Opinions are divided when it comes to Japan’s current Constitution, issued during the U.S. Occupation of 1945 -52: Is it an American imposition that unfairly refuses to recognize the nation as a “normal country” or a precious war-renouncing document that reflects Japan’s unique status as the only country to have experienced the horrors of a […]
English
Zen’s sudden awakening to the truth beyond reason, beyond language
Rabbi Zusia tramped through his native Poland — this admittedly is an odd way of introducing a story about Zen — collecting money to ransom Jews unjustly imprisoned, victims of the rampant anti-Semitism then prevailing. At a wayside inn he saw birds in a cage. Zusia, simple soul that he was, promptly freed the birds. […]
Reflections on the term “giri” (義理)
by: Yushuu Shihan Willy Iglesia Translation: Nahir Muratore We have recently noticed a proliferation of the term “giri” among members of Bujinkan, which as it has become usual for many years now, it does not take long to be transformed because of some comment that was heard from Soke in a class, changing as if […]
The Gate is the body
By: Malena Saenz – Bujinkan Shodan Translation: Nahir Muratore Since I’ve started training Ninjutsu, I see in the ninja the perfect opportunity to display the feminine power. By approaching this Japanese martial art new questions arose in me: What can women do in a physical attack? When facing a symbolic or verbal attack, we have […]
Zen: The Four Noble Truths
Life is suffering. The origin of suffering is egoistic craving and attachment. There is a way to the cessation of suffering. This Way is the Eightfold Path: Right Understanding; Right Thinking; Right Speech; Right Attitude; Right Livelihood; Right Effort; Right Mindfulness; Right Concentration The Four Noble Truths (Sanskrit: catvāri āryasatyāni; Pali: cattāri ariyasaccāni) are “the […]
Essence of Ninjutsu
The essence of all Martial Arts and military strategies is self protection and the prevention of danger. Ninjutsu epitomizes the fullest concept of self-protection through martial training in that the Ninja art deals with the protection of not only the physical body, but the mind and spirit as well. The way of the Ninja is […]
The inexplicable mysteries in the Ninja Art
“…Takamatsu Sensei used to speak of gods as “inexplicable mysteries” and these inexplicable mysteries can manifest themselves in reality when one practices these nine arts. And at some level of awareness, there is a kind of communication— I don’t know how—with some presence in the universe; and it is at the behest of some being that I, for example, […]
What are the important aspects of training?
“…If you know only one aspect, you lose the ability to see and know yourself; if a person practices only the techniques of his (or her) martial art, as he improves and becomes more skillful, he builds up an inflated illusion of his own ability and of himself. People losesight of their own, and their martial art’s, shortcomings. This […]
The japanese bamboo
You don’t have to be farmer to know that a good harvest needs good seeds, good fertilizer and constant watering. It’s also granted that whoever farms the land get impatient facing the seeding and yelling out loud: “¡Grow, damn it!” There’s something curious about the japanese bamboo and that is why it turns into non-suitable […]
The mind, the attachment and the obstacles in the martial way
This text is an extract of the written tradition in the schools included in the Bujinkan, which came along throughout the generations to Soke Hatsumi, in this case, the Yagyu Munenori’s Heiho Ka Densho. Here, there are references to unavoidable concepts for everyone who pretends to face the challenge of going through a martial way. […]