Tag Archives: The Panther

Sensei’s Journal: Entry # 12- The Panther

19 Jul

Seasonal work demands have dictated a change in the frequency of my Katannabis* meditation session. What was once my daily routine ( https://wordpress.com/post/senseijohn.me/3731 ) has become a weekly session on Sunday nights. Sunday being my only day off. 

To describe the effect of this change, I offer the poem The Panther, by Rainer Maria Wilke. Katannabis is now like the image that rushes into the Panther’s eye.

The Panther:

His vision, from the constantly passing bars,

Has grown so weary that it cannot hold anything else.

It seems to him there are a thousand bars; 

And behind the bars, no world.

As he paces in cramped circles, over and over, 

The movement of his powerful soft strides 

Is like a ritual dance around a center

In which a mighty will stands paralyzed.

Only at times, the curtain of the pupil lifts, quietly –

An image rushes in,

Rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles, 

Plunges into the heart and is gone.

To be sure I still perform short meditations throughout the day. If I did not, I could get through the demands of the day. It helps be cope whereas daily Katannabis expanded me as a person.

The key is to maintain myself until the seasonal demands end and I again have the capability to return to my daily Katannabis.

* Katannabis is the entheogenic combination of my Kata-Rx program and medical cannabis.

Try it yourself:

You can try my Kata-Rx for FREE, safely and conveniently in the comfort of your own home by enrolling for FREE in my online class: https://kata-rx.teachable.com/p/preview-kata-as-moving-meditation

Respectfully submitted,

Sensei John Szmitkowski

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THE PANTHER SANCHIN PILGRIMAGE

1 Apr

Before I announce the next Sanchin Pilgrimage, some

EXCITING NEWS:

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AND NOW, THE NEXT SANCHIN PILGRIMAGE:

At times, the drama of life is like a cage constructed to contain our spirit. The demands upon one’s time dampen our inalienable desire to walk life’s path unbounded.

During such times when the demands of life seem to envelope and contain my spirit, I re-read the poem “The Panther” by Rainer Maria Wilke and perform Sanchin Kata. In the poem, the panther, symbolizes my caged spirit and the desire to break free, if only for a moment. The performance of Sanchin Kata provides that moment of escape.

So that you may experience the effects of opening the door to the cage that imprisons your spirit, I submit to you the next Sanchin Pilgrimage –

THE PANTHER SANCHIN PILGRIMAGE:

Session Parameters:

Date: Friday, April 6th (Yes, a Friday when you are terribly tired from the work-week)

Time: Anytime when you feel your spirit caged by the drama of your life

Location:  Any location

Salient Points:

  • Prior to the scheduled session, read the poem The Panther by Rainer Maria Wilke (For your convenience, one translation of the poem is below). Consider how the drama of life forms the bars of a cage that contains your spirit and the desire to escape those bars if only for a moment. Consider also how Sanchin Kata is the “ritual dance” upon which you can make your escape from the cage;
  • On the day of the scheduled session, read the poem again prior to embarking upon your day;
  • Anytime during the day, when the drama of life imposes itself upon you and cages your spirit, again read the poem and perform Sanchin Kata;
  • At the end of the day, when all is quiet, again read the poem and perform Sanchin Kata. Consider and reflect upon the theme of the poem and the freedom of the “ritual dance’ of Sanchin;
  • You should reflect deep and well on the above;
  • The last requirement of this Sanchin Pilgrimage is to remain in an enraptured physical, spiritual and metaphysical state throughout the day by way of the concept of  “Zanshin” (the “remaining mind” which is discussed in my Sanchin DVD and Book, See Endnote # 2).

The Panther

His vision, from the constantly passing bars,has grown so weary that it cannot hold anything else. 

It seems to him there are a thousand bars; And behind the bars, no world.

As he paces in cramped circles, over and over, the movement of his powerful soft strides Is like a ritual dance around a center in which a mighty will stands paralyzed. 

Only at time, the curtain of the pupil lifts, quietly -,    An image rushes in, Rushes down through the tensed, arrested  muscles,  Plunges into the heart and is gone. (See Endnote # 1). 

Once again, you may wish to not only perform the Sanchin Pilgrimage as scheduled, but may also revisit the specific pilgrimage and allow Sanchin to unlock the cage imposed upon your by the drama of daily life. Do this as an integral part of your regular Sanchin practice.

In closing, I remain, an uncaged with the spirit of the Panther, courtesy of the ritual dance of Sanchin,

HANKO

Sensei John Szmitkowski

ENDNOTES:

1. Rainer Marie Rilke, The Panther.

2. NOW AVAILABLE – SANCHIN VIDEO SERIES designed specifically for the NON-MARTIAL ARTIST who desires to learn & unlock the secret treasure of Sanchin. Here is a convenient link a promotional video about the Sanchin DVD filmed on location at various scenic locations throughout Arizona. LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-pC-tPUrYE

You can find information on how to purchase a Sanchin DVD & Book by clicking the following convenient link:http://www.dynamic-meditation.com/references.html

Sensei John is now on Facebook, under – FLY FISHING DOJO, you are invited to send a Facebook friend request.

You may wish to view my blog dedicated to the interrelationship between martial arts protocol & ideology to fly-fishing and fishing in general by clicking WWW.FlyFishingDojo.Com

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THE PANTHER

8 Aug
With the “Dog Days of Summer” upon us, I thought I would take a break from submissions drawn from martial arts ideology. I submit the following as a guide for introspection.
 
The following poem by Rainer Maria Rilke is a favorite of mine. I refer to it whenever I find that activities that I desire to do are not accomplished solely by reason of my own internal excused inaction. That is to say, like so many other people, though I “desire” to do something, I make excuses for not doing that which I desire. Enough time passes and by reason of the excuses, the desire is lost and accepted. The poem is entitled The Panther. 
His vision, from the constantly passing bars,
Has grown so weary that it cannot hold anything else.
It seems to him there are a thousand bars;
And behind the bars, no world.
As he paces in cramped circles, over and over,
The movement of his powerful soft strides
Is like a ritual dance around a center
In which a mighty will stands paralyzed.
Only at time, the curtain of the pupil lifts, quietly -,
An image rushes in,
Rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles,
Plunges into the heart and is gone. (See Endnote # 1).

Much has been written about The Panther from the standpoint of the human attributes that are imposed upon the caged, once wild, creature.

I prefer to view the poem as symbolic of our own human conflict. We long for situations that we desire, more leisure time, quality of life, and the like. Too often we build emotional barriers (I can’t to that, I am afraid, etc) or find excuses (I can’t take off from work, I am too tired, etc) for not pursuing our desires. Self-inflicted internal barriers are akin to the bars of the panthers cage. However, they remain, at all times, bars of our own construction. Inevitably, like, the panther, we loose all desire. The excuse for not acting is accepted and the desire is lost to a fading memory.

Such a stagnation of desire is also evident in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. In my years as a criminal defense trial lawyer the following passage hung prominently in my office as a reminder against forestalling action. The passage is a conversation hat takes place between Lord Aragon ( or Strider as he is also referred to) and Lady Eowyn.

“What do you fear, lady?” Aragon asked.“A cage,” Lady Eowyn said, “To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.” (See Endnote # 2).

Whenever I find myself stagnant and excusing away desired action, I refer to these to literary masterpieces. I hope that they provide you with the opportunity to re-examine some of the desired actions that you may have postponed and re-ignite the desire.

Until the next submission, I remain (hopefully) free of self-imposed cages. To this end, I will shed my cage-like excuses and use the day to fly-fish on the Lower Salt River here in Arizona. That reminds me, you invited to read my exciting, unique new blog which can be found at WWW.FlyFishingDojo.Wordpress.Com.

  Sensei John Szmitkowski, Soke, Jiriki Kata-Do
ENDNOTES:
1. Rainer Marie Rilke, The Panther.
2. Tolkien, J.R.R., Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, (Houghton Mifflin Co, New York, NY 1955) p. 767.
 
 Please feel free to visit Sensei John’s new online store containing various Jiriki Kata-Do products with the unique logo of Sanchin. The Sanchin logo depicts the three battles of Sanchin in a new contextual paradigm. You may find Sensei’s store by clicking the following link http://www.cafepress.com/Sanchin_logo.   
 For more on either Sanchin Kata as meditation or my new book on Sanchin Kata, please feel free to visit the “Sanchin Book” page of this Blogsite, or my website WWW.Dynmaic-Meditation.Com. 

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