ZENRYOKU-KAI: Jedi Budo Arts

THE BALANCE

Mikko — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 22:38:08 +0000

So, let us all take a look at the everlasting elephant in the Jedi Path: the Dark Side. Before we get too far into this, let's also list a few facts:

-The "Light Side" is never once referenced in the movies. It is referred to as the "Good Side".
-The "Dark Side" is meant to represent the ideal of Evil.
-The Force has no sides, and thus anything that is Dark exists inside of the person.

The concept of the Light Side came about due to some game made a long time ago. That game became the basis for the Jedi paradigm within the fiction, and thus, the ideas of it became part of the fabric of the Jedi Path. That is as it is because most of it works very well. The idea of the Light Side is no different.

However, early in the development of the Jedi Path, around the birth of the Jedi Community, the concept of Light and Dark became entangled with the concept of Yin and Yang. At a passing glance, there is a good reason for that connection. However, upon deeper research, the concepts of Yin and Yang speak of linked complimentary opposites: hot and cold, passive and aggressive, wet and dry, masculine and feminine. These concepts are tied to Yin and Yang because of their balancing nature. Here is a list of some of their more common attributes.

Attributes of Yin and Yang

This shows me one very important thing: Good and Evil are NOT part of the dichotomy of Yin and Yang. They are far bigger than that. However, the early Jedi latched onto this concept of Light and Dark being as Yin and Yang, and from that grew the flawed concept of the Grey Path. A Jedi named Koren Jey was the first to take the name Grey in the late 1990s. His apprentice, Starr, continued his teachings into the mid 2000s. Both of these men were very close friends of mine, and both of them acknowledged their lack of understanding before leaving the Community for good.

So, if Good and Evil are (obviously) opposing forces, how do they not fit into the framework of Yin and Yang? That is because the attributes of Yin and Yang are neither inherently Good or Evil. They are opposing energies that compliment each other. Good and Evil don't compliment each other at all. They, instead, define one another. The Jedi have the proper terms for this, though few use them over the more common misuse of the 'Dark Side'.

This bring us to concepts that exist on such a grand scale, the Jedi Mythos have given them their own names. Within the fiction, these two concepts are names for the Moons of Tython (changed to the moons of Auch-To for later movies): Ashla and Bogan. The moon Ashla was also bathed in light, whereas the moon Bogan was also in the shadow of the planet, making them the pristine examples of LIGHT and DARK. This pair have, also, been misaligned to mean the same of Yin and Yang, but we just showed how the big LIGHT/GOOD and big DARK/EVIL don't fit that mold. No, instead, I have come to understand the following:

Ashla: Fluid Balance
Bogan: Destructive Imbalance

In the earliest versions of the fictional origins, Jedi meant Lightbringer, and there is no better term for the role of the Jedi. The Jedi bring the Supreme Light, the Ashla. The Jedi bring Balance. Those who bring the Bogan, the Imbalance, act against the Light of the Jedi. They act of the Dark, of Evil in any greater or lesser form.

So, if the Jedi strive for Balance, for the Ashla, why teach about the Bogan at all. Why acknowledge it? Because it exists, and Jedi should never ignore that which is true and real in the world, and in the Force.

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

THE JEDI’S ROBES

Mikko — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 21:45:53 +0000

As discussed in the previous article, prolonged training can create connections with the trappings and tools of that training. This is mostly discussed with the connection to the staff, but the connection to the training uniform is equally as impactful.

When we train with the staff, meditative pace or otherwise, we are focused on the actions. We steel our minds to the training, and enter into a moving meditative state. We focus on the direction and extension/collection of energy with each move. We act in a Jedi State of Being, where we are more open to the Force, and its flow. This leave an echo on the training uniform. The more often it is used again and again, the more of an echo it holds, until the uniform itself become a type of sacred garment.

The Jedi call these robes.

Now, that word conjures many images of flowing cloaks, and knee high leather boots, and some mixture of tactical and monastic accessories on a shiny leather belt. Those images are costumes from the fiction, and are very destructive to the true concept of robes. No, when I say say robes, I mean more in a sense of the warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple, or the Yamabushi of Japan. They are simple, loose, easy to move in, and understated. From novice to master, the robes of training rarely change. The monks become as much as part of their robes as the robes have become part of them.

These practices are why I have decided upon a recommended training uniform for the Jedi Staff Form. This uniform is in no way a requirement, but the experience is genuine, so if you decide to not get these robes, I would request that you dedicate some set of training clothes to the practices of the staff and other Jedi Arts, such as Forcework.

The uniform consists of the following:
-Karategi top: white, hemmed to comfort (I prefer just at the bottom of the elbow)
-Karategi pants: black, hemmed to comfort (I prefer half way up shin)
-Appropriate training footwear, if desired (I prefer barefoot for indoors, slides/sandals for outdoor training)

Otori Mikko training in Uniform

These choices have several reasons, which I will address:

-The karategi is a durable, yet relatively inexpensive training uniform. They are easy to get, and easy to care for.
-The kimono closure of the top, as well as the 'dark pants, light top' aesthetic echoes the costumes from the fiction.

The dark pants symbolize the Bogan, the Imbalance which all Jedi are born into, and where we all exists to some degree, even after joining the Path. The light top symbolizes the Ashla, the Balance which all Jedi strive to bring through their training, presence, and actions. The pants being dark show the origin of all Jedi being human, and thus prone to failure. The top being light shows that, imperfect we may be, the Jedi strive to be Lightbringers, and rise above our own failings through our training and connection to the Force.

There is a distinct lack of a belt, which is intentional. The belt system used in most martial art forms that employ the karategi is meant to designate rank. To connect rank to this training would be to make it a requirement for those on the Path, of which not all can participate. As such, no rank will be displayed or offered. If a belt is worn of personal preference, I would request it be white, as a symbol of the beginner's mind. Ranking also tends to feed the ego, and that is not the Jedi Way.

There is also a distinct lack of any patches or insignia, also common in many arts that employ the karategi. This system is being built for all Jedi to learn a communal skill, something to bring us together. Nothing divides groups quite like an image they do not understand or agree with.

The line between costumes and true robes has become blurred over the years, and I hope that this practice will help to redefine that divide.

THE JEDI AND THE STAFF

Mikko — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 21:31:46 +0000

Until very recently, the only examples given to us of Jedi have been in times of civil unrest. Some examples were of an Order on the verge of collapse, and then others were the fledgling missteps of a new Order. Neither are very great examples of what a Jedi should strive to be in this day, in this world. We are not politically-funded warrior wizards with all the best in technology afforded to us. No, we are the first of the calling of Jedi of Earth.

These fictional characters were given access to technology beyond our ability, or comprehension: the lightsaber. These laser swords were the ultimate destructive tools in the galaxy, nearly-unstoppable, and a truly elite weapon. They were as much as symbol of superiority as they were a weapon of offense or defense. To wield one was to demonstrate that you were beyond those who could not. These fictional Jedi also seemed to fall prey to their hubris quite often. It is no surprise why.

The one benefit to these tools was that they could be carried nearly anywhere.

Some say that the closest thing we have in the modern age is the blade of a sword. While the technique is more akin to the sword, we do not live in any society where the wearing of a sword is the most legally sound choice. We are also not ones who can dedicate our entire waking hours to the training and mastery of the live blade. As such, choosing this symbol as the weapon of the Jedi, while romantic in it's appearance, is not the most sound decision. To be blunt, you will never take it with you anywhere.

Thus, we must chose a new weapon to train with, and hone ourselves into fluid, moving conduits of the Force. Training with a weapon does not mean that you have to train with it to a lethal extent. It does, however, mean that you have to respect the weapon, and if you are going to be using one, then learning to use it effectively if ever needed is a distinct benefit. That weapon, which we take to be our symbol of the Jedi Way, is the staff.

The staff is a weapon older than time, and one found in nearly every martial tradition around the world. One of the oldest fighting systems known, from Egypt, focuses on the use of the staff before any other weapon. There are systems from India that focus on training the staff as well. The Chinese martial arts are very known for their use of the staff. In the Okinawan and Japanese traditions, there are entire systems dedicated to the use of the staff. That is nothing to say about the Celtic tradition of Quarterstaff, and other staff weapons.

The list could go on forever, but those all have root in the past. The Jedi Path is distinctly tied to the here and now, even if some of its roots are much older. So, that begs the question of why is the staff the right weapon for the Jedi now?

From a practical standpoint, the staff can be found anywhere. This reason is why the Jedi Staff Form is particular in the use of a 5 foot staff, rather than the longer varieties more commonly available. You may not carry your training staff into the grocery store with you, but a mop handle moves about the same. Brooms, shovels, rakes… these all move in ways that means they can be employed with minor adjustment to staff techniques. These makeshift tools also rarely exist in the 6 foot variety, and Force forbid, should you ever have to use these skills to defend yourself, using 6 foot techniques with a 5 foot weapons could cause distance issues that could get you hurt.

However, this is not merely a combative practice, just as the Jedi Way is not just a philosophy to be laid atop some other path. No, there are several deeper reasons for the staff. First, the weapon is not-specifically-lethal. By that, I mean that it is most commonly defensive tool, having no blades or points by which to pierce an attacker. It has no edge by which to cut or slice, self or others. This makes it a far better symbol for peace than that of a sword.

The most important of these point, from a spiritual perspective, is the connection between the Jedi and the weapon. Jedi are Knights of the Force, and as we train in those Knightly skills, we develop connections with the circumstances of that training. It is why a life-long martial artist can perform their skills in any situation, but prefers their worn out old training uniform, as they are part of it. More on that in a bit, though. When it comes to the staff, it is the same, but to an even more personal extent.

One of the key reasons that I find a sword a bad symbol, outside of its practicality, is that there are so very few bladesmiths within the Jedi Community. The creation or customization of a weapon is very important in becoming more at one with it. There has to be that level of connection to learn to project the spirit into the weapon, and extend the Internal Force through it. However, anyone with time and a decent knife can either carve their own staff from raw materials, or customize it in a way that makes it uniquely their own. This puts part of the wielder into the weapon, making them more one. The staff, being made of wood, is also far less processed from its natural state, and thus often still hums with the Living Force, allowing for that intermingling of energies, and all that entails. The more processed something is, the less of its essence remains. That is why plastics and metallic alloys are often referred to as spiritually dead.

I find these points (physical, energetic, and spiritual) to be of the utmost importance to the progression of a Jedi in the modern world.