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TsukiKagedojoShugyoRenshuEssay

ShugyoRenshu

ByNathanScott

Pagebestviewedwithbrowsercharactercoding/encodingsetto"Japanese[Shift_JIS]"

May10th,1999(lastrevised7/23/2003)

"Weakeningthephysicalsensesbypracticingausteritiesisonewaytoallowthespiritual
sensestobecomestronger.ActivitieslikeZazen,fasting,asceticpracticesinthemountains,
andsoonexhaustthebodyandallowthespiritualsensestobecomemoreactive."
OnisaburoDeguchi,FounderofOtomoReligion(AikidoJournal,Vol.25,No.1)

Shugyo()maybedefinedliterallyas"conductingoneselfinawaythatinspiresmastery".Whilethe
meaningofthekanjiusedin"shu"wasoriginallytranslatedas'usingabrushtostrikeawaythedustthat
obscurestheviewingofapersonsoriginalelegance',thecombinedkanjiof"shu"and"gyo"(carrying
out,walkingalong)isnowgenerallytranslatedassimply"severeorausteretraining".Thekanjirendered
forthisversionof"shugyo"ismostcommonlyassociatedwithBuddhistasceticism,andmostnotably,
the"shugenja"(,asceticmountaindwellingmonks).
InadditiontoasceticBuddhism,theactofshugyocanbeappliedtoanyseriousendeavoror"michi"
(path).Forexample,theterm"mushashugyo"(,anexponentofmartial[arts]conducting
themselvesinawaythatinspiresmastery)referstoa"knighterrantry"tour,apracticeoftravelling
aroundthecountryinordertotrainandtesttheirmartialskillsthatwasfollowedbymanyseriousbudo
kaofpreMeijiJapan(andtoalesserdegreepostMeiji).Thekanjiusedintheterm"shushi"(,
master)alsocombinesthesameshucharacterwiththecharacterfor"man"(alternatelyreadas
"samurai").Theimplicationofthiskanjicombinationisthattheperson,andperhapsonlytheperson,that
followsthewayofausteretrainingcanobtaintheskilllevelofa"master".
Arelatedtermworthmentioningis"kugyo"(),whichtranslatesliterallyas"carryingonwhile
suffering",andisunderstoodfunctionallyasreferringtoasceticism,penance,ormortification.
Incenturiespast,shugyowereperiodsoftimewheretheadherent(usuallycertaintypesofmonksor
warriors)wouldsubmitthemselvestoextremeconditionsmentally,spirituallyandphysically,inorder
toachievecertainenhancedorenlighteningexperiences.Thiswasviewedasanimportantforging
processthat,amongotherthings,taughtonewhattheiractuallimitationswereormoreappropriately,
whattheirlackoflimitationswere.
Thereareseveralwellknownshugyosha(,practitionerofausterities)thatareknowntohave
followedsuchseveretraininginmorerecentyears.ThefamousKaratekaMasOyama(founderof
"Kyokushinkaikarate",picturedright)wasknownforhislongperiodsofmountaintraining.
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UeshibaMorihei(founderof"aikido")alsosupplemented
histrainingquiteofteninhisyoungeryearswithshugyo
andasceticmisogitraining(spiritualcleansing):

"Onceayear,MoriheitookseveralofhisbestdisciplestotrainwithhimonMountKurama,
locatednearKyoto.Thesmallgrouplivedonrice,pickles,misosoup,andwildherbs.Morihei
wouldriseatfiveAMtopray.Aftermorningprayersandmisogi,theywouldswingheavy
swordsfivehundredtimesandthenpracticefootwork.FromtenAMtonoontheytrainedin
bodytechniques.AfternoontrainingranfromthreetofivePMthedisciplestookturnsacting
asMorihei'spartnerasheranthroughseriesafterseriesoftechniques.Intheeveningsthe
discipleswouldreviewtheday'straining.Everythreedays,Moriheiwouldannounceat
midnight'timefornighttraining'..."
Excerptfrom"InvincibleWarrior",byJohnStevenspg.125

TesshuYamaokawasoneofJapan'smostfamousandinterestingswordsmen.Tesshuwasinfluencedby
Zen,andeventuallyfoundedhisowntraditioncalled"Ittoseidenmutoryu"(thetraditionofnosword),
perhapspartiallyinreactiontothedissolveofthewarriorclassin1868.Thoughhewasalsoan
exceptionalartist,andcreatedoveramillionpiecesofcalligraphyinhislifetime,hegavemoneyto
othershisentirelifeanddiedapoorman.
ItissaidthatTesshurequiredhisdisciplestofollowaprogressivelystrenousphysicaltrial,thatwould
havebeenconsideredbrutaleveninhisowntime:
1ststageTwodaycommitmenttoengageintwohundredcontestsperday,alone,andwithout
stoppingagainsttwentyopponentswhoarepermittedtorestandattackinrotation.Priortocommittingto
the1ststage,thedisciplehadtocarryoutthetrainingfor1000dayswithoutfail.
2ndstageThreedaycommitmentsameasabove.
3rdstageSevendaycommitmentsameasabove.
4thstageOnethousanddaystrainingwithoutstopping,from4amto8pmeachday,competing
againstonehundredopponentsperday.
**
Mostpeopledelvetopushtheirlimitationsdiscoverthattheyareabletoendureoverallstresstoatleast
doubletheperformanceofwhattheyhadassumedtheywerecapable.Myfirstexperiencewith
expandinglimitationswasinHighSchool,duringwhichIhadenrolledinanOutdoorLeadership/
Survivalschool.ThiswasaonemonthlongbackpackthroughthemountainsofWyoming,inwhichwe
wererequiredtoendureconditionsrangingfromdesertterrainstoiceglaciers.Theentirecoursewasan
escalationofchallenges,whichconcludedwithafivedayselfextraction,inwhichwewereexpectedto
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navigateourownwayoutofthemountains(twentymiles,notrails)withnofoodandonlypurified
water.Thiscoursewasalifechangingexperiencethatinspiredmyannualshugyo's.
Nowadays,theterm"shugyo"tendstobeusedinasomewhatloosercontext,andrenderedwithdifferent
characters().Thischaractercombinationrefersto"thepursuitofknowledge",andisusedinthe
contextofthedojoinreferencetostudyingintenselyandwithfocusduringtraining(aka:"shuren"[],
training,discipline,drill),ormorephilosophically,pursuingapathoflearning.Thishomophonecarriesa
lessseverefeelingthatthatoftheformershugyo,andassuchshouldnotbeconfusedwiththeusageof
thetermasexplainedabove.
Myownmethodofshugyobeginswitha
modifiedfast(todetoxify/cleansethe
bodyandmind,discipline,perseverance,
etc.)thatconsistsofahalfglassofjuice
mixedwithgoodproteinpowderinthe
morning,(alotof)water,greenteaand
chinesemixedherbalteaduringtheday,
andsometimesmisosoupbrothatnight.
Thefastshouldbestrict,buttailered
accordingtoactivitylevelforreasonsof
health.Thoseinvolvedinonlymore
passivemisogiormedititationmaynot
haveneedforproteinpowder,butinany
eventthebasicruleistolistentoyour
body.Asonepointofinterest,I'vefound
thatallsixsensesarenoticably
heightenedduringthefast.Colorsare
morebrilliant,hearingismoreaccute,
scentsappeartobestrongerandthe
perceptionofthemindoverallbecomes
sharper.
Thefastingsectionofashugyocanof
coursebemodifiedtosuittheneedsof
thebody.Forexample,sudden
prolongedfastsfollowedbythesudden
reintroductionoffoodwillmostlikely
slowtheadherent'smetabolismdown,
causingthebodytogointo"survival"modeandstoreallfoodasfatonthebodyforfuturefuelneeds.To
preventthis,agradualreductionoffoodovertwodayscombinedwithaminimalintakeoffood
(crackers,smallamountsofbeefjerky,etc.)duringthemodifiedfast,concludingwithatwoday
reintroductionshouldbesufficientinmostcases.Thefastandshugyoshouldbeasomewhatpersonal
experience,sothecriticismandremarksofothers(suchas"oh,thatsnotaREALfast")shouldbe
consideredirrelevanttoyourownpurposesandexperience.
Duringashugyo,theintensityoftrainingshouldbeincreased(maintainingatleastasixdayaweekbasic
schedule),meditation,andsometimesevenaspectsofmisogi(waterpurificationritualawholeother
subject)and/orchinkonkishin(meditationto"calmthespiritandreturntothedivine")canbepracticed.
Thereisnoonewaytoconductashugyo,asthepracticemustbeadaptedtoeachpersonaswellasthat
oftheirintendedgoal.Usually,1014daysissufficienttoachievebeneficialresults,butIhavegoneas
longas30dayswithnoilleffectstemporaryorotherwise,otherthansubstantialweightloss.However,
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therearesignificanthealthissuestoconsider,suchashowtomaintainadequateprotein,calcium(for
bonesandteeth),vitaminsandmineralsthatmustbeinviduallyresearched.Forexample,Irefrainfrom
liftingweights,heavybodyconditioning,anddeepstretchesduringShugyo,asIbelieveitmaybe
hazardoustoregionspecificmuscles,ligamentsandbones,consideringthelimitednutrientsingested.If
physicalweaknessormentalfocusbecomesproblematic,ahalfglassorsoofvegetablejuice(fresh
squeezedpreferably)withextrasleepisusuallyadequatetorevitalizethebodiessystem.
Variousmethodsoffastinghavebeenrecordedhistoricallybymanyoftheoldestculturesaroundthe
world,andwasonceconsideredtobeapartofmaintainingnormalhealthbysomeofthesesocieties.
Recently,westernDoctorshavebeguntoacknowledgethehealthbenefitsoffastingaswell.Ithasbeen
estimatedthattheaverageadultAmericancarriesatleast510poundsoftoxicchemicalsacquired
throughprocessedfoodintheirbodyatanygiventime.Thesetoxinsarebelievedtocontributetodisease
andillhealth.Fastingallowsthebodytimetocompletelyprocessthebackupofunprocessedtoxins(at
leastthreedaysisgenerallyrequired),whichresultantlystrengthensthegeneralhealthofthebodyandits
immunesystem.Furtherinformationaboutfastingcanbefoundontheinternetandinvariousresearch
periodicals.

PersonalTrainingMethods

**
OvertheyearsIhaveadoptedcertaintrainingmethodsthatareperhapsnotgenerallyacceptedbythose
involvedprofessionallyinphysicalfitness.Pleasekeepinmindthatthesemethodswereresearchedand
adaptedformepersonally,andmaynotsuiteveryone.Anyoneinterestedinfollowingsimilarmethods
shouldconsiderconsultingadoctororprofessionalbeforedoingso.

BudonoSeishinTanrenSpiritualForgingThroughBudo:
Everyonehastheirownreasonsandgoalsforstudyingmartialarts.However,forastyletobeconsidered
a"martialart"bydefinition,studentsmuststrivetothebestoftheirabilitiestolearnandmaster
effectivetechniquewhetherthisisevercompletelyachievedornot.Evenifeffectiveness(selfdefense
orcombat)isnotoneofthereasonsoriginallychosenfortraining,tonotdosoisaGREATdisserviceto
thefounderofthestyle,andallotherswhohavecommittedtheirlivestotheart.
Thislogicmaybehardtounderstandforsome,butIassureyouthatthereisamuchhigherlevelof
"shuyo"(,cultivationofthemindandspirit,characterdevelopment)and"shushin"(,ethics,
trainingmorals)foundthroughthepursuitofeffectivetechniques,thoughtheassumptionthatsenseless
violenceisbeingendorsedshouldofcoursenotbeconfusedwiththistypeofserioustraining.Oncea
studenthasbeenonthereceivingendofeffectivetechniqueenoughtimes,theytendtobecomefarmore
sensitivetoandcompassionatetowardsotherswhomightsufferatthehandofsimilartechniques.Those
thatsuffertendtodevelopcompassionforothersthatsuffer.Oneofthemainoverallresultsofshugyo
geikoisthedevelopmentof"seishintanren"(,forgingthespirit)and"seishinryoku"(,
moral/spiritualstrength).Thesequalitiesareverydifficulttodevelopoutsideofselfenduced"shugyo",
andprovidetheproponentwithveryvaluablelifeskills,inadditiontoeffectivetechnique(forthosethat
mighthaveneedforthem).
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Keepinmind,however,thatthereareendlesssportsforthosethatprefercompetitionZenforthosethat
wishtomeditate,varioussocialgatheringsforthosethatprefertodiscussthedeeperprinciples,general
exerciseforthosethatdesiretoloseweight,anddancestudiosandgymnasticsforthosethatwantto
perfecttheirbodiesandenhancebiomechanics.Whileaspectsofthesearefoundinmartialarts,itisnot
fairtostudyonlyapartofanartinhopesofachievingones'personalgoals.Todosowouldbeselfish,
andtheartstudiedandBudocommunityasawholewouldsufferasaresult.
Budo/bujutsu(martialways/martialarts)traininginvolvesconditioningthebody,mindandspirit.These
threecomponentsencompassallaspectsofahumanbeing,andmustbegivenattentiontosomedegree
regardlessofthestyleoreraofagivenartstudied.Whatalotofpeopledon'trealize,isthatitisequally
importanttostimulateallthreeareasofthemselvestomaintainoptimumhealth.Therearecountless
activitiesthatexercisethebody,andtosomedegreethemind,or,conversely,themindandlessofthe
body,aswellasothersthatfocusalmostexclusivelyonaspectsofthespirit.Buttraditionalbudo/bujutsu
istheonlyendeavorthatrequiresparticipationinallthreeareas.Thismakesmartialartspotentiallya
powerfulanduniquetooltoimproveone'slife,ifsochosen.Todothismeanstofollow"jinseibudo"
(livingthewayofbudo),orapplyingtheskills,wisdomandenlightenmentgainedintrainingtoother
areasoflife.Ihaveneverhadanyonebeoffendedbypolitenessorthoughtfulness,andhavehad
considerablesuccessinotherarea'soflife(inmyhumblejudgment)throughthecultivationofprinciples
likeperseverance,determination,endurance,initiative,disciplineandhonor.Theseareallcommon
principlesthatareemphasizedinproperlytransmittedBudo.Thechoiceisthestudentsastowhether
theywanttoletbudotrainingbetheirpathtopersonalenhancement,orifthereareothercombined
endeavorsthatprovidethismorecomfortablyforthem.Therearemanypathsthatonecantakeinlife,
andtheyareallcorrect.Findingthecorrect("rightoneforyou")instructorisparamounttoproper
transmissionofbudo.Iwouldgosofarastosaythatitismoreimportanttofocusontheinstructorthan
ontheart,asaskilledbudokacanmakeanystyleeffective.Itissaidthatitisbettertospendfouryears
searchingfortherightinstructorthantospendoneyeartrainingunderthewrongone.

KataigeikoHardDailyTraining:
Generally,Itrainforatleasttwohoursaday,67daysaweek.Muchofthistimeisstudying,whilesome
ofitisteaching(teachingisastudyinitself).Whilemyearlierdaysofstudyweresomewhatgenericin
contentandmanner,thenineteenninety'shavebeenmuchmoreintensiveand"oldstyle".Itisduringthis
timethatmytrainingmethodsbecamefocused.Somemay(andhave)calledmeabitfanaticand
obsessiveasaresult,buttoexcelatsomethingonemustforgethemselveswithrepeatedpractice,and
pushbeyondtheirperceivedlimitations.Someofthebesttrainingandlearningexperiencessomtimes
occurwhenfatiguedor(notseriously)injured.Thisisnotthetimetoskipclass.Ifyouaresick,stay
home.Ifyouareseriouslyinjuredordeeplyfatigued,trytowatchclassandlearnsomething.

JunanTaisoBodyConditioning:
Conditioningoftheknuckles,wristbone(tegatana),forearmsandshinsareamongafewoftheuseful
thingsforanyBudokatokeepconditioned.Inadditiontovarioustraditionalmakiwara,Ifindthat
riverbedstonesareagreat,portablewaytoconditiontheknucklesandwristbone(tegatana)duringthe
afternoonwhileworkingordrivingtoclass.Inthedojo,Ihavesetupaverticalbeamwrappedin1/2"
hemprope(wara)forhandconditioning,andtwopaddedcanvasmakiwaraagainstanotherbeamfor
shinsandforearms.Beadvisedthatitiseasytofindyourselfin"thezone"(or"Fray")afterawhile,and
oneshouldtrytoremainconsciousoftheirknucklesbleedinganddiscontinueconditioningatthispoint.
Thismethodofconditioningwouldgenerallybeconsidered"Japanese/Okinawan"innature.I'malso
awareofsomeChinesemethods,whichusuallyinvolve"ditdajow"(ahealingointmentusedbeforeand
afterconditioning),whichisconsideredjustaseffective,whileleavinglittleornocallousorscars.My
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feelingisthattheChinesemethodisaslightlylonger,lowerimpactmethod,wheretheJapanesestyleis
higherimpactandquickerinregardstodevelopment.Inanyevent,conditioningshouldbemaintainedat
leastseveraltimesaweek.

TaisoExercises:
Likeanythingphysical,itisgoodtoalternatebetween
cardiovasculartypeactivityandheavierendurancetype
activity.Jogging,jumproping,cartwheels,handspringsand
walkingonthehandsareallgoodcardiovascularactivities
thatbuildthebodyupandestablishbetterbalanceand
control.
Muscleflexibilityshouldalsobementioned,whichisfar
underratedforgood,longtermphysicalhealth.Asthebody
becomesolder,itstiffensandhardens.Ligament,bone
damage,andlimitedrangeofmotioniscommoninolder
people.Thisismostlytheresultoftightmusclesthat
constrictmovement,combinedwithreducedlongtermstimulationthroughoutthejoints.Theolderone
becomes,thegreatertheneedforflexibility.Stretchingshouldbeperformedwhilethemusclesarewarm,
andpumpedwithbloodnotcoldbeforeaworkout.Ifthereisnotsufficienttimetowarmthemuscles
throughexercise,othermethodssuchashotointments,vigorousrubbingwiththehands,poundingthe
muscleswithyourfists,orhotwatertoachievequickwarming.Limitedstretchinginahottuborshower
canalsobebeneficialandconvenient.

OsoreruFear:theGreatOppressor
ThelastthingIwouldsayinrelationshiptoshugyo,trainingandlifeingeneralistoconstantlyendeavor
toconquerfear.Iknowthisismucheasiersaidthandone,butfearistherealkillerinones'life.To
overcomefearislikehavingamassiveweightliftedfromyourback.Whilefearcanbetosomedegreea
reaction,itisprimarilyamindsetbasedonlackofunderstandingorknowledge.Thereisabigdifference
betweencaution,foolishnessandfear.Forinstance,itwouldbefoolishtojumpinfrontofamoving
train.However,thistypeofdangershouldnotbefeared,justunderstoodasafoolishdecision.Thesame
appliestocaution.Feartechnicallydefinesas"apprehensiontowardsthatwhichisnotknown".Ifyou
becomeeducatedaboutandembracethatwhichcausesyourfear,youcanovercomeit.
Amajor,commonfearformostpeopleisdeath.Eachpersonmustaddressthisissueforthemselves.
Personally,Iwouldprefernottodieyet,butifIdodiebyanymeans,thenIacceptthatitmusthave
beenmytimetodieandremainthankfulforthefulllifeI'veled.Somemethodsofworkingonthis
inhibitorthatI'vefoundbeneficialare"extreme"endeavorssuchasskydiving,technicalclimbing(rock
climbing),scubadiving,etc.
Pleasetakeamomenttoconsidertowhatdepthfearcontrolsyourperspective,decisionsandobjectivity
inlife.

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