“I Liq Chuan has changed my life and changed me, for the better. An now I want to take what I’ve learned and share it with as many people as possible so they can benefit too!”
Bridging Ancient Wisdom and Modern Challenges Through I Liq Chuan
As a long-time student of I Liq Chuan, the martial art of awareness, I recently stumbled upon a compelling video featuring Master Tetsutaka Sugawara. His reflections on the traditional and contemporary relevance of martial arts resonated deeply with my practice and philosophy.
Introduction to Katori Shinto Ryu
Katori Shinto Ryu, one of Japan’s oldest martial arts schools, was founded in the 15th century. It encompasses a broad curriculum that includes kenjutsu (swordsmanship), bojutsu (staff techniques), and more, integrating tactics and philosophy. Recognized as a cultural treasure in Japan, it emphasizes Shinto principles like purity and sincerity, promoting physical prowess and spiritual growth. As a cornerstone of traditional martial arts, Katori Shinto Ryu offers profound insights into the synthesis of martial discipline and ethical living, enriching the practitioner’s life and martial arts culture globally.
In this blog post, I explore how Sugawara’s teachings on concentration, self-awareness, and community parallel the principles of I Liq Chuan and how they can be transformative in our digitally-driven world.
Interview With Tetsutaka Sugawara
Reflecting on Master Sugawara’s Philosophy Through I Liq Chuan
The Art of Slow Movements and Mindful Awareness
Master Sugawara’s emphasis on slow movements and the development of concentration mirrors the foundational practices of I Liq Chuan. In both disciplines, the meticulous attention to motion cultivates an inner quietude, essential for personal growth and mental clarity. These practices are not just physical—they are profoundly mental and spiritual pursuits that challenge practitioners to be fully present.
Self-Awareness as a Transformative Tool
“Attentive self-awareness can change our lives,” asserts Sugawara Sensei. This statement could very well be a maxim in I Liq Chuan, where awareness is the gateway to understanding oneself and the environment. The practice teaches us that awareness leads to the right understanding, guiding the right action. This philosophy fosters a proactive rather than reactive approach to life’s challenges, enhancing resilience and peace.
Attentive self-awareness can change our lives.
Tetsutaka Sugawara
Reframing Concentration: Pursuing Wisdom Over Desire
Master Tetsutaka Sugawara offers profound insights on the role of concentration in martial arts, suggesting its vital role in guiding us toward wisdom rather than immediate gratification. He describes how a disciplined focus helps filter the influx of impulses, allowing only the “right inspiration” to influence our actions. This inspiration drives us to pursue what we genuinely need—such as personal growth and wisdom—over fleeting desires.
The Discipline of Concentration
Sugawara Sensei points out that “right inspiration enters when you concentrate… bad people receive bad inspiration. Be careful. When good inspiration enters, it can change your life.” This perspective underscores how concentration isn’t just about attention to the immediate task but acts as a gateway to higher discernment, enabling us to differentiate between shallow desires and more profound needs.
Concentration as a Path to Wisdom
In martial arts practice, the continuous refinement of concentration enhances physical abilities and deepens our understanding of ourselves and our motivations. This practice helps steer us away from hedonistic and self-indulgent impulses, directing our energy towards discipline and, ultimately, wisdom. Focusing our minds, we learn to resist the easy temptations of immediate satisfaction in favor of long-term development and genuine fulfillment.
How Martial Arts Encourage Righteous Pursuits
The dojo is a microcosm where practitioners learn to cultivate their mental faculties through physical discipline. Every movement and technique in martial arts requires acute attention and precision, which trains the mind to manage its focus efficiently. This training is crucial, as it teaches practitioners how to apply the same level of discipline and concentration in other areas of life, promoting a balanced and wise approach to everyday challenges.
The Social Fabric of Martial Arts: Community and Connection
Fostering Deep Connections Through Shared Practice
Both Sugawara Sensei and I Liq Chuan highlight the community-building aspect of martial arts. In our increasingly isolated world, the dojo becomes a haven where genuine bonds are forged. These practices bring diverse people together, promoting mutual respect and shared growth. The depth of these connections, often cultivated through physical touch and cooperative practice, starkly contrasts the superficial interactions that predominate on social media platforms.
Integrating Martial Arts into Modern Life: Lessons from the Dojo
The Paradox of Modern Connectivity
In an era defined by digital connections, the teachings of Sugawara Sensei through the lens of I Liq Chuan remind us of the value of real, physical, and meaningful interactions. Martial arts practice offers a tangible way to counteract the digital divide, promoting real-world interactions that are rich and fulfilling.
Real-Time Connections: The Dojo as a Social Crucible
The dojo offers more than just physical training; it is a place where life skills are developed. The physical closeness required in martial arts training encourages a type of vulnerability and trust that is rare in other aspects of modern life. Through the physicality of martial arts, we engage more deeply with others, fostering empathy and understanding in a way that virtual interactions simply cannot match.
“Softness Overcoming Hardness”: A Misunderstood Principle
The Real Meaning of Softness in Martial Arts
In the insightful video featuring Master Tetsutaka Sugawara, he discusses “Jūyokugōwoseisu” (柔能く剛を制す, which translates to “softness overcoming hardness”) and the importance of incorporating soft movements, particularly from disciplines like Qigong, into martial arts practice.
The often-quoted martial arts principle of “softness overcoming hardness” is frequently misunderstood. Contrary to popular belief, this phrase does not champion softness as an end in itself; instead, it highlights the strategic use of flowing to manage and redirect external forces.
Sugawara Sensei rightly highlights these techniques not as combat strategies but as essential components of a restorative recovery practice. These soft movements are employed to counterbalance the physical stress and intensity of martial arts training, serving as a crucial method for maintaining overall health and longevity in the practice
Softness as a Tool, Not the Goal
When it comes to martial arts and the use of force, GM Sam Chin often says, “Relaxation is a tool, not the goal,” we see that relaxation—or softness—is merely one aspect of a broader strategy to cultivate balance and control in martial arts. In I Liq Chuan, we are taught to use softness to understand better and adapt to the dynamics of combat and interaction, not to remain passive or yielding at all times. In this context, softness allows practitioners to achieve a state of flow in their movements, facilitating the ability to respond to changes dynamically.
Change as the Ultimate Technique
As GM Chin highlighted, true mastery in martial arts lies in the ability to change and adapt. This concept of change is pivotal—martial arts training is not about developing a set of rigid responses but about cultivating the agility to alter one’s approach based on the situation. This agility is the real ‘softness’ that overcomes ‘hardness.’ It’s not about being soft in a touchy-feely sense but about being supremely adaptable and responsive.
Conclusion
The exploration of martial arts through the philosophies of Master Tetsutaka Sugawara and I Liq Chuan offers profound insights into the development of self-awareness, concentration, and physical discipline. These practices serve not only as methods of self-defense but as profound vehicles for personal growth and spiritual enrichment. By focusing on slow movements, mindful awareness, and the transformative power of attentive self-awareness, practitioners are guided toward a deeper understanding of themselves and their interactions with the world. Moreover, martial arts provide a compelling antidote to the superficiality and isolation of our digital age, emphasizing real, meaningful human connections through shared physical practice. In these disciplines, the concept of “softness overcoming hardness” transcends physical technique, embodying the flexibility and adaptability necessary for managing life’s complexities. Thus, martial arts stand as a bridge connecting ancient wisdom with modern challenges, promoting a balanced, wise, and interconnected life.
About Tetsutaka Sugawara
Born in Hokkaido in 1941, he began studying Aikido in 1960 under Morihei Ueshiba and became an uchideshi in Ibaraki the following year. He received his kyoshi license in Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu in 1986 and introduced Aikido to various institutions in China during the early 1990s. He also received a 7th Dan in Aikido in 1995. He actively teaches Aikido and Katori Shinto Ryu in 12 countries.
I am not a doctor, and the information provided should not be considered medical advice. The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle.
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This basically a re-post of some earlier clips I released some time ago, but I stumbled across a nice blog post by Tom Meyers, the so called “Father of Fascia”, discussing some new insights into how the body creates and transmits force that go far beyond the simple “levers and pulleys” model of days past.
The particular insight which really caught my attention was the following quote;
Muscles transmit beyond their attachments via the fascial fabric to structures both proximal and distal. (Myers, Vleeming, Franklin-Miller, et al)
This statement should not be news to students of I Liq Chuan who have direct experience of creating and transferring force through the body structure via the “winding energy” we generate in the tissues. Coming across the article was timely, as well as interesting, as we were discussing the use of the body tissue in class just last night. When you learn to wrap the body there’s both a personal effect and an interpersonal effect.
The personal effect is a change in the skin tone. The skin get’s tighter, the surface tension of the skin increases as you wrap more layers in the body. It creates not only better engagement with the point of contact, but also some defensive energy. The wrapping of many layers creates an effect similar to wearing many layers of clothing when it’s cold out. More layers means more protection, in this case from blows from your opponent. The increase in surface tension prevents the power from the blows from penetrating to the inner layers of the body where they will do the most harm. Traditional Chinese martial arts have various training methods for this kind of result and are often referred to as “golden bell” or “iron body” training.
Interpersonal-ly, the effect of the winding increases control over the opponent as you learn to extend the winding out from your own tissue and into your partners. You essentially learn how to “grab” their skin with your own, and once you’ve grabbed it, you tighten it to establish what GM Sam Chin calls “the network”.
Sifu says “Once you have the network, it’s like a spider web, when anything changes, you know. The line of tension that signals back to the center.”
Great news everybody! Our Tempe, AZ martial arts classes have been selected as a “Best of 2015” by Thumbtack.com based on our many great student reviews.
One small error, they said we teach “judo”, which we do not, we teach I Liq Chuan, but hey, my dad still asks me “How’s your karate going?” after more than 15 years, so I’m assuming that’s what they meant.
You wouldn’t think this little old lady could be a martial artist, but just look at how great she does! Don’t let your excuses, whether it’s age, your weight or other circumstances get in the way of what you want out of life. Sometimes, all you need is to be around the right people to help keep you moving forward. If you’d like some help meeting your goals, we’d love to be a part of your experience!
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If you spend much time learning Chinese martial arts (kung fu), you’re sure to be exposed to Chinese culture as a matter of course. (I’ve written some about this before here.)
One of the most time-honored traditions of Chinese martial arts is serving tea to your Sifu and to your seniors in the art. The practice varies widely from school to school, and in China, from village to village.
Since I recently spent so much time at Sifu’s house, naturally I spent a lot of time serving tea! Over the years I experienced a lot of stress trying to make sure Sifu’s cup was never empty.
Initially, I viewed the practice as one of a) Confucian fealty and b) an exercise in awareness. (Can I keep my attention on Sifu’s cup strong enough to notice when it’s getting low.)
However, after my most recent trip to Sifu’s house I had, what I think, is a revelation;
Serving the tea as a sign of respect for Sifu is only a very superficial level of understanding. Rather than try to watch Sifu’s cup like a hawk, I started to think “if I’m thirsty, maybe Sifu is too..”
“More tea Sifu?”
I think when you look at things this way, you start to see “the other” in yourself more. I’m starting to see the needs of others in my needs and trying to use that as an opportunity to be of service to others.
If you’d like to know more about our Chinese martial arts classes in Tempe, Arizona, please call us at 3156280777, to use the coupon below – Just $19.00 for three classes. 100% money back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied!
Now that I’m back in the Tempe area, I thought it would be a good time to revive this blog a bit and write about our local martial arts classes more often, or just post either martial arts, or meditation related things that I think are kind of cool, but aren’t necessarily appropriate for my blog on https://iliqchuan.com. Hopefully, you’ll think they’re cool too and want to come train with us!
I came across a couple of posts (the Thich Nhat Hanh quote above and the video below) on Facebook today that were completely independent of each other, but sort of on the same topic that I thought I would share, because they reminded me of something that is very important to I Liq Chuan (and meditation) which is the concept of “right view”.
Sifu often says “your view is blocking your view!”
“Everyone is right from their own point of view, but what is your reference point for viewing?”
In other words, if you’re looking at a situation from the common point of reference, which is our past experience, then you’re point of view is filtered by the mental feelings of “like and dislike”, and you’re responding and reacting to the situation rather than acting mindfully.
In short, you don’t see things clearly.
In a self defense situation, the dangers of not seeing things clearly should be obvious.
Sifu gave a talk in Poland where he said “I Liq Chuan teaches you to understand [the] condition, [the] situation. So, if you see a situation of danger, you don’t walk into it—you walk away. Avoid danger. All this is part of the training.
Getting yourself in the proper situation, [is] like feng shui, the Chinese belief of putting things in good coordination so it doesn’t disturb you. [ex: chair in front of door…over time, will annoy you, affect you.]
I thought the video below was an interesting example of what happens when you use past experience to try and judge a situation [or person]. Like the three blind men arguing about an elephant.
If you would like to check out our Tempe, AZ martial arts classes, give us a call at 315-628-0777 and take advantage of the special offer below!
All mindfulness meditation has an object and subject.
The object is whatever you focus your attention on and the subject is your consciousness, or what is actually doing the observing.
Most often the thing being observed is the breath, but there can be many different objects to focus on, and in the Zen tradition, one type of meditation is to place a single raisin on the tongue and see how long you can maintain awareness of it there.
This morning I was enjoying a piece of dark chocolate when I realized I’d better get my practice in before everyone else woke up.
Since I had the chocolate in my mouth already I decided to use that as my object of meditation first; watching the bodily sensations due to the dark chocolate (like my heart rate increasing, the range of flavors as the chocolate melted, etc.)
If you would like to learn more about how meditation works with martial arts or would just like to learn more about mindfulness meditation, we’re now offering classes in Tempe, Arizona.
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