From Kasumi An Study Center 霞庵 スタディセンター by Kasumi An Study Center
When my good friend Willy Iglesia went to Japan at the tender age of 18 to train with Ninja Master Hatsumi Masaaki, his first lesson was an unexpected one. Hatsumi Sensei took him to a restaurant and ordered two plates heaping with vegetables for the two of them. Willy, being a young man from Argentina, (people form Argentina eat a lot of meat! How much? Well, think of a whole hell of a lot of meat and then think even more!) So Willy, looking at the plate of greens, says “Sensei, I don`t eat vegetables.”. The reply from Ninja Master Hatsumi, “First lesson, now eat vegetables!”.
We often forget the foundation upon which our Ninpo is based. A healthy body/mind organism. In his very first books on Ninpo, Hatsumi Sensei stresses the importance of proper nutrition and exercise. Yet often we are controlled by our senses, eating and partaking in activities solely to please the greedy senses. My yogi teachers would say, “you are eating donuts to please the tongue while the liver dies in silence.”. These words I can never forget. If you look deeply at this one sentence, you may grab the essence of the Rokon Shojou 六根清浄 (禄魂笑浮）teachings of several years ago as well.
I train a small Bujinkan group in Yokohama and have had the good fortune to meet Matthew Dons who became an ardent supporter, student and good friend. Matthew was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer having spread to many systems in his body. He is 36 years old with two small children. The prognosis is that he most likely has only a few months to live. We live our life as if we have an unlimited amount of time. Once I was speaking with Hatsumi Sensei about the later years of life. He said, “Don`t think about the later years, right now, these are the later years of your life. live now. this is naka ima! (中今).”. Be in the middle of right now. The Buddha once said, “life is but a single breath.” How deeply can we live and love in this moment. Often we feel, when I get there, I will be happy then. Remember, there and then are only fictions. Here and now are the only realities.
If you are able and would like to help, here is a link to help Matthew fund his treatment and other expenses in this difficult time. We are hoping to extend his life for a few more moments to be with his family. Wishing you all health and happiness, Now!
https://www.gofundme.com/2hk6vqk
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This reminds me of a zen parable about a great wrestler named OoNami (Big Wave) He was of great build unstoppable in practice, throwing all opponents with ease. Even his teachers could not keep up with him during training, such was his ability and stunning techniques. But before every match, without fail, he would get so nervous and cowardly that he could barely stand and he would lose every competition. He would even lose to his students. He was fractured, not moving as one, he was disconnected. Just a bunch of moving parts, not crystallized as one. He was so frustrated that he went to a Zen master for help. The Zen master told him, “if your name is big wave, don’t think of yourself as a cowardly wrestler. But imagine yourself to be a great huge wave! A tsunami that engulfs and washes away all in your path! If you can see that, you will become instantly the number one wrestler in the country. You will beatable!”. In the temple that evening, he tried hard to envision himself a wave but his thoughts were disturbing him. Then slowly he started to feel the wave growing in him. As it grew later in the evening, the wave grew too, washing away the flower vases around him. The wave grew stronger still and washed away the statues of the deities in temple. And yet it grew bigger, washing away the temple and finally it engulfed the whole grounds of the temple washing everything away. At that moment, the master spoke, “You have done it! You will be unstoppable like this wave now.”. From that day on he moved as the ocean, with the force and power of great waves, like a tsunami. He became the number one wrestler in the land, sweeping away his opponents with ease. He became the tsunami. He became integrated and whole, each cell and fiber moving as one. Hatsumi Sensei would often tell us to become like a tsunami. A series of unconnected attacks or techniques will not defeat an opponent. But a connect whole, a flow, a wave like a tsunami will fell the toughest opponent. Zen Tai, whole essence, whole body, imagine you are the tsunami, and flow with natural power and rhythm!
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