From Shiro Kuma's Blog by kumablog

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What “monkey see, monkey do” is an American expression from the 20s.
Wikipedia (1) tells us that it “refers to the learning of a process without an understanding of why it works”. This is the western approach to the legendary “don’t think!” by Hatsumi sensei.

For a few years now I have considered myself like a silver back, mimicking sensei on the mats, to grasp the essence of his budô. And I have extended that nickname to all students and during seminars. This is the monkey theory.
When you teach, you need to understand why it works the way it is, but when you train, your only concern is to do without understanding. Sensei explained this a few years ago when he said “action led to reflection”.

Since Descartes we were trained to do the opposite, this is the famous “Cogito ergo sum” (2) that has chiseled the western world. But this only applies to non-conscious ribs, not to the human. In the 70s, the Palo Alto Mental Research Group, with Watlawicz already exposed that in human relations (the study was about family relations), only action could be first.
Now to immerse yourself in the action, the only thing is to stop thinking. On the mats, when acting as a student we have to stop understanding and begin to do. We have to become a monkey and act like a monkey. When I watch a wildlife documentary on chimps, I’m always amazed watching their ability to roll. And I don’t think they ever had a teacher or a dōjō.
They learnt by applying the trial and error approach. In fact the Japanese martial arts and is ryûha system is exactly the same. The collection of techniques we have in the Bujinkan survived the battlefields of the period of unification. Only the best techniques and the most efficient reached the 21st century. To put it simple, all waza that was not good enough didn’t make it to us.
Acting like a monkey is the best learning experience we can have. Never try to understand, do it! I remember Senō Sensei explaining that we first try to reproduce a waza we make big mistakes, and then by repeating the waza we tend to lower the amount of errors. This “cleaning” is possible because, after each try, you debrief yourself and learn from your errors. This is Kûden.

Kûden is not only what secrets your sensei will reveal; it is mainly what your inner observation tells you. Making mistakes is normal, learning from them too. What is wrong is when you do not learn from them. In fact, Shikin Haramitsu Dai Komyô exactly means that. Each experience is beneficial to our understanding.
Applying the monkey theory to your training is the best chance you can give yourself to improve your abilities faster.

So be happy to be a monkey!

Arnaud Cousergue
DSBSB (3)
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1. Wikipedia
2. Cogito ergo sum (sorry he was French)
3. DSBSB aka Dai Shihan Bujinkan Silver Back

T-shirt designed by Pablo Giannazzo, Jûdan, Bujinkan Argentina

From Shiro Kuma's Blog by kumablog

One evening in Abu Dhabi, I was teaching outdoor the concept of mienai waza (見えない 技) next to the Laguna. With the light fading away, the whole mienai concept made more sense. I don’t know why, but it reminded me of the gecko lizards I keep observing in Bangalore. When in India, at night, on the balcony, I spend a lot of time watching the gecko lizards* stuck on the walls and the ceiling. They call each other with a very sharp yell because they are often on different planes, they don’t see each other until they are face to face on the same level. For them, the world is always flat. There are no angles, no up and down, no horizontal or vertical. Everything is flat.

It is the same in a Bujinkan technique, and we have to train to change our perspective. Only then can we adjust our moves to what the encounter is requiring. There is no beginning, and there is no end as long as we keep going. It is uke who gives the time and space of his downfall.
There is always a solution waiting ahead. “Ahead lies paradise,” says the Takagi Yôshin ryû, but ahead can be anywhere because we move in the world of Juppô Sesshô, in the ten directions. We have to transform our perception of reality in order to overcome the attacker. And rushing is never the answer. Time and space are everything, and if you move forward to early you will miss the opportunity that proper timing has to offer because you will not be in the slave where victory was waiting for you. Waiting for the good moment impose the ability to stay out of danger.

Like Sensei, I’m not a great fan of Sunzi’s “Art of war”** that I found quite primitive when compared to the anonymous “36 strategies”. But some chapters are interesting and can help us understand the simple complexity of Hatsumi sensei’s vision of Budô.

Sunzi said, “The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.” The Bujinkan teaches to protect oneself first. So why is it that many practitioners are rushing toward their death? Your priority is to stay alive in order to defeat the attacker. Reverse this natural order, and you will meet your creator.

I’m always fascinated when I see Bujinkan practitioners using strength and power when the obvious answer is to relax and to wait. The enemy always come up with the solution to defeating his attack.

Sunzi adds that “to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our hands but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. Thus, the good fighter can secure himself against defeat but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.” In order to give time a chance to unfold the opportunity for you to defeat the attacker, you have to keep going. The attacker’s intent brings the solution.

This attitude of letting things follow their way is what sensei means when he wants us to become zero. Surfing on the permanent unfolding of events, you can understand and follow nature’s will.

Keep going! Never give up and walk at the right pace the circle of life. When you follow the circle (ura or omote), you are always walking on a straight line.

There are no angles, no up and down, no horizontal nor vertical. Everything is flat.

Being “zero” is the path of the straight circle.

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*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gecko

** Back in 2009, I was telling Sensei that after studying extensively the “Art of War” for a lecture for HP, I discovered that the book that had accompanied me since I was 18, was quite empty. His answer was: “yes indeed, in fact this is also what Takamatsu Sensei told me”. I felt better.