"Banzai" was the cry of the Japanese pilots and troops who attacked the US sailors and marines in World War II. The word means "10,000 years," or "May our emperor live forever!".
It was often their last hurrah. They were about to die for their honor and their country, to give the last fiber of their being that the Rising Sun of Japan might never set.
When faced with certain death, it made sense for them to give it everything they had, to hold nothing back. They had learned it from previous generations of Samurai, warriors with a well-defined code of honor defending their feudal lords.
What was most essential was years of preparation with tight focus, as in mock sword fights. They learned what their ancient forebears knew, that a single moment of hesitation would cost them their lives.
When Nothing Less Than Total Commitment Will Do
While World War II is long over, and the actual feuding samurai have disappeared from the face of the earth, the memory of their singular focus long endures in our fascination with the martial arts, which may include fencing and archery, but more typically will be expressed in such disciplines as judo, karate and aikido.
Without living under an open declaration of war, contemporary life is filled with uncertainties, where we often face strenuous circumstances.
We have our share of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and fires, along with random acts of terror that only seem to get worse with time. Many of us find ourselves in high-performance jobs, in extreme cases being an astronaut or Air Force test pilot. More typically, it might be in public service, including the armed forces and police departments.
We need a source of unflinching courage and unwavering presence in difficult situations.
Emergency preparedness only makes sense for us. The intent is not to kill or injure, but to protect and saves lives. While the U.S. doesn't currently have compulsory military service, most of us have the opportunity to engage in intramural or amateur sports. We are all encouraged to exercise with such Eastern disciplines as yoga and Tai Chi.
I believe, today, most of us lack in the “focus department.” We are not willing to spend the time to prepare for what’s important. Especially, stay focused on one thing long enough in order to create a positive impact or outcome.
It All Starts With Intense Focus
The remarkable courage of the Japanese warriors, expressed in movies from Bruce Lee to Ninja Mutant Turtles, was not acquired overnight, but rather developed over years under close apprenticeship with a master.
The sensei taught his students respect for his opponents. They had to practice what he showed them, directly with the master, and with each other. Inattention would quickly lead to looking straight up at your competitor with your back to the mat.
Many Eastern values are still being taught in the martial arts. Being constantly on the alert. In a way, being consciously aware at all times… of yourself and everyone, and everything around you.
Also, conducting yourself in a gracious manner, even thanking your partner for being willing to wrestle or fight you. Shrinking from unnecessary violence. Doing everything possible not to inflict pain and suffering when not absolutely required.
And Yes - martial arts students are taught to meditate.
Many of the disciplines, such as Tai Chi and aikido, are profoundly contemplative in nature. In the Zen tradition, four basic types are recognized: walking, standing, sitting and lying down.
Meditation has more to do with how you tend to your consciousness than what posture you assume. When working on your Inner Power one must simultaneously develop their Inner Peace. It’s the balance between the two that make you unstoppable.
Meditate Your Way To Single-Pointed Awareness
To cultivate the courage and presence you will need in emergency situations, begin with meditation, whatever form that appeals to you. It could be TM, ashtanga yoga, zazen or kundalini.
What is common to all forms of meditation is to attend to your breath. Breathe deeply and fully from your stomach to your lungs. You can silently count each breath or use a mantra or repetitive phrase.
If you are religious, you can even do devotional chanting. Your chant can be adapted from every great religious tradition, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity or Islam.
Ideally, you will do this on a regular basis. Maharishi's TM was so successful because he made it so easy, a single mantra twice a day for 20 minutes each session.
Even if you only have five minutes, it is worth spending that amount of time shutting off the ceaseless chatter of the monkey mind. In theory, you don't even need a mantra, or seed syllable; although, in practice, this is very difficult to pull off.
We may not all win a black belt in martial arts, or be called upon to join special forces in one of the services. However, we can all take immediate steps to develop the poise and serenity necessary to enable us to smile at the future.
What the Ancient Samurai Can Teach Us Today appeared first on http://consciousowl.com.
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