por Patanga Cordeiro
Beleza e disciplina
A beleza na fluidez dos movimentos de quem dedicou a vida à arte marcial possui pontos em comum com a meditação: disciplina diária, dedicação diária, intensidade diária. Um atleta verdadeiro deixa de perseguir sonhos menores e escolhe as coisas que o levam adiante no seu caminho. Sua recompensa é caminhar em direção à auto-descoberta, a única coisa que precisamos descobrir, o único propósito de nossa existência. É algo que faz valer a superação de qualquer desafio.
No entanto, esse caminho (palavra “do” que compõe parte do nome das artes marciais, em judo, kendo, aikido, karate-do, taekwonwdo) não é de negação. Um caminho espiritual representa exatamente o contrário. É descobrir o que vale a pena ser descoberto, é ser feliz de verdade. Aliás, o termo correto para Kung Fu como arte marcial seria Wushu. Kung Fu em si é um termo da língua chinesa que possui um significado mais elevado, além do estilo de luta; em verdade, significa “alcançar uma meta elevada, excelência na busca.”
Luta x arte
As artes marciais não são estilos de luta. A arte marcial é uma arte. Ela não tem um propósito-fim evidente. Aprender a lutar pertence aos estilos de luta. Mas os monges Shaolin foram os primeiros a codificar uma arte marcial, que mais tarde passou a ser o kung fu. Em adição à meditação zen e as tarefas diárias a serem realizadas nos templos, uma rotina de exercícios físicos – mas sempre voltados para a interiorização da consciência – foi implementada. Isso ajudou muito os monges a praticarem a meditação, visto que seus corpos ficaram mais dinâmicos, saudáveis, despertos e – o segredo das artes marciais – sensíveis à energia interna, canais adequados para o fluxo dessa energia.
Igualmente, a meditação, por equilibrar as energias internas (prana, chi, qi), traz uma reflexão física. Eu mesmo tive experiências onde tanto a meditação e a dieta vegetariana melhoraram meu treino de artes marciais, quanto as artes marciais melhoraram minha prática de meditação.
Indo além
Gostaria de deixar uma dica: sinto que, por conta das nossa próprias barreiras internas e externas, apenas a prática de artes marciais não basta para a nossa auto descoberta. Seria extremanente valioso adicionar uma forma consciente de aspiração, como a oração ou meditação diárias, de no mínimo 30 minutos. (por exemplo: 20 minutos de manhã e 10 à noite).
A relação entre meditação e artes marciais
Para chegarmos realmente ao cerne do assunto, eu deixo aqui duas perguntas feitas a Sri Chinmoy sobre as artes marciais, no inglês original.
* * *
What is the relationship between meditation and sports? I know in martial arts, which is something I’ve done for many years, there is a direct relationship, but does it also exist with sports?
Sri Chinmoy: In sports we need energy, strength and dynamism. When we meditate, we make our mind calm and quiet. If inside us there is peace, then we will derive tremendous strength from our inner life. That is to say, if I have a peaceful moment, even for one second, that peace will come to me as solid strength in my sports, whether I am running or jumping or throwing. That strength is almost indomitable strength, whereas if we are restless, we do not have strength like that.
Look at an elephant. An elephant has tremendous strength. It is not restless like a monkey which is moving here and there. It is exactly the same for us. In our inner life if we have the strength of an elephant, then only in our outer life can we be peaceful. A lion is very peaceful. Then when something happens, he starts roaring. But its strength is the peace that it has. It has confidence. But a monkey and other animals that are very, very restless, what kind of strength do they have? Meditation gives us inner strength. Once we have inner strength, we are bound to be successful in our outer life.
Sri Chinmoy, Run And Smile, Smile And Run, Agni Press, 2000
A Talk by Sri Chinmoy to the students of Karate Teacher, Mr. Kimo Wall of Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Sagrado Corazon College in San Juan, at 2:00 p.m. on Jan. 19, 1971, after Kimo and his students had given a lengthy and extraordinarily skillful performance of Karate for the Master and the disciples of the San Juan Centre.
Sri Chinmoy: Your teacher, our sweet Kimo, has performed something entirely unique. Today we have learned quite a few things from him. The most important thing we have learned is that his combined concentration in the physical, in the vital, in the mental, in the psychic and in the spiritual were all directed in a superb way for his purpose. You all know that Karate is primarily for self-defence, but again I wish to tell you, and I am sure that your teacher has already taught you, that it is not for self-defence alone, as such. It is for something deeper. Self-protection is necessary, but along with self-protection, what is necessary is self-realisation. What are you going to protect if you do not know what you are? In order to know the highest and the deepest and the inmost, we have to concentrate and meditate.
While he was performing this unique and extraordinary set of movements that we saw a few minutes ago, we observed, along with his superb skill, a power of concentration that ran from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Every part of his being was surcharged with a dynamic will. Now this will comes from the soul, not from the body. His physical body became the conscious instrument of his soul’s dynamic will. Now where did he, how did he, learn this so-called technique, which is actually the concentration of a spiritual Master? He learned it from his soul’s inner will.
So what you are getting here is a great opportunity; and this is not the end. You will be taught by him for a few months or a few years and that is just the beginning. The very essence of everything you do is meditation. Kimo’s performance was the result of inner concentration and meditation. So, this is my sincere request to each of you, that every day in the morning, you will please try to concentrate for a few minutes or meditate for a few minutes. Meditation is a vast subject. If I speak about it, it would take hours and hours and there would be no end. I have spoken considerably on meditation at various places: spiritual centres, churches, synagogues, American universities, Puerto Rican universities, European universities. I just came back from a tour on the Continent. There I spoke on meditation.
What I feel would be best for you here is to ask me a few questions on meditation. Otherwise if I give a talk on meditation, it may not serve your immediate purpose, because each one here has a different problem. Your problem need not and cannot be the same as someone else’s problem. In your inner life, you have a problem of your own, or you want Light in a different way from your neighbour. You want to grow into the Light, the Light divine. For real growth, your way of approaching the Truth has to be different from the one who is sitting right beside you.
Now, in the spiritual life, we always say that we must grow and become. Now some people will say that unless you have become something yourself, you cannot give anything to others. Yes, it is true. If you don’t know something and you try to teach others, it is a matter of the blind leading the blind. But I also wish to say that if you know something better than I do, then you are perfectly entitled to teach me that particular thing. And if I know something which you do not know, you should learn it from me. Now here is the golden opportunity to coordinate your knowledge of the physical, the vital, the mental and the psychic with the spiritual. The spiritual life teaches us the unification of all the members of the family: the physical, the vital and the mental must run abreast and inside the physical, the physic and the soul must predominate. Otherwise if you just become an expert in Karate, if you learn it mechanically, you are serving no purpose. But if you exercise your inner will through Karate, while you are performing, you are not only learning the technique of self-defence, but you are discovering your inner reality which is God-realisation. Everything you do when you study or when you speak to a person should have the soul’s will coming to the fore from deep within; then your life will have a purpose. Otherwise you will achieve success, the so-called success, but if the spiritual part of your life is lagging behind, if meditation is missing, your joy will be limited, fleeting, and your achievement will be very insignificant. But if you meditate, you will see an abiding Peace, abiding Light, abiding Joy deep within you.
Now I wish to invite a few questions from those who are interested in the inner life, the spiritual life.
Sri Chinmoy, Earth’s Cry Meets Heaven’s Smile, Part 3, Agni Press, 1978