So, what does that mean, "Seeking Satori"? Clearly it refers to the Japanese Zen concept of Satori and enlightenment. But this isn't some emaciated Buddha sitting. For a martial artist it is "the union of arrow and target" as they refer to it in Kyudo.
The perfect union of mind, body and spirit; without thought, without conflict, without hesitation, without internal monologue. The body acting instead of reacting.
The leopard does not "decide" to bring down the gazelle. It does not think, "I will jump now; I will land on its back; I will pull it down to the right; I will use my back legs to eviscerate it. The leopard simply acts.
Satori, at least that which I seek, is a state of enlightenment, but not an enlightenment of the mind or spirit separate from the body.
Satori is like a perfect Japanese sword. The swordsmith layers steel, working in the carbon, then assembling it so that hard layers form the edge; softer, more flexible layers the spine; medium layers the core. The result is the perfect blade with an impossibly hard edge and, yet, unbelievably flexible, eternally durable.
In the same way, Satori is the perfect forging of body, mind and spirit. In some ways this resembles mushin, or "no mind." But mushin is the welding of body and mind in order to allow physical action without apparent thought. To reach Satori one must pass through mushin and live only in the "now."
What does this have to do with the martial arts? If you have ever kicked without conscious thought, felt your target fold about your foot, and watched them fly across an entire room, then you know the value of mushin.
D'accord.
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This is a nice article explaining an often misunderstood concept.
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