Concern is expressed from time to time about my predilection for the martial arts and their teachings and about my use of the term "warrior" in the path I follow and teach.
At the beginning of my book "Embodying Spirit: The Inner Work of the Warrior," I have this quote from Nietzsche: "And if ye cannot be saints of knowledge, then, I pray you, be at least its warriors. They are the companions and forerunners of such saintship."
I am no saint. A saint is one with no blemishes. I am very much human. I am a warrior.
A warrior is not a soldier. A soldier marches along following orders. A warrior dances and the dance is unpredictable in its rhythm and expression. The warrior dances to the rhythm of the cosmos, of the ever-flowing life force and to no human-created form.
If form follows function, then the purpose of the form is to reveal and to realize (make real) its function. If the function is the continuously creative and unpredictable unfolding of the life force, one's form is the form of no form. All forming is unforming. This is the warrior way.
When the forming is made into a form and one is looking to persuade others to follow that form, to adopt that form as the only way to solve-ation and no other, one has become a soldier and has soldered one's spirit to a frame.
The light around a saint is one of beatific holiness. A saint has nothing to do with this world, has gone on. The light around a warrior is the light of the blazing of the heart, consuming all human-created form. I follow the example of the warrior. I am no saint.
At the beginning of my book "Embodying Spirit: The Inner Work of the Warrior," I have this quote from Nietzsche: "And if ye cannot be saints of knowledge, then, I pray you, be at least its warriors. They are the companions and forerunners of such saintship."
I am no saint. A saint is one with no blemishes. I am very much human. I am a warrior.
A warrior is not a soldier. A soldier marches along following orders. A warrior dances and the dance is unpredictable in its rhythm and expression. The warrior dances to the rhythm of the cosmos, of the ever-flowing life force and to no human-created form.
If form follows function, then the purpose of the form is to reveal and to realize (make real) its function. If the function is the continuously creative and unpredictable unfolding of the life force, one's form is the form of no form. All forming is unforming. This is the warrior way.
When the forming is made into a form and one is looking to persuade others to follow that form, to adopt that form as the only way to solve-ation and no other, one has become a soldier and has soldered one's spirit to a frame.
The light around a saint is one of beatific holiness. A saint has nothing to do with this world, has gone on. The light around a warrior is the light of the blazing of the heart, consuming all human-created form. I follow the example of the warrior. I am no saint.
These are good words, George. I agree with you that being a warrior is very different than being a soldier.
ReplyDeleteA saint I am not either. I have an inner warrior protecting my inner saint as well as trying to wake the other inner warriors of those I meet.
I wish you peace in your journeys and few required battles. <3
I think the word Warrior is terrifying to many people. Humans have relegated courage to some very shallow places and when you, George, use the word Warrior, people know you 'ain't talking about weekend warriors or reality show competitions. I really like your articulation of the difference btwn warrior and soldier - especially the acknowledgement of the unpredictable rhythm of the cosmos that the warrior dances to.
ReplyDeletelet's dance.
ReplyDelete