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Old 04-13-2005, 01:54 PM   #65
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Re: causing no (serious) harm

Quote:
Rob Liberti wrote:

I am concerned because I think that your position about keeping our art lethal with only the long term stretch-goal of purifying the will to violence within our heart/minds - and no short-term or mid-term goal of constantly making more and more progress towards developing the ability to manifest the long-term goal will inadvertently support those with the unfortunate combination of "deluded and dangerous".

Rob
I think you are right Rob - we agree more than disagree. I can see that now in what you said in your last post. And as I said before, I would never fault your efforts and/or accomplishments. They have to be admired - even where they may differ from my own.

It is true, I imagine one could say that I am dealing with a long-term goal. But is not the quest for finding a martial technology wherein you can minimally damage another human being also a long term goal? Is it not the case that along the way toward that goal you as an instructor have other things in place to keep deshi from only training to create maximum damage and/or only becoming fighters? Do you not use the ideal of minimum damage to cultivate a spirit of peace, compassion, and wisdom within your deshi? Does not that ideal, as one measures him/herself against it, still have some efficacy before it can actually be embodied? Does not your dojo have a set of protocols by which deshi are aided in cultivating self-responsibility and concern for others, etc.? Do you not transmit every teaching as part of a larger whole wherein the ideals of Love and non-violence, etc., are held up? Etc. So it is with the ideal of purifying our will to violence. It takes place within a whole system of training - one that acts upon the deshi so as to discipline him/her toward this ideal and to manifest it in most cases, moving to more and more cases, as their capacity for purification finally arises and completes its task. One does not have to wait for the final accomplishment to have several accomplishments that are real and vital and meaningful along the way. Under the right circumstances, one can train in lethal pursuits and still find the path to non-violence, love, compassion, etc., even as one is on the Path (which is all there ever is anyways - right?) In the same way, I can concede your point and say, "One can, under the right circumstances, find martial integrity within the will to do minimal damage."

thanks,
dmv

David M. Valadez
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