Martial Arts and Priests

[Sensei]

Martial Arts and Priests

I have been asked many times why do I as a Religious observent jew practice the Martial Arts. Orii who is from the forum asked me this question recently as well.I would like to explain as follows. Religious Institutions in Japan were very much involved in the practice of Martial Arts.There was a time in Japan when these Institutions were struggling for POWER in Feudal Japan.These Religious PRIESTS were called YAMABUSHI.In the Dewa Monistary where the Priests of the Shugendo sect were praticing their Religion, Yama Arashi Ryu was Practiced ,a Martial art of the Yamabushi.One of the Styles practiced of Yama Arashi Ryu was Kaze Arashi Ryu. As a result of the internal wars in Japan many Yamabushi were killed and many Monistaries were destroyed completely.Kaze Arashi Ryu survived and the tradition carried on in the Nishiyama family.Shiro Nishiyama being the personage to have learned the system in the Dewa Monistary back in 1855.In the Dewa Monistary only a small group of Priests carried on the tradition inorder to defend the priests when they traveled. Also inorder to keep themselves in shape many priests studied JO JUTSU-the art of the Staff. I too have found myself over the past 35 years studying the Martial Arts for these same reasons. 1) Inorder to defend myself from Anti Semitic attacks. 2) Inorder to exercise my body . As did the Yamabushi who also found the Martial Arts as a way to unify mind and body,I too have found the Practice of Kaze Arashi Ryu a tool for mind and body unification. The Rambam was very clear when it came to the importance of exercise ,as well as great scholars such as Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch.In the U.S.A it is not uncommon to find Jewish Religious Martial Artists. The Yamabushi and the Shaolin are a perfect example of Priests studying Martial Arts. Shimon​

 

[nitzano]

שאולין

בנוגע לשאולין : אחת הסברות הרווחות היא ,כי אמנויות הלחימה הגיעו לשאולין והתפתחו שם בזכות פושעים שחיפשו מיקלט מן השילטון (או כל רודף אחר) ובתמורה לימדו אמנותם בלחימה . אמנם אין זה שולל הצורך בהתגוננות ,אך מציג זאת באור קצת שונה .

 

[דוד כפרי]

קישור לשאלה של אורי

השאלה היא חלק מדיון על יהדות, שהיה בעצמו חלק מהשרשור הענק שהתחיל בן טל שחר והמשיך עמנואל זיטנר.

 

[orii]

שמעון

שוב תודה רבה על תשובה מפורטת ומעניינת. כתבת שאתה מתרגל אומנות לחימה להגנה עצמית, להפעלת הגוף וכלי העוזר ךאיחוד בין הגוף לנפש. הרשה לי לשאול לגבי הנקודה השלישית (שקשורה כמובן לשתיים הקודמות) - איחוד הגוף-נפש. איך אתה תופס זאת? איך זה קורה בעקבות פעילויות מהצד היותר פיזי (שקשור לאומנויות הלחימה) ומהצד היותר נפשי (הקשור לאמונה הדתית)? שמעון, אני מאוד נהנה לקרוא ולחשוב על מה שאתה כותב, תודה. אורי.

 

[Sensei]

Unification of body and soul

Orii One of the roles of Judaism as a Spiritual Doctrine is the refinement of the physical world.There are different levels of physical matter such as ROCK and there is the flame of a candle. More refined matter as the flame of the candle has a tendancy to go up ,to be less attached ,and less tied down to a particualr point in the physical world. The candle and its flame is an important referance in judaism as it reminds us of the relationship the soul has to the body.Though the soul is attached to the boday it still yearns for more refinement and to release itself from strong attachements to the more coarse physical world. So much so that the soul has been forced to stay attached to the body through a Heavenly decree.Otherwise it would seek seperation from that which is so different from its essence. The keeping of the Mitsvos is also part of the refinement of the physical world.Mostly all the mitsvos are done with physical things. Blessings over food,wahing of the hands with water et.Even just going to do a mitsvah using a car, burning gas etc is also a relationship between the mor physical world and refined world of the WILL of a person.What is common to all the Mitsvos is the WILL of the person.His awareness of what he is doing his concentration of his will in the act that he is performing.I will conatinue later I must go to Mincha. Shimon​

 

[Sensei]

continuaton of soul and body unif.

Through the keeping of the Mitsvos we do several things at once. 1) We do the will of Hashem which is to refine the world and make it a more Spiritual realm of existance. 2) We refine our own physical bodies. 3) We even influence other more refine Spiritual worlds which exist,or put differently ,other Spiritual existing dimensions. This we do through the use of ; A) our concious awareness b) our concentration on particular activities we are involved in C) our particlar Intention in doing an activity. By being aware of what we are doing ,by concentrating ,we are unifying our Mental abilities and our physical abilities. We unite the more refine mental existance and our more coarse physical existance. If our INTENTION in doing an activity is also to do the WILL of Hashem we are REFINING even more the activity at hand ,we are making it more Spiritual. When we do Martial Arts we are concentrating and with total awareness we are involved in the acton at hand.(At least that is what should be going on in our Martial Arts.) By also having the INTENTON to do the action for the sake of our Spiritual needs-To be healthy and strong enough to do the will of Hashem we refine even more our Martial Arts and unite Soul and Body even more .The more refined the Body the more unification with the Soul.Every action if its INTENTIONS are to do the WILL of Hashem refines our existance. My Martial Arts are with these INTENTIONS and no other. Over the past 18 years My Martial Arts are not ONLY for the sake of self defense .For years they have been for the sake of developing more spiritual being in my actions ,everyday actions. Chag Sameach Shimon​