Protests As Ritual Energy Sinks

I don’t know if any of you have heard about what’s going on up here in Canada, because the international press isn’t giving it much coverage, but there has been a massive protest launched across the country this week. This movement, called “Idle No More,” is primarily coming from First Nations people, and is an outcry against not being consulted on an important omnibus bill that passed through our federal parliament just before all the politicians went on their holiday break. Among other things, this bill drastically reduces environmental protections for water quality, and allows for the privatization and sale of lands on Indian reserves. It’s basically a very devious, short-term strategy for the expansion of fracking development in Canada, at First Nations’ expense.  Many of my friends, students, and family members travelled to Ottawa to join the main protest on the solstice. My brother-in-law, who is not psychologically well right now, trekked out early on foot to set an example, traveling in sub-zero temperatures the whole way (this is basically like walking from Montana to New York, and he’s lucky that people picked him up and gave him rides along the way). The same day he started walking, an Attawapiskat Chief named Theresa Spence began a hunger strike, vowing that she wouldn’t eat again until she was able to meet with Stephen Harper, our Prime Minister. She’s currently on the thirteenth day of her fast, and may very well become a true martyr if Harper continues to ignore her request

I wanted to make you all aware of this situation, because it has been foremost in my thoughts all week. My training has of course continued, though I’ve been a bit limited by a sore wrist, which is not allowing me to really set to work intensely developing myself with the free-weights I recently purchased. I was, however, able to demonstrate enough CLF proficiency to get green-lighted for learning the TKD-inspired form, which is something I’ve definitely been looking forward to. Here are a few video highlights from my week…

But outside of the physical training, as I said, my mind has been on the events unfolding up here. I’m troubled by them, because I personally do not feel that protests have any real power at all. In fact, I see them as ritual safety-valves, intended to protect the system that the people are trying to undermine. Protests capture and absorb resistance energy that could be far better spent in other kinds of actions that would have more direct effects. When I look at the function of flocks, herds, and schools in nature, they are practical for evading an attacker, or rather offer individuals the greatest odds of safety when an attacker approaches. They are not, however, used as mere displays in protest of the fact that an assailant happens to exist. To have an effective offence, a different approach is needed. I’ve been trying to communicate this position to friends and family all week, and have not been well received. As an end note, I’d like to share something I wrote last night, a sad insight that I think relates also to our recent discussions about Jokers:

Here's what I observe: There are several very important causes worthy of our attention. They are not really new, they have been here all along. Some of us are perpetually engaged with them. But for the most part, they have been ignored by both the masses and minorities alike. In fact, the most important of them are cited as real issues only when serving human-centric political or financial ends

Regardless of how serious these causes may be, they also happen to function as convenient stages for a very small number of disturbed individuals, people who are in some manner seriously failing themselves and find, in the issues at hand, opportunities for redemption, for heroism. In their compromised state, these people frame their identities in opposition to a singular Other, a celebrity figure who cares nothing of them, but who can serve as a powerful and familiar symbol for all they wish they themselves were not. But alas, perhaps the target is not so unlike themselves, in scale of selfish motive supposedly pursued for the benefit of all, or in scale of stubborn aggrandizement. The disturbed place themselves at serious risk for fulfilment of their heroic fantasy. And in that act, some may get lucky and find at least temporary redemption in going as far as they claimed they would. Others, who set the bar too high from the start, place themselves in mortal danger. And when the cowardly masses witness the truly disturbed, they may very well greet them as heroes, reinforcing the fantasies

In the end, someone dies, whether physically or ideationally, whether celebrity or mad-(wo)man. And the serious issues go on, more deeply entrenched than ever

Discipline over motivation

Motivation won't be there everyday, so when it's time to workout, it's discipline that's taking over. I just get my ass up and go workout, i do my warmup and hit my program. I push myself as hard as i can in each and everyone of my workout. And after i'm done, I feel good, happy and i'm proud of myself and the motivation comes back.

Point is don't wait for motivation, it won't be there everyday, but you can bet it will come back one day or another if you push yourself into discipline.

Life has it's own will

Me and my father are really close, like i'm very close with my mother and my friends. My father once told me that life has a life, and he explained to me his point, which i think makes a lot of sense. Here's some of his and some of my thoughts;

Suffering
When you get sick, wounded or weak, or when you suffer torture or when you get bullied intensely, there's a deep point where you wants to just quit. You might be very strong, very powerful, but when the extreme pain comes in, for long periods of times, you might just want to fell asleep and never come back, shoot yourself in the head or do whatever it takes to make the pain stop. At this point, it's like life does'nt care about your own will, it becomes independant, it wants to live no matter what you go through. That's why the human body can take unmeasurable amounts of pain and not die, just like the animals and all life forms. Life care but does'nt care about ourselves, it wants to grow, it wants to expand, it wants to multiply itself.

Torture
In times of war, or just when you really are caught in the struggles of impredictable situations, you might end up being the victims of one or many psycopath. Simply a human without compassion who finds pleasure in inflicting pain into others. This psychopath in question can keep you alive in hidden places for days, weeks and even years, inflicting pain into your body and mind ruthlessly. Once you go through that, there is no coming back, if you study 'The Rape of Nanking' situation, the victims of the agressors who survived could never forget what happened, they lived their life with horrible flashbacks and nightmares for the rest of their lives until the end. Many of them commited suicide because the pain was too strong to endure, but to be able to commit suicide, you have to overcome the own will of life which is very strong, that is why it is so hard to do. How can you get up day after day and rebuild your confidence when you have been raped hundreds of times, when you've been beaten almost everyday at school for years. You might go through intense therapy, but it will surely take more than a deceny to regain peace in your heart, at this point, only hope can keep you alive, or is it? Hope can be the disguise of that will that life has.

Understanding the suicide
I do not encourage suicide, i'm a optimist person who tend to encourage people, but when suffering reach the unthinkable, i can only forgive and understand the person who did it. To be able to overcome the will of life means you have to suffer a very great deal of internal pain may it be physically or mentally. At the same time, some people who commit suicide may seems to be coward, but are they coward? Really? I think suicide can be a coward move, but who am i to judge the pain of another being? But even through suicide, torture, war and depression, life goes on for the simple reason that it has it's own will.

Detachment
At some point you gotta let go, you got to make peace within yourself and just let go. It is not necessarily heroic to suffer for fifty years. But if you managed to go through that fifty years and become happy again, you can be sure that you will have great wisdom and a very deep side which you can share with others.

Comparison
It is not a competition of who suffered the most, suffering has no beauty in it, the beauty comes out of the heart, and the will to overcome, the will of life can be an ennemy but it can be your best friend.

Life on earth and chaos
The life like to be spread all around the place, and so it does'nt only live on earth. This planet might go to sleep one day, but life will find it's way into this chaotic universe. Chaos and life are like everything, they need each other, the will of life would'nt be as strong if chaos would'nt be so destructive.

A wise woman once told me
I met a sage one day, i asked her; I might never see you again, what i need to do, what is the thing that you want me to remember and she told me; Light in the shadows makes much difference.

Conclusion
It is what it is, life is no game, it ain't there just to be there and act stupid. There is purposes in this world for each and everyone of us. May you find yours and grow beautifully from within.

Peace!

The Ancient Joker

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the most famous philosophers as far as the western society is concerned.
As I mentioned in my previous posts, the joker is something different. The joker is rarely mainstream...
Diogenes of Sinope was someone that epitomized the joker ideal. I'll try to give you some insights on his life and teachings.

Diogenes lived in Greece sometime around 4th century BCE. Like I said in all my joker posts, I am not going to write about his biography, but I do encourage you to learn more about him. This is my take on him...

He was one of the founder of the Cynic philosophy. Modern usage of the word has a negative connotation, but in the past it had a very different meaning. Cynic is a greek word for dog, and the Cynics used dogs as an ideal example of their philosophy. They emphasized the life in agreement with nature, In that way, they rejected all desires for power, wealth, money and promoted living a simple life of virtue. Diogenes himself was often referred to as a ''Dog''.

What I like the most about Diogenes is that he lived his philosophy. He led by an example. You might say it is a bit too extreme, and I agree but there is something about Diogenes that is at the same time both shocking and inspiring. He lived in a jar, and doing so, he tried to show his disdain for material possessions. He used his eccentric behavior to point out the hypocrisy in the greek society. Usually when we talk about the problems in our society, we refer to that ''good old days''. But there were no''good old days'', every society in history had the problems that we are facing now, we just have cell phones and the internet, everything else is pretty much the same.

There are very few writings about Diogenes, and most information about him comes from various anecdotes.
He had a very strange sense of humor and was prone to extreme behavior.
Often he would urinate on the people who would insult him and pointed out to them with his middle finger.
There are so many funny and insightful anecdotes about him so I will copy some of them for you to read...

When he was asked where he came from, he replied, "I am a citizen of the world (cosmopolites)". This was a radical claim in a world where a man's identity was intimately tied to his citizenship in a particular city state.

He destroyed the single wooden bowl he possessed on seeing a peasant boy drink from the hollow of his hands.

Diogenes used to stroll about in full daylight with a lamp; when asked what he was doing, he would answer, "I am just looking for an honest man''.Diogenes looked for a human being but reputedly found nothing but rascals and scoundrels.

He criticized Plato's abstract philosophy and Plato named him ''Socrates gone mad''.

When Plato gave Socrates' definition of man as "featherless bipeds" and was much praised for the definition, Diogenes plucked a chicken and brought it into Plato's Academy, saying, "Behold! I've brought you a man." After this incident, "with broad flat nails" was added to Plato's definition.

Diogenes was captured by pirates while on voyage to Aegina and sold as a slave in Crete to a Corinthian named Xeniades. Being asked his trade, he replied that he knew no trade but that of governing men, and that he wished to be sold to a man who needed a master.

It was in Corinth that a meeting between Alexander the Great and Diogenes is supposed to have taken place.The accounts of Plutarch and recount that they exchanged only a few words: while Diogenes was relaxing in the sunlight in the morning, Alexander, thrilled to meet the famous philosopher, asked if there was any favor he might do for him. Diogenes replied, "Yes, stand out of my sunlight". Alexander then declared, "If I were not Alexander, then I should wish to be Diogenes." In another account of the conversation, Alexander found the philosopher looking attentively at a pile of human bones. Diogenes explained, "I am searching for the bones of your father but cannot distinguish them from those of a slave."

When asked how he wished to be buried, he left instructions to be thrown outside the city wall so wild animals could feast on his body. When asked if he minded this, he said, "Not at all, as long as you provide me with a stick to chase the creatures away!" When asked how he could use the stick since he would lack awareness, he replied "If I lack awareness, then why should I care what happens to me when I am dead?"

My favorite ancient philosopher for sure, radical and funny. Sadly he is rarely mentioned and not a lot of people have heard of him. I tried to change it with this post.

Diogenes... The joker or sage? Who could tell... 

Emptyness of the mind

Emptyness of the mind

I'm happy to be able to express myself with the FMK Family and it's entire Kwoon as a supporter. When i received the link for the Tao of Freddie's Modern Kung Fu blog, i started to focus on subjects. And as i focused, i felt a lack of creativity. As a creative person, it felt kinda strange. But i misunderstood what was happening. What was happening is that my mind was getting empty. Not in a bad way, neither in a good way, just kinda empty, calm and relax. And i decided to write a little something on emptyness.

Sometime i'm very agitated, sometime i'm in between. But theres a specific time when my mind gets very empty and the time stop. At this particular moment, all i know is nothing, all i feel is the oxygen coming in and out of my lungs, it's almost as if i could see in slow motion for a short moment. It happens sometimes when i push myself very hard on my workouts, and i can't really predict those moments, they just happen.

So is it a bad thing that my expression comes kinda short for my first blog? I think and feel that it ain't since i'm feeling good and relax.

While i'm typing this, there is no noise around me but the sound of the keyboard, it's almost completly silent. And i'm thankful for that, because i'm counscious that i'm living a moment that is opposite to war; a moment of peace.

Peaceful Warrior

A little sidestep from the joker series, cause I can't find the time right now... I just wanted to join the others with my movie recommendation...
It is based on a book by Dan Millman called  ''Way of the Peaceful Warrior''. The book is great too, by all means take the time to read it.
The movie is not so much about the acting and plot twists. It's the message of the movie that is inspiring.

Be sure to watch it and let  me know what you think of it...

Broke 100!

My training suffered a bit this week, owing to a battle with the seasonal flu and a couple days’ business travel north to Edmonton. Physically, I still don’t feel a hundred percent again, but it’s getting closer. I used the natural herbal medicines I’d gathered over the summer to combat my flu symptoms. They worked very well, and I never did become overly feverish and miserable. But the flu did slow me down quite a bit, all the same

Even with this challenge, there were some personal highlights to announce for this period. First of all, I was able to break 100 reps on my power twister. That happened just last night, almost a week exactly from my baseline reading of half that many. I did notice that the power twister gets broken-in with repeated use, so it’s much tighter right out of the box than it is now. Still, it was not at all easy to do 102 reps, and I want to keep climbing. Shi zu sent me a link to purchase the exact model everyone else is using in Chicago, so I’m going to do that, and aim eventually to push toward at least attempting to boost the Kwoon record. We’ll see

Another big deal for me was acquiring a weight bench and adequately heavy plates, so that I can participate more in the strength training regime Shi zu is recommending for all Todai. I’m definitely stronger in my bicep curls than in the standard bench press, probably because I’ve always owned a curl bar and enjoyed this exercise (although I haven’t worked seriously on developing it for well over a decade). I weigh about 175 or thereabouts, so I tested my baseline on the bench with 180 and could only do 4 reps without a spotter. In contrast, when I tried bicep curls with half my weight, or 90 lbs, I was easily able to do 10 fairly clean reps. So these will be my baseline readings to build from

I'm also coming closer to being able to perform the full 1-minute Jump Robe Double Under exercise...

On the ZMA side, I’m still making adjustments and corrections to the basic CLF-inspired form. I think (hope) it’s getting close to adequate enough that I might begin learning the TKD-inspired form. Watching myself though, I can see that even in my best performances there’s still a bit of disharmony between upper and lower body movement, and that I routinely muck-up the strike to the rear during one of the combinations later in the form…

 So I’ve still got fine-tuning to do. But all the same, I’m going to begin working on kick development. It’s one of the areas where I know well I have a variety of weaknesses, including issues with flexibility and core balance. It’s easy to dismiss these shortcomings, because they’re not very noticeable in general practice. But the dynamic expectations of the TKD-inspired form will reveal them all too clearly, to where they can’t be ignored, and that’s a good thing  

Updated Fitness Requirements for Rank

I have updated the fitness requirements for rank to have it more comprehensive.  I will explain in a later video why I decided to make these changes.  These changes will require the use of equipment.  All ranked Todai's have 1 year from today's date to reach these rank requirements, which should not be a problem, b/c 1 year is a long time!

Tao of Freddie’s Modern Kung Fu
Fitness requirements for rank
Sidai/Simui (Red), Sihing/Shigu (Blue), Sifu (Black)
Last updated: 12/15/12
Gender			Male
Ages	10 to 19	20 to 29	30 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59
Exercises
1 min. Sit-up	35, 40, 45	40, 45, 50	35, 40, 45	30, 35, 40	25, 30, 35
1 min. Push-up	35, 45, 55	40, 50, 60	35, 45, 55	30, 40, 50	25, 35, 45
1 min. Squat	35, 40, 45	40, 45, 50	35, 40, 45	30, 35, 40	25, 30, 35
Jump rope (min.)	5, 7, 9	6, 8, 10	5, 7, 9	4, 6, 8	3, 5, 7
Side kick hold (sec)	5, 15, 25	10, 20, 30	5, 15, 25	0, 10, 20	0, 5, 15
Side kick	4, 8, 12	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12	3, 6, 9	2, 4, 6
Front kick hold (sec)	5, 15, 25	10, 20, 30	5, 15, 25	0, 10, 20	0, 5, 15
Front kick	4, 8, 12	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12	3, 6, 9	2, 4, 6
L-hold (sec)	4, 8, 12	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12	3, 6, 9	2, 4, 6
1 arm Push-up	7, 12, 17	10, 15, 20	7, 12, 17	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12
Pull-ups or Chin ups	7, 12, 17	10, 15, 20	7, 12, 17	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12
Dips	7, 12, 17	10, 15, 20	7, 12, 17	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12
Handstand Push-ups	2, 6, 10	5, 9, 13	2, 6, 10	1, 4, 7	0, 2, 4
Vertical Jump (in.)	10, 11, 12	11, 12, 13	10, 11, 12	9, 10, 11	8, 9, 10
Middle Split (in.)	12, 8, 4	13, 9, 5	14, 10, 6	15, 11, 7	16, 12, 8
Bent over reach	2, 5, head	2, 3, 5	2, 2, 4	2, 2, 3	2, 2, 2
Arm stretch	7, 8, 9	6, 7, 8	6, 6, 7	6, 6, 6	6, 6, 6
Squat your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Bench Press your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Power Twister #2	35, 40, 45	40, 45, 50	35, 40, 45	30, 35, 40	25, 30, 35
Leg Raises	4, 8, 12	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12	3, 6, 9	2, 4, 6
Military Press 50% your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Bicep Curl 50% your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Horse Stance Hold (sec.)	40, 60, 80	50, 70, 90	40, 60, 80	30, 50, 60	20, 40, 50
Gender			Female
Ages	10 to 19	20 to 29	30 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59
Exercises
1 min. Sit-up	25, 30, 35	30, 35, 40	25, 30, 35	20, 25, 30	15, 20, 25
1 min. Push-up	17, 22, 27	20 25, 30	17, 22, 27	15, 20, 25	12, 17, 22
1 min. Squat	35, 40, 45	40, 45, 50	35, 40, 45	30, 35, 40	25, 30, 35
Jump rope (min.)	5, 7, 9	6, 8, 10	5, 7, 9	4, 6, 8	3, 5, 7
Side kick hold (sec)	15, 20, 25	20, 25, 30	15, 20, 25	10, 15, 20	5, 10, 15
Side kick	4, 8, 12	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12	3, 6, 9	2, 4, 6
Front kick hold (sec)	15, 20, 25	20, 25, 30	15, 20, 25	10, 15, 20	5, 10, 15
Front kick	4, 8, 12	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12	3, 6, 9	2, 4, 6
L-Raises	3, 5, 7	5, 7, 9	3, 5, 7	2, 4, 6	1, 3, 5
1 arm Push-up on Knees	3, 5, 7	5, 7, 9	3, 5, 7	2, 4, 6	1, 3, 5
Pull-ups or Chin ups	3, 5, 7	4, 6, 8	3, 5, 7	2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3
Modified Dips	8, 12, 16	10, 15, 20	8, 12, 16	6, 10, 14	4, 8, 12
Shoulder Push-ups	3, 5, 7	5, 7, 9	3, 5, 7	2, 4, 6	1, 3, 5
Vertical Jump (in.)	4, 5, 6	5, 6, 7	4, 5, 6	3, 4, 5	2, 3, 4
Middle Split (in.)	10, 6, 2	11, 7, 3	12, 8, 4	13, 9, 5	14, 10, 6
Bent over reach	2, 5, head	2, 3, 5	2, 2, 4	2, 2, 3	2, 2, 2
Arm stretch	7, 8, 9	6, 7, 8	6, 6, 7	6, 6, 6	6, 6, 6
Squat 50% your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Bench Press 50% your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Power Twister #2	10, 15, 20	15, 20, 25	10, 15, 20	5, 10, 15	1, 5, 10
Knee Raises	4, 8, 12	5, 10, 15	4, 8, 12	3, 6, 9	2, 4, 6
Military Press 25% your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Bicep Curl 25% your weight	3, 8, 13	5, 10, 15	3, 8, 13	2, 6, 11	1, 4, 9
Horse Stance Hold (sec.)	40, 60, 80	50, 70, 90	40, 60, 80	30, 50, 60	20, 40, 50

What is a good friend?

What is a good friend?

These last days, my attention has been focused on a question Shi Zu raised, and some Todais answered: What is a good friend? Being very interested in the subject, and feeling the needed to research in myself what a good friend was, I started to meditate on the subject.

As some may have remarked, I am sometimes active on the blog and sometimes not, and I publish very few videos. This though, isn’t the mark of a shrinking motivation, but rather a need that I have to concentrate for quite some time on a particular subject, and to express myself through writing. I guess each one of us have a specific way to express in which they are more efficient. Writing is mine. For the moment, I value scarcity more than being prolific, since I am only starting to study the spiritual aspects, I don’t have the experience to express that often without making mistakes.

So what is a good friend?

Having thought about it, I asked this question to some of my friends, trying to analyze their reaction. The first insinuation, which seems to me, as a misconception is “in friends that you have, tell me which one is good and why?”

I have always been reluctant to the notion of best friend, because it seems as a devaluation of your relationship and interaction with the rest of humanity. A best friend, in the common sense, seems to be referred to as the person you feel is the closest to you, who understands you better than others and who would do anything for you.

Doing anything for you, to me, is nothing valuable in itself, but more a symptom of the idea of having, possession and attachment to you.

It has always surprised me how friendship is often related to “having”. You can find numerous books on “how to have great friends, a beautiful girlfriend…”.

The fact of the matter is I don’t own my friends and they don’t own me. How could they ever own something which is changing every second?

 Friendship and responsibility

Your friends, and people with who you interact with, do have influence on you and your actions. “Influence” is an interesting word. Most of the time, it is used in its negative sense, when for example, parents come to me because their beloved son seems to be led by some friend to do things he would never do by himself. This is a terrible misconception, a Manichean vision as well as a clear lack of objectivity. How can someone else destroy your son’s own consciousness? Doesn’t he know right from wrong? On the same token, I do not vouch for my friends or their action. In any sort of relationship, I believe each person has to take the responsibility for their action. Many people have been surprised when I opposed to some friends or even members of the family who were going the wrong way. In spite of psychological and physical training in dealing with confrontations, I have never backed up someone involved in a fight if he was deliberately wrong. At first they said “my principles” were stupid. Later they apologized and told me they understood. It is also interesting to see that those with who I had the toughest confrontation with, have remained my friends ever since.

Being rather than having

What I am trying to say is that we should not strive towards “having” great friends but rather “being” a great friend. Someone who will gently lead you to better yourself, with sincerity, even though he might be wrong. Someone who has enough love in himself to share with others, and who is not waiting for anybody to help him or to take responsibility for him. Someone who is training hard every day to improve what he is and what he has to give. We, as martial artist sometimes get this question : Why do you train for?

 We train for the struggles of life.

 I believe you cannot wait for someone to come and help you when you are not even questioning yourself. And I believe those who are ready to connect and exchange will do so. There is an old saying that tells “the master appears when the disciple is ready”. Some people say “choose your friends. It seems so restrictive! Once again, friendship and love have nothing to do with possession. I want to be a friend to the whole humanity, because I believe I have something to share with everyone and more importantly, that I will grow from the contact life provides me each and every day.

Todai Ling

WORKING CLASS HERO

This is a sequel of the John Lennon post that I've written earlier. I wanted to share my experience that you might find interesting... You know a time when something in you just clicks? And you get some new perspective of the world, a some kind of enlightenment? That happened to me when I heard this Lennon's track... And if I had to pick which song that he wrote caused his death, this one would be my pick.
I'll share my perspective on it, maybe you'll find it insightful as I did...

A WORKING CLASS HERO IS SOMETHING TO BE
The ideal that is set on humanity is something called ''working class hero'', a goal that we all should strive to accomplish. All that ''rags to riches'' propaganda is just designed to hide the true values and to impose some puppets that the masses will worship. By imitating those false idols humanity is getting dumber by a minute. Just observe all of those cage fighters posing as martial artists, that's insane. A working class hero is a fake hero!

AS SOON AS YOU'RE BORN THEY MAKE YOU FEEL SMALL
BY GIVING YOU NO TIME INSTEAD OF IT ALL
TILL THE PAIN IS SO BIG YOU FELL NOTHING AT ALL

From the moment you're born you get pulled in a machine made to deprive you of any creativity and individuality. We are blessed with a gift of greatness and imagination but our potential gets cut down right at the beginning of our lives. The system doesn't want free minded and smart people because they cannot be controlled.


THEY HURT YOU AT HOME AND THEY HIT YOU AT SCHOOL
THEY HATE YOU IF YOU'RE CLEVER AND THEY DESPISE A FOOL
TILL YOU SO FUCKING CRAZY YOU CAN'T FOLLOW THEIR RULES

Wherever you go you feel like a misfit. You try even to make yourself an idiot just to be accepted by your pears but with no avail. You cannot understand how the society works

WHEN THEY'VE TORTURED AND SCARED YOU FOR TWENTY ODD YEARS
THEN THEY EXPECT YOU TO PICK A CAREER
WHEN YOU CAN'T REALLY FUNCTION YOU'RE SO FULL OF FEAR

It's a part of life when a person has gone through this ''system of education''. The pieces of your hopes and dreams are still there but you're now to afraid to go after them. Too many times you've heard NO, and your dreams seem more and more distant as the days go by.

KEEP YOU DOPED WITH RELIGION AND SEX AND TV
AND YOU THINK YOU'RE SO CLEVER AND CLASSLESS AND FREE
BUT YOU'RE STILL FUCKING PEASANTS AS FAR AS I CAN SEE

The baddest verse in the song... Funny enough, even though you're being made a slave, you still feel like you're so smart and free.. There so many tools of mass control but also people have some weird sense of security and belief in the system. Idiots...

THERE'S ROOM AT THE TOP THEY'RE TELLING IT STILL
BUT FIRST YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO SMILE AS YOU KILL
IF YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THE FOLKS ON A HILL

The fact is that in this world crime does pay. You can make it, but only by backstabbing, lying and deception. Not only that you must tolerate the violence, but you must also learn how to embrace it and love it in order to succeed in this world.

IF YOU WANT TO BE A HERO WELL JUST FOLLOW ME

I don't think that John was saying that we should imitate him in any way. On the contrary, we need to follow his example and express our uniqueness, to find our own way. Be yourself, don't try to be a working class hero.

Hello Again!

Its been far too long since I've posted to the blog!! I am sorry for not being as diligent with this, as I have come to think of you all as a second family. Work has been quite hectic lately due to the holiday season, but now that things are slowly starting to even out, I have set aside officially a day once a week to post regularly so that I might make myself known in the physical kwoon as well as the digital one as much as possible!

So! to start this habit off right, I'll post an update of my progress and goals within training with Sifu as well as my personal goals for the close of this year and the years to come. The first goal I have is to become more open to the application of all that I learn within the martial arts. Often times I have a tendency to assume an application of a technique or misjudge its value based on what I can do physically with it. Sometimes I even fail to see the potential in any one technique because I have not personally trained in the use of it. All martial arts is connected. As I read and study, I am learning that in a true practice, no move is waisted and every action serves purpose. This is a very humbling lesson which further proves its value in my opinion. The second goal which I hope to achieve by the close of this year at the earliest or by midsummer next year is to increase my physical fitness to a point where not only will my upper body compensate for my limited capability with my legs, but to a point where my capability of my legs increases and my legs grow stronger. I know this will be a painful goal that will take far more than my normal effort in my training to reach, but I am firm in my resolve. I will accept nothing less than the parameters of this goal to be met exactly. that entails a loss of a minimum of 20 lbs. An increase in muscle mass by at least 3% and a BMI to total under 15%. The third and I would argue equally important goal is to make myself more available for training and assistance with the kwoon, both online and physically. I am known by my closest friends as someone who is always there when advice is needed or something is needed to be discussed. It is only fair that I am there even more so for the people that I would consider a second family.

I hope you all have a great holiday season and I look forward to getting to know you all even more!

yours,
Todai Changming
Charlie Bressler

Yaaaa... I've Got The Power Twister!

I’m overdue to post a report, though to anyone paying attention to the YouTube channel and other discussions on the blog, it’s probably obvious what’s been going on in my neck of the woods. I missed writing last weekend, mostly because of low spirits, owing to the double whammy of losing both animals I was trying to help… Wilson the Redhead Duck disappeared and, after a thorough search, appeared to have fallen victim to a predator, probably a coyote. As for the Mountain Cottontail, a friend of mine (who’s a retired veterinarian) and I took him to a clinic to have his critically-injured leg amputated at the femur. The rabbit survived the operation just fine, and appeared to be in good health, eating right and all. But then he suddenly died two nights later. We figure it was all just too much stress for the little guy. This is the downside wildlife rescue. Probably only a quarter of the injured animals I work with survive long-term. On the upside though, I’m usually able to give an animal at least a couple days longer than it would otherwise have, and every bit of life is precious

A big part of why I’m training in FMK, in addition to pursuing greater fulfillment of my human potential, is this fundamental recognition of the value of life. Yes, the explicit benefit of martial art is always going to be its potential to help you survive a violent personal attack. But every one of us is going to have recurrent run-ins with age, disease, and other dangerous circumstances. These types of encounters are far more inevitable, and our training can easily determine whether we’ll pass through without incurring extensive injury or immobility. Kung Fu is my preventative medicine

To this effect, since my last post, I’ve continued making corrections to my performance of the CLF-inspired form, and breaking the techniques out for application in formless flow training. I didn’t do any heavy bag practice in this period, because I’m waiting for a split knuckle to close from one too many inaccurate strikes last time. I have, however, been doing lots of cardio and strength training. I’m particularly excited about having received a PowerTwister in the mail, so I can participate in that challenge with everyone at the Chicago kwoon. So far, I’m up to 70 reps. But this number will grow, just as I’ve been progressing with many of the other fitness feats I’m focusing on. Highlights for this past week or so has been extending my personal records in L-hold Pull-Ups (12 up from 10), One-Legged Squats (9 up from 6 with the right leg), and Horse Stance Hold (2 min 12 sec up from 2 min 3 sec)

Finally, as you’ve probably heard, Shi zu has asked me to manage the online ZMA training, which includes an improved organization of the YouTube channel. If you go on there this week, check out some of the new playlists (including separate lists that feature you all personally, so you can look back at the progress you’ve been making).  Out of the 3000+ videos, I still have maybe 800 left to organize. So if something seems missing from a playlist, I probably just haven’t got to it yet, but it’ll be there soon enough. Shi zu also gave me the Kwoon contact list, because I need to send out a few emails to everyone. A couple of these will be invitations to private playlists on the YouTube channel that deal with specific aspects of the ZMA training. I’m also going to be asking favors from some of you, small video and/or blog contributions that may significantly enhance the training experience for online Todai who are just starting. It looks like we may be seeing at least one new face by January. So anyway, be on the lookout for my emails. I’ll get them out this early this week

Death is the Way!
"What?? Are you crazy?!" That's what a lot of people is thinking. Actually, I am not crazy, and please
do not even think about picking me up to therapy because I know exactly what I am talking about. How do people live in modern society? They live by attachment. All attachment is from the ego. Society values the ego. Attachment lead human beings to separation. One of the reasons why separation exist is because of labels. My uncle was talking to me about voting before the election and he asked: "Are you thinking about voting?" The first things that come in mind is nope. Then he was disappointed and tried to make feel guilty for my choice all because I am an American Citizen as if there is a way an "American" is supposed to act. Just like people have the right to vote, I also have the right to not vote. To die is to transcend the American, Haitian, Chinese, Canadian, or any kind of damn culture!
 Another kind of attachment is the way people see love. I am in the questioning phase to whether or not I should have a girlfriend. Living with my family for many years, I can see how stressful it can be being a member. You have to live to their expectations. If you do not, they will yell at you, call you names and they
might even call you a disappointment. When your family love you, they will love you because of what you are doing but they will never love you for who you are. It is like I am in some sort of clan. It is because of clan human beings are so separated. Because many clans are created, racism will always exist. Clans are never at Zen because they cling so much in the past; therefore, they are never present. To me, they look nothing like walking corpses. The only to not become a zombie is to transcend the concept of 'clan'; so you have to die!
 Religion! Oh my God! Religion is one of the worst attachment I have seen in years. What I see is that every sage like Jesus Christ, Buddha or Lao Tzu teaches the same thing: to get rid of the ego. Religions are doing the exact opposite: they are enhancing your ego. They deluding themselves by believing that their ego is the Way; in fact it is not true. I wonder if the Christians have read the Bible attentively. Even Jesus said: "Those who believed in me will do great works, and even greater works than I have done.." He is already telling you to not worship him but to go beyond him! Buddhists seem to be close to each other but the only thing is they worship Buddha, which is against what Buddha wishes. Basically religion see life as worshiping someone or something therefore they are attached. If you try to wake these people up, they will do nothing but argue back to you because they have been conditioned into a certain mold that they become walking corpses as I said. They are constantly competing because they became stoned. They are stoned because each religion think they have won so called Holly War! Haha.
 As I described in these paragraphs, I described some of the mess society has created. There are probably more mess than what I just wrote about. You cannot describe truth because anything said or written will always be a partial truth to what the reality is. Truth can only be lived by dying. When you die, you are in silence. That is what I call true living.

The Joker in music

On this day, 32 years ago, John Lennon was murdered in front of his apartment building in New York. I've already planned to write about him, so this seem to be some strange coincidence. I won't be writing his biography, you can find that online, I'll be just expressing the way I see him.

As you all know, John was a founding member of The Beatles. Many consider them to be one of the best, if not the best musical groups of all time. Although they made really good music, I find John's life and career after The Beatles much more inspiring and interesting. I'll explain why...

The Beatles were the prototype of today's modern pop stars, so when you look at it that way, you can see what problems John had in the band. They made great songs for sure, but they were also used a tool to influence and control the masses. Just type BEATLEMANIA in your web browser and you'll get my point. John was known as a rebel while in the band but his solo work was his chance to truly express himself. His statement that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus was widely misinterpreted. He was very critical of the organized religions later in his life, but when you look at it closely you can see what he really meant by his statements. He criticized the manipulative aspect of religion not the spiritual side of it. Music, same as religion, has a very big influence on people. It can be used either for good or for bad. It's a very useful tool for the ruling class to manipulate people. Just look at the popular music today and all those ''stars'' that the masses admire... The Beatles were no different. By saying ''more popular than Jesus'' John was actually saying that same as religion, their music was also a tool of mass control, and in his opinion ''more popular''.

I'll copy here his full statement so you can see for yourself...

''Christianity will go.. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first — rock and roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.''

''I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong''

John Lennon was a very spiritual person and I'm totally convinced that Jesus would like John's music very much.Just listen to ''Give peace a chance'' and ''All we need is love''. It's basically what Jesus was saying all along. But his teachings were distorted and John just pointed it out.After he left the band and embarked on his solo work he chose a different path than the rest of the rockstars. What I admire the most about him is the fact that he had a choice to stay away of the problems that the whole society was facing. He could have just made some pop love songs and make money without a care but he chose to fight for his ideals. Like I said, I won't be writing his bio but I encourage you to learn more about his activism. He used his music to spread the message of love and mutual understanding. His natural sense of humor makes him a real joker.

Like Gandhi, Martin Luther King jr and Tupac, John Lennon growing influence was a threat to the system. Because of his popularity they had to remove him somehow. First they tried to deport him, the FBI was monitoring him and in the end they killed him. Call me crazy but I don't believe that his death as a work of some nutjob that wanted to be famous. Google MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE or watch the movie. You might laugh at me now, but I remain convinced that his murder was organized.

His mortal body was destroyed 32 years ago, but his spirit, message and songs live on...

Watch Lennon in his own words...

What is Zen?

Zen can take a lifetime to understand.  But Zen is meditation; there is no ego in Zen.  Being in Zen is not easy for most, especially when living in modern society.  The society is based on ego enhancement, the society is anti-Zen.  Sports, music, and dance can be play, when it is play, it can be a pathway towards Zen.  But in most cases, sports, music, and dance are corrupted by money and ego.  Any sport, music, or dance that is corrupted by ego is not Zen.  Money corrupts sports, music, and dance b/c it forces you to have an ego.  You are no longer “playing” sports out of joy, you are playing to win, b/c you are paid to win, when you are playing to win, you are no longer in Zen, your Zen has been corrupted by ego.  When you are playing out of the pure joy of playing, you are in Zen. 

Music is severely corrupted as well.  All commercialized music is music produced to make money to meet the demands of the audience.  When you are producing music to meet the demands of the audience, that is not Zen.  Zen is musical expression as is, it comes from within, it is not to satisfy the audience, it is to satisfy your inner being, it is a truthful expression that is not corrupted by the audience or money.  When you start creating music to make others happy, you are no longer in Zen, the ego has stepped in.  Now you are changing your expression for others, it is no longer an honest expression from within. 

Dance is corrupted in the same way music is.  When you are a paid dancer, you are paid to dance how “they” want you to dance.  The audience will only pay you money to dance to entertain them, that is not Zen.  All entertainment businesses is not Zen.  When you are being paid to entertain others, that cannot be Zen.  Zen is an honest expression from within.  When others pay you to do something for them, now you are just a robot paid to serve others, that is not Zen. 

Cage fighting cannot be Zen.  These fighters are paid to fight how the audience and cage fighting organizers want them to fight.  It is not an honest expression; it is a severely corrupted expression.  Now if you are fighting on the streets, not to entertain, but to survive, and you are honestly expressing yourself fully during this fight, with no rules, that can be Zen, you are not restricted in your expression, it is totally honest. 

When you are fighting to entertain, that cannot be Zen.  The fact of you having the desire within to entertain others already proves it is not Zen.  Cage fighting cannot be Zen, the same way that prostitution cannot be love.  The act of allowing somebody to pay to have sex with you already proves it cannot be love.  Money corrupts natural expression.  Zen is natural expression.  You fight because you are in the moment to fight, that is Zen, you do not prepare to fight to entertain others, that cannot be Zen.  You become intimate with another because you are drawn within to become intimate with another, not because you are paid to be intimate.  Money corrupts honest expression. 

Vincent Van Gogh did not paint to make others happy, he painted to express himself honestly within.  He did not sell one of his paintings while he was alive, people hated his paintings, but yet he kept on painting, it was not until after his death that the people started to appreciate his paintings.  Michelangelo on the other hand, painted for the churches, he was paid to paint what his audience demanded for him to paint.  Yes he was a talented painter, but he was not in Zen while painting, like the way Van Gogh was in Zen. 

It is hard to be in Zen while in modern society.  In most cases you are paid to do what you do, it is not an honest expression.  Money and fame corrupts our honest expression.  So my state of mind is, if you are not going to be in Zen, then at the very least, have your corrupted ego expression be guided towards something healthy and positive.  If you are going to practice something to entertain others, then at least express yourself in a healthy way physically, mentally, and spiritually for yourself and the society.  It is better to breakdance than to cage fight.  It is better to participate in a rap battle than to enter a boxing ring.  It is better to sing and dance than to be physically violent towards others in order to “show off” your skills. 

I promote a safe and healthy expression.  Basketball is safer than football.  Baseball is safer than Boxing.  Gymnastics can be safe if practiced in the right way.  Martial Arts can be safe is practiced in the right way.  Combat sport can never be safe, just as real fighting can never be safe.  We shall put our greatest efforts in never having to result in engaging in a real fight unless we are pushed to our absolute limitations and we have no other way out.  If we are armed with a real gun, we shall only use the gun to defend ourselves when we really are placed in a dangerous situation, we should not use the gun to hurt others for our own pleasure or to entertain others, that is not being responsible.   

MMA JOKER

Mma what the hell? Guess that's your first reaction. But just wait for a minute...
How to reach out to people? This so called mixed martial arts propaganda is getting bigger everyday, and more and more young people are influenced by it. We can quote all of the philosophers, sages and still with no avail. Why? Because people simply don't understand deep meanings of it all. Only a joker can be the one who can pass on the message of the sages.
Like I said before, the Joker is like a bridge that can pass on the philosophy and the spirituality of the sages to the masses. Sages can be too abstract sometimes...
Let me explain...
Imagine you're trying to spread some ideas to people in a foreign country. You're saying all the right stuff but the crowd simply does not understand the language you're speaking. You need a help of an interpreter.
Or if you have children around you. You can't talk to them as you would with an adult. You use baby talk or something else to get their attention. If you want to have an effect on the young people on the street, you need to know their street talk. The best teachers are the ones who use something familiar to you so that you can better understand the subject at hand.
Where is my problem with mma? Actually it's the problem that I have with all things in the world. Basically, spinning the facts and making bad things look good while disregarding the true values that we all as a human race should strive for.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind having mixed combat sports. If the people who promote them would say something like: 'Look, this is a circus where men bash their heads for the amusement of the crowd. If you want to watch it, come on in...', I could live with that because it would be honest business. Say you like eating big macs...It's your life and your choice. But don't tell to me how McDonald's makes healthy food.
It's the propaganda that is upsetting me the most. UFC has nothing to do with martial arts. There's no need talking trash about cage fighters. They are just clowns in a circus...
Again how to reach out to the people? For sure you have a lot of guys around you that are blinded by this mma nonsense. Lao Tzu and Buddha can't really help you with that. You need to show them something familiar... That's where the Joker steps up...

It's this guy

Doesn't really look like a cage fighter right? He's name is Genki Sudo. While I was very much into mma he served as a role model to me. And his example really made me think on what it is all about.
Genki was well known for his eccentric behavior in the ring. He would dance, smile and he's never really taken that fighting hype too seriously. He would also choreograph his ring entrances. It seemed like he was playing although his skills were amazing. He acted like a clown. Why? Because he knew mma was just a circus.
Mma fans always called him a prankster and he really stood out from the rest of them. He was there to amuse himself.

I won't be posting his fight videos cause I don't think they should be part of this kwoon. You can find an interesting   documentary about him on youtube. His unorthodox style became very popular when he, at the age of 28, suddenly decided to quit fighting. Disappointed with this stupidity called mma, at the peak of his career, Genki chose a different path. As a practicing buddhist he started teaching at university. He also began writing books and also formed his own musical group. Cage fighting was not the right place for him to spread his message. After his every fight he would show the words WE ARE ALL ONE. But there's no room for that in the circus called mma.

When you ask mma fans about Genki Sudo they would say that he was a fighter and then became a clown, but in my book he was a clown and then became a true martial artist. A real mma joker.
His band is very popular in Japan, here's one of their videos. You'd never guess that he used to be a cage fighter.

Maybe he's no sage just yet, but he's showing us a step in a right way. And his example can be proven useful to help educating people. It helped me anyway...