Judo uses the “soft method” which is characterized by the indirect application of force to defeat an opponent—the similar principle of aiki which uses one's opponent's strength against him and adapting well to changing circumstances.

The spirituality of judo cannot be overstated, as expressed by Gunji Koizumi (1885-1965): "Under the circumstances of contest or combat, to judge clearly, and to command quick action, one must have calm mental balance. This mental balance depends, in turn, on the spiritual balance, or a clear conscience. Thus it will be seen that the study of judo does not remain solely on the physical plane; also, despite the drastic nature of its objectives; judo is not prone to be submissive to the influence of an evil power."

Now let's juxtapose this principle of judo, a Zen martial arts which emphasizes gentleness and conscience, with Moses' famous words (31:13-18): "(13) And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. (14) And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. (15) And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? (16) Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. (17) Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. (18) But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves." Do we notice the contrast?

Another Japanese Zen martial arts is aikido, developed by Morihei Uyeshiba (1883-1969) who once declared that the true purpose of the martial way was love, “to receive the spirit of the universe and spread his peace.” As described by Vernon Turner in Soul Sword--The Way and the Mind of a Zen Warrior (2000), Aikido practitioners learn to defend themselves with the spirit of peace as their source of power, and Aikido is known for its serenity, grace, and power. In fact, Morihei Uyeshiba's most famous book is titled The Art of Peace, which contains aikido's philosophical foundations based on compassion, wisdom, fearlessness, and love of nature. Again, let's juxtapose aikido's call for peace with that of a familiar religion: "I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run" (Exodus 23:27). The last time I checked Matthew 10:34, even the seemingly serene Jesus once said "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword."

And a sword it was—literally and figuratively—for the following popes did not mince their words. Pope Gregory I (540-604): "The bliss of the elect in heaven would not be perfect unless they were able to look across the abyss and enjoy the agonies of their brethren in eternal fire." Not to be outdone, Pope Paul IV (1476-1559) declared: "If my own father were a heretic, I would personally gather the wood to burn him." Then, Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903): "The death sentence is a necessary and efficacious means for the Church to attain its ends when obstinate heretics disturb the ecclesiastical order."

To be fair to religions, let's take karate, a seemingly deadlier Zen martial arts than both judo and aikido. Surprisingly, it is also characterized by a certain element of gentleness. According to karate’s founding father, Gichin Funakoshi (1906-1945), "kara" means "to purge oneself of selfish and evil thoughts … for only with a clear mind and conscience can the practitioner understand the knowledge which he receives." Funakoshi believed that "one should be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle." It's believed that only by behaving humbly can one be open to karate's wisdom. This is realized through listening and being receptive to criticism. Funakoshi considered courtesy of prime importance, and stated that "karate is properly applied only in those rare situations in which one really must either down another or be downed by him."

Funakoshi did not consider it unusual for a student to use karate in a real physical confrontation no more than perhaps once in a lifetime and stated that karate practitioners must "never be easily drawn into a fight." Because one blow from a real expert could mean death, he warned those who may misuse karate as "bringing dishonor upon themselves." Again, that is the principle of karate, a Zen martial arts with potentially deadly blows, yet still stresses the importance of receptiveness to criticism and being inwardly humble and outwardly gentle. Juxtapose this principle with the teachings of another familiar religion, which in their holy book, the Quran, flatly sanctions terror and violence as a means to convert disbelievers: "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them" (8:12); and "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them" (9:5).

The more religions changed…

[To be continued.]
Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 32.5

12/14/2015

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 32.5: Intermission

Due to an out-of-state interpreting assignment and a looming translation deadline, Part 33 will only be posted next week, on December 21, 2015.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patience.

Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 32

12/7/2015

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
**Part 32: Aiki: the Source of Spiritual Dimension and Pacifism in Zen Martial Arts?**

What will be exposed if we juxtapose the violence in Abrahamic religions with the spiritual dimension and pacifism in Zen Japanese martial arts? Etymologically, "martial" in "martial arts" derived from martialis (Latin: "dedicated to Mars, the god of war") which, according to Oxford means: "of or appropriate to war; warlike." There are indeed various kinds of martial arts practiced in many parts of the world; for example, capoeira in Brazil, muay thai in Thailand, pencak silat in Indonesia, krav maga in Israel, sambo in Russia, kali in the Philippines, kalarippayattu in South India, and let's just stop there. With all due respect to the virtues of these martial arts, they are beyond the scope of this short article. To stay within the discussion thread from previous posts, we will limit our exploration to the spiritual dimension and pacifism of Japanese empty-hand martial arts that are influenced by Zen Buddhism, such as karate, judo, aikido, and ju-jitsu.

The spiritual dimension and pacifism of Japanese empty-hand martial arts should not be taken for granted. After all, Japanese martial arts—whether influenced by Zen Buddhism or not—were initially developed solely to defend their practitioners against enemies, bandits and lawlessness during extended periods of numerous civil wars. The 10-year Onin civil war (1467–1477) initiated the Sengoku jidai (Warring States Period, 1467-1603) which was marked by social chaos, power vacuum, lawlessness, constant political intrigue and bloody conflicts between the Ashikaga shogunate and several daimyo (feudal lords) in many regions of Japan. The rise of the samurai class in the 12th century attested to the "live by the sword, die by the sword" lifestyle. As illustrated in the Smithsonian documentary Samurai Headhunters (2013), there was indeed a dark and brutal side of the Samurai warrior clans that is revealed by rare 16th century war documents.

In the 20th century, Japanese expansionism in Asia—historically marked by the brutal 1937 Nanking massacre (also known as the Rape of Nanking, in which the Japanese military murdered about 40,000 to over 300,000 Chinese civilians and committed barbaric rape and looting) as well as the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack—seemed to counter any argument that Zen Buddhism had any spiritual and pacifist effect whatsoever on the Japanese way of life. Yet we also need to remember that Zen Buddhism is but one "ism" among many "isms" in the Japanese culture which at one time or another may have included expansionism, fascism, imperialism, and Shinto.

In fact, if we focus our attention to post-World War II period—while the Sunnis and Shias are still locked in a bitter 1300-year conflict in the Middle East, Muslims are still persecuting Christians in Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia, and while ISIS and Boka Haram are on a murderous rampage—have we ever heard about a particular school of Japanese martial arts fighting another in a futile contest to prove one is better than the other? Now let's have a simple quantitative experiment. Google "violence and religion" and you will get 324,000 entries. Now google "violence and martial arts" and you will get 53,000 entries. Still in doubt? Google "religious violence" and you will get 447,000 entries. Then google "martial arts violence" and you will get 9,330 entries. Amazon lists 9,438 books when you enter "religion and violence" in the search box, but only 500 books when you enter "martial arts and violence". (Of course "martial arts" in this experiment will include other non-Japanese martial arts.)

Numbers do not lie.

A juxtaposition reveals a lot.

When Chan Buddhism from China was introduced in Japan as Zen Buddhism in the 12th century (about the same time when the samurai class was initially developed), almost immediately it appealed to the samurai warriors. Unlike Abrahamic religions, Buddhism lacks an almighty God, therefore it does not have a concept of rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgment Day. In Zen Buddhism, there are no sacred scriptures, no creed, no rigid dogma, no holy city. There is no allegiance to a supernatural being, not even to Buddha himself—who adamantly refused to be glorified and idolized—because liberation of the self is the full responsibility of an individual. After all, Zen Buddhism belief that Buddha's aim was not to save others—instead, to help them save themselves—distinguishes it from Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism. Not surprisingly, Zen Buddhism places a heavy emphasis on self-reliance, self discipline, individual effort, self-mastery and non-attachment—traits that were proven to be critically important for samurai warriors. Thus the austere and simple rituals of Zen Buddhism, as well as the core belief that salvation would come from within, provided an ideal philosophical background for the samurai code of conduct.

Central in this Zen Buddhist philosophy is the strategic concepts of aiki. A literal translation of aiki, is "joining energy", but this is considered to be a gross simplification. A more contextual translation is "the principle of matching an opponent in order to defeat him." It is the concept of "matching" or "joining" or even "harmonizing" with an opponent that rather complicates the interpretation of aiki among non-Japanese speakers. (Not that I speak any Japanese nor fully understand it!) It is not considered aiki when a fighter matches or counters the opponent in a clash of force, possibly even resulting in mutual death. However, it is considered aiki when a fighter physically and mentally joins the opponent for the express purpose to avoid a direct clash of force. Thus aiki is achieved by "first joining with the motion of the opponent (physically) as well as the intent (mentally), then overcoming the will of the opponent, redirecting their motion and intent."

As explained by Tokimune Takeda (1916-1993), aiki is "to pull when you are pushed, and to push when you are pulled. It is the spirit of slowness and speed, of harmonizing your movement with your opponent's ki. Its opposite, kiai, is to push to the limit, while aiki never resists." While the principle of aiki was initially used for destructive purposes to kill an opponent, modern Japanese martial arts like karate, judo, aikido, and ju-jitsu use the principle to control and defeat one's opponent without harming him. In the next post we are going to explore how this concept of aiki has even transcended from the physical into the spiritual domain.

[To be continued.]

Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 34

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 34: An Unexamined Belief is not Worth Believing

Part 33

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 33: Pacifism in Martial Arts, Violence in Religions

Part 32.5

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 32.5: Intermission

Part 32

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
**Part 32: Aiki: the Source of Spiritual Dimension and Pacifism in Zen Martial Arts?**

Continuously exploring literal, semantic, idiomatic, contextual, metaphorical, symptomatic, conceptual and metaphysical meanings of everything worth thinking about.

Archives

Categories

Part 34

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 34: An Unexamined Belief is not Worth Believing

Part 33

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 33: Pacifism in Martial Arts, Violence in Religions

Part 32.5

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 32.5: Intermission

Part 32

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 32: Aiki: the Source of Spiritual Dimension and Pacifism in Zen Martial Arts?

Continuously exploring literal, semantic, idiomatic, contextual, metaphorical, symptomatic, conceptual and metaphysical meanings of everything worth thinking about.

Archives

Categories

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 34: An Unexamined Belief is not Worth Believing

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 33: Pacifism in Martial Arts, Violence in Religions

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 32.5: Intermission

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
**Part 32: Aiki: the Source of Spiritual Dimension and Pacifism in Zen Martial Arts?**