Quendalon/Session22LiInterlude
“The Way lies in conflict.”
All things can be defined not only by what they are, but by what they are not. Tension inevitably arises between opposites. Day cannot be night. Up cannot be down. Life cannot be death. Things can change and alternate into their opposites, or synthesize with their opposites and become something new. In a single instant, a thing is what it is and it is opposed by what it is not. This is what is called conflict.
It may said that peace is in opposition conflict, or harmony; but this is a ridiculous statement. If peace opposes, does it not create conflict and thus invalidate itself? Rather say that peace is the result of harmonious conflict.
The day may oppose the night but it is not to say that one seeks to conquer and destroy the other. The concepts of victory or defeat are meaningless in harmonious conflict. Day cannot exist without night to define what it is not.
Conflict is the name for the force which creates change. Change is the Way of Creation. Thus, the Way lies in conflict.
Mastery of harmonious conflict requires a still and untroubled mind. The movements of the Five Elements occur not because the Elements think but because they act upon their natures. Fire does not say to itself, “Now I will rise up.” Water does not say, “Now I will flow downwards.” Wood does not say, “Now I will grow.” Air does not say, “Now I will blow across the land.” Earth does not say, “Now I will settle.” A master of harmonious conflict, like the elements, knows without knowing and acts as one with his thoughts. The gap between conception and action is sometimes very large. It is in this gap that one can lose the Way. When the Way is lost, conflict devolves into mere violence, without purpose or need.
Therefore, to master conflict, banish all thoughts of victory versus defeat. Banish all thoughts of life versus death. Banish all thoughts of glory or honors, humiliation or shame. Seek knowledge of the self and knowledge of the non-self. Live with simplicity and virtue. Understand with the depths of your spirit the essence of conflict. When the gap between conception and action narrows, the Way is close.
“Sword, No-Sword”
The true secret of swordsmanship is that there is no sword. It is common to think that some swords are better than others: swords of Western iron are inferior; swords of Southern bronze are soft; swords forged by the Northmen are too heavy; and so on. This is a very wrong way to think because it makes a swordsman depend on a specific weapon. One will become used to using a particular sword of a particular make but when confronted with a situation where that sword becomes useless, one cannot respond and will die. For instance, it is inappropriate to use a large sword in thick woods or indoors. A swordsman who knows only large swords will be defeated if he does battle in a low-ceilinged room. Thus, one must adopt the “no-sword attitude.”
It is true that some swords are objectively superior to others, as a result of craftsmanship, material and other considerations. In close quarters, a short sword is more suitable than a large sword. Some swords have good balance while others do not. Some swords are well-made and sturdy while others are brittle and dull. Ultimately, these are minor considerations.
What is a sword but an extension of the fighting will? A sword cannot fight on its own. Without a hand to wield it, a sword is useless. A will is required to grasp a sword in hand and to bring it to battle. This is simple but easy to overlook. It naturally follows that the sword itself is ultimately unimportant. Only the will of the wielder is what matters. Thus, there is no sword. There is only the swordsman.
This is the secret of the “no-sword attitude.”
“There is no defeat.”
When one is confronted with battle there is often the attitude that one must win at any cost. This is a false thought and must be banished from the mind to achieve the Way. It is natural to want to live and to want to win. And yet these urges are so often contradictory. Sometimes death lies in victory and life lies in defeat. People are not all-wise and so what seems like victory at the moment may later be revealed as defeat. Ultimately, the distinction between victory and defeat is a worthless judgement. The result of a battle should not valued for what is accomplished but what is learned. A so-called victory is meaningless if it is effortless to attain. If one can gain insight into the Way from their struggle, even if one is wounded unto death, then there is no defeat
