Ninjutsu --> Ninpo

Ninjutsu translates as techniques that allow for perseverance. This perseverance, in the broadest sense, is about persevering in life, never giving up. Failure only happens when we give up. Difficult states, feelings, and experiences can all make us want to give up.

Ninpo the deeper understanding of ninjutsu allows us to live from a place of 忍. This also translates as Shinobi, or one who lives, exists carrying the essence of, Ninpo. In order to do this we have to live allowing our heart (心) to be our guide. This is the foundational element of 忍. Soke tells us to focus on the feeling, live from the heart. To often we focus on completing the technique in the dojo and accomplishing the task(s) at hand in our lives without having any connection with our being. When we do this, we miss the kukan or potential for experiencing true Ninjutsu and Budo. The empty space is in the feeling. This is what guides true and solid technique with Shin Gi Tai Ichi. Start with heart as you focus on 刀. This is where life is found, expressed, and experienced.

At times this requires great mental and emotional effort to have the courage to acknowledge when we are in an unpleasant state, have uncomfortable feelings, and/or experience difficult things. Once we acknowledge this we can then begin to flow with it and journey through these moments where we can find the next best course of action. This may be an internal action or process, or it may need to be one that has a direct impact on your external world. Allowing our heart to be our guide towards courageous action, after leaning into the experiences we have acknowledged, we can then decide to have compassion toward what has happened, whether that is inside of us or what happened from outside of us. By doing this we can then access our Intuition to find a creative way to get back to a state of zero. Usually this process becomes in service to something greater than our own egos and what we want in a moment. This is Ten Chi Jin. Notice above how Chi, Sui, Ka, Fu, and Ku exist in this process.

Think of Fudoshin. Taking this journey each time we get knocked off balance and using our "ukemi" on all levels, physical, mental, spiritual is the path toward a settled and balanced spirit that is truly immovable not because we are unaffected, but because we trust we can always get back to zero even when we are "unbalanced".

Ponder this...

Ninpo Ik-kan!

Saino Kon Ki

I have been reflecting on the 2009 Bujinkan Theme, Sainou Kon Ki. It is also expressed as Sainou Tamashii Utsuwa. I am writing to make some connections that we can use in our training and make it more applicable to our day to day lives, living Ninpo (which is kind of redundant) if you will. The translations I have seen from various Dai Shihan and watching Soke Hatsumi’s videos and reading his books that reference this speak to roughly three things:

1. Skill/Talent (Talent implies natural ability, something innate. Skill is learned or acquired and can be gained and lost)

2. Container or Capacity

3. Spirit or Soul/Essence

When we look at these components we can see how our skill in martial arts is variable. It can be gained or lost and is determined by our effort and ability to both know ourselves (Talent) and also work to grow our abilities. This can be with anything not just martial arts. We have to begin with awareness of where we are in order to grow and change. This takes a level of honesty many people struggle to acknowledge towards themselves because we at least in the USA live in a culture that encourages ego. This level of honesty, just to begin to identify where we are so we can move where we want to go, is difficult. So it all starts with honest self awareness. Skill is something we can acquired over time through 忍.

Both Talent and Skill determine our ability to impact an experience in life. It is what we are able to do to navigate a given moment. As Budoka, we can see this through how we can handle/deal with an attacker or opponent. You can even break this down into how we can navigate receiving an attack, as both tori and uke, In/Yo. So this goes back to the beginning and Taihenjutsu. In life, we can also see how we are able to work with and navigate other’s actions, communications, and expression of their own emotions. We can also deepen its meaning to how well we can navigate our emotions, thoughts, and intended actions and how those impact our own life and the lives of those around us. A question to ask ourselves is to see how well can we skillfully navigate the world around us through our actions and impact on ourselves first and then the external world second. How do you want to show up in your life, for the world?

Container or Capacity is the opposite of Talent/Skill. So again we see this as an aspect of In/Yo, Ura/Omote. This compnent is about how well we can “be” not just what we can “do”. This is about having “guts” as Soke Hatsumi has discussed in class. How much can we “endure”, be present with, without being moved off balance, because we are able to flow with Buffu Ikkan “The martial winds.” This is Fudo Shin, not being rigid or like a rock, but being open and allowing and present with difficulties and pleasantries, because both can be unbalancing. This allows us to make the correct decision in what to do, but this is determined by our Capacity and what we are able to “hold” without reacting. This is learning to respond instead. No response is a response, and it is an active and conscious choice.

The third component is Spirit or Soul. This is about putting our energy, and intentions into our being (Capacity) and doing (Talent/Skill) in our lives. If we are able to be fully in our presence and allow the intensity of our martial spirit to flow through everything we do, then we are learning to live like a Ninja. This is not easy and requires continuous training, shedding of ourselves, and endurance of pain (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), to build our Saino Kon Ki. It is through training our Spirit grows and is fortified and centered. We have to build a place for it to live (Container) and know how to use it to bring balance into a space (Talent/Skill).

I amusingly typed Saino Kon Ki into Google translate and it read “this is the season.” I wonder if Soke Hatsumi also mean that this can all change and it is up to us to determine what season we are in within training and life.

Some musing to ponder. If you want to learn how to do this… get in the fucking dojo!

Ninpo Ik-kan!

-Kevin

Taihenjutsu - Everything is Connected

Our training BEGINS with Taihenjutsu. It is the first thing we learn when we walk-in, fresh off the street, as Shoshinsha (“new heart”/white-belts). Taihenjutsu translates as, “body changing arts.” The groups of physical skills we learn under the term are rolls, body-drops/break-falls, leaping, and “walking” methods. These movements are the foundation of our Taijutsu, and they can be trained alone. In the beginning, this should be the focus of at-home training.

Improving our Taihenjutsu allows us to receive more techniques safely. The more techniques and attacks we experience, the less likely we’ll be injured if we encounter those attacks outside of the dojo. In addition, we also increase our safety as we move about our day. The better our Taihenjutsu, the better our ukemi (ability to receive). If we slip and fall, we are more likely to stay safe, protecting our bodies from self-inflicted harm  Naturally, we also become more capable of receiving things life throws our way and can protect ourselves from being unbalanced in those moments. This is an effect of training in Taihenjutsu.

Taihenjutsu, on a deeper level, is the “How” of our Taijutsu, beyond rolls, body-drops/break-falls, leaping, and “walking” methods. Taihenjutsu exists in every movement we learn in the Bujinkan. How do we, “Bujinkan style,” evade a punch? How do we throw a punch? How do we move out of the way in our sword evasion drills (Muto Dori)? We learn how to move from Shizen no Kamae to Ichimonji no Kamae in an efficient, balanced, and effective way. As we learn how to accomplish these movements, we’re learning Taihenjutsu. Anytime we study the details and specifics of how to properly move, we are studying Taihenjutsu. Remember this as you train.

Taihenjutsu is the first level of understanding Juppo Sessho. Juppo Sessho is the foundation of Ninpo Taijutsu which is the foundation of Muto Dori. Muto Dori is the most basic level of understanding for what was the 2018 Bujinkan Theme. These are all abstract concepts Hatsumi Sensei and the Dai Shihan have spoken about in recent years. What Hatsumi Sensei is teaching begins with Taihenjutsu. This point is important to remember… Everything is connected… If you have questions about these concepts, speak with your Shidoshi or Shihan.

This is Kuden and must be experienced through training.

Ganbatte! Ninpo Ik-kan!