On Training And Re-Sets

 Our Iaijutsu Seminar concluded yesterday.

It was the first time we have had to train with our Grand Master in 3 years, due to the The Plague.  We had a total of 22 hours of training over five days.

It was...invigorating.

There is something about training five hours a day under the eye of the highest member of your school or order that focuses the mind wonderfully, like nothing else can:  partially, of course, from the terror of doing something incorrectly and reflecting poorly not so much on yourself but on the dojo, but also partially from the fact that one wants to show improvement and get things correctly.  As a koryu (Old combat style founded before 1600), form and details matter as much as the execution itself - our art is labeled Iaijutsu not Iaido as it retains its original combative application.  The techniques themselves were used at one time for actual life and death combat; although we no longer engage in these, maintaining them in their original form is important.

It came at a perfect time:  no work or other responsibilities to divert my attention with a great jagged chasm between my life before June and my life after June.  A time (at least in theory) of reflection.

I had a lot of time to reflect, doing kata and then coming home and making notes on everything that had been given to me as a correction or as new information.  I am still processing it of course, but there some immediate things to walk away with:

1)  Iaijutsu is the Path:  Or at least, Iaijutsu is my path.  Training directly with the headmaster reminded me again of why love Iaijutsu - and how far I still have to go.

2)  Details matter:  It was emphasized to us that every detail - every one - matters.  Things that I have taken for granted in activities like bow in, bow out, and even standing during training - all have confidence, all matter.  The fact that this is true of everything else in life is probably just a passing thought.  Probably.

3)  To do something, we have to not do others:  There is a finite amount of time anyone one of us has to dedicate to activities, a finite amount of energy to expend.  At some point, we have to make choices.

4) The Way is in Training:  This thought is not original to me; it originated with Miyamoto Musashi in A Book Of Five Rings.  It was re-emphasized to me this week in that the only way to improve and get better - in Iaijutsu, in gardening, in writing, in anything - is to do it repeatedly.

5)  Iaijutsu is really all about life:  This is not a new lesson but one that was re-emphasized to me.  Everything in Iai - Timing and distance, details, constantly seeking improvement, attention to detail - all of these are as much a part of every other aspect of life as they are a part of Iaijutsu.  If I am a good Iai practitioner, it follows (in theory anyway) I should be a reasonable human being skillful in many aspects of life and human relationships because things like timing, distance (spatial or psychological), and self improvement are just as critical there as they are in Iai. It is just that we do not use swords.

The longer this month goes, the more this unexpected reset seems very much like a planned reset by Someone.