When you are young you train to fear no man. You want to be strong. So, you become strong.
Later, you face new challenges. You train so that when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death you will fear no evil. Alert, not alone, unafraid, you know where you are, and what to do. You train to be able to do it.
Everyone knows that to live in fear of death means losing your life.
The reason for practice changes. The content of practice changes. The nature of practice – diligent, persistent, clear and strong – does not.
To practice well at any stage, we can’t be too concerned about what other people think. They may not understand us, our art, or our goals. Their judgement may be mistaken, different, or irrelevant. It might be helpful. To use what they say wisely, or to disregard it, it is essential that we be clear about our art and our goals. Understanding is not automatic, not obvious, and not static. It requires cultivation, in practice.
You are ready to train. You see a deer where you are going to park.
The town of Sarnath is known as the Deer Park. The name refers to an ancient legend, about the Buddha, in a former life. In that life he was a deer. As that deer, he saw a king, out hunting in the forest. He saw the king raise his bow and take aim at a doe, nearby. As the king drew his bow string, pulling the arrow back as far as he could, about to release his shot, the Bodhisattva deer leapt in front of the king and said “Please, spare the life of that doe. Shoot me instead.”
The king was moved by this. From that moment he made Sarnath a deer park, a sanctuary.
Another name for the place is Isipatana, the “place where holy men descended.” In some ways it is unique. A special place, with a name and a history. In some ways it is every place. Or could be.
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Post copyright © 2025 Jeffrey Brooks, MountainKarateNC.com, Yamabayashi Ryu, Mountain Karate Dojo, in the mountains of western NC.
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read True Karate Dō by Jeffrey Brooks
“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