It is truly amazing to me the number of martial artists that give lip service to nature and the animal kingdom but seemly chose not to have a close intimate relationship with either. There is no relationship with nature when we lock ourselves away within the comfortable confines of a dojo. I do mean comfortable. Any stress that is usually encountered in most modern dojos is ego-based dis-comfort rooted in winning/losing, performing correctly, and striving to achieve the next belt level. Of course, if you are a master, who would expect you to perform? I may be wrong but I always though of the martial arts as being a tool to ‘crush the ego.’  Isn’t the ego-consciousness the barrier that must be torn down to achieve any type of true martial power?

On the contrary, if nature is our dojo, there are no corners for our ego to lurk in. There are no scorecards to hide behind. Rank and title have no meaning to Mother Nature and her children. They are not impressed with the color around your waist or any titles of ‘master.’ Nature sees within our heart. And responds accordingly. Nature sees our degree of purity and has little tolerance for human ego. In fact, ego will kill you in nature’s wildness. And that is your ego as well as your instructors.

Please do not mis-understand the point that I am raising. I am not referring to traditional or ‘old school’ koryu dojos. But the martial (merchant) art dojos that are operated not by martial artists but by ‘merchant’ artists, even though they may call themselves martial art masters. However, even koryu dojos may become complacent and neglect nature training. Make no mistake; I feel that training under the sun and moon is essential for a martial and/or spiritual students growth and development.

By far, this is not a new concept. Since the earliest recorded history of humanity, people have sought guidance from nature and have demonstrated a reverence and respect for natural forces. The wisest ones saw the divine in nature and nature in the divine and sought to be in harmony, not separate from both. The knowledge and wisdom was there for the learning if one had a heart that saw through the fear that nature and it’s forces may provoke.

This page is excerpted from The Heart That Sees - The Adventures of a Mystic Warrior, 2004 by JC Husfelt, D.D. All rights reserved. No part of this page may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission except in the case of quotations embodied in articles, websites, books and reviews.