WARRIORSHIP IN HUMAN HISTORY

by

Vitold A. Jordan

 

 

Tradition

(Warriors in the Past)

 

"Nimrod was a mighty warrior on earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD".

- GENESIS 10.8-9

 

"The true way of the sword is the craft of defeating the enemy in fight, and nothing other than this".

- MIYAMOTO MUSASHI

 

"The Art of War is vital importance to the nation. It is the matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected".

- MASTER SUN TSU, "The Art of War"

 

"You do not use good iron to make a nail, or a good man to make a soldier".

- CHINESE PROVERB

 

 

In the past, the wise man or the warrior was a strategist who did not fight out of greed or anger or to prove his bravery. He knew the limits of violence. "Military action is a perverse affair used by civilized only when unavoidable", and "Putting on armor is not the way to promote a country's welfare, it is only for eliminating violence", said two great Chinese warriors, Zhuge Liang and Liu Ji.

Who is a warrior? Ask ten people and you will get as many answers - a samurai, a knight in shining armor, an Indian chieftain, a Chinese ruler, etc. Names like Alexander the Great, Achilles, Geronimo, Crazy Horse, Miyamoto Musashi, Genghis Khan crop up, man of great daring and purpose who were sometimes ruthless and pretty cruel. So, fighting is old as man himself. This struggle to overcome another by means of combat, unarmed or armed, is perhaps the legacy handed down to us from our ancestors, the cave dwellers. Violence and cruelty has been an inescapable fact of human degeneration since the beginning of time. Man has formulated scientific principles through the ages in his efforts to subdue enemies by fair means or foul. This quest for dominion sowed the seeds for the art of war or fighting arts called BU-JUTSU and BUDO in Japan and WU-SHU in China.

 

Let's look back to the ancient times.

The first man of war mentioned in the Bible was Nimrod (Gen.10.8-12). He was great before the LORD, but he rebelled against Him and become corrupted by sin causing hate, violence, and bloodshed. Actually, he was the founding father of two cruel nations, Babylon and Assyria, where he build Ninivah from which he spread his dominion, witchcraft, and evil. Some ancient legends tell us that he was the master of the bow and arrow. He mastered as well a secret strategy of supernatural force, which allowed him to perform magic, to walk on water, and even fly. That's why his own pride darkened his heart and instead of being a warrior for God he became the shadow-warrior, a servant of evil. I could see in Nimrod a kind of predecessor of many secret societies, and esoteric schools of Nin-jutsu.

Murals in tombs along the Nile and hieroglyphics engraved in the pyramids prove that the Egyptians had an organized type of unarmed boxing as early as 3.500 B.C. For a more complete and formalized system of combat we must look to the ancient Sumerian empire and their legendary warrior-king Gilgamesh (c.2750 B.C.), the lord of Uruk. Recent archaeological investigation in China has unearthed paintings and artifacts suggesting that unarmed fighting methods were practiced there during China's Golden age between 2852-2255 B.C. Legend credits Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti with teaching the Chinese people the martial arts, agriculture, the use of fire, metal working and of course medicine.

We can find as well a great example of warriorship in the ancient history of Israel . People like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson, and David and his mighty men were also great warriors; some were also prophets and kings. The Books of Joshua, Judges and 1 & 2 Samuel shows the foundational principles of strategy in battle. A careful reading will also reveal rather unusual, very sophisticated, concept of strategy and divine martial arts techniques. So, they knew very well how to use the art of war and God's supernatural power in a real combat.

The works of Homer (c.10th Century B.C.) contain a rich descriptions of unarmed combat, and the Greek philosopher, Plato (c.423-348 B.C.), mentions more clearly a sort of shadow boxing, which was eventually combined with wrestling and some method of kicking with punches and empty-hand strikes. They used to call this form of art a "pancration" meaning 'game of all powers'. This art or martial-sport was introduced into the Olympic Games in Athens , in 648 B.C. Some people believe that we should regard Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) as the founder of martial arts in Europe, who through his invasion of India , brought with him the unarmed combat method of the Greeks.

It is reasonable to suppose that self-defense systems were devised at a very early stage in order to ensure survival of the species. Indeed, man's combat skills have been undergoing a constant evolution. Each addition and improvement of another martial movement, aided the struggle against aggressors and began to form the basis of martial arts. Slowly, and gradually, mostly through trial and error, fighting become more of an exact science rather than just pure animal instinct.

BU: Warriorship

 

For those who want to understand the Martial Way, the purpose of BUDO (warriorship) can be discerned from the etymology of the word itself. Originally "BU" meant, ways of armed combat, thus method of war. However, later, BU-DO became the way of maintaining peace, a method of awakening the sense of life in a warrior. The Japanese character for a warrior's prowess "BU" is formed by two Japanese characters 'to stay or stop' and 'a spear or halberd', which can be translated as "stopping the spear at foot", or "to stop the aggression of others". Thus, the strong warrior armed with a spear before his foot in the service of others, guardian of the family, the country itself - and this has been a popular interpretation of the term. In Japan , people speak about the warrior: MONO NO FU, the armed man. "Mono" (armed), "Fu" (man), which also means he is a man of valor, of high quality, and loyalty, thus, a man of war superior to another warrior. With this picture of the total giving of self is the Japanese symbol of BUSHI, the true warrior, translated as - SAMURAI. For him, the meaning of his life lies in giving his life for others, without regret. That's why for many today the samurai is the perfect image of true man.

 

In this regard, following Lao Tsu, the warrior Liu Ji said: "Weapons are instruments of ill omen, war is immoral and evil. Really they are only to be resorted to when there is no other choice. It is not right to pursue aggressive warfare because one's country is large and prosperous, for this ultimately ends in defeat and destruction". From this point of view, warfare was to be pursued only as a last solution - either for self-defense or to restore order or to punish the tyrannous (Rom.13.1-5).

 

As we see, many of the martial arts we know today were directly developed from ancient war skills. In time, man's search for a deeper meaning of life, led to the development of a higher level of fighting. And ultimately, the old martial ways were used to cultivate man's understanding of himself.

This paradox of beginning a lethal mastery and along the warfare because one's country is large and prosperous, for this ultimately ends in defeat and destruction". From this point of view, warfare was to be pursued only as a last solution - either for self-defense or to restore order or to punish the tyrannous (Rom.13.1-5).

 

As we see, many of the martial arts we know today were directly developed from ancient war skills. In time, man's search for a deeper meaning of life, led to the development of a higher level of fighting. And ultimately, the old martial ways were used to cultivate man's understanding of himself.

This paradox of beginning a lethal mastery and along the violent aims of the skill to become a human being with superior qualities in both mind and body is perhaps best summed up by the Chinese proverb: “He who overcomes others is strong. He who overcomes himself is mighty”.

So, even though the combat was always identified with fighting and killing, through the practice of martial discipline, man has found in himself an increased spiritual capacity and awareness. Thus, he became merged with a concept of inner peace beyond fighting and competitiveness. Ultimately, through continued studies, a deep search for higher understanding of one's self could be fostered. No one can train in a martial art discipline without at some stage becoming aware of this fundamental theme. To realize this is to be halfway towards grasping what martial arts really are.

 

 

Aikido - New Warriorship

 

 

"The way of the warrior has been misunderstood as a means to kill and destroy others.

To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst sin a human being can commit.

The real way of the warrior is to prevent slaughter - it is the Art of Peace".

 

"Fighting and war can destroy mankind utterly.

Those who seek competition and contention are making a grave mistake.

The Art of peace is required, not the art of war".

 

"There is no enemy... You are mistaken if you think that Budo [Martial Arts in general]

means to have opponents and enemies and to be strong and defeat them.

There are neither opponents nor enemies for true Budo.

True Budo is to be one with the Universe [God];

that is, to be united with the center of the Cosmos".

 

- MORIHEI UESHIBA

(Founder of Aikido)

 

"Study the old, understand the new".

- GICHIN FUNAKOSHI (Founder of Karate)

 

The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), during his life-long quest for the new Martial Art, was probably closest to finding this true one. He even went to Mongolia in 1924 hoping to create a "heaven on earth" or a Kingdom of Peace. But, people of his time didn't follow this rather strange concept, so he fell into many troubles. Eventually, he became great master in 32 different schools of the Japanese warriorship. With this experience he introduced to the world in 1941 a revolutionary Martial Art called AIKIDO, the Way of Harmony. Even at his 80's, this extraordinary man, could disarm any foe, throw down any number of attackers, and pin an opponent with a single finger. His purpose was really noble: to promote non-violence and to reflect the character and power of the Creator through Martial Arts training. Unlike most teachers in Martial Arts, which accepted the inevitability of war and emphasized cunning and deceptive strategy as a means to victory, Morihei Ueshiba understood that continued fighting with others, with ourselves, and with the environment will only ruin this planet. He said, "Fighting and wars will destroy mankind and the earth utterly. What we need now are the techniques of harmony, not those of contention. The Art of Peace is required, not the Art of War".

 

In spite of his noble desire and vision for the Kingdom of Peace , his system does not produce lasting spiritual fruits which can cause a real transformation in man. His idea about the Budo which would unite all people in love and harmony actually died with him. I think the reason was the lack of any practical work of charity for the goodness of mankind. He concentrated and worked all his life on his own spiritual development, seeking enlightenment and martial mastery. If he didn't produce any practical fruits of his philosophy of love and compassion, there is no wonder that his followers couldn't do that either. Near the end of his life, as John Stevens rightly noticed in his book "Abundant Peace", Morihei Ueshiba sadly confessed, "I have given my life to opening this path, but when I look back there is no one following me...". Stevens Sensei continues, "The lamentable lack of harmony among Morihei's disciples and the constant bickering over who is teaching the "real" Aikido are disheartening, and the number of misguided souls - vicious brutes who violate the heart of Aikido by violence and those who churn up discord with their malicious tongues - encountered during the course of training is distressing large. The abuse and distortions of Morihei's teaching run on and on". I believe that still we can find in Aikido clubs many honest seekers of truth, but truly Aikido philosophy was exchanged into business, and there is no visible power causing a real transformation in man. This consideration should be a serious warning for us Christians.

Ueshiba's writings still can be inspiring and challenging to those who wish to live in harmony, because they convey universal spiritual truths. And, as I believe, this unusual visionary man carried in himself the spark of hope for something new and beautiful, which was spoken by the prophets of old, Joel and Isaiah, and can be restored to the Church in the last days.

O-Sensei demonstrating self-defense technique (Tachi-dori) against the sword