In the book, “Wu-Te, A Guide for Parents: Why Train Your Children in Traditional Martial and Healing Arts?” the author states, “As the soldier prepares to meet and defeat the enemies of the state, the traditional martial artist daily meets and defeats the enemies of the self. The Traditional Martial and Healing Arts turns the practitioners’ attention away from the mundane and trifling annoyances of daily life, and instead focuses their attention on the higher aspirations and possibilities of the self.” According to Da Mo, one of the patriarchs of the Shaolin Temples of China (one of the foremost centers of traditional martial arts training in the world) ‘we practice the martial arts to develop the qualities of discipline, restraint, humility, respect for human life, and the principle of Do No Harm’.
Having studied and taught the traditional martial arts for the past 40 years, I’ve experienced and witnessed the profound benefit that these disciplines have brought into the lives of thousands of students. And every day I become increasingly aware of the dire need that the youth of today have for an experience and a teaching that will help them to unlock their unique inner potential and to realize their connection and responsibility to the larger social order and environment. Training in the Traditional Martial and Healing Arts has rescued thousands of youth from drugs, crime, a sense of hopelessness, helplessness, and worthlessness. It has nurtured in them a sense of pride, purpose, confidence, courage, discipline, respect, kindness, patience, humility, and determination.
We have a responsibility to teach our children how to live together in peace and how to be good caretakers of this magnificent planet that they will inherit (if we don’t destroy it first). The word traditional distinguishes martial arts training from mere self-defense training and fighting or combat techniques. Traditional Martial and Healing Arts training embodies a philosophy that nurtures the highest aspects of human character and potential. According to the late and great founder of the Art of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, the Way of Peace begins with you (the individual). It requires that you work on yourself and your appointed task. As Dr. M. points out in the Handbook, everyone has a spirit and personality that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow or Destiny Mandate that they are driven to realize. Our children are not here simply to be consumers of the endless and latest array of products that appear in the marketplace. They are here for no other purpose than to realize their inner divinity, to manifest their innate enlightenment, and to achieve their Destiny Mandate. These are the same reasons that you and I chose to come into this world.
We are here to nurture and foster Peaceful Space. The thousands of Traditional Martial and Healing Arts schools across the United States and the tens of thousands around the world are places where children (and adults) can learn how to discipline themselves, control their appetites, face their fears, overcome their weaknesses, recognize and build upon their strengths. These schools, temples, and dojos (rooms or halls for martial arts practice) are places that nurture the virtues of humility, kindness, patience, and diligence. Students of the Traditional Martial and Healing Arts learn that one does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art or Way of Peace. They learn that heaven is right where they are standing in any given moment, and that is the place to train some aspect of their mind, body, or spirit. They learn the critical lesson embodied in the Prime Directive. That is, all things, material and spiritual, originate from one source and are related as if they are one family. Likewise, the past, present, and future are all contained in the life force or quantum field of energy as Dr. M. explains in the Handbook On Being Human. The students of the Traditional Martial and Healing Arts learn that the universe emerged, developed, and is sustained by one source, and we evolve through the optimal process of harmonious integration, that is, Interrelatedness, Interconnectedness, and Interdependence. As Ueshiba said, the Way of a Warrior is based on humanity, love, and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true bravery, wisdom, love, and friendship. Emphasis on the physical aspects of the Way of the Warrior is futile, for the power of the body is always limited. The Way of the Warrior must be the Way of Peace.
Traditional Martial and Healing Arts training is a wonderful way to rescue our children from the addiction of consumerism and the stupor of technology intoxication. It is a venue where they can learn to internalize the Prime Directive and how to Create Peaceful Space.
Living in alignment with the Prime Directive
is a choice to which everyone should be invited!
You have been invited!
You have been invited!
Create Peaceful Space!
Trust Your Process!
Peace, Love, and Health!
Ref: The Art of Peace, Morihei Ueshiba, translated by John Stevens, Shambhala Pocket Classics, ISBN: 0-87773-851-3
6 comments:
When I look at my life and see how much positive influence the traditional Martial and Healing arts has played, I know in my heart that many can benefit from training. This type of training allows one to move beyond violence and responding out of anger and fear. When a child or an adult can relate to the sanctity of all life through the love and caring for themselves, this helps to promotes the way of peace.
Great blog Seifu Sharif!
I ran across a 2010 Arizona State University study that validates and gives reliability to your personal experience and witness concerning the profound benefits that traditional martial art can have on its students. The research examines 77 published reports of scientific studies that looked at the martial art disciplines of Tai Chi and Qigong (Jahnke, Larkey, Rogers, Etnier, & Lin, 2010). The reports, between 1993 and 2007, analyze the disciplines’ health benefits. The 9 categories under investigation are the students’ physical / psychological symptoms, quality of life, self-efficacy,and (d)reported outcomes (PRO). A total of 6,410 participants are included in the study with an average age being 55. Interestingly, the studies are cross-continent in origin including: USA, China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy, Taiwan, Netherlands, Israel, Poland, and Spain.
The results indicated that in most of the categories (n =6), there were dominant health-related benefits including: (a) psychological and physical effects, (b) quality of life, and (c) PROs. As evident, the results on self-efficacy (as a function of participation in Qigong and Tai Chi)indicated an “enhancement” of the students’ perceived ability to handle stress or novel experiences and application of self. Furthermore, Researcher Larkey states that the combination of Self-awareness with Self-correction of the posture and movement of the body, the Flow of breath, and Mindfulness, are thought to comprise a state that activates “the natural self-regulatory capacity” that can enhance the quality of life (Doheny, 2010).
After reading and reflecting on Dr. M’s message on "Nurturing The Way of Peace", I look forward to applying his admonition to refine my spirit. This is by re-training my body, as You Seifu Sharif (as well as Seifu Andy) have taught me (i.e., Qigong,Tai Chi) that I may continue my path of Destiny Mandate I am “driven to realize”.
References:
Jahnke, R., Larkey, L., Rogers, C., Etnier, J., Lin, F. (2010). A comprehensive review of health benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi. American Journal of Health Promotion, 24(6), doi: 10.4278/ajhp.081013-LIT-248 Retrieved from http://www.cfah.org/hbns/archives/viewSupportDoc.cfm?supportingDocID=929
Doheny, K. (2010, July). Tai Chi, Qigong good for body, mind: Studies finds tai chi and qigong have physical, mental health benefits. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20100702/tai-chi-qigong-good-for-body-mind
Please post this corrected entry.
Great blog Seifu Sharif!
I ran across a 2010 Arizona State University study that validates and gives reliability to your personal experience and witness concerning the profound benefits that traditional martial art can have on its students. The study examines 77 published reports of scientific studies that looked at the martial art disciplines of Tai Chi and Qigong (Jahnke, Larkey, Rogers, Etnier, & Lin, 2010). As such, the reports (1993 - 2007) analyze the disciplines’ health benefits. This includes 9 categories under investigation in areas of the students’ physical and psychological symptoms, quality of life, self-efficacy, and (d) reported outcomes (PRO). A total of 6,410 participants are included in the study with an average age being 55. Interestingly, the studies are cross-continent in origin including: USA, China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy, Taiwan, Netherlands, Israel, Poland, and Spain.
The results indicated that in most of the categories (n =6), there were dominant health-related benefits including: (a) psychological and physical effects, (b) quality of life, and (c) PROs. As evident, the results on self-efficacy (as a function of participation in Qigong and Tai Chi) indicated an “enhancement” of the students’ perceived ability to handle stress or novel experiences and application of self. Furthermore, Researcher Larkey states that the combination of Self-awareness with self-correction of the posture and movement of the body, the flow of breath, and Mindfulness, are thought to comprise a state that activates “the natural self-regulatory capacity” (Doheny, 2010).
After reading and reflecting on Dr. M’s message on "Nurturing The Way of Peace", I look forward to applying his admonition to refine my spirit. This is by re-training my body, as You Seifu Sharif (as well as Seifu Andy) have taught me (i.e., Qigong, Tai Chi) that I may continue my path of Destiny Mandate I am “driven to realize”.
References:
Jahnke, R., Larkey, L., Rogers, C., Etnier, J., & Lin, F. (2010). A comprehensive review of health benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi. American Journal of Health Promotion, 24(6), doi: 10.4278/ajhp.081013-LIT-248 Retrieved from http://www.cfah.org/hbns/archives/viewSupportDoc.cfm?supportingDocID=929
Doheny, K. (2010, July). Tai Chi, Qigong good for body, mind: Studies finds tai chi and qigong have physical, mental health benefits. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20100702/tai-chi-qigong-good-for-body-mind
Thank you for being such a dedicated follower of PSPBlogspot and for your always thoughtful and noteworthy comments. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see hundreds of groups and families out in the parks in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings doing qigong, tai chi, kung fu, or some other form of body-mind-spirit exercises to align themselves with nature and the universe before beginning and ending their days? Imagine the academic and social benefits of including traditional martial arts training as part of our public schools' physical education, social, and emotional development curriculum. I believe we would turn out healthier individuals, higher performing workers, more engaged citizens, and better leaders.
Thank you for responding to the response blog posting! As to your question, YES, it would be GREAT to see a significant amount of individuals in parks or children in public school settings practicing forms of body-mind-spirit exercises for the purpose of aligning themselves with the Prime Directive. Of interest, recent studies by Wall (2005, 2008) validate the academic and social benefits of including traditional martial arts training in public schools settings. For instance, in the 2005 study, Wall introduces a 5-week inner-school project for the purpose of investigating whether Tai Chi with Mindfulness-based stress reduction can be used as tools in educational programs appropriate for middle school-aged children.
The study results indicated that not only did middle school-aged boys and girls of both sexes maintain a “sustained interest” in Tai Chi, but Tai Chi with Mindfulness-based stress reduction may indeed be “transformational tools that can be used in educational programs appropriate for middle school-aged children”. As evident, the children’s statements (throughout the program) suggested that they experienced” well-being, calmness, relaxation, improved sleep, less reactivity, increased self-care, Self-awareness, and a sense of Interconnection or Interdependence with nature.
References:
Wall, R.B. (2005). Teaching Tai Chi with mindfulness-based stress reduction to middle school children in the inner city: a review of the literature and approaches. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 19 (4),230-237. doi:10.1016. Retrieved from http://www.mindfuleducation.org/robertwall.pdf
Wall, R.B. (2008). Teaching Tai Chi with mindfulness-based stress reduction to middle school children in the inner city: a review of the literature and approaches. Medicine and Sport Science. 52, 166-72. doi 0254-5020
And based upon that understanding, one of the program goals of the Peaceful Space Project is the Wu-Te Performance Troupes aimed at providing youth with early and remedial exposure to traditional martial arts training in the schools and in their local communities. Thanks again for your support!
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