Listening

Sensitivity is such a valuable factor in terms of combat because it allows you to read your opponents every movement. No matter what style your opponent may practice he still has to come in contact with you. By touching any part of the opponents body you can "see" the energy and all opportunities to attack or defend. Listening is the most important form of kung fu.

This means that the true key to victory is not by our sight but by our feeling. This is the exact definition of Faith. The most important factor in being able to sense the next step, is to relax. If you are tense while you are trying to read your opponents movement, then it will be easy for you to be caught off guard. By thinking about your attack you actually make yourself more vulnerable to the fray. This is the same as life. We must be fully at rest in order to experience anything deeply.

Sensitivity training may start at the touch of the opponent, but it later expands into the opponents mind. His expressions, weight distribution and breath all give off a signature of energy. When you learn to relax more deeply you will be able to feel the energy that he brings from a distance away. It is as if you have plugged into the Earth, and your opponent is standing on a grid.

This is because what you are doing in a sense is harmonizing your self with nature. I find in my training now, I am often surrounded by animals. God uses the animals and the environment to speak to me. In fact what I am telling you, is something that was told to me by three animals: the Raven, the Rabbit and the Hawk.

To be at rest among with the many different struggles in our life isn't easy. Life is the opponent that never relents. Just as in any form of combat it is most important to be confident in yourself. The only problem is we are not able to "see" the reasonings for many events in our lives because we only live to be 100 years old on a planet that is billions of years old. As old as this planet is, you are still a part of the plan of the entire universe. Everything you do will affect the next generation to come in ways that we can't even bother to fathom. So to be confident with such a small life span is only arrogance...or ignorance.

This year I have come to understand that it is not be effort that I have gained anything, but by receiving God's gifts I have gained everything. Every plan attempted on my own fumbled, flopped or bombed. Yet through knowing God loved me at all times I have been continually victorious. Our own plans and efforts can be much like tensing up against our opponent. How can we be attentive to now if we are always planning the future.

How do we rest and make progress? This was the secret that the animals taught me.

After I just finished walking the circle I paused to stretch out my legs. While I was stretching a Raven came and did a U-turn right over me. It was such a beautiful turn that it was impossible to miss. Because he changed his direction right over me he seemed to just be floating in mid air for at least a full second before he disappeared. It was as if God said "I want to show you something today."

"Cool". I said to myself while beginning my saber training. Every time I draw my saber the wind begins to blow. It tells me how hard I need to practice today. The gentle breeze lets me know that today my technique must be a subtle symphony. Some times training feels so good that when I finish I break into laughter...or even tears. Of course some people passing by the empty parking lot think I am a crazy person, but I don't let other people's thoughts contaminate my deeper moments.

When I sat down to rest I saw a rabbit run across the road. He stopped and looked at me for about a minute before he decided to jump over into the bushes. Then for no reason at all, I felt compelled to stare into the blue empty sky. In the vast emptiness I saw a speck that looked like a grain of black sand swaying back and forth. It was a hawk that seemed to be miles in the sky just gliding. I watched him perform as he obviously enjoying himself. He wasn't on his way to anywhere, he was just enjoying the wind. I could see that the wind was carrying him, and that he wasn't using any effort of his own.

I then realized why the rabbit jumped into the bushes. While the hawk was at rest he was able to see the whole world clearly. As he rested on God's power, he was able to see every opportunity that would come his way. Faith is trusting the direction of God's wind.

We can and should not fight against the wind or the current of our life. When we are flapping our own wings we are wasting energy and actually moving less effectively. In all arts, we must relax to make real impact.

Confidence in yourself is good, but Godfidence is unlimited. By having faith that because of his love you will receive every thing great, you can relax and enjoy every moment as the hawk.  People who try to control the wind live miserable and unmeaningful lives. Just be a hawk and watch the world from above.

From above we can move freely upon the power of the wind and will find everything in our hearts desire. God is in our hearts and we must tune in to the frequency. Listening is the most important form of kung fu.