We hear and read about great masters of martial arts. Some of us are fortunate enough to meet and maybe learn from some of them. The truly fantastic masters really are unknown or relatively unknown – and don’t want fame, the martial arts media, and curiosity seekers on their doorsteps every time they open their door! They shun the public! They shun publicity! The unknown master is not a modern urban legend or gung fu flick device. They do exist! If you choose to disbelieve this – great! That’s exactly the appropriate response if you’re in that mindset! The true masters don’t need you! You need them!
Many of the truly great masters attained martial enlightenment. Some attained it with respect to martial arts awareness. Others attained an enlightenment that went beyond the martial arts. They grasped the wholeness of the Dream.
It’s rare for any martial artist to comment on enlightenment – except in a trendy sense. It’s rarer yet for anyone to talk about “martial enlightenment”. Surely this is a contradiction in terms? Only if you are trapped by dualism! Only if you are unaware that enlightenment can come from any activity! I use the term “enlightenment” here to refer to an awakening to reality that transforms the individual and alters their previous state in this conventional realm of experience. It is also accompanied by seeing the true nature of all beings. So, martial enlightenment means an awakening to reality and the subset of reality referred to as “combat reality” that permanently transforms the gung fu student psychologically and emotionally such that they are no longer captive to illusions and delusions.
Just as “the art protects the art” and ignoble fools never really attain full knowledge of the art or the true skills, so it is with martial enlightenment. I think this may well hold true of most martial arts. Certainly I know it is the case with our art. So many times I’ve seen students who stray from the path of their art, decide to leave their gwoon and give up – either altogether or to swap arts. Of course they think that others are to blame for their “lack of progress” or “not being appreciated” or whatever delusion they experience. They think that they’re leaving the “problem”, which they brought into existence in their mind, behind – yet they carry it within them! In one sense, this is a blessing for the gwoon and the sincere seekers continuing to train – a virus has been expunged. Regrettably, sometimes the virus, like all viruses – of body or mind – spreads and some others tainted by it also depart. If they can’t eradicate their inappropriate attitudes then this is for the best too. “The art protects the art”. One of my disciples once asked me how this can be – how can an abstract concept, "the art", act? Later, observing this process, I think they have come to understand. The old Chinese saying “the art protects the art” might be Westernised to: “Fools protect the art from themselves”. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it too many times – not only in my own gwoon but in others.
What then are the things a sincere, humble, respectful student of noble character needs to do in order to attain martial enlightenment? The Taoist masters of old and our Buddhist predecessors certainly knew. Why can I say this? Well, one reason is that it was part of their religion, or, more correctly, their psychology of being and becoming – which is actually what Buddhism and Taoism are. Now note that I’ve already actually not begun completely at the beginning here. I’m about to comment, in brief outline, on stages of martial enlightenment but I’ve already given you a clue in the topic sentence of this paragraph! Being sincere, humble, respectful – this is the very beginning. Without the continued expression of these behaviours – forget the magical quest for any and all sorts of power! If you bring your ego along on your quest you’ve brought along a sure-fire mastery repellent! If you study the art selfishly the same applies. So, too, if you replace humility with arrogance and respect with disrespect, you won’t succeed. You will have failed- and will continue to fail until you change! Mastery of anything has to begin by slaying your own ego, your own ignorance, your own greed!
I must also say here that “the territory is not the map”. And, heck, that’s a gateless gate realisation with respect to true gung fu! The three “stages” I tell you about are not discrete. They overlap and are part of a unified whole. They can be compared, in a way, to the triangle – one figure, three sides. One awareness, three aspects. No wonder Lao Tze said “The Tao that can be spoken is not the Tao”! As I try to help my sincere students by expressing these ideas, and these experiences, I realise the limitations of language. Perhaps it isn’t meant to be shared? I guess it might really be just “the finger pointing at the moon”.
To attain martial enlightenment you must first enter the gateless gate. The old saying has it that we “enter the gate of the (temple) courtyard” when we begin our gung fu journey. We are accepted into a gung fu gwoon. The saying goes on to say that we then, if we train appropriately, are invited to enter “the temple”. This means we earn our way, usually after several years, to being a senior. Then, if we display traits of character along with adequate skill, the sifu will select us to “enter the master’s chamber”. This means that you become a disciple – not as much with privileges alone but with a balance of privileges along with the heavy responsibility of protecting, preserving, and passing down the true art and modelling appropriate Mo Duk. So much for these three stages, my students hear them repeated often enough. What, then, of the “gateless gate”?
The gateless gate is semantically a contradiction in terms. What is a “gateless gate”? Surely it is an open space through which anyone can pass? It’s a gate that is not a gate. Aha! Get it? What stops most people? Gates can be barriers to stop you. But gates can be opened! They exist to allow passage! Many gates, and certainly the ones I’m speaking of, are opened only to selected people. There are many examples of this in the world. Everyone is not simply allowed to go wherever they please. Gates provide access but also limit it and prevent access by people considered not to be eligible to be admitted for various reasons. Most people don’t even see the gateless gate or ever conceive of approaching it – let alone entering! After all, it is in your mind – it is your mind - not physical. There is no referent so you can imagine it. It’s an abstraction concerning a psychological and behavioural process.
I say, my students, this is not for everyone. Your karma determines whether you are accepted into the gwoon or not. Your karma determines whether you master the true art. Your karma determines whether you achieve true gung fu skill. Karma is nothing mystical or magic. I think some Buddhists, or those who dabble in Buddhist thought, like to think it is. In fact, I’ve encountered some who become enslaved to the concept! It’s really quite logical. It is simply the law of cause and effect. There – nothing magic here! If you think, speak and behave across time in a consistent pattern then you set up habits that, over time, result in you becoming your thinking, speaking and actions! You emprint your mind. Many people can’t escape this bind. They’re so egocentric and/or they’re such lazy, guillible thinkers they remain lost in the fogs of their waking dream of their daily lives. The good news is you can change your habits and their result. You can change our karma! But that, in itself, is a step towards the gateless gate. So, let’s reframe my sentence above: “Your karma determines whether you master the true art” to: “Your thinking, speaking and behaviour across time determines whether you master the true art”. There, that’s quite simple! But, how does your thinking, speaking and behaviour determine this? Again, simple – if you have an appropriate attitude you learn faster and more thoroughly. Your gung fu brothers and sisters develop a positive attitude towards you and this naturally helps in your training. The converse also applies.
If you learn thoroughly enough with sufficient mindfulness then one day you will enter the gateless gate. Seeing the gateless gate entails understanding two essential Buddhist concepts – which I’ll leave you to research – non-independent arising and impermanence. Once you understand these, conceptually, and experience them in your daily life then you have entered the gateless gate. In gung fu terms, you enter the gateless gate when you can understand this in your gung fu. Things are! Things are not! This is no longer a dualistic paradox. I’ll give my readers a little help from Chan Buddhism here – both in the metaphysical and the martial sense: “Not always so!” If you can understand this, then you’ll be on your way. I note that I have, indeed, commented in my classes on how the mindset needs to be during realworld self defence. In saying this I actually gave my students insight into the gateless gate. I’ll give you a clue – past and future are illusions. So too, can be the present. It all comes from, and goes to emptiness! It all is emptiness. But, what is “emptiness”? Aha! Non-independently arising impermanence!
For Buddhists, although this level of knowledge is a bit more esoteric than most are initiated into, I say, that the parallel is the Dharmakaya and then the Nirmankaya. Or, obedience (ask yourself “of what - to what”?), and divergence.
You know the saying: “obedience, divergence, separation”. To what? Of what? From what? For beginners I explain this as “to the sifu” and “from the sifu.” But I also say “you must become your own sifu!” What then are you obedient to, diverging from, separating from? From your sifu – from yourself! From your “self”! So you can be free to ......? Be the art!
Here are some more thoughts: Do not artificially distinguish between form and emptiness! Reconcile duality. Reconcile attraction, indifference, aversion. What is between these? This is the middle of the Middle Path! Free of conceptual confusion. To Buddhists, this is Sambhogakaya – embodied realisation. In a martial sense, you have learnt the art with your body-mind. Under attack then, no thought – simply, “The art comes out of you”.