守破離
SHU-HA-RI
This is a Japanese term. A similar concept exists within in Chinese culture, called DI-REN-TIAN 地人天.
This literally means 'Earth - Human - Heavens'.
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| The Earth with a Human standing on it under the Heavens |
This concept exists within Chinese martial arts. So it's probable that one concept has given rise to (or inspired) the other.
Today's post is about the major part of real Budo training, 'HA', the stages involved that might lead towards the next level (RI) and how to identify the characteristics of a practitioner in the HA level.
Stages of HA
It's important to understand that the stages involved in HA are not a simple linear progression as they are in SHU.
- New Horizons - Not actually a stage, but a moment. It is that point of crossing the threshold from SHU into HA. That point when you realise that there is A LOT more too it than what you've been doing before now. The funny thing is that this might happen several time while in HA.
- Questioning - Taking everything you know and question it. Every little assumption, every rule, all techniques, everything! Seek to understand why it is the way it is, think about why different people do it differently. The aim is to deepen your understanding of all things related to your Budo.
- Searching - Seeking information to broaden your knowledge, skills and abilities, this is different to the previous level. When in SHU it's all handed to you. In HA you need to find new knowledge yourself.
- Innovate & Create - Take the framework you built in SHU and slowly add and remove different aspects and techniques so that it works better for you.
- Lost In Ha - With no clear rules as a guide and so much more information and options, it's easy to "get lost". It is a requirement to get a little bit lost within HA in order to find your own way, but you must be careful not to get completely lost. Getting lost completely among all the different ways and opinions could take your budo somewhere you don't want it to go.
- Repeat - As I mentioned, this is not a linear progression. You may come into these stages in almost any order and it's possible to be in a couple of stages at the same time for different aspects of your budo. You won't be able to just tick a box and say "I've done that now, time to move on" It doesn't work that way. You will find you'll need to go over things again and again.
In a previous post (this post), I explained that the whole process is complex and different depending on the skill you're trying to master. So the path that your journey takes will be structured differently for different skills and mindsets, compared to other people's. In reality, it looks less like the linear journey depicted below on the first picture and more the second picture:
Make it your own
When you're in SHU, you're following someone else's way. For example, everyone that trains in the Shotokan style are following Funakoshi's way.
Where the point of SHU was to "follow the rules", the point of HA is to "break the rules". In other words, you no longer follow someone else's way, you need to use the knowledge you have to find YOUR OWN WAY.
12 Signs that you're in HA
- Questioning Everything - Take nothing for granted. Double check and question everything.
- - Value of Teaching Others -A person who has to explain it others develops a deeper understanding for themselves. As the saying goes "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein (apparently)
- - Multiple Bunkai - With practice experience we eventually realise that every section of every kata can have more than one application. It's probable that the person who originally devised the technique only had one Bunkai in mind, but a wise budoka realises that almost any technique can be applied in almost any situation.
- - Beyond Pettiness - A person who has truly progressed past the SHU level, knows that all the immature things (that I mentioned in point 12 in last weeks post) are only going to hold back future development. Budo should be for 'Character Development', and a person with a 'developed character' is a mature person.
- - Beyond Styles - A person who has truly progressed past the SHU level, knows that all the styles and all the variations don't really matter. What matters is what you are learning and who you become. The style you do this in doesn't really change anything. A person who has truly progressed to the HA level should be seeking different opinions and looking outside their style anyway.
- - Optional Embusen - They say that Chojun Miyagi coined the term: "Do not be fooled by the rule of embusen." The embusen of a kata is there for those in SHU, in order to learn and remember the kata. A person in HA knows that the patterns that the kata follow doesn't have any bearing on how the Bunkai could be executed.
- - Critical Thinking - Not everyone is naturally used to using critical thinking automatically all the time. But a true Budoka must develop the skills to objectively analyse as much as possible. They must know to think for themselves and not always rely on the judgments of others.
- - Making No Assumptions - When thinking and analysing, it's easy to draw certain conclusions and not bother to double check or find some sort of evidence.
If you draw a conclusion without putting extra effort into making sure that it's correct, then you've made an assumption. A smart person doesn't let assumptions influence their opinions.
- - Open Mindedness - While a true Budoka don't need to rely on the judgments of others, they should be open to other ideas and opinions. Especially if it's not in line with their current views and ideas.
- - Who You Are, Not What You Do - The realisation that Budo training is about the person you become rather than the fact that you "train in martial arts". It's less about appearances and more about who you are in the inside.
- - More Than Fighting - As I explained in this post, traditional Budo is a fusion of fighting skill and learning to be a virtuous person.
A person who has reached the HA level starts to understand how much effort is required in the 'virtue' side of Budo training.
- - Understanding the 'Way' - A big step on the journey is actually realising what "the way" is. It's a tricky thing to figure out for some, but an important stage in your understanding.
12 Signs that you're lost in HA
The majority of Budoka don't progress into the final level (RI). Many stay in HA. The main reason is that there is no clear direction to follow when you're making it your own. Without a map or compass, it's easy to get lost if you're not careful.
Here's 12 signs that you're lost in HA:
- Confusion - If you lack a clear idea of your Budo's direction of development.
In the transition from SHU to HA, the options and decisions to be made drastically increases . It's easy to become overwhelmed by everything.
- - Boredom - If you find you have lost your momentum and motivation for Budo. This can also be a result of becoming overwhelmed by everything.
- - Over-Complicating Bunkai - In last week's post I mentioned that people stuck in SHU can sometimes over-simplify bunkai. The opposite can also be a problem. Budoka sometimes tend to think up overly complex applications for kata. The thought is that is that if they can come up with an incredibly complex and convoluted bunkai, then they're obviously a better (smarter) martial artist. This is not true. The more complex a bunkai, the less chance is that you'll be able to make it work when you need it to. It's about keeping it simple, but of course not so simple that it's ineffective.
- - Completely Change Everything - The idea of HA is 'making it your own', but sometimes a person will go too far and change too much too quickly. When in SHU we learn what Budo is about, if we completely throw all that away, then what we come up with when 'making it our own' will most likely be ineffective and probably nonsensical.
- - Forget Practicality - To just focus on the 'art form' and forget the purpose of those techniques. The physical aspect of Budo training is always about being able to defend ourselves. If you don't have that, irrespective of how nice the kata looks, you're not really a budoka.
- - Too Busy Teaching - Many people in the HA level make their priority about teaching, rather than their own training. Remember, a good instructor still does their own training more than they teach others.
- - Learning Lessons But Not Learning From Lessons - With the transition into HA brings new insights and knowledge. We learn many new ideas and concepts. The problem is that with many people (not just martial artists) learn something or gain a new insight in life, but they fail to actually apply it to their practices and/or way of living. So will become frustrated in something that has become more and more an obvious truth, but they still haven't learnt from it. "Sometimes in life, your situation will keep repeating itself, until you learn your lesson." - Brigitte Nicole
- - Arrogance - With the realisation that you are no longer required to 'follow the rules' sometimes comes an attitude of "I'm pretty awesome, look how far I've come!"
Letting your progress go to your head is not the way and an indication that you fail to realise how much more there is yet to still learn.
- - Failure To See Other Points Of View - As I mentioned above, When 'finding your own way' it's easy to only rely on your own opinion. Of course a good Budoka finds their way, but still be open to the lessons and ideas of other Budoka.
- - No longer "Budo" - When you've changed things so much that what you're doing is no longer martial arts. It resembles sport and nothing else. This is a very unfortunate thing to happen and perpetuates the type of schools many know as the "McDojo".
- - Not RI - A person lost in HA will be unable to find their way to the RI level. Next weeks post will have details about what the RI level is, but if you're lost in HA (for whatever reason) you will not reach the understanding and natural skill required to
- - Stopped Learning - In my mind, the saddest thing to happen to a Budoka (and budo as a whole) is if the Budoka stops learning. This is most common in certain people who achieve the higher grades and special titles like "Hanchi" and "Shihan". Many of these people and their students wouldn't like to admit it, but you can see it with older instructors, especially the ones that run certain clubs. Some have been training in the way of Budo for 40, 50 or even 60 years but have now stopped learning (in some cases even stopped training). This is the extreme of the above point about being "too busy teaching". These people have amassed extensive knowledge and wisdom over the years, but then just stop. Their own budo stagnates.
No one person can 'know it all' but these people have forgotten that there is always more to learn. To put it bluntly, they're so wrapped up in being the 'head-honcho' that they miss out on truly reaching the RI level. You might say, maybe they have already reached the RI level, but if that were true then their budo wouldn't have stagnated. They would still train (regardless of age) and they would still be seeking new insight and abilities.
So stay tuned.
Comment below to share any thoughts or opinions you might have. J
Thanks for reading.
Derm
ϾDerm
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