Jason Kunen

Understanding Zen Through Martial Practice:

Spiritual Attainment in the Martial Arts
Introduction
Every sect of Buddhism maintains that it is a religion of compassion and nonviolence.
Throughout its history, however, Buddhism has occasionally been embroiled in warfare and
military campaigns. Zen Buddhism in particular has managed to find its way into various
military arts. From its incorporation into the Shaolin Monastery and the impact on the Japanese
samurai to its absorption into the curriculum of several martial arts, Zen and fighting have come
to be seen as closely related. This is due to certain characteristics of its doctrine as well as its
practice. In fact, fighting is not entirely absent from Zen texts and literature. There are stories
and kans which depict amputations, encounters between samurai, or some kind of
confrontation. Fighting, in the sense of an inner struggle is also present. The Zen Master Hakuin
believes that Meditation is the true practice of fighting; introspection is the ultimate of
cultivation[He advises that] at all times in your study of Zen, fight against delusions and
worldly thoughts, battle the black demon of sleep[and in] pushing forward with true
meditation and struggling fiercely, there unexpectedly will be true enlightenment.1 The
objective of this examination is to draw parallels between Zen meditation and martial arts
training and explore the reasons why Zens core philosophical doctrine and meditative practice
can be integrated seamlessly into the martial arts.
In this work, I shall veer from the usual method of explaining the religion from the broad
aspects followed by narrowing down on specific details. Rather than outlining its history or
transmission or attempting to pose an answer to the kan-like question what is Zen, what is

Electroniccopy
copyavailable
available at:
at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2050305
Electronic
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2050305

Jason Kunen

presented here are what I feel are the fundamental elements of Zen philosophy and meditative
practice that resonate with the martial arts. I shall explain some features of the doctrine of Zen
through these main concepts. It will hopefully become clear that Zen and martial arts are not
opposing forces, but are instead similarly related practices both striving towards enlightenment
and liberation from suffering as a result of ego-mental living.
At first glance, one may be tempted to say that martial arts is purely a matter of fighting
or protection and that personal development through meditation and Zen ideas are either
secondary or accidental. Sport fighters, such as those who train in boxing or muay thai, may take
up learning martial arts for fitness, professional fighting, or perhaps to boost their ego.
Practitioners of military and special forces martial arts such as krav maga, Russian systema, and
Russian sambo are training for warfare or tactical operations, which seem contrary to the ideals
of Buddhism. On the other hand, there are martial arts with less of an emphasis on violence such
as tai chi, various styles of karate, and training such as kickboxing which are directed more at
healing, inner development, and fitness respectively. As Sgt. Rory Miller stated in his book
Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence,
Martial arts and martial artists often try to do it all. They teach self-defense and sparring and
streetfighting and fitness and personal development, as if they were the same thing. They arent
even related. Very, very different things get lumped under the general heading of violence.2
While Buddhism does not appear to condone violence, the theme of this investigation is that Zen
is appealing to martial artists because of its philosophy as well as its ability to facilitate the
mindset required by a warrior.

Electroniccopy
copyavailable
available at:
at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2050305
Electronic
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2050305

Jason Kunen

3
Zen is Living as Action, not in Action

One of the underlying features of Zen Buddhism is that action takes precedence over
rumination and deliberation. Acting in the present moment and understanding what this means is
crucial both for students of Zen as well as for martial artists. This is not to say that one has
license or that all restrictions on behavior can be discarded. We must step back from our usual
conceptualizations of action and freedom and learn this Zen-literacy. A Zen-action springs
from the ultimate freedom found in the present moment and is chosen, not out of a deliberative
process which stems from ego-mental patterns of thinking and thus delusion according to
Buddhism, but rather through a choiceless, meditative awareness. The action may not conform
with certain social constructions or expectations, as in kans, but their intention is neither rooted
in malice nor in virtue. It is an activity conducted through the supreme freedom realized in the
application and actualization of meditative awareness.
Shunryu Suzuki, author of the well-known book Zen Mind, Beginners Mind explains,
Perfect freedom is not found without some rules. People, especially young people, think that
freedom is to do just what they want, that in Zen there is no need for rules. But it is absolutely
necessary for us to have some rules. But this does not mean always to be under control. As long
as you have rules, you have a chance for freedom.3 This type of enlightened freedom is the
basis for full, complete, and fluid action. When performed through deliberation, actions leave a
trace or residue of feelings, thoughts, emotions, or other feelings or sensations (Ibid., 47-49).
Guilt, shame, or feelings of being self-conscious all stem from rumination or doing something
incomplete. We sense these feelings or thoughts and then become attached to them, and this
leads to suffering. Any move or behavior carried out from the Zen-mind is complete and whole.

Jason Kunen

In order not to leave any traces, when you do something, you should do it with your whole body
and mind; you should be concentrated on what you doZen activity is activity which is
completely burned out, with nothing remaining but ashes. This is the goal of our practice.4
In martial arts training, the practitioner must do the same. There is no such thing as doovers or even repeating the same movement. Every motion is new and fresh even if one is
practicing the same exercise over and over again. The idea is to make every action complete in
that moment. In thinking about the previous punch or planning the next one, the persons energy
is taken away from the current punch being thrown. Not only is the practitioners energy
dispersed when thinking, but it also causes a delay in responsiveness. A reaction is an answer to
a prior movement, but a response is a flowing and fluid motion happening almost simultaneously
with the initial attack. This comes from moving ones energy from thinking into action. Doing
this not only increases the rate at which we learn the technique or idea, but it also becomes
ingrained in our body so that at any moment, we can respond appropriately without hesitation.
For the warrior, if his whole energy is not directed into what he is doing, whether in training or
out, it shows a lack of spirit and honor within him. Performing every act with full determination
cultivates his spirit. The legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi declares that Whether on or off
the battlefield, there is no difference in spirit. The warrior sees all of life as the battlefield[and
thus] Every strike [or action] must be done with full authority and full intensity.5 Living in this
way, the warrior uses all of life as a way to practice by turning every action into a high art of
cultivating the warrior spirit.

Jason Kunen

5
Moving into Zen Experience: Losing Your Ego-Self in Action

In tapping into the performative power of Zen action there is a dropping away of ones
ego and the sense of an individualized self. This false notion of the self consists of the
judgments, world views, and all other attributes which one ascribes to oneself. It is the narrative
or life story we tell ourselves. It is essentially a web of interconnected experiences, attributes,
thoughts, and beliefs that we think is attached to a central thing which we can point to and call
I. This self, however, according to Buddhism and other traditions, is intrinsically empty. The
web holds itself together, it is not attached to an individualized or separate thing we call the self.
Engaging in Zen action is a way to release the hold of this ego identity. When acting
from the ego, one is separate from the action being performed. That is, there is someone
consciously carrying out certain movements. Learning to enter into Zen action, one becomes the
very action itself. There is no longer any separation between the self and the movement, but a
co-arising of both resulting in full and complete activity. Miyamoto Musashi expresses the same
idea when he declares that As you submit to the spirit of the thing, that the spirit of the thing
will submit itself to youNo matter how hard you study, if you do not become one with the art
you pursue you can never truly be one with the universe and the spirit of the thing itself will
always elude you.6 He understands that by letting go of the thought that a self is performing an
action, the action itself becomes ones very being. Similarly, the Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru
states that There are many different schools [martial arts and sects of Buddhism], but they all
teach sutemi, abandoning the body, letting go of it, forgetting the ego and following nothing but
the cosmic system. Abandon attachments, personal desires, ego.7 At this point one may ask
why the ego is so detrimental. There are many ways one can approach this matter.

Jason Kunen

From a philosophical perspective, ones ego keeps the person trapped within the world
view and conditionings in which that person was raised; it is one of the sources of suffering
identified in Buddhist teaching. When that world view is faced with another perspective which
is incompatible, the ideas of the new world view is filtered through ones own lens and these
interpretations are then displayed in the screen of the mind as something different from what it
actually is. This is the root of violence and conflict among world views. On a smaller scale, the
ego feels it must defend itself and the things it attaches to. Status, territory, possessions, and
other aspects of ones ego are grounds for conflict for many people. Most humans fight for
status or territory like other animals. Most conflict is about face or respect, not about
necessitywe have our own built-in ritual combat to establish social dominance or defend
territory. It is nearly always non-lethal. I call it the Monkey Dance.8 While these conflicts by
themselves may be non-lethal, escalating the situation may lead to fatal consequences or put
others in danger. Outside the context of necessary self-defense, these other conflicts are a result
of the ego, which is not even real. You are not you. Who you think you are, the story you tell
yourself every day, is an illusion.9 The sad reality is that people are willing to kill and to die
over this story they tell themselves. By learning to let go of the ego we dont fall into the trap of
mindless, unfounded conflict and can stop ourselves from participating in the Monkey Dance.
We learn to do this by living life as Zen action. By practicing Zen meditation and the martial
arts, one comes to let go of the ego by losing the self in the training. Another name for this
mindset is called mushin.

Jason Kunen

7
Flowing in Mushin: The Mind of No-Mind

A crucial component of martial arts and meditation is learning to let go of the ego-self
and enter into mushin, a flowing state of no-thought and pure awareness. Forrest Morgan
believes that If there is a single trait most characteristic of classical masters its the ability to
enter mushin, or mind-no-mind. This mental state is the principle source of the traditional
warriors quick reactions, extrasensory perception, and steely calm.10 He thinks that the ability
to access this state a major factor that separates the ego-fighter from the true martial artist.
Mushin is essentially learning to let go of conscious thought. Thinking hinders our capacity to
stay in the present moment and respond to what is happening now. In this state of no-mind, we
are in a deep and focused awareness that is active and alive, but it is neither thinking nor being
mindless in autopilot.
In learning something new, we have a tendency to think about what we need to do or how
we should move. Forrest Morgan is convinced that this process takes place until we internalize
the movement. From my training experience however, we were taught not even to think at this
stage. It is more important to feel how ones body moves and to closely observe the details in the
movement by watching the instructor. Carrying out a new technique rests on having a
proprioceptive awareness and a concentrated mind to see the details of the instructors
movements. If ones mind is full of knowledge, thoughts, and judgments it is difficult to view
the world with pure eyes. The Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki states that if your mind is empty
[like the emptiness of mushin], it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the
beginners mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind there are few.11 This empty
mind is not referring to being mind-less or on autopilot. It is instead an emptiness of clarity

Jason Kunen

where the mind is not caught up in attachment. It is a state of preparedness as well, and this is
critical for the martial artist. There comes a point when conscious thinking interferes with our
ability to do the technique and slows down our reaction time.12 When we are thinking, we are
not fully focused on our opponent and what he is doing and this results in a delayed reaction on
our part. If we let go of thought, we are flowing in the present moment and can respond almost
instantaneously and sometimes even before our adversary initiates an attack.
Zen meditation, like many other kinds, is based around the idea of letting go of conscious
thought. The instructions for this technique are to observe the breath and hold ones
concentration by counting each breath up to a designated number and then starting over again.
By practicing meditation in this way, the martial artist can learn to clear his mind and free
himself from thinking. This practice directly correlates to entering into warrior-mindfulness.
Martial arts training by itself can potentially do the same, but the practitioner may not be fully
aware that he must learn to be in the moment. He may continue his pattern of thinking while
training. Incorporating Zen meditation into the training and understanding the idea of being in
the present, the student will recognize how to calm his mind. This focused no-mind of calmness
and stillness is often seen as a prerequisite for understanding the heart of Buddhist doctrine,
nyat - the transiency of all things.
nyat: Understanding Ultimate Emptiness
A foundational idea in Buddhism is that of nyat, or ultimate emptiness. The
realization achieved in insight meditation [and Zen meditation] tended to be the fundamental
emptiness (nyat) of all things.13 It is the understanding that all phenomena and all things in
the world are transient and ultimately empty. No thing stands apart on its own as an independent

Jason Kunen

and separate phenomenon but is actually rooted in nyat, the emptiness from which all other
things can arise. Speaking of nyat in this way is not even correct, as it is not a concept or
thing either. It is simply taken to be a fundamental truth in the world, not a conceptualization or
deity, or force. The reason the ego is a cause of suffering is because it takes itself to be selfsustaining entity disconnected from everything else so as to appear unique. It tries to cut itself
off and stand apart in the world, but it inevitably leads to misery because the ego itself is funded
by nyat which means it cannot escape the web of interconnectivity; it recognizes its falsehood
and transient nature and tries to compensate in response by clinging to worldly phenomena.
nyat has several implications in the martial arts. First, it funds the view that all one
needs in order to develop as a warrior is to recognize the emptiness of all things which brings
about the understanding that the true warrior spirit is already within oneself. All the universe is
simply no-thing-ness (or Mu), there is no reason to pursue any attempt at perfection. Perfection
is all there is and when you come to realize this, you will have understood my Way of strategy
the Way of the warrior, at which you can forget about it and just be it.14 Cultivating the
warrior spirit and no-mind are not external to oneself, everything is within. Tapping into a
higher way of conducting the mind reveals the unity and fullness of all things in emptiness. In
not being oneself, meaning the ego-self, one can then become what Musashi calls the spirt of
the thing itself. From the emptiness of ones being, one can become. The warrior is not
separate from the art he practices, he is the very art itself. Hence, understanding emptiness
distinguishes the person who merely practices martial arts and the true martial artist.
nyat has also been used to explain why the warrior should not fear death. The warrior
who is afraid of death will not be able to fight properly. His fear will affect his movements and

Jason Kunen

10

will probably lead to defeat. If he realizes the emptiness of his self, however, he has nothing to
fear. In other words, if one realizes that the baggage of the ego is not worth fighting for, it will
stop him from entering into needless conflict with others. How does the warrior come to attain
this insight? One could certainly try to overcome the fear by fighting experience, but this may
result either in this insight or being stuck in the fear of death. The acquisition of bravery is
simply the disguise of fear. Courage is not the masking of fear by appearing to be stronger than
it, it is the wisdom to see the emptiness of fear. One of the revelations discovered through Zen
meditation, also known as zazen, is the mastering of fear and oneself. The great Zen teacher
Daisetz Suzuki writes, It was, therefore, natural for every sober-minded samurai to approach
Zen with the idea of mastering deathall things are accomplished when one attains a mind of
no-mind-nessit is a state of mind which is no more troubled with the questions of death or of
immortality.15 Hence, training in zazen leads to the understanding of no-self which will allow
the warrior to transcend death. Martial arts may help expedite this process through the training
by practicing losing the self in the movements and cultivating the will-power to see that throwing
a strike also involves the risk of taking one.
At this stage, we now come face to face with what is probably the most controversial
aspect of Zen and martial arts, that is, the warriors training, duty, and ability to kill. The very
phrase martial arts denotes combativeness; how does Buddhism and its ideals of compassion
integrate with fighting styles and explain the militaristic, warrior mindset? In his chapter of
Buddhist Warfare, Brain Daizen Victoria, a scholar of Buddhist studies with training in Zen,
draws attention to the idea that nyat was manipulated as a way to excuse warfare and the
killing of others. Zen leaders in Japan [perhaps due to political pressures] collapsed these two

Jason Kunen

11

truths [the conventional and the ultimate truth] into one undifferentiated reality, thereby
providing Bushid with a corrupted metaphysical foundation. This foundation not only
sanctioned killing, it also valorized the Zen-trained warriors willingness to die - in the process
of taking life, in loyal service to his feudal lord - as the antinomian expression of full
enlightenment.16 There exists the idea in some traditions of Buddhism of two truths, the
conventional and the ultimate. The conventional truth is acknowledging the world we live in and
accepting that we must utilize the things in the world to function. The ultimate truth is nyat
and knowing that all things are transient and are intrinsically empty. These two truths are neither
superior to one another nor do they oppose each other. Rather, they are two expressions that
encompass reality. We must live in the world and also realize that it is not substantial because of
nyat. The argument here is that by fusing the two truths into one, killing was not seen as an
immoral act due to the empty nature of all things. Killing is not really causing suffering for the
person, for there is no one to be killed. Furthermore, only one who has become enlightened is
free from the cycle of rebirth meaning that killing is just the physical elimination of that persons
form in this life. Zen became a mechanism of the state and a motive to fight - to convert
heathens. Japanese Buddhist military objectives in the early 1900s were to kill unbelievers and
to convert their state to Buddhismpeople who were not enlightened would be reborn;
therefore, there was no true destruction of life.17 These people would then be reborn in a
Buddhist country which allows them to practice the path of liberation. Killing was therefore
viewed as a type of skillful means in order to save others (Ibid., 9).
The issue of martial arts and killing is a highly disputed matter. Some scholars advocate
that martial arts is purely a matter of fighting. Others claim that it has spiritual value. Sgt. Rory

Jason Kunen

12

Miller asserts, You must decide what is worth fighting for, never forgetting that the question
involves the risk of both dying and killingyou must commit that if one of them [of the things
worth fighting for] happens you will act ruthlessly and decisively.18 For him, martial arts is just
a useful tool for those few situations where self-defense is last resort. On the other side of the
spectrum, there are those who acknowledge the martial aspect of fighting but also address the
more virtuous side. A highly skilled Russian special forces (systema) master,Vladimir Vasiliev,
was a major influence in popularizing systema and bringing it to the United States. In his
Russian System Guidebook he states that the goal of the Soviet special forces training was to
create a soldier who would be immune to the psychological torment of battle [by pushing the
practitioner to his limits][but despite this intense, sometimes considered cruel training] when
you become a master of this style, you come to appreciate how fragile the human body is and
how easy it is to kill. You come to respect your own abilities and their place in the world. And
you come to respect human life. You become careful to do the least possible damage to your
attacker to end his threat.19 How can these two views be reconciled? Martial arts is clearly
developed for combat purposes, so where does the spiritual aspect fit in? To investigate this
issue, we will first see how ones perspective of time is crucial to transcending life and death,
and then turn our attention from the immediate intention of martial arts (fighting) towards the
aim to achieve something greater and beyond.
Zen-Time and the Self: An Alternate View of Life and Death
A crucial aspect to the understanding of the self in Zen Buddhism is its perspective of
time, which is usually interpreted as a force which exists as a self-sustaining entity and enacts its
influence on existence. Zen philosophy, however, veers far from this conventional view. In this

Jason Kunen

13

tradition, there is no absolute reality or fundamental time that pervades all beings; instead,
existence and time are events that co-arise and originate with being/existing. Connected with
time is the problem of life and death. The warrior, by nature of being a warrior, must learn to
deal with the burden of being attached to living and the fear of dying. The fear of losing all that
we have, even our own life-story, or the attempt to cling tightly to life and our possessions can be
overcome by shifting our perspective of time and being. The foundation of Zen-time is that
time is an event and not an object that actualizes the entire cosmos in each moment and is
inseparable from being. Adopting this lens, we learn to view life and death as just another set of
processes that occur in the grand scheme of our flowing existence.
The St Zen Master, Eihei Dgen, elaborates upon the nature of time in Moon in a
Dewdrop. He holds that time is not an object that is separated into past, present, and future.
Rather, it is an event that encompasses all dimensions of time and does not stand apart from
things in the world. Hence, he uses the term uji, translated as time-being, to show that time
and being cannot be severed from each other. For him, there is no universal time, no eternal
temporal axis which stands outside of beings in the world. Time is relative to the perspective of
beings and if each and every thing in the world has its own unique time and perspective, then
being is origination of time and an entire world. Objectified time can be cut up into different
parts, but time as an event encompasses all directions of time. Occurrences are not in time, they
are with time. Our entire past and developing future exists wholly in the present moment. Every
moment actualizes all events from our past and is creating our future.
In objectified time, the world and the self are viewed objects that move through time and
stand apart from it. If we take the Zen perspective that time is an event, however, then the world

Jason Kunen

14

and the self are seen as happenings, dynamic processes that are ever-changing and flowing in
unity with time. All of existence is an event that is a holistic presencing of the entire world.
Things in the world are now seen as a sacred thou in lieu of an object or an other. Hence, when
Zen masters say to live in the here and now, they mean that in this very moment, the now is
actualizing and embracing all of existence. Dgen writes, Each moment is all being, is the
entire world. Reflect now whether any being or any world is left out of the present moment.20
His point is that every thing and every moment in the world is an expression of the entire unified
field of reality. Since each moment actualizes the entire universe, no event can replace another
nor can any event have more or less value than another; each moment is irreplaceable and
undoable.
Taking up this view of time leads to a dramatically different understanding of the self as
well as of life and death. The self seen as an object that moves in time thinks of birth/life and
death as opposing forces in time. Fear of death means that one believes that the force of death
overcomes that of life. This fear only arises, though, through the lens of the discriminating egomental mind which views the world and our selves as objects. Masao Abe, a Kyoto School
philosopher says that, When one develops substantive thinking [i.e., believing that a substance
or a something underlies our existence] beyond its habitual use in daily human life into a logic,
one thereby creates a logic of self-identity, which tries to eliminate contradictions.21 Thinking
of birth and death as things (i.e., objects) is using substantive logic and creates the duality and
contradiction of life and death. Breaking the hold of substantive thinking and moving into the
logic of nyat, we come to see that life and death are simply two events in the course of the
event of our time-being and they do not replace or overpower one another. Dgen says that It is

Jason Kunen

15

a mistake to suppose that birth turns into death. Birth is a phase that is an entire period of itself,
with its own past and future. For this reason, in buddha-dharma birth is understood as no-birth.
Death is a phase that is an entire period of itself, with its own past and future. For this reason,
death is understood as no-death.22 Thus, in transcending the polarities of life and death through
meditative practice and coming to experience ones own time-being, the fear of death and the
attachment to life fall away as well.
As was previously mentioned in the sections above, meditative practice allows the
practitioner to let go of the ego-mental mind which keep us trapped in these discriminations and
judgments arising from conditionings and ego-mental patterns. These practices also allow the
student to experience this new perception of time-being. While ones own ego-mind must be put
in check when approaching mindfulness practices, it requires focus and concentration on the
practitioners part. Master Dgen states that The time-being is entirely actualized without being
caught up in nets or cages [the nets and cages here refer to the conscious, discriminating egomind], and continues by saying, without your complete effort right now, nothing would be
actualized, nothing would flow.23 In other words, only by being dedicated and engaging in
correct mindful practice can we enter into the meditative consciousness of mushin, whereby we
can directly, but subjectively, experience ourselves as the time-being.
The warrior comes face to face with the problem of life and death and of fear and
attachment and must learn to see through them if he/she is to become a true warrior. This logic
and practice of Zen allows the martial artist to move beyond the clinging to life and the fear of
death. A warrior plagued by either one of these is bound to be slain or overcome by the
opponent. In the midst of battle, thinking must be abandoned in order to succeed. Since the ego-

Jason Kunen

16

mental mind interferes with ones reactions, one must learn to be fully in the moment and enter
into mushin, the mind of no-mind. Part of being able to do this is letting go of fear and
attachment and simply letting oneself embrace the here and now. Entering into the present
moment allows the warrior to be fully aware of his own actions as well as his opponents
movements and intentions without deliberating upon them. Zen Master Takuan advises that one
should cut right through the interval between previous and present. Its significance is in cutting
off the edge between before and after, between now and then. It means not detaining the
mind.24 He calls this no-mind state of meditative awareness in the present moment, rightmindedness. At this stage, the martial artist is free from the bonds of life and death, and a great
transformation occurs from a static human being to a dynamic presencing of human becoming.
Life is its own complete event, and death is also its own complete event; only the ego-mind fears
the ending that appears to come with death and in response tries to cling to only life. By
dropping this construct, we are free from these constraints and are flowing in rightmindedness.
Martial Arts and Enlightenment: Finding God in Combat
As we have seen so far, martial arts training and Zen meditation parallel and complement
one another. Zen meditation facilitates the development of the warrior-mind necessary for the
martial artist. By creating a foundation of mindfulness, the practitioner learns to be in the
moment and act rather fall into a cycle of rumination. This leads to being completely absorbed
in the action and dropping the ego thereby giving rise to mushin, the state of no-mind. This in
turn establishes the conditions that enable the practitioner to perceive the fundamental truth of
nyat, or emptiness, to overcome the fear of death. But the ultimate outcome of all these steps

Jason Kunen

17

through meditation is enlightenment; flowing in the interconnectivity of the universe and

liberation from suffering. While all martial arts are different, the correct transmission and
application of any art revolves around personal and spiritual development even if the art only
provides the preconditions for doing so. Integrating meditation into the martial arts formulates a
holistic ontological therapy of the body, mind, and spirit which promotes the maturation of the
student.
During the development of the Shaolin Monastery in China, there was a man named
Cheng Zongyou who trained at the monastery for several years and proceeded to write the
Exposition of the Original Shaolin Staff Method around the 1600s. In this text, he established
that mastery in martial arts and reaching enlightenment were on an equal level. Cheng refers to
the Shaolin staff method [of fighting] as the unsurpassed Buddhist wisdom (Bodhi) (wushang
puti), and he describes his own mastery of it as sudden enlightenment (dun). He notes that
Shaolin monks consider martial training a tool for reaching the other shore of liberation, and he
expresses the hope that his own manual would serve as the Buddhist raft that would carry his
readers to Nirvna.25 Cheng was adamant about the showing the connection between the
practice of martial arts and spiritual realization. The will-power, zeal, and concentration required
for mastering one were essential for realizing the other. Cheng is not alone in his beliefs. The
Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru remarks that the way to achieve the ultimate balance of strength
and wisdom is through martial arts training combined with Zen practice. 26 The martial arts are
the way to find peace and mastery of the self[the practice] enables you to understand
perfectly the nature of your own mind and self.27 Miyamoto Musashis strategy of letting the
spirit of the thing itself work through the practitioner is another way to express this connection

Jason Kunen

18

between the fighting arts and spiritual fulfillment.28 The famous Zen Master Daisetz Suzuki
shares the same view. He says that in the creation of the sword for the warrior, there is a divine
element that goes into the process and the warrior should strive to have the qualities that make
him worthy to wield the blade. He [the samurai] ought to be a spiritual man, not an agent of
brutality. His mind ought to be at one with the soul which animates the cold steel[the martial
arts training] was, besides its practical purpose, conducive to his moral and spiritual
enhancement.29 The art of the martial arts is the ethics and philosophy component that is used
as a way to balance the training of the warrior. The physical aspect complements the spiritual or
religious development. There are some modern fighting styles that only focus on competitions
or fitness, but these fall short of any spiritual progress. The true warrior trains both his body and
his spirit. In fact, Doshin So, the founder of the Japanese martial arts known as Shorinji Kempo
believes that kempo was not considered merely a martial art but was put on the same level with
zazen (seated meditation) as an ascetic practice and a method of clarifying precepts of the unity
of mind and body. It was thought to be useful in counteracting bodily weakening caused by
protracted zazen.30 If one takes up this view, it is clear that martial arts and Zen are
interdependent. The Zen practice funds the warrior mindset and spirit while the martial arts has
the practical purpose of strengthening the body as well as implementing the meditative
awareness outside of seated meditation.
Interestingly, a similar idea is reflected in martial arts outside the Oriental styles. In
Russian systema for example, there is an emphasis on morality and connecting with God. While
it is not the place of this work to delve into the topic of comparing enlightenment and God, it is
intriguing to note that in martial styles so uniquely different from each other, that there exists the

Jason Kunen

19

idea of using the practice to reach something beyond the conventional self. Vladimir Vasiliev
stresses the ethical component of martial arts training. He says, To become a bully or use your
powers in the pursuit of in connection with evil would be a disgrace, totally out of character for
the warrior, and would ultimately weaken the inner powerIf you have an evil nature, your
movements will be a prisoner of that evil and lacking in freedom.31 Mikhail Ryabko, Vasilievs
systema teacher, believes that the practice of this martial art should turn us more fully to God
under all conditionsWhen combined with prayer, this eventually brings true happiness because
we become one with God.32 This idea of the martial arts being a means to transcend oneself or
the mind or to arrive at some awakening is not restricted to the Asian martial styles, but appears
in arts around the globe.
Conclusion
As has been demonstrated throughout this work, martial arts and Zen philosophy and
meditation practice are closely related in various ways. In addition to the practical application of
martial arts, there follows a spiritual journey for the student. The martial artist needs an attitude
of decisiveness and action, for any hesitation may cost him his life. This is why Zen Buddhism
is so conducive to the warrior-mind, for Zen is grounded in taking action and becoming one with
the action in the present moment. Being so fully absorbed in the movements, the practitioners
ego falls away and there exists only mushin, no-mind. Out of this, one comes to realize the
emptiness of all things and the transiency of the conventional world. When one not only
understands this, but also perceives this truth in the world through the clarity of no-mind,
enlightenment is there. The core of Zen thought is to liberate the practitioner from the cycle of
rebirth through by moving beyond the intellect and conceptual thought using certain intuitive

Jason Kunen

20

modes of understanding peculiar to itself. It is, therefore, extremely flexible in adapting itself to
almost any philosophy and moral doctrine as long as its intuitive teaching is not interfered
withZen did not necessarily argue with them [the samurai] about immortality of the soul or
righteousness or the divine way or ethical conductZen wants to act, and the most effective act,
once the mind is made up, is to go on without looking backward, In this respect, Zen is indeed
the religion of the samurai warrior.33
The lifestyle of the warrior is such that any code of ethics they possess must be flexible
and work within the frame of their responsibility to fight. Zen Buddhism has the ability to be
incorporated into other arts because of its basic yet incredibly high-powered principles. It allows
the warrior to carry out his duty of fighting, whether to defend his country or to protect himself
and others, while at the same time carving out a spiritual quest that can fit within his martial
responsibilities. The warrior, however, is still responsible for his actions and is not free to do as
he pleases without restraint. While Daisetz Suzuki states that Zen does not directly transmit an
ethical code, Doshin So I think would disagree. In Shoriji Kempo, which takes its roots in Zen
Buddhism, the students recite an oath at the start of every practice session which emphasizes
self-cultivation over violence and the endeavor to create an ideal world of peace, kindness, and
respect. These ideas originate from Doshin Sos lectures following meditation sessions where he
instructed the students on the moral aspect of the martial art and the unity of strength and
compassion.34
From the investigation conducted here, it would seem as though the spirit of Zen
philosophy and meditation forms the foundation for the warriors mentality and attitude towards
his art. The martial training is used for both combat purposes, and a way to incorporate the state

Jason Kunen

21

of zazen to physical activity and living in the world. While one can argue that both of these
paths can lead to enlightenment separately, it would seem that both Zen meditation together with
martial arts practice give rise to a holistic and balanced methodology for the warrior to pursue his
duty of combat while also progressing on a spiritual quest towards enlightenment.

Jason Kunen

22
Notes and Bibliography

Yampolsky, Philip B. The Zen Master Hakuin: Selected Writings. (New York: Columbia UP,
1971), 50, 65.
2

Sgt. Rory Miller. Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real
World Violence (Boston, MA: YMAA Publication Center, 2008), 6.
3

Suzuki, Shunry, and Trudy Dixon. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Boston, Mass: Weatherhill,
2007), 17.
4

Ibid., 49.

Kaufman, Steve, and Musashi Miyamoto. Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive
Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy. (Boston: Tuttle Pub., 2004), 27,
31.
6

Ibid., 29, 104.

Deshimaru, Taisen. The Zen Way to the Martial Arts. (New York: Dutton, 1982), 76.

Sgt. Rory Miller. Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real
World Violence (Boston, MA: YMAA Publication Center, 2008), 41, 42.
9

Ibid., 41.

10

Morgan, Forrest E. Living the Martial Way: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should
Think. (Fort Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 1992), 124.
11

Suzuki, Shunry, and Trudy Dixon. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Boston, Mass: Weatherhill,
2007), 2.
12

Morgan, Forrest E. Living the Martial Way: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should
Think. (Fort Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books 1992), 124.
13

McRae, John R. Seeing Through Zen: Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese
Chan Buddhism. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003), 42.
14

Kaufman, Steve, and Musashi Miyamoto. Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive
Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy. (Boston: Tuttle Pub., 2004), 105.

Jason Kunen

23

15

Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro. Zen and Japanese Culture. (New York: Pantheon Books 1959), 72,
74.
16

Victoria, Brian Daizen. Jerryson, Michael K., and Mark Juergensmeyer. Buddhist Warfare. A
Buddhological Critique of Soldier-Zen. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 119.
17

Jerryson, Michael K., and Mark Juergensmeyer. Buddhist Warfare. (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2010), 9.
18

Sgt. Rory Miller. Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real
World Violence (Boston, MA: YMAA Publication Center, 2008), 136.
19

Vasiliev, Vladimir. The Russian System Guidebook: Based on the Training of the Russian
Special Forces (Visalia, CA: Optimum Training Systems, 1997), 9, 13.
20

Dgen, Eihei, and Kazuaki Tanahashi. Moon in a Dewdrop. (San Francisco: North Point Press,
1985), 77.
21 Abe,

Masao, and William R. LaFleur. Zen and Western Thought. (Honolulu: University of
Hawaii Press, 1985), 102.
22

Dgen, Eihei, and Kazuaki Tanahashi. Moon in a Dewdrop. (San Francisco: North Point Press,
1985), page 75, section 3.
23

Ibid., page 80, section 13.

24

Takuan, Sh and William Scott Wilson. The Unfettered Mind. (Kodansha International,
1987), 40.
25

Shahar, Meir. The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts.
(Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2008), 62.
26

Deshimaru, Taisen. The Zen Way to the Martial Arts. (New York: Dutton, 1982), 9.

27

Ibid., 11.

28

Kaufman, Steve, and Musashi Miyamoto. Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive
Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy. (Boston: Tuttle Pub., 2004), 103.
Your everyday practice, as it accumulates, will eventually reveal true no-thing-ness to you as
the spirit of the thing itself.
29

Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro. Zen and Japanese Culture. (New York: Pantheon Books 1959), 93.

Jason Kunen
30

24

S, Dshin. Shorinji Kempo: Philosophy and Techniques. (Tokyo: Japan Publications, 1970),
14.
31

Vasiliev, Vladimir. The Russian System Guidebook: Based on the Training of the Russian
Special Forces (Visalia, CA: Optimum Training Systems, 1997), 13.
32

Vasiliev, Vladimir and Scott Meredith. Let Every Breath...: Secrets of the Russian Breath
Masters. (Toronto, Canada: Vasiliev, 2006), 123-124.
33

Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro. Zen and Japanese Culture. (New York: Pantheon Books 1959), 63,
84.
34

S, Dshin. Shorinji Kempo: Philosophy and Techniques. (Tokyo: Japan Publications, 1970)