A teaching of Master TAISEN DESHIMARU to illustrated The Path of Budo:
In China, a disciple of Lao Tzu, Mishotsu, wrote an interesting story about the fighting cocks.
“A king wanted to have a fighting rooster very strong, so he had asked to one of his subjects to train one. At first, the coach taught it the art of cock fighting.
After ten days the king asked: “Can we arrange a fight with that cock?
But the coach said, “No, no! It has strength but this force is empty, it always wants to fight, he is so excited that its strength is fleeting. ”
Ten days later, the king asked the coach “So now, can we arrange this fight?”
“No! Not yet. It’s still passionate, it always wants to fight. When hearing another rooster voice, even at neighbourly village, it gets angry and wants to fight.”
After ten additional days of training, the king asked again:
“Now, is this possible?”
The coach replied:
“Now it has no more passion, at hearing or seeing another cock, it remains calm. Its posture is correct; its energy is at top.
No angrier is showing. Energy and strength are not manifest outside”.
The king finally asked:
“So it’s okay for a fight? ”
The coach replied:: “Maybe”.
They brought many fighting cocks, and organized a tournament. But the fighting cocks could not approach this rooster. They fled, terrified! So it did not need to fight. The fighting cock was now a wooden rooster. It was over driving the wasa. It had got a strong inner energy that was not externalized.
The way of Budo is not competition or conflict, and is beyond life and death, beyond victory and defeat. This is the path of the decision or life and death.
The secret of the sword is not drawing the sword.
Do not remove the sword because if you want to kill someone, you must die.
You have to kill yourself, kill your own mind.
At that time, others are afraid and they fled.
You are the strongest and the others do not approach.
It is not necessary to win.
In the Bible there is something similar. Matthew wrote: “If someone attacks your right cheek, you must tender left cheek”.
In Zazen, concentrate on the expiry is giving a balance between posture and conscious.
This activity creates a balance between muscles, nerves, hypothalamus and thalamus.
If you continue Zazen, you can get it unconsciously, naturally and automatically”.
