From: psc@sei.cmu.edu (Peter Capell)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Rats and Martial Arts
Date: 19 Aug 92 20:30:24 GMT
Article-I.D.: sei.1992Aug19.203024.29488
Organization: Software Engineering Institute


Now of course if Stephen were a Hindu (better still a yogi) he would
understand that the best way to deal with the attack is to understand the
opponent fully.  Actually, funnin' aside, I think this is exactly why 
a religion like Christianity is inappropriate to the original core of what MA
is all about.  In many "eastern" religions (where "eastern" includes Taoism,
COnfucianism, Hinduis, Buddhism...) there is a *very real* notion that all of
these creatures are indeed manifestations of God.  And in that light, say to
the yogi, there is an optimal way of dealing with each creature, depending
upon your understanding of God and the creature.  Note that I said,
"understanding of God" where I define "understanding" as a conscious act, not
a revelation, but a distinct choice.  So the act of understanding the
creature, being in balance with it and the universe being *essential* to how
one survives--this is basic to their view and to the martial arts.  The best
fight is the one not fought.  

There is a story in Paramahansa Yogananda's book, "Autobiography of a Yogi"
about his teacher, Sri Yukteswar.  One day Sri Y. and some of the students
encounter a cobra on the path.  The students were frantic, because cobras
account for a substantial number of deaths in India.  Sri Yukteswar's approach
was quite different.  He began a slow waving dance for the cobra, which stood
up tall and fanned its hood.  A short time later it simply relaxed and moved
away, between the great guru's legs.  Sri Yukteswar's comments on the event
were that cobra's fancy themselves to be like kings, and that therefore you
must kowtow to them a little.  Christianity, as practiced in the west, has no
such notion of balance or concern with the creatures of God.  Perhaps the sort
of "Moses and the Ten Commandments" -approach I think of when I imagine
southern Baptists getting all worked up and handling rattle snakes is a sort
of perverted version of same, but only in shadow form.

In my opinion, eastern martial have in their origins a notion that there is a
balance to be reached, and avoidance of "the fight" as a major premise.  Of
course even in that tradition there are many exceptions, but somehow I even
admire eastern imbalance better than the milquetoast western version.

There is a great book that describes the phenomenon I am talking about called,
"Let Me Be Free."  It is about "the Perce Nez Tragedy."  In it is described
how Presbyterian "missionaries" found a sympathetic ear in Tuekakas (Chief
Joseph), chief of the Nimipu (Perce Nez).  Chief Joseph became a Presbyterian,
throwing off all of the trappings of the Perce Nez original animism.  For
doing so, the Perce Nez were treated to wide scale betrayal and eventual
destruction at the hands of the white men.  In my view their big mistake was
trusting their own major premise, that if the whites were Christian, then
certainly they would follow their own laws--the laws of God.  Hell, the Perce
Nez are just one example among many worldwide, where our totally egregious,
insensitive, imbalanced presumptions about nature and the universe, imposed
themselves (in a most benevolent way) to manifest in their utter destruction.

Just call me a primitive animist.  I'd rather go to hell with all the Proud
Red Men that founded this holy ground.