Phelan's Quest

Last Sunday, I spent a long afternoon at Farr Community Hall, a small village leisure centre in the hills outside Inverness, in the company of four ninjas. Or, as they preferred to put it, "students of the Bujinkan". Even our instructor Jock Brochas, who has been training in the art for over 25 years, and teaching for more than a decade, refers to himself as "still learning". I had met Brochas for the first time in a Starbucks cafe at a retail park the night before, where he attempted to explain to me his philosophical approach to ninjutsu, which is based strongly on perception and intuition – particularly so in his case, as he also works as a practicing psychic medium. He gestured to the large round coffee table we were sitting at and said that the physical side of ninjutsu – technique – might be seen as a small circle of ash at the centre. The following morning, he arranged an all-day seminar mostly for my benefit, and showed me what he was talking about. Like many in the West, my lifelong fascination with "ninjas" is rooted in popular culture, and screen representations which have nothing to do with either history or reality. What little I know about the actual practice of ninjutsu I have read in books by Stephen K Hayes, Simon Yeo and Soke Hatsumi himself. As instructive as those books may be, they can't provide much more than theory, and are hardly a substitute for training. And it is becoming increasingly obvious that if I want to write my own book – an outsiders' perspective on ninjutsu – I will have to make my way inside the art as best I can. Jock Brochas quoted Hatsumi several times: "Shut up and train."

So we did. For six or seven hours straight, the members of the Shinshin Ichijo Dojo demonstrated the basics – beginning with the Ichimonji stance and defenses – and illustrated that the range of variations on each strike, lock and throw are almost infinite. I did my best to process this information physically, and made what I felt was pretty slow progress. My problem, which I am told is common to newcomers, is that I cannot yet strike a balance between over-thinking each move – to the point where I would stop half-way through a technique to ask myself if I was getting it "right" – and over-acting in terms of tension and aggression. Brochas and his students were extremely patient in explaining that I needed to think less and do less, that every action in the Bujinkan proceeds from nature, and allows the practitioner to move less like a boxer or a wrestler and more like wind or water.

This is what struck me most about what I saw and learned last Sunday: the sheer fluency of intention and movement. My fascination with this kept me going all day, and affected me in a way that I'm not quite able to articulate yet. I have been practicing ichimonji in my sleep since then, and having only just started training at this early stage of my research, I don't think I could stop if I wanted to. Brochas has told me that he knew I would feel this way. Perhaps because he's psychic. But more likely because he simply knows that feeling himself.

Humility

I thought i was quite a humile person and that my level of humilty was fairly consistent with my spiritual path and my understanding of ninpo. That was of course until Andy asked to train at the Shinshin Ichijo Dojo. This gentle soul had very little motor movement in his body and had a kidney transplant as well as various other problems with his body. His determination to learn and to not allow anything to stand in his way was the epitomy of what Nin actually means. He may not be able at the moment to move as abled bodied individuals or understand Kamae the way we all do but he is more of a warrior than any of us. It is my honour and i am indeed humbled that Andy should wish to train at our Dojo.
Perhaps we can all learn something from his movement. He moves within his limits and in actual fact there are no limits that should hinder his development. In many ways, he is further on the path than most of us. To witness determination and the essence of Nin - you only need to train with Andy.

A question with many answers

One of my students stated “where do you get all these sayings from, it will be pretty good when I can understand them. How has Ninjutsu changed you?”

Interestingly, this question perplexed me somewhat as I began to ponder what had changed so dramatically In my life, my training and why Ninjutsu was the catalyst. One statement from a great master himself other than Hatsumi seemed to fit the bill. Ed Martin (affectionately known as PAPASAN) and I were discussing on the phone with thousands of miles between us – Kihon Happo and the accident that caused my severe memory loss. A few years ago, I was involved in a horrific Car accident that nearly took my own life and that of my wife’s. Finally, during recovery, I went back to teaching a few students and found that I could not actually remember anything - even simple Kamae. I found myself in a hall without mirrors and with lost knowledge. The only thing I could do was study what little info I had and begin to teach from the heart. Perhaps; channeling the intelligence from a higher order if you will - even Ninpo. I discussed this phenomena with Papasan and he said “You know Jock, I bet that your movement now is more intuitive and natural due to the fact that you have come from no form and you have had to learn from the heart.” This was of course a revelation to me as I realized the lesson within the statement. I had just reached a form of enlightenment and found myself at the behest of the essence of Ninjutsu rather than what I had originally understood.

When many people come to the Bujinkan at first, they are faced with what seems like unnatural movement that must become natural and perhaps more importantly, they do not understand the senses. In order to understand the essence of Ninjutsu, you must open the heart. This in turn makes the requisite changes that you seek in your life. How do you open your heart? Again this question has many answers but a positive step is to see with your inner spirit than materially with your physical eyes. That may sound profound but as you get to understand what is in between the lines and understand how energy moves – you begin to feel and see from within.

When your life is out of balance, it will show in your Taijutsu. No matter what is out of balance, your energy system will not flow as nature intended and so you will not flow – finding the stumbling blocks of movement within your Taijutsu and your life. To identify a potential weakness in your movement will allow you to reflect those requisite changes in your life. In order to improve on all 3 levels of Mind, body and spirit, you must accept your flaws but as an opportunity for growth. Without understanding your weaknesses, you are in fact coming from a position of ego and not seeing the larger picture of being able to grow spiritually and make the changes as necessary. So what is important is not how Ninjutsu has changed you but how you have changed yourself by using Ninjutsu as the key to unlock the door.

Nin - Perseverance and Endurance

What does it mean to persevere and endure? The first characters of the Nin Kanji can be translated as perseverance and endurance and at first you could be forgiven by labeling this as an aspect of your training only.

Perhaps to understand Ninpo (the higher wisdom of the ninja) we need to endure and persevere not just through our physical training but in all of life’s lessons. It is important to see and feel the Nin in everyday life. For instance, is it ever right to give up on anything that makes you happy just because you feel the pinch for a while? This is not perseverance. In all of life’s struggles, we sometimes give up or change what we want to suit the emotion at the time. Sometimes it is easier to give up than to persevere and endure.

Sometimes this can be likened to a new birth of a baby horse. Time and time again the young foal will try to get up on it’s own to feet bit within its natural inner makeup is the sense of perseverance and endurance. Rather than just sit there – the foal will eventually stand up by its own volition.

Enduring through emotions

A great percentage of us give up when experiencing negative emotions – we succumb to the negativity to find a way out of a maze that seems to be endless with no escape. The essence of the feeling of Nin is to find that way out through our endurance and perseverance in times of negative emotion. To persevere in the face of adversity, anger, sadness and a general feeling of overbearing unimportance, is the way to understand Ninpo and your higher self. Your emotions are very powerful and can shape your present and your future. Perhaps through the path of Ninpo one can learn to shape the future and the present in a more positive and understanding way.

Enduring through Struggles

Hatsumi once said that all struggles are temporary – a mere hurdle to circumnavigate. Yet, we always seem to give in to any struggle that we come up against. Whether it is in the Dojo or in life – we always seem to take the easy way out. Again, if one wants to learn the higher order of Ninjutsu, we have to learn that all struggles that we come across are temporary but nonetheless are necessary for growth in Ninpo and in life. Inevitably, if you grow spiritually you will overcome the hurdle but refusing to grow may keep you in the cycle that you find yourself in. This cycle could relate to anything in your life such as financial hardship, relationship problems or personal circumstances that change dramatically. Learning to endure and understanding the path that you are on is a way to achieving the level of feeling in your heart, for only with a true heart can you feel the beat of Ninpo? Sometimes in training we work in Mu (empty space) seeking the weakness in an opponent and moving within a higher dimension. Within this empty space lie the answers to all of life’s questions and the path to evasion from our struggles. It is evident in ones movement where they are in their understanding of Nin or indeed Ninpo as a whole. The weakness that we may find is a reflection of our own and to find the weakness in our enemies or opponents allow us to grow harmoniously and rebalance ourselves, thus reflecting our own perseverance and endurance by accepting our weakness and rebalancing it.

Persevering through manifestation and Intention

A truism of life is that we all want what we have not got at the time, and we mix up those emotions or feelings such as wanting and needing not truly understanding the difference. The law of attraction which is a spiritual truth tells us that the rate of our vibration and intention will draw to us the desire or the need or that which matches the same Vibration. For instance, if you truly desire something and you act in the belief that it is already there – your vibration, along with the universal consciousness will bring to you what it is that you seek. The essence of this spiritual attraction starts with belief. Too many students fail in this belief and so find that they meet the wall that faces them which seems too hard to overcome. Many years ago when I was in the army, there was a particular wall at the confidence course that I could not get over. Each and every time I faced it the negative emotions in me swelled up like a river about to burst its banks. I did not have the belief that I could get over it and every time I attempted it, I failed. One of my instructors whom I got on with quite well told me that the problem was I did not believe in myself and I should visualize getting over the wall easy. Of course this was easier said than done and I began to visualize myself managing to get over the wall with all my kit on. The day came when I was to face my nemesis once more and before I began, I could see an image of me getting over the wall. I took one long run towards it and leapt – stretching up with my hands to grab the edge. I struggled but in my mind I held the same vision. I thought I was about to let go when all of a sudden I came round and found myself at the other side with the sounds of my fellow soldiers cheering. The wall is no different to the one that you face during your training in Taijutsu and the basis of success must be belief in yourself and perseverance. Do not give up when it gets tough for one day your wall will be scaled and defeated.

A simple fact is constant and this is your intention. Hatsumi often talks about intention a great deal and I wonder if many people really understand what he means. How do you really describe intention, how do you feel it and what is it, where does it come from? Intention is simply placing your awareness on a subject, movement or desire. To hold that intention in your subconscious means that your vibration changes to match that of the intention and so activates that spiritual law of attraction.

To tune into someone’s intention is being able to use your psychic ability to react to the energy that exudes whether positive or negative. This is also a process of discernment and one that needs many years of training, understanding and cultivation. One cannot remain skeptical when feeling intention as this is transference of natural universal energy that is positively or negatively charged. Hold your finger before you and try to feel your intent as you consciously tell your subconscious to bend the finger. That is internalized power that is universal. Understanding this simple process will bring you closer to enlightenment and understanding the Mu (empty space).

And so, working in this dimension means that you can attract all that you desire in life but this takes perseverance and endurance. Through these, one may be able to tap into the wisdom of Ninpo.

Enduring and persevering through training

At last we arrive at the final destination which for some of you will be the first in your personal understanding. Enduring through your training is making small steps towards your path in Budo. Why beat ourselves up when we don’t quite understand something or feel that we have to give up training because an injury or personal circumstance makes it harder for us. Is this enduring – no! It’s giving up on life not just the training in the dojo. Remember a true Budoka trains every second of every hour of the day in his or her quest for enlightenment, this training does not have to consist of physical attributes. You can train in the martial way by just studying nature or by talking to others. Every day there is an opportunity to grow in mind, body and spirit. If you open your heart, you will learn. So when you have difficulty in your training – persevere and endure be the epitomy of Nin and realize that through your emotions, struggles and training – you have the opportunity to learn by persevering and enduring. Giving up is giving up on Ninpo and Life - so don’t.