Skip to main content

How You Avoid Being 餓鬼 Gaki in the Bujinkan

Ouch! photo by Harry Sherman
There is a certain type of student in the martial arts and the Bujinkan who is like 餓鬼 gaki. A gaki in Japanese is the spirit of a jealous or greedy person who, as punishment for mortal vices, has been cursed with an insatiable hunger or thirst. No matter how much it consumes, it cannot be sated. Gaki is also a slang word for bratty kids.

Could you be a gaki? Would you even know if you were this type of student? And if you are, how can you leave behind this cycle?

Sometimes we focus on the wrong things in training. It's easy to get lost in the details. Where did Sensei put his feet? Which hand did he strike with? What are the steps of this kata?

After asking these questions we are still no closer to understanding what was taught. Then we try to mimic the teacher and cannot. Or we do mimic but don't get the results. This becomes frustrating for many. Some give up and quit.

Some even adopt a strange strategy of trying to mimic the teacher when he was younger. (how they think they can accomplish this I have no idea… old video? stories from the so called "old days?") Many people sink deeper into details, training on form to the extreme.

We should have compassion and understanding for these gaki. In Japan they even have a special day in August (or sometimes around Halloween) called segaki 施餓鬼 which is for feeding these hungry ghosts. In training, many so called teachers cater to these unfortunate students and sell them anything they wish to consume.

None of this offers a solution. You have to go back to the original problem. What do you focus on in training?

True experts make it look easy and effortless. What does that mean to appear effortless? It means to not show effort. Masters in any art are really masters of what to leave out. What not to do. Mistakes not to make.

They narrow their focus to the absolute essence of the movement. It looks so simple. And in truth, it is!

Soke Hatsumi writes,
"... with the Zen style of painting where anything unnecessary is omitted, and the place where it has been omitted is where the genuine illustration of Zen can be seen."
We should be focusing on what is not shown. What is not attempted. What steps are not taken.

If you can discard what the master left out, you will be left with the essence. Start from this basic, ground state when learning. The teacher shows what he shows for a reason. Don't think you know better than him to go do something else.

In training we only require the ground beneath our feet. Just like Soke. That is where he begins every technique. Connecting to this realization clears away the heaps of junk that are injected into our minds by people with a variety of agendas. Know also that many teachers cater to Gaki students and have an agenda for saying what they say. Their intentions are not to help you learn, but rather "sell" themselves and promote their ability. Your training with them will be full, but you will always be empty.

You have an innate wisdom that expresses an intuitive understanding and clarity that cuts through ego, anxiety, and aggression. Every student I meet has this ability to know what is good when they allow themselves this freedom.

Good training is going into that place in yourself where this exists naturally. You do this over and over until you no longer have to search in yourself for it. You embody it and all you require is the ground. It becomes the body you live in.

When you get to this place and find your spot on the ground, you have a responsibility to reflect it in your life. Bring it forward through personal example and responsible action. This is how to teach without ego, from your own truth.

Look for that teacher or be that teacher. Anything less is like being a gaki.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japan Report Six 令和5年

I was invited to Furuta Sensei’s home dojo out in the countryside. He is very generous and picked us up from the train station. The only problem is that he plays a Lady Gaga CD on repeat during the drive. Furuta’s home dojo is very rustic with traditional tatami mats. He started training with ukemi and my cotton tabi really slid across the straw! His exploration of 基本八法 Kihon Happō is influenced by his study of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū. As the next Soke of Kumogakure Ryū, he is hard at work learning and studying this school. And I feel lucky to be part of this journey every time I study with him. At one point he showed a detail of how to attack the 急所 kyūsho 血止 chidome and 血ダメ chidame. The name of this kyūsho means to stop the blood. Obviously this would incapacitate an opponent if you pull it off. But Furuta Sensei used a hooking strike into chidome to unbalance with one finger. The kyūsho becomes a 支点 shiten. The pressure creates a pivot or a fulcrum to affect the oppon...
Post a Comment
Read more

Japan Report Seven 令和5年

I began the morning in a hurry because I had to get to the dojo early. My days in Japan are very busy. I run and gun to fit in all of the classes, recording my video reports in between. And I still have to find time for food, laundry, sleep, as well as tourism and shopping.  Today I planned three classes, Furuta Sensei, Nagase Sensei, and Noguchi Sensei. But I didn’t have time to review my notes until the next morning in a cafe. The coffee sure helped. The FULL video review can be found here: https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-seven-reiwa-five/ The first class was at the Bujinkan Honbu dojo with Furuta Sensei. We began class wearing a lot of knives. He said you should wear at least 9 knives. He didn’t mean that literally but the number 9 implies an infinite amount. So you have the ability to respond or attack infinitely. He kept hiding behind the attack of his opponents. I learned this approach from him a few years ago during our study of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Japan Report Four 令和5年

I start off my Japan Report Four video going to Hatsumi Sensei’s house and the Bujinkan Honbu office. I do this on every trip because this is how I submit my rank paperwork for my students. In the video I talk about my “secret” route to his house. I also recall past times when I could just visit and have tea with Soke. During my walk to his house, I review some of my notes from old classes with Soke. During one class he said 自分の第六感兼ねあいうち Jibun no dairokkan kane aiuchi. This is when you make your intuition match reality. Or, more directly, your intuition is combined with something concrete such as a strike. Later in that same class, Hatsumi Sensei said 意識をさせない Ishiki o Sasenai. He was telling us not to allow our opponents to sense our intentions. Don’t put out any intention for your opponent to read. I thought it was fascinating to think about dairokkan and the use of intuition while also hiding your intentions. Hatsumi Sensei’s classes were full of subtle lessons lik...
Post a Comment
Read more