April 2001

The sky grew dark and ominous outside the Taiji Elementary School gym that Saturday afternoon in late December. I waited in dread for the arrival of our visitor, one of Wakayama-ken's top-ranking instuctors of Iaido (traditional Japanese "sword drawing way"). I had only been studying Iaido for four months, and I was terrified at the prospect of disappointing my sensei and fellow students during our final practice of the year. It was meant to be more of a workshop than a practice, a rare opportunity for us to learn from a very busy and highly respected teacher from Hashimoto.

He arrived in the midst of a torrential rain that I found impossible to think of as anything but symbolic of my impending doom. I looked desperately across the room to my sensei, silently imploring him to let me escape before it was too late. As he returned my gaze, steady, serious and, at the same time, thoroughly supportive, I heard the advice he had given me the day before when I had expressed my apprehension.

"Relax," he said. "Remember...emptiness."

Emptiness, or mushin, is an important concept in the martial arts and many other practices that contribute to the rich culture of Japan. My sensei refers to Iaido as "moving Zen meditation", where "emptiness before moving" is essential if we want to execute our kata (forms) with absolute precision and integrity. As we sit in seiza (kneeling) meditation before each kata, we try to empty our minds, allowing our rhythm and consciousness to become in harmony with the universe.

Being in harmony with the universe as a result of emptiness is also an essential aspect of Sado (Japanese tea ceremony), where the Zen (and also Taoist) adage "empty your cup" takes on both a literal and figurative meaning. There is much emphasis placed on emptying and cleaning the chawan (tea bowl) in preparation for the fresh serving of tea that will be presented to the honored guest. Likewise, without clearing and "cleaning" our minds while performing the ceremony (or Iaido), there can be no focus or clarity of movement, causing the resulting tea (or kata) to lack purity.

The idea of letting go of our conscious selves cannot be addressed without recognizing the important role breathing has in the quest for emptiness. Focusing on breathing is an effective way for us to focus on the immediate present, on a very definite, life-giving function, thereby distracting us from extraneous thoughts about the past or future. Taking a proverbial deep breath and emptying my mind of my fears (for, "We have nothing to fear but..." well, you know) proved the perfect way for me to face the visiting samurai that Saturday afternoon in late December. Whether by design or coincidence, he had made a point to check every student's sheathing technique that day, something with which I had been having considerable difficulty for quite some time. As the rain abated and my sword clicked into place, sounding smooth and exact, and my pulse raced with the thrill of accomplishment, I looked up to find my sensei looking back at me.

"Relax," he said. "Remember...emptiness."

Tasha Ferraro

Posted on April 2001 in the following categories: Opinions, Stories and Information | TrackBack(637)