one attacks with opposite rhythm, it will lead to an easy victory.
Obtaining rhythm depends on the quality and quantity of practice.
In order to win one should use unrhythmic strokes. One needs to train to understand and gain force and timing to attack.
Sen-ryaku
KNOWLEDGE OF MIND
Mind and technique correspond to each other.
When one’s body is active, the mind is at peace.
When one’s body is at peace, the mind is active.
Keeping physical and spiritual balance is fundamental in a fight.
One should acquire a clear and finely-honed mind to be able to hear the sound of wind and water.
When one is equipped with hard-and-fast courage and technique, one can show a flow of technique to correspond with complete control.
There should not be any doubts in technique.
One must have super-brave courage and willpower to overcome life and death in equanimity.
On the battlefield, one should not think whether the adversary is a saint or not.
One must ignore and disregard such thoughts to avoid lowering one’s guard and giving a momentary change in mind and attitude.
Temporary victory is meaningless.
Victory for a lifetime is the true victory.
By getting rid of one’s self-interest, everything will be in perfect
freedom.
Then no one will be able to control you.
One who is learning should be passionate and serious. One must build upon the skills one has learned in practice. One must acquire continuous courage to master dori (the way of things).
There is an equation to victory.
One can become a master through experience and by practicing and learning tactics.
Combine your power and your opponent’s power to use your technique without letting your opponent know. One should use technique without revealing it to the adversary. By the time the adversary recognizes the technique, one must have brought the adversary down.
Fudoshin (Immovable Mind)
1. Overcoming life and death, not fearing death and escaping death are different things.
2. One can establish the state of fudoshin through training but this is different than protecting one’s body.
3. Training to protect one’s body and mind are two different things.
4. In martial arts, one will be equipped with the power to protect fudoshin and life by training the mind, techniques, and body to be consistent.
Perfecting Michi (the Path)
In order to perfect michi, one should not be misled by bad phenomena which meet one’s eye.
Do not be distracted by surrounding noise.
Do not become conceited by flattering speech and conduct.
Keep a tight rein over oneself and be generous to others.
Allow one to enjoy cyudo (moderation) in life. Everything in life has michi. Being conscious that life is a dojo (a training hall) will open the path to budo (the martial arts).
BURYAK AND BUDO (STRATEGY AND THE MARTIAL ARTS)
The martial arts entail strategy.
Strategy is hei-ho (the art of war).
Hei-ho depends on how one can trick his or her adversary.
In a fight, one must not forget deception.
Deception makes an object more possible than shedding someone’s blood.
One must become like a panther during hunting.
A panther takes a very long path around to hunt.
On occasion as a strategy, a panther lets the quarry get away.
In Hei-ho, there is a stratagem in which one collects all the information of an adversary to confuse and isolate him or her.
An ideology of hei-ho today requires arming oneself.
In order to grow, one must have a rival.
A rival could be oneself or one’s adversary.
Mindless (Mushin) Victory
One must reach a state of mindlessness in order to have a mindless victory.
At the state of mindlessness, one does not have ulterior motives and one’s honshin (original mind) is attentive and accurate.
Mushin is one’s presence of mind.
One’s presence of mind, then, is courage.
Without courage, techniques cannot be utilized to the fullest.
The only way to cultivate courage is through hard training at a dojo (training hall).
Training is the only way to gain courage and not to be easily frightened.
Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe.
One can reach mushin by letting go of one’s obsession and collect truth in the mind. Then, one can see the adversary’s intention clearly.
Not missing a chance to strike is mindless victory.
Kyo and Jitsu (Void and One’s Actual Ability)
Kyo (void) is jitsu (one’s actual ability) to make a tricky move.
Jitsu is sei (truth).
Ki (falsity) and sei transform into each other.
Kyo (void) is jitsu. Jitsu is kyo.
The Four Conditions to Victory
1. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of the adversary.
2. Take the initiative and observe the adversary’s moves.
3. Let the adversary
