Wadoworld Article: Ohtsuka's Lazy-zazen

[Tesshu]

Recently I was trying to discuss Sensei Ohtsuka's meditation technique with my wife, and I couldn't remember everything he had said. And with Wadoworld sorta defunct, I realized what a loss. Some damn fine articles. So I've decided to periodically copy the articles and post them here. Strangely enough, I started with Ohtsuka's Lazy-zazen. (Not sure who posted the article.)


"Lazy-zazen
Lazy Meditation and Budo-Seishin Spirits of Martial Arts
by the late Sensei Ohtsuka — translated by Ei & Yasu

In my daily life, I usually sit on a small Japanese chair or on Goza (mat). Therefore from sitting on there, when I go out, I'm liable to get round shouldered. So for 15 or 16 years, I've been doing Zazen (meditation) every day but I cannot spend a long time in a kneeling position, putting my feet together and keeping my eyes closed. So I got my own method called "Dainoji-Zazen", another name is "Lazy-Zazen", and I never miss a single day of practice. What I do is, I lie down on the floor in a spread eagled position without any movement for ten minutes. On cold days I put a blanket on my abdomen, and I try to attain a state of perfect Muga (selflessness). But it's impossible to make my mind completely free from worldly thoughts. Especially in the early spring, when the weather starts to get warm, I feel very sleepy. Although there are some ways to keep awake, this is, banging drums or praying in a loud voice like the participators in one of Buddhism call "Nichiren", I cannot do that because my house is situated in the middle of a city unfortunately, and besides the religion of my family is "Shinto" which is not Buddhism, so there is no scripture for me in any case. However I decided to count figures in my mind 1... 2... 3... and so on till 50.

When I get used to it, I count the figures automatically, and yet worldly thoughts come into my mind, and it doesn't work at all. But in such a case I continue the effort anyhow, and never give up until I get a state of perfect selflessness. It is the same practice as Budo's. From the long process of practice, sometimes, I can feel that worldly thoughts have gone and I have attained a state of perfect selflessness. Since five or six years of age, this effort has been coming into effect. When I stand in front of an opponent to do a demonstration. I don't think about whether I can do it well or if I will make a mistake or not. So I can demonstrate very smoothly with a refreshed feeling.

Occasionally I'm told, by my second son who demonstrates as my partner, that I had made a mistake during the demonstration. While demonstrating, I do part of "Kumite-Kata" (free fighting form), but I don't rehearse with him. Consequently I make a mistake once in a while, however I hardly realize it and I finish that performance smoothly without any failures or even incongruities. Sometimes I can remember those mistakes faintly when I've been told. When I'm performing I always try to think that it is not just showing my performance, but is it is really fighting. So I can make my performance adapt itself to any case so smoothly and I can perform without any worldly thoughts. But involuntarily I still can't perform in such a way once in a while. I've even been shocked when I was facing an opponent during a demonstration of Japanese sword defense. In the successful way to stab using a sword, the haft must be supported tightly. The inner side of the right arm between the wrist and elbow is used for it. Then keeping them fixed like that the sword must be turned to inside during the action of stabbing. That's what you always have to do. But if anybody did in an opposite way or if someone who doesn't know how to use a sword attacked me as hard as he could, what should I do then? The attacker may be very tall and the sword could be a different size. It would be dangerous to stick to only one way. It can be said for everything.

The skill of "Budo" is ever changing. Consequently there is no limit for it. Changing the skill of martial arts is indeed unlimited. A life is the same we never know what will happen to you in a moment. We should resort to a temporary expedient. Everyday we have to anticipate and prepare for everything. This way of life is the way of Budo, the way of Budo is the way of life."



(I did correct some spellimg.)

[Tesshu]

Didn't correct my OWN spelling...

[claas]

So I've decided to periodically copy the articles and post them here.

Great! Good job so far! *bowing*

[oneya]

The skill of "Budo" is ever changing. Consequently there is no limit for it. Changing the skill of martial arts is indeed unlimited. A life is the same we never know what will happen to you in a moment. We should resort to a temporary expedient. Everyday we have to anticipate and prepare for everything. This way of life is the way of Budo, the way of Budo is the way of life."

Oneya

[Tesshu]

Corrected that spelling, too.

I suppose a "lift" could also work in context. The last time I asked for a lift to school we got in a car accident...

[oneya]

You are right Michael, it is all in the context, although perhaps even more than this.

If the book ‘Wado Ryu Karate’ by Hironori Otsuka, with its slightly garbled translation by Shingo Ishida that gives us on page 105: “ taking a Shimata-tachi (punch with the left)” if this teaches us anything it has to be that the act of translation from differing cultures brings its own quicksand.

Again in this lazy zazen article for instance: If we simply accept Ei & Yasu’s English translation of ‘muga’ to be ‘selflessness’ we can easily stumble from its original Sanskrit ‘anātman’ path of ‘the complete absence of a self’ rather than being attached to a self in order to become something less than a self.

One problem with Wado World was it lacked a live forum where a little wado discussion could be engendered to untangle items like the above so transferring articles like this to this forum is a great idea.

Oneya

[Gusei21]

As long as you don't import that kihon kumite nonsense. (referring to the kihon kumite article that was on Wado world....don't want to be taken out of context)