WHAT HAS MARTIAL ARTS TO DO WITH PERSONAL CREATIVITY?

A lot.

I am no martial artist, but I do know Dilip Mukerjea is a good one, especially in Aikido & Jujitsu, as you can see from the foregoing snapshots. He is seen working out in earnest with his Sensei Toribio during his visit to Big Sur, California, around the late nineties.

My only so-called knowledge about martial arts is extended to what I often enjoyed watching on the silver screen - my favourite martial artists-actors, like Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jean Claude van Damme, Jet Li, Sho Kosugi, Steven Seagal & Wesley Snipes, beating the daylights out of all the bad guys.

Nonetheless, on a sober note, I instinctively know that both "martial arts" & "personal creativity" are creative endeavours... art forms. Self-expressions, with the quest for excellence, to be exact.

From my perspective, both are also artistic pursuits of spiritual enlightenment, because, in order to excel in either one &/or to reach the highest order in one's domain of knowledge, one must truly learn to "let go"!

[Do you remember the wise words from Grandmaster Oogway to Master Sifu at the scared peach tree, as the latter failed at first to comprehend the rationale of training the fatso to be the new 'Dragon Warrior', in the hilarious 'Kung Fu Panda' movie? If you have not watched the movie, you can go to this link.]

In fact, I like Dilip's cute analogy as he once described it to his Sensei Toribio.

The constantly moving, fluidic foot prints of the fancy footwork, stances, take-downs & throws of the practitioners on the dojo mat actually simulate the topography of "jump points" on a large splash map. Each of them is an idea sparkler!

[By the way, if you ever get the opportunity to meet up with Dilip, he will definitely tell you more about his philosophy of "exponential junctions"!]

Wow! That's a really good one! Thanks, my friend. Frankly, it sums up succinctly all I want to write about.

[I once read an interview report about Donnie Yen, martial-artist, actor, & film-maker (famous for the recent 'Yip Man' movie), who said:

"For me, the ultimate skill is creative movement. If your foundation is precise & based on traditional skills, then you should work to be able to free form your movements for any situation."

To me, that pinnacle necessitates absolute personal creativity!]

THE WISDOM OF O SENSEI (1883-1969)

"The true martial art is love."

"Surrounded by a forest of enemy spears, enter deeply, and learn to use your mind as a shield."

"Depending on the circumstance, you should be hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space."

"Those who are enlightened never stop forging themselves... the most perfect actions echo the patterns found in nature."

[Excerpted from 'Unleashing Genius, with the World's Most Powerful Systems', by Dilip Mukerjea;]

Say Keng's personal comments:

I am no martial artist. In contrast, Dilip is a dedicated Aikido enthusiast, & goes for his regular disciplined practices almost every Friday evening.

However, I love to watch martial artists doing their fancy routines in the cable television documentaries, as well as in the movies.

My favourite martial-artists-turned-action-stars include the legendary Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Sho Kosugi, Sonny Chiba, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude van Damme, Wesley Snipes, & Steven Seagal.

In the early years, especially during my teenaged years, I was often mesmerised by the antics of the Shaolin monks, the Japanese samurais, ronins & ninjas, & not forgetting Wong Fei Hung & the Blind Swordsman.

All I know about true martial arts is that they have a lot to do with mental toughness training, governed by a disciplined soft-focused mind, which flows fluidly into the physical prowess & bodily agility of the practitioners.

The true spirit of martial arts has nothing to do with beating your opponent into a pulp, as often depicted in the movies, although I must admit I have always enjoyed watching Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal whacking the bad guys in the movies.

If you ever had the chance to meet up with Dilip in person, he will tell you a lot of wonderful stories about his personal encounters with real masters of the craft.

Point to Ponder:

"I don't study martial arts to learn to fight. I study martial arts so that I won't have to."

(Source Unknown)