The Life of a Swordsman
The swordsman only knows what is true and verifiable.
What is the truth?
The swordsman's truth is steel.
There is only black and white when it comes to steel, either you get cut or you don't.
The blade always tells the truth. The blade never lies.
This is the life of a swordsman.
Training happens in the abstract. Look for the circle, triangle and square.
The circle gives birth to the triangle. The triangle gives birth to the square, and from this, 10,000 shapes are born.
Some people have this understanding from birth already in their blood. All they need is to be shown the purpose, the knowledge, the information, their instincts take over the rest.
To the swordsman, everything appears in contours of black and white. The world is a dichotomy. Nothing is what it seems.
The training of the body is a perfect example of this. Many of the drills look simple on the surface, but there are endless opportunities to make mistakes and the path to perfection is narrow.
Everything exists for a reason.
There is a system of harmony and vibration to every movement.
To an outsider, the result of training can look very different from the drills practiced. The movements of the sword transfer to other weapon systems, to close quarters combat systems and to systems of universal strategy.
Everything is connected.
Here you can see that the temperature is below freezing. It's snowing and there's over four inches of snow on the ground. The mats are cold and the fluids that they have been soaking in are beginning to freeze, making the target harder to cut.
The hands are cold, the feet are cold and snow is blowing into the eyes. Ancient philosophies and systems of strategy illuminate the mind and heart as extreme temperatures of heat and cold forge the body.
After all, this is how the blade itself was formed. In the forge of training, the swordsman becomes a living sword. The hands move like the tip of the blade that become like iron.
The lines begin to blur between the weapon and the hand that wields it.
Honor and respect must be given to those who walked this path before, who kept the flame in dark times and lit the way for future generations.
Behind every great swordsman, there is a line of great teachers whose presence is felt in every movement.
Training happens in the abstract.
The study of the abstract leads to timelessness. When the training appears to stop for the day, it still goes on in the mind consciously and unconsciously. It's ever going, ever processing, ever progressing to infinity.
The swordsman only knows what is true and verifiable.
What is the truth?
The swordsman's truth is steel.
There is only black and white when it comes to steel, either you get cut or you don't.
The blade always tells the truth. The blade never lies.
This is the life of a swordsman.