A perspective on “How to Begin Inner Training:”
If we think about it at all, we usually think of our mind as a thing. But in a way it is many things, a group of functions, perceptions, ideas, feelings, plans, regrets, memories, dread and hopes, some evident, most not.
In a way the mind is like an ocean: from the surface to the depths, from horizon to horizon, everything in motion, subject to disturbance, settling down when it can.
Unlike a body of water, which continually seeks equilibrium but never reaches it, our mind, with training, can.
With a mind unified, clear and calm, we can experience joy and peace.
And we can act without hesitation or haste.
For context: To result in mental clarity and stability, inner training needs clear purpose, sound method, and a foundation of wholesome moral and ethical conduct.
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Read True Karate Dō –
“One of the best books I’ve read in years, inviting and compelling.
Jeff Brooks moves effortlessly from martial arts to Buddhism to consciousness studies, self-transformation, and related fields in this wide-ranging and Illuminating study that has much to offer both novice explorers and veteran practitioners.
A splendid achievement.”
— Philip Zaleski, Editor, The Best Spiritual Writing series
— Co-author, The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams.
True Karate Dō is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and Kindle Edition
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9S7QX44
Watch Kata and the Diamond Sutra Master
a short video inspired by a chapter of the book True Karate Dō. It tells the story of a monk’s moment of awakening, and the relationship of the Ch’an and Zen tradition to the lore and methods of east Asian martial arts.
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Post Copyright © 2023 by Jeffrey Brooks, Mountain Karate, Yamabayashi Ryu, Saluda, NC USA