The way of the... (tell me what you think)

[dre_doggX]

The Way Of The Warrior
By Erle Montaigue
__________________________________________________ _______

Back To Contents

A warrior is not just a person who has learned some moves, is able to kick at 90 miles per hour or who has won the world championships at kick-boxing. A warrior must earn his title. The martial artist is a person who knows things that go far deeper than just self defence, he is someone who walks into a room full of people and an immediate calm falls upon that room, he is a person who can touch a person's head, or arm, or hand and cause an inner stillness and peace to fall upon that person. You know a warrior not from the way he looks, his big biceps, or his rolled up sleeves revealing a row of tattoos, or his shaven head or the fact that he wears his full gi (karate uniform) to parties!

We know the warrior by his presence and the healing he automatically gives to everyone he meets. His energy, his 'Qi' is touching you, you don't feel anything physical, but rather the internal effect of this touching, and peace is with you.

The warrior looks upon the earth in a different way than those who are not warriors, everything, from the smallest insect to the largest mammal, and the most insignificant rock or tree is important and has life, the grass he walks upon, he thanks for softening the rough path he walks upon, the trees, he thanks for giving him shade and oxygen. Everything has importance because it was put there by mother earth for some reason.


Sure, he has to live in modern times, he must drive a motor car and go to the supermarket and mow his lawns, but always, he never loses sight of what he is, and more importantly, where he is. He knows that what he is, is not only what he has made himself to be, but also what is handed down to him and what is an accumulation right inside the very cells that he is made of, from his ancestors. Everything that they were, is now him, every bit of information that his fathers and mothers gathered is now inside of him, this is how we live on in our children, we literally, and I mean literally, pass on our knowledge, along with eons of knowledge accumulated since the beginning of time, to our children. Everything that we are at the conception of our children is passed on to them. We think that we have certain talents, but the warrior knows that all that he is, has come from the beginning of time, he knows that he is made up of the same stuff that a rock is made of, or a tree or a blade of grass, the difference is only physical. He knows that he owns nothing, and that all animals are free, his animals chose him to be with, he does not go to the pet shop to chose a new dog, he knows that the dog has chosen him to come to that pet shop to chose it.


The warrior communicates with the earth, he talks to the dogs, to the cats and owls, to the snakes, not so much verbally, but simply by being. This is the one thing that everything on earth has in common, being. He knows that there are forces at work on this earth, forces that he must learn to go with and to live with, otherwise he will surely perish. The energy within the warrior has the power to join with these forces, and then he has the power to change. But this comes not without payment, for he also knows that we cannot receive without first having paid for it. The whole of the universe is based upon this giving and taking, it is called yin & yang. For every up there must be a down, for every happiness, there must be a sadness, for every full tummy, there must be an empty one. The warrior knows that he must lose in order to gain, and so he sacrifices. He sacrifices his food, he sacrifices his sexual longings, his every day comforts, in order that he has the power to change and to help others to change. Not in going out specifically to help others, but to have the internal power always there to automatically help others to be peaceful, and in doing so, they too will be able to see where they are, and who they are. We are not only someone's son or daughter, we are the sons and daughters of an infinite amount of people, those who have passed on to us their cells inside of which is hidden the very substance of creation and everything that has happened. Not 'since time began', because there is no beginning or ending.

Being a martial artist is only one hundredth of what a warrior is, it is only a part of the whole, it is what gives us the confidence to become a healer, the internal energy to make changes.

A warrior knows that we do not have teachers, but guides, the people we meet who are able to give us something internal, that something extra to cause us to become our own greatest teachers. Just by simply being, a guide helps us to realize that it is we, ourselves who teach us, because the warrior also knows that locked away inside of everything, is that primordial cell that contains all information. He learns to read this information which comes in the form of 'flashes' at first, and this is too much for his feeble human brain to handle, he shuts off as soon as the flash arrives. But soon he learns to read these flashes, and they become longer in duration than just a moment. This is when the warrior knows that he is reading time.

He learns to communicate other than speaking, he knows that his physical needs are being looked after, and needs not worry about where the next mortgage payment will come from.


The warrior finds his place on the earth and stays there, where the power is. It is not a physical searching, but rather the warrior is 'taken' to where he must be, and there he stays, and the whole world will pass by, he needs not to travel, because the universe is there within him, and those who will in turn need to seek him out, will do so when their time is right, in just the same way that he did when he had to travel the world searching for his own guides. They then will learn to teach themselves from within, and also then go and find their own place, and he may never see them again, but this does not worry the warrior, he is in contact.


The warrior is not the master, he is not the sifu nor the sensei, these are just physical words that we put upon ourselves to make us seem important, or better than those who we guide. The warrior is a friend to his students, and so cannot be our master. He does not wish to gather students as they will search him out, and those who need to have a master or a sensei will not stay, they will keep searching until they realize that what they search is within them, and who they search, can only be their guide.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go Home

[Mantis9]

Okay. I think its nice, but what are the rest of us going to do.:)

I mean no disrespect to Mr. Montaigue's views about a warrior's character and being, but I am no where close to something like that. Though I most likely don't share his religious or philosophical outlook, I do appreciate the fact that he wishes the warrior a hero, endowed with virtueous qualities and a selfless motivation to help others with them. However (perhaps this is in another chapter) I wonder if looking to be this person by whatever means someone may find is enough to be deemed a 'warrior' or if we're all shadows of the real deal.

Of course, this is all speculative. I don't consider myself a warrior.

[joedoe]

I think the term warrior means different things to different people. On the one hand there is the new-age image of a warrior being a noble, near-perfect being that is not only a great fighter but is also spiritually enlightened. On the other hand there is the simpler view that the warrior is simply a fighter.

My view is somewhere in the middle - an accomplished fighter with some moral fibre.

[diego]

I Always assumed a warrior is just that, like a nativeindian warrior is the defender of his ilk, and a barbarian is just a fighter.

joe how you be defining barbaric?.

[MaFuYee]

jeez! - how can you ppl read that drivel? i couldn't get past the first paragraph. - i tried, but my eyes kept rolling up into the back of my head. - probably some kind of subconsious defense mechanism, to protect me from reading too much b.s.

e.m. should lay off the weed/shrooms/lsd/pcp/crack/moldy bread/whatever he may be on.

gee... i wonder if e.m. considers himself to be a "warrior"? - hahaha - as if i didn't know the answer.

[gazza99]

MaFuYee: "jeez! - how can you ppl read that drivel?"

Probably becuase we have a mental and emotional maturity higher than that of your average 12 year old. :)

Gary

[Budokan]

Here's the best line from the whole article:

"His animals chose him to be with. He does not go to the pet shop to chose a new dog, he knows that the dog has chosen him to come to that pet shop to chose it. "

Haw! That's classic! And funnier'n h*ll!

I didn't choose my goldfish. They chose me. That's how you can tell I'm a warrior.

HAW!
:D

[Merryprankster]

This "way of the warrior," crap has really gotten overblown.

There's no "way of the warrior."

There's "being a responsible human being who is accountable for his actions who happens to know how to fight." The idea that we "cultivate warrior spirit," through the practice of martial arts is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

The idea that "the warrior" is some special thing, enobled by "his calling," and given to understand things beyond the ken of most mortals is absurd.

Thanks, but no thanks. I'll just be a responsible human being who happens to be an MA enthusiast, rather than try to "cultivate warrior spirit."

But here's to the Samurai Jack and Kwai Chang (sp?) wannabees. You go with your bad self. I have some actual living to attend to--which is a hell of a lot more interesting and more challenging than walking about with my head in the clouds in the delusion that I'm living the path of the warrior.

[diego]

The idea that we "cultivate warrior spirit," through the practice of martial arts is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

i understand what you are mocking but this statement makes sence, its like at times of peace get ready for war, or however that saying goes!.

[Merryprankster]

No, I don't think they are similar at all.

In peace, prepare for war, simply means that you can't let your guard down to nothing--that is imprudent.

"Cultivating warrior spirit," has NOTHING to do with getting prepared to fight, and everything to do with needing to feel special as though through the practice of MA, you are a breed apart. In short, it's nonsense. Just be a good, responsible person--be an ADULT, and the rest takes care of itself.

[diego]

cultivate warrior spirit i think of it as, meditate on ghandis and ghengis kahns traits wich made them succsessful, people just put the cheesycolors relating to whatever religions related to legendary and historical heroes..it aint bull****, if you really think about it, pray to the christian saints and scientifically eventually that affirmation will make you more whole, whereas the pope would describe the holyspirit took you over, reality science speaking, you rearanged your brian so everythings alkaline to your joy right its like a thinking alchemical process, you manipulate so no negative acids can flow....people just put the pope in thier KF, so it sounds stupid its just tools of affirmation wich even anarchists do2.

im drunk slightly.gonna go watch shreek catch wreck, il be back:)

[Qi dup]

Originally posted by Budokan
Here's the best line from the whole article:

"His animals chose him to be with. He does not go to the pet shop to chose a new dog, he knows that the dog has chosen him to come to that pet shop to chose it. "

Haw! That's classic! And funnier'n h*ll!

I didn't choose my goldfish. They chose me. That's how you can tell I'm a warrior.
:D

hahaha!!! I don't buy into the 'way of the warrior' stuff either. It just comes down to different people's definiton, that's all. Like trying to define the word 'cool.' Basically it's just something relativly cold. A 'warrior' is just that, someone who is at or has been to war. But to most people 'cool' is something they agree with, like, etc. The same goes with a warrior. To me a warrior is it's simplest definiton. But I still enjoy stories of these magic warriors who where able to go from town to town, setting things right, yada yada yada.

[Budokan]

Here's the bottom line:

If you go around thinking of yourself as a warrior, then you're not one.

[Gabriel]

Well...sounds like that dude would be pretty cool I guess..sort of like a deadly Dr. Doolitttle. :D

Now the Samurai Spirit is a different thing altogether :cool:

[diego]

2true but some thought has to be involved suicide bombers are they warriors or brainwashed psychos?.

[Braden]

Mr. Montaigue is certainly an eccentric character, but if you can see past the oddness and the cultural archetypes he choses to use to communicate, I think there is a good underlying message here.

People exude a kind of subliminal character. Just for ease of present discussion, lets call this their energy. There are people out there with all sorts of energy. Some people's energy is very confrontational, very overt, very thrown around. Some people you can almost miss even staring right at them. Some people's energy is aggitated. Some people are calm. These tends to be something you "just get" about someone, rather than something you can pintpoint to a certain action or mannerism. But it's powerful enough that it certainly effects how you feel, and how other people act around any given individual. If you have spent time around the severely mentally ill or some kinds of severe drug addicts, you've probably experienced some very exaggerated, and sometimes overwhelming energies. Again, don't get spooky by my seemingly esoteric language; I just couldn't think of a better word for it.

What the article is talking about is a certain kind of energy. It's a plea both to cultivate it in yourself, and to look for it in others.

That it comes from a martial artist, and that the author associates it with the concept of a 'warrior' is not haphazard. Anyone who is involved with martial pursuits - from policemen, soldiers, and bouncers, to various athletes and martial artists; are playing with something potentially powerful. Downplay it all you want - when the abstract of your pursuit is the potential to control, subjugate, and even end the life of another; it is worth remarking upon. This isn't just remarkable philosophically, it can play with every level of your psychology, from 'vestigal' predatorial and pack instincts to 'higher' concepts of ego and self. I'm not sure exactly how to make the point effectively - but to me it is fairly self-evident that learning to beat the crap out of people can not always be considered 'just another hobby' nor 'just another occupation' the way sewing or being a schoolteacher can.

How does this relate to the 'energy' stuff above? Two ways. First of all, when you spend your time with things linked to strongly to your psychology, your 'energy' can be easily exaggerated. I'm sure we have all met people who, over the course of their martial practice, have become more aggressive, less tolerant, more paranoid, etc. So when you are playing with things that play with your psychology, you should be careful. Secondly, when the act in question is the learning of the skill to hurt others, the practical effect of these changes in your personality again can become more severe.

This is what the article is about.

[Leonidas]

Tell the millions over the years who have been "pillaged" and"raped" just how virtuous "warriors" really are. "The Way Of The Warrior" seems like a modern invention to me, more like an excuse to continue practicing MA in the age of armor piercing bullets and Surface to Air Missiles and its been used and abused by hollywood so people have this screwed up idea of warriors leaping around saving everyone and fighting off "evildoers", quoting Bruce Lee, stating a moral and always having a happy ending which is nonsense since warriors are basically just soldiers (good or bad) protecting their country. Its a good marketing ploy. Many cultures had a code of honor/etiquette for its warrior/military class which kept them from killing everyone or everything in there way, but mostly to keep them loyal to there leader and his values (again good or bad). Even then it wasn't guaranteed since everyone wanted power and betrayals were common. Alot of times they were just following orders, killing whoever they were told to, innocent or not. So if you wanna be a warrior you should think about who your emulating. A modern person can't be a warrior unless you get enlisted which is a stupid reason to do so (just to be called a warrior?) and you can't be the hollywood defintion with a 9-5. You cant go around beating on people and killing criminals in the name of justice. Thats what cops are for. Like MP said, its hard enough being a "fairly" good person. Why isn't it good enough just to like learning how to fight?

[diego]

BAH, i pulled out the diction, technically i have no idea what im thinking about, i confused soldier with warrior...warrior someone who has experience in war.

i was really looking at warriorspirit but thier is no definition in the enclyclopedic edition of websters.


Here is a good question, since ideally america can be thought of as a soup of the human historical culture!.
how would you guys define ideally! American Warrior Spirit, if we are talking about a child of all nations or at least one who should have been schooled in the historys cultures to make what i consider true american!?.:)

[Ryu]

You know it's interesting...... all the people here, with whatever definition they have on the word, conclude that responsibility and morality should play a part in MA and basic life in general. ........ That makes me feel better.

Ryu

[diego]

F-U GIVE ME YOUR CANDY:)

[Ryu]

LOL!!
For some reason I thought of Adam Sandler's "I'm crazy pickle arm give me some candy!!"

:D

[Braden]

LOOK AT ME! I GOT A GOD **** PICKLE FOR AN ARM!!! NOW GIMME SOME CANDY!

[scotty1]

"You cant go around beating on people and killing criminals in the name of justice. Thats what cops are for. "

LMAO!!

Yeah, reading that article was like trying to eat candyfloss. Do you know what i mean when I say candyfloss?

Basically overly sweet, fluffy and as far as getting some real food inside you - complete wank.

Pass me a bucket, I'm going to be sick.

:)

[Leonidas]

I know exactly what you mean scotty. You try to like Erle, you try to give him the benefit of the doubt but then he writes something like that. Sometimes he sounds completely insane...... :rolleyes: :confused: :( :D It is good for a laugh though. Lets hope he was joking.

[dre_doggX]

Did how many of you how are saying this is foolish or out dated Have actually read the reading he says in quote that

" Sure, he has to live in modern times, he must drive a motor car and go to the supermarket and mow his lawns, but always, he never loses sight of what he is, and more importantly, where he is. "

You should just assume because of the title that this is some Bruce Lee wanna be garbage, you should read it first.

this is about fighting really, its about living in your enviroment and with people

and if you ask me the title my be out of space but the TEXT is great (if you read it)
so do so before you judge please

[scotty1]

So the fact that I thought it was a load of fluffy crap means that I haven't read it?

I read every word, I just think it's a load of fluffy crap!:D

[scotty1]

"The warrior communicates with the earth, he talks to the dogs, to the cats and owls, to the snakes, not so much verbally, but simply by being"

Fluff.

[Merryprankster]

Really Scotty?

I was thinking this was more like the dense log that gets stuck sideways in the piping entrance and never flushes.

[dnc101]

here to save mankind and mother earth at the same time. That would be great if so many of us didn't, while walking around exuding our aura, get our tail feathers dusted by the barbarian loitering on the corner.

[Taone]

Originally posted by scotty1
"The warrior communicates with the earth, he talks to the dogs, to the cats and owls, to the snakes, not so much verbally, but simply by being"

Fluff.

Perhaps it is a solid theme, but just communicated in flowery way.
Simplified, it could read as:
The warrior is aware, comfortable, and in tune with his environment.

Or interpreted differently:
He is compassionate, not just towards other human beings, but also to everything in creation, simply because compassion is a part of his nature.

It is written in a romantic, fluffy way, but ideals are a quantifiable image of perfection. Martial arts means different things to people, but striving for perfection is something in common to all right?? Having an ideal means always having something to work towards, even if it is never reached. Following a rainbow won't take you to a pot of gold, but it will keep you walking :)

IMO, it's a matter of personal views. E M is just painting a picture of his, maybe some share it, maybe some don't.

My view anyway :) Peace

[scotty1]

"Following a rainbow won't take you to a pot of gold, but it will keep you walking"

I like that. Mindf if I nick it for my signature?

[Taone]

:D Wow I feel special :)
Yes, feel free... just give credit if you don't mind. I haven't been in anyone's signature before :)

I hope you do understand what I meant by the rest of my post though! :)

[scotty1]

Yeah I understood what you meant, and your interpretations:

"The warrior is aware, comfortable, and in tune with his environment. "

"He is compassionate, not just towards other human beings, but also to everything in creation, simply because compassion is a part of his nature. "

are a lot more palatable to my mind.

I just don't like the way EM wrote that article, mystifying what is not really mystical, IMO.

[MightyB]

MerryPrankster, Leonidas, and a few others are right. This flowerly way of the warrior stuff is such a load of crap.

This kind of thinking leads to grown men wearing pajamas playing slap tag and thinking that they are not only invincible, but enlightened.

New age hippy crap that leads to one thing, being dishonest with yourself. A real warrior knows himself and his limitations. Then he works on improving. You can't do that by thinking deep thoughts about what it's like to be in a fight and looking down your nose at everybody else. The barbarians will not only kick your a$$, they will also steal your lunch money and bang your girl. Get out of the clouds and face reality. If your willing to do that, you'll most likely look into the mirror and see the real you. Not the invincible warrior that only exists in your imagination, but the real you that doesn't always know the right thing to do and is afraid once in a while but does what's right in spite of the fear because it's the right thing to do.

F**king Chi Hippies pi$$ me off! Same people who use expressions like, "Did you see how poor his form was when he kicked my arse?"

MA is not for fighting, bullcrap!! That's exactly what MA was developed for. That's reality.

[MightyB]

This article by EM is just another shining example that there is no place for real men in the modern world.

Don't hide the fact that we like to fight behind some moral veil of BS. It's OK to like to fight. We're men, it's what we do.

This whole demasculinization thing happened relatively fast in the last 20 years or so. Before that, it was OK to be a man, now we're told it's a bad thing. You can't fight because you'll be sued, thinking about sex is harrasment, and everything you like to do is considered discrimination against women. Hunting is bad, being a leader and a man is bad, you get the point. Hell, a man can't even be a man at the Citadel anymore. (the Citadel was an all male military academy known for it's intense physical demands on the students. To graduate from the Citadel was an accomplishment, now it's a farce of what it used to be. The standards were lowered and eliminated in the name of gender equalization). Heck, even war has been stagnated by smart bombs and technology.

My point is, we lost the ability to be men in a relatively short amount of time. This article by EM is an example of how some men are trying to cope with that fact.

Watch Fight Club.

[Silumkid]

Sounds to me like EM has some sort of "comparison issue" with Bill Wallace. Maybe someone should let Bill know. We should let Erle know that it is also OK to not have claim to some competition title. Not everybody can.

Shhhhh....it'll get better. Maybe.

[Ka]

Warrior : distinguished or veteran soldier; fighting man of past ages or primitive peoples

how about the boys who are overseas right now in a lot of different places doing it for a job.

[dre_doggX]

I dont dissagree, that you should be a panzies, and I storngly believe that its not enough to think about philosophy but to learn how to act it. and only by hard work, rigirous training(yes in Tai chi to) application,and just sweat and elbow grease is the most nesscary thing.

but you know what, Erle M believes this to.

[JusticeZero]

Gads. That was a painful minute of reading i'll never see again. It sounds like someone gorged himself on an entire crate of fortune cookies, forgetting to remove the fortunes, then ralfed all the fortunes back up half digested.

About as close of an equivalent statement as I can make comfortably is that "A Warrior is a person who has put a great amount of effort into being able to do a lot of damage to other people, and is as a result generally restrained and polite in their actions because they have given at least cursory thought to the fact that if they get into a fight, it'll be like a bit like jumping in against a wrestling puppy with a jack knife, and society in general is more than a little prone to flip out at that and seriously crimp their style if they do."

All the stuff about talking to animals and stuff is just silly.

[apoweyn]

you know, i'm not going to share my opinion on the article. but i just had to say that justicezero had one of the greatest analogies i've ever heard. well said.


stuart b.