I have found that as much as I am and try to be a peaceful person and spread peace and happiness, at times we cannot always control the situation to make it peaceful no matter what we try. What do we do then? What is the RIGHT way?
To fully understand Zen Buddhism and the correlation with Martial Arts we have to examine all aspects not just physical strength but also the importance of mental strength and training.
To fully understand Zen Buddhism and the correlation with Martial Arts we have to examine all aspects not just physical strength but also the importance of mental strength and training.
Contemporary Fighting Art's First Strike principle states the following: Whenever you are squared off with a dangerous adversary and there is no way to safely escape, you must strike first, strike fast, strike with authority, and keep the pressure on. This offensive strategy is essential to the process of neutralizing a formidable adversary in a street fight. A first strike is defined as the strategic application of proactive force designed to interrupt the initial stages of an assault before it becomes a self-defense situation. One inescapable fact about street combat is the longer the fight lasts, the greater your chances of serious injury or even death. Common sense suggests that you must end the street fight as quickly as possible. Striking first is the best method of achieving this combat objective because it permits you to neutralize your adversary swiftly while at the same time precluding his ability to effectively retaliate. No time is wasted and no unnecessary risks are taken. The element of surprise is invaluable. Launching the first strike gives you the upper hand because it allows you to attack the adversary suddenly and unexpectedly. As a result, you demolish his defenses and ultimately take him out of the fight. The most difficult aspects of the first strike principle is exactly when can a martial artist strike first. Well, since every self-defense situation is going to be different, there is no simple answer to this question. However, there are some fundamental elements that must be present if you are going to launch a preemptive strike. First, you must never use force against another person unless it is absolutely justified. Second, the first strike principle should only be used as an act of protection from unlawful injury or the immediate risk of unlawful injury. If you decide to launch a preemptive strike against your adversary, you had better be certain that a reasonable threat exists and that it is absolutely necessary to protect yourself from immediate danger. Remember, the decision to launch a preemptive strike must always be a last resort where all other means of avoiding and defusing violence have been exhausted. | Here are some practical ways to maintain peace in your life and with the others in your life: “We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect the inner world and don't make peace with ourselves. WorldPeace must develop out of inner peace.”—The Dalai Lama
We can be peaceful by learning when to speak and when to be quiet. Often we start or further an argument by indulging in a hasty retort, a badly thought-out response. Sometimes it is better to hold your tongue and keep the quiet. If your spouse or roommate is in a bad mood and takes it out on you, is it necessary to respond in kind? Can you be peaceful and let him or her be? How important is it to have your say? Every time you “have your say,” you are indulging your ego and moving away from your practice. That does not mean that to practice Zen is to be a doormat. Sometimes the right thing to do is nothing at all. And sometimes the greatest strength is seen in silence. |
Meditation is the most useful skill you can master. It can bring the mind to the end of suffering, something no other skill can do. But it's also the most subtle and demanding skill there is. It requires all the mental qualities ordinarily involved in mastering a physical skill — mindfulness and alertness, persistence and patience, discipline and ingenuity — but to an extraordinary degree. This is why, when you come to meditation, it's good to reflect on any skills, crafts, or disciplines you've already mastered so that you can apply the lessons they've taught you to the training of the mind.