To man God grants Divine Noblesse;
with Grace profound His children bless;
but the greatest gift of His Caress
is to merge into His Oneness.
He who is free from desires is richest.
Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.
No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.
All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything. Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being?
Freedom and Oneness. They are arguably the two greatest concepts in the history of mankind, spanning eons of time and civilizations beyond measure. It is these two fundamental doctrines that conclude the forty philosophical vignettes of this work.
To live, breathe, move and make choices without interference, coercion, impediment or threat is to be free. How many people on the earth are blessed with such a condition? More importantly, how many souls have risen to the heights of spiritual liberation, totally immune to the constraints and shackles of the material world?
To abandon the mortal framework of the human body and its villainous ego and merge into the supernal ocean of the illimitable, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent power of God is Oneness. It is the ultimate achievement of the human form, the greatest blessing bequeathed on the soul in its journey through time and space.
Although these interpretations of Freedom and Oneness may seem esoteric, they are the immutable teachings of the highest order of Saints and Mystics throughout the existence of life on earth. Man can be free, not just in a worldly, political or cultural sense, but in a divine capacity, ascending to dimensions beyond the ken of human cognizance and perception. Such states of being are not easily attainable, quite the contrary, but they are real and obtainable to every soul who seeks to manifest their reality.
Martial arts is one system in the worldly milieu that serves as a vehicle in developing the individual’s ability to pursue such lofty heights and begin the most miraculous journey and climb the soul will ever know, the journey to ultimately, and finally, free itself from a world that is foreign to its natural divine life and resplendent being.
What is it about martial arts that gives it this ability to serve such supernal ideals? It is because the ascent of the soul demands the application and manifestation of the exact qualities inherent in martial arts training: desire, dedication, determination, discretion, discipline, strength, sacrifice, character, courage, commitment, concentration, consistency, adaptation, flexibility, restraint, humility, the heart of a warrior, the ability to win and the resolve to ultimately triumph and realize its goals. In effect, martial arts training mirrors divine training. The process is the same. The difference is that martial arts training works at the lower level of worldly consciousness while divine training works within the scope and magnitude of the ascending, immortal consciousness. In effect, divine training is the next level up from martial training associated with the material world. The enigma is that such divine training is accomplished while living in the world. The only difference is in focus and goal orientation. The ideal is there. It simply awaits the definitive decision of the aspirant to embark upon its majestic journey. When the decision is made, unknown powers will come into play and personal intuitions of a more grand and spiritual scope will emerge to guide the soul inward and upward. One doesn’t have to look. When the timing is right, the spiritual master, like the martial arts master, will appear.