The Principle of Justification

Hello Yen Hiu, I used to be a fan of David Lowry’s articles in Black Belt Magazine. I have not looked into them for awhile. But it is nice to see he is still busy (and so prolific too). You posted, “Violence is too often portrayed as a heroic cultural ideal, one that accepts fighting as an honorable solution to conflict. This attitude has allowed human beings to justify solving the problems of relationship by aggressive, combative means.” I usually do not hold with violent solutions as the best way to get along. But there are times when they are necessary. Regards, MrE2Me2

A Few Words from Three Past Masters
I usually do not hold with violent solutions as the best way to get along. But there are times when they are necessary. Hello MrE2Me2 ~ I am delighted to hear of your past indulging in David Lowry’s writings. He is worth reading, to be sure! With regard to times of commotion and the use of violence, I've posted a few excerpts below from the Past Masters. As we've all heard, at least once, Da Mo introduced the art of kung-fu to the monastic regiment at Shaolin. Clearly, then, we may ascertain from this the benefit of kung-fu to the practice and realization of Right Thinking amidst the rocky waters and turbulent storms of life. This is brought out most implicitly in the 2nd and 3rd quotes below, imho. And scholars tell us that ancient Chan practice was deeply influenced by the Taoist teachings of Chuang Tzu (i.e. Master Chuang); hence the great affinity between the two schools of thought, and the role that kung-fu plays in their programs. It is evident from the passages below, I believe, that times of commotion and even violence are oppotune times for the genuine practice of the laws of Nature. Many kind regards ~ Yen Hui A DISCOURSE BY BODHIDHARMA, REPUTED FOUNDER OF SHAOLIN KUNG-FU 01 - On the Twofold Entrance to the Tao:- There are many roads leading to the Tao, but essentially they can be subsumed under two categories. The one is 'Entrance by way of Reason,' and the other 'Entrance by the way of Conduct.' By 'Entrance by way of Reason' we mean the understanding of the fundamental doctrines through the study of the scriptures, the realization, upon the basis of a deep-rooted faith, that all sentient beings have in common the one True Nature, which does not manifest itself clearly in all cases only because it is overwrapped by external objects and false thoughts. If a man abandons the false and returns to the true, resting single-heartedly and undistractedly in pure contemplation, he will realize that there is neither self nor other, that the holy and profane are of one essence. If he holds on firmly to this belief and never swerves from it, he will never again be a slave to the letter of the scriptures, being in secret communion with Reason itself and altogether emancipated from conceptual discrimination. In this way, he will enjoy perfect serenity and spontaneity. This is called 'Entrance by way of Reason.' 'Entrance by way of Conduct' refers to the four rules of conduct under which all other rules can be subsumed. They are (1) the rule of requital of hatred, (2) the rule of adaptation to variable conditions and circumstances of life, (3) the rule of non-attachment, and (4) the rule of acting in accord with the Dharma. 1. The Requital of Hatred. When a pursuer of the Tao falls into any kind of suffering and trials, he should think and say to himself thus: 'During the innumerable past kalpas I have abandoned the essential and followed after the accidentals, carried along on the restless waves of the sea of existences, and thereby creating endless occasions for hate, ill-will, and wrong-doing. Although my present suffering is not caused by any offenses committed in this life, yet it is a fruit of my sins in my past existences, which happens to ripen at this moment. It is not something which any men or gods could have given to me. Let me therefore take, patiently and sweetly, this bitter fruit of my own making without resentment or complaint against anyone.' The Scripture teaches us not to be disturbed by painful experiences. Why? Because of a penetrating insight into the real cause of all our sufferings. When this mind is awakened in a man, it responds spontaneously to the dictates of Reason, so that it can even help him to make the best use of other people's hatred and turn it into an occasion of advance toward the Tao. This is called the 'rule of requital of hatred.' 2. The Rule of Adaptation. We should know that all sentient beings are produced by the interplay of karmaic conditions, and as such there can be no real self in them. The mingled yarns of pleasure and pain are all woven of the threads of conditioning causes. If therefore I should be rewarded with fortune, honor and other pleasant things, I must realize that they are the effects of my previous deeds destined to be reaped in this life. But as soon as their conditioning causes are exhausted, they will vanish away. Then why should I be elated over them? Therefore, let gains and loses run their natural courses according to the ever-changing conditions and circumstances of life, for the Mind itself does not increase with the gains nor decrease with the losses. In this way, no gales of self- complacency will arise, and your mind will remain in hidden harmony with the Tao. It is in this sense that we must understand 'the rule of adaptation to the variable conditions and circumstances of life.' 3. The Rule of Non-Attachment. Men of the world remain unawakened for life; everywhere we find them bound by their craving and clinging. This is called 'attachment.' The wise however understand the truth, and their reason tells them to turn from the worldly ways. They enjoy peace of mind and perfect detachment. They adjust their bodily movements to the vicissitudes of fortune, always aware of the emptiness of the phenomenal world, in which they find nothing to delight in. Merit and demerit are ever interpenetrated, like light and darkness. To stay too long in the triple world is to live in a house on fire. Everyone who has a body is an heir to suffering and a stranger to peace. Having comprehended this point, the wise are detached from all things of the phenomenal world, with their minds free of desires and craving. As the Scripture has it, 'All sufferings spring from attachment; true joy arises from detachment.' To know clearly the bliss of detachment is to walk on the path of the Tao. This is 'the rule of non-attachment.' 4. The Rule of Acting in Accord with the Dharma (Tao). Dharma (or the Tao) is nothing else than Reason which is pure in its essence. This pure Reason is the formless Form of all Forms; it is free of all defilements and attachments, and it knows of neither 'self' nor 'other.' As the Scripture says, 'In the Dharma there are no sentient beings, that is, it is free from the stain of sentient beings. In the Dharma there is no self, that is, it is free from the stain of the self.' When the wise are convinced of this truth, they should live in harmony with the Dharma. As there is no shadow of pusillanimity in the whole body of the Dharma, so the wise are ever ready to put their body, life and property at the service of charity, never ceasing to be generous and gracious. Having thoroughly pierced through the threefold nature of emptiness, they are no longer dependent upon or attached to anything. Even in their work of converting all living beings, their sole motive is to cleanse them of their stains; and while they are among them as of them, they would take care not to be contaminated by a possessive love. In this way, they manage to keep themselves perfect and at the same time to benefit others. Besides, they glorify the true Tao of Enlightenment. As with the virtue of charity, so with the other five of the Prajnaparamita. The wise practice the six virtues of perfection in order to sweep away all confused thoughts, but they feel as though they were doing nothing to speak of. This is indeed acting 'in accord with the Dharma.' ( Quoted from The Golden Age of Zen by John C.H. Wu @ http://www.selfdiscoveryportal.com/cmBodhidharma.htm ) A WORD FROM MASTER CHANG SEN-FENG, REPUTED FOUNDER OF TAI CHI CHUAN 02 - The mind of man is twofold; in one way it is true, in one way it is false. So to look for the true mind, don't give rise to arbitrary thoughts - then there is the true mind. The true mind is broad and luminous; where the true mind abides is peace and freedom. When you manage your affairs with the true mind, everything is integrated; when you seek the Tao with the True Mind, myriad differences are of the same root. But if people want to use the true mind to deal with affairs, they need to foster it so that it is strong, and to keep it calm and uncluttered. Then it can work without weariness, and be responsive even while tranquil. The teaching of spiritual alchemy says that when the mind runs off one should gather it in; having gathered it in, then let go of it. After action, seek rest; finding rest, one develops enlightenment. Who says one cannot find tranquility in the midst of clamor and activity? ( Quoted from Cleary's TAOIST CLASSICS, Volume 4, p. 16 ) A WORD FROM MASTER HUANG YUAN-CHI, OF THE YUAN DYNASTY ERA 03 - "People are happy when there is quiet and vexed when there is commotion. Don't they realize that since their energy has already been stirred by the clamor of people's voices and the involvements and disturbances of people and affairs, rather than use this power to be annoyed at the commotion, it is better to use this power to cultivate stability. An ancient said, ' When people are in the midst of a disturbance, this is a good time to apply effort to keep independent.' Stay comprehensively alert in the immediate present, and suddenly an awakening will open up an experience in the midst of it all that is millions of times better than that of quiet sitting. Whenever you encounter people making a commotion, whether it concerns you or not, use it to polish and strengthen yourself, like gold being refined over and over until it no longer changes color. If you gain power in this, it is much better than long drawn-out practice in quietude." ( Quoted from Cleary's TAOIST CLASSICS, Volume 4, p. 13 )

Hello Yen Hui, I must say I like your Rules of Conduct. They are a bit wordy but I get the essential points here. If only it were as easy in practice as it reads in theory. Regards, MrE2Me2

To all, I found out quite early that I could not compete well. I just did not have that raw fire-in-the-belly drive. I was lucky I learned this early on. I watched the U.F.C. series last year (or maybe the year before). There was one fellow on there that was very talented. He had lots of skill, good conditioning and a plenty of self discipline. He even made it to the semi finals. There, he lost to a guy who just wasn’t as good (in my opinion). He just couldn’t justify being in the octagon. He wouldn’t take advantage of the opportunities presented to him. He did not even defend himself adequately. All of his skills were for naught. As a result, he took a beating that really drove home the point. “If you can’t justify it, then don’t do it.” Regards, MrE2Me2

He claims that he broke seven bones making this flick and that it's his last kung-fu flick of this kind. At 43 yrs of age, he claims he has has said all he has to say regarding kung-fu, and literally broken every bone in his body at least once in the process ... etc. JET LI TALKS ABOUT HIS INJURIES DURING THE MAKING OF 'FEARLESS'

Hello Yen Hui, First off, I’m not a fan of gravity defying moves or superman techniques. Jet Li does both, so I tend to stay away from his movies. Although, I found his character in “Fist of Legend” was interesting to watch. On the other hand, the little that I have seen indicates that he is a very good martial artist. Personally, I’d like to see him do stuff that is more down to earth. I hope he recovers from his injuries. Again, no disrespect to the man is intended. He obviously works hard, knows his stuff and has that star quality. I’d just like to see him do his moves without so much camera assist. Frankly, I don’t think he needs it, to look impressive. Regards, MrE2Me2

Hi there MrE2Me2, I know what you mean about the death defying, anti-gravity stuff, but I don't really think that's his call. More than likely, that's the Producer's call, and the Choreographer's. If it was up to Li himself, I tend to think he'd chose to keep it real. That's how he comes across to me, at least, in the above video clip I posted the link for. In that clip, he talks about the major fight scene of the movie, performed about 30 feet above ground, on three sections of scaffolding. The way he explains it, it seems to me like he had little to no choice in the matter. They just told him to get up there and do the scene. Well, he ended up falling off the top scaffolding, and dropping about 12 feet down to the next level, and doing some pretty serious internal damage, it appears. I suppose he could have refused to do the scene, but then there's always a huge price to pay for job refusal, at that level of the game, I suppose. Anyways, I like your idea about him doing some realistic future flicks of him in a teacher's role, with emphasis on the training methods. That's what I always liked best about the Hong Kong kung-fu flicks of the 70's: the scenes with the old masters training their students, and showing the methods used. It would be cool to see a lot more of those types of flicks, for sure! Many kind regards, Yen Hui

Hello Yen Hui, I hear what you say about job refusal. There is also his huge fan base to consider too. But I’d still like to see him go with less flash. I find it very interesting that Jet Li is the star of F/X stunts. And Jackie Chan is the star of Natural stunts. Yet both men have broken every bone in their bodies. In spite of their intensive and thorough training backgrounds this has occurred. Show me they both push the edge as hard as they can and sometimes beyond. Regards, MrE2Me2

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