This is from the movie “Hero” w/ Jet Li. The quote is from the ruler of the kingdom of “Qin”. In this scene..Jet Li is about to assasinate the king and while Jet Li is waiting..the king pauses and reflects on a piece of caligraphy which is written by a character by the name of “Broken sword”. The king says “This scroll contains no secrets of swordsmanship at all”.
The quote is:
“In the first stage, man and sword become one and eachother–here, even a blade of grass can be used as a weapon. In the next stage, the sword resides not in the hand but in the heart-even without a weapon, the warrior can slay his enemy from 100 paces. But the ultimate ideal is, when the sword disappears altogether. The warrior embraces all around him–the desire to kill no longer exists–only peace remains”
It is one of the great paradox’s of the MA that the best fighters and teachers tend to NOT want to fight.
Of course that comes about form HAVING fought and having fought A LOT !!
Sometimes we need to remember that “advanced” principles and ideal are just that, advanced.
One just doesn’t “come” into them, they ave to be earned.
doing things/behaving/acting out of justice/fairness.
have a just/fair mind/intention
chasing/following the shadows/shapes/postures and not the hands
pay attention to the opponent’s heart/intents and not where his eyes looking (intermediate move) (they can be deceptive) (think 2 or 3 steps/moves ahead)
sparring with students from the same school, saving/sparing force and not hands.
(fight all the way just not using full force)
“I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.”
[QUOTE=LaterthanNever;1002938]This is from the movie “Hero” w/ Jet Li. The quote is from the ruler of the kingdom of “Qin”. In this scene..Jet Li is about to assasinate the king and while Jet Li is waiting..the king pauses and reflects on a piece of caligraphy which is written by a character by the name of “Broken sword”. The king says “This scroll contains no secrets of swordsmanship at all”.
The quote is:
“In the first stage, man and sword become one and eachother–here, even a blade of grass can be used as a weapon. In the next stage, the sword resides not in the hand but in the heart-even without a weapon, the warrior can slay his enemy from 100 paces. But the ultimate ideal is, when the sword disappears altogether. The warrior embraces all around him–the desire to kill no longer exists–only peace remains”
Very profound indeed…[/QUOTE]
in the beginning, we learn to fight with swords. learn all the methods with swordplay. moves. counter moves, tactics and strategy
in the middle, we advance the ideas and fighting methods to any thing we may hold
a sticik etc
in the end, we have the intents of a swordpaly even without the sword, sticck or any weapon. or we may use the ideas of sword fight to apply to everything else in life.
it is chan or finding universal truth in everything in life.
since your intent is to end something or end someone’s life or to persue some goals.
we may attain that in many other way other than the sword, other than the fight, other than ending some one’s life.
at first, there is a sword/fight/kill in your heart/mind. we learn all the in’s and out’s of a swordplay.
in the middle, the sword may be replaced by something other than sword. there are ideas of a sword without the physic shape of a sword per se.
in the end, the ideas of a sword and you become one. or you fully understand the meaning of a swordsmanship/sword. there is no seperate sword in you any more. because you are the sword. the sword is you.
[QUOTE=bawang;1003001]“I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.”
[QUOTE=LaterthanNever;1002938]“In the first stage, man and sword become one and eachother–here, even a blade of grass can be used as a weapon. In the next stage, the sword resides not in the hand but in the heart-even without a weapon, the warrior can slay his enemy from 100 paces. But the ultimate ideal is, when the sword disappears altogether. The warrior embraces all around him–the desire to kill no longer exists–only peace remains”.[/QUOTE]
This is similiar. When I was:
20, I used light weight sharp sword to challenge whoever I could meet.
40, I used heavy weight dull sword to defeat everybody I met.
60, I no longer used sword, grass, flower, … can all be my sword and I have no sword in my mind.
80, I no longer fight, I have no enemy in my heart.
The best MA quote that I know is:
“When the fire just starts, the color is red. When it gets hotter, the color changes into blue. When it reaches to the highest temperature, it has no color.”
“When the right insight is gained and knows no obstruction, it applies to anything, including swordplay. The ordinary people are concerned with names. As soon as they hear one name a discrimination takes place in their minds. The owner of the right eye sees each object in its own light. When he sees the sword, he knows at once the way it operates. He confronts the multiplicity of things and is not confounded.” - Shoju Ronin after defeating numerous swordsmen all at once with only a fan
[QUOTE=sanjuro_ronin;1002955]It is one of the great paradox’s of the MA that the best fighters and teachers tend to NOT want to fight.[/QUOTE]
and amazing how many of these people exist in the world of TCMA, given all those who claim to possess t3h r3al d3adly kung fu and who state that they don’t have to fight to prove anything!
