An
Ashram
“The ashram has a totally different
perspective. The ashram means a
community, a communion of people, of souls who are alike. You will be surprised: remember, the modern
Hindu ashram is not really Eastern. The
modern Hindu ashram is so influenced by the Christian monastery that it is not
Hindu at all. If you really want to have
a glimpse of a Hindu ashram, you will have to go to the days of the Vedas. The master was there, but the master was not
a monk. He was a married man: he had a
wife, he had children, the ashram was his family. That’s why the ashram was called
gurukul. Gurukul means the family of the
master. He had children, he had a wife,
he lived a relaxed life, deep in the forest, deep in nature: a spontaneous way
of life, unhurried, not searching, but waiting; not putting God against the
world, but enjoying the world because God is in it. And the disciples who lived with him were his
family, gurukul. It was not an
institution; it was a family. They were
children to him, his own kids. They may
have been older than him – that is not the point – but they were his kids.” –
Osho “The Path of Love” – pg. 172
That
is how I see real Martial Arts is to be shared, through a family. It is not an institution. It is a community of souls that are
alike. They are unique in their ways,
different than the society and culture.
They are artistic, creative, and self-expressive. A Martial Artist is so unique that it would
be rare to bump into one. Anybody can be
an athlete, but not anybody can be an Artist, it is a different breed of
individuals.
The
Boxing Gyms, the Fight Gyms that you find around in America are not
Eastern. They are so influenced by the
Christian way of life that it is not Eastern at all. If you really want to have a glimpse of the
Chinese Martial Arts Kwoon, you will have to go to the days of the past. Some Chinese Martial Art movies that you will
find will provide a glimpse.
The
Sifu was there, but the Sifu was not a monk.
He was a married man: he had a wife, he had children, the kwoon was his
family. He had children, he had a wife, he lived a relaxed life, deep in
nature: a spontaneous way of life, unhurried, not searching, but waiting; not
putting Tao against the world, but enjoying the world because Tao is in it. And the disciples who trained with him were
his family. It was not an institution;
it was a family. They were children to
him, his own kids. They may have been
older than him – that is not the point – but they were his children.
Pretty interesting post, I agree with it.
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