‘Excellent,’ commented Hosokawa. ‘Emi-chan, you demonstrated strong fighting spirit. You earn my respect.’
They both went to sit down. On the way, Emi brushed into Akiko, a triumphant look on her face. Jack saw Akiko throw her a prickly look, evidently wanting the chance to wipe the supercilious expression off the girl’s face. Akiko, however, restrained herself and instead bowed politely.
‘We still have three valiant warriors left,’ announced Hosokawa. ‘Kohai, this is no longer about strength or stamina. This is about willpower. Mind over matter. It’s about testing the very limits of your endurance.’
Yamato was shaking like a tree in a storm. Jack knew he would not last much longer, but that didn’t matter. He was intent on outdoing Kazuki.
Kazuki, though, appeared as steady as a rock.
A few moment’s later, Yamato’s arms failed him and he had to join the others at the edge of the dojo.
Jack and Kazuki continued to battle it out – the fight as much in their own minds as with one another.
Kazuki’s arms suddenly shuddered under the weight of the bokken.
‘Kazuki!’ shouted Nobu in support and several other students immediately joined in. ‘Kazuki! Kazuki! Kazuki!’
Kazuki, revived by the support, straightened his arms out again. He grinned at Jack, confident of his victory over the gaijin.
Then Saburo blurted ‘Come on, Jack!’ and Akiko, Yamato and Kiku added to the chorus ‘Jack! Jack! Jack!’
The two boys stood in the centre of the Butokuden, warriors fighting an invisible war, their armies chanting from the wings.
Jack thanked the Lord for all the hours he had spent as a rigging monkey on-board the Alexandria. He was used to hanging on with his arms for hours at a time in wind, rain or snow.
Yet he also knew his limits and recognized the signs that he was approaching the end of his endurance. He had perhaps another minute or so before his arms gave up entirely.
Kazuki, however, was once more as steady as a rock.
27
A REASON TO TRAIN
A single bead of sweat rolled down Kazuki’s face and his arms began to tremble.
That was all the incentive Jack needed. Kazuki was fading fast.
‘Jack! Jack! Jack!’
The shouts kept coming.
‘Kazuki! Kazuki! Kazuki!’
No, he wasn’t going to be beaten by Kazuki! He would not be defeated by the sword. He could see Akiko willing him on from the sidelines and he fought the bokken in his hands. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes and called upon every last drop of strength he had.
Suddenly, like the breaking of a wave, his body flooded with a curious energy. He experienced an infinite nothing, his arms seeming to stretch on forever, weightless, almost numb.
There was a loud wooden clatter as a bokken fell to the floor of the dojo; then an explosion of clapping and cheering and only the sound of his name.
‘Jack! Jack! Jack!’
‘Well done, Jack-kun. You defeated the sword,’ said Sensei Hosokawa.
Jack opened his eyes to see Kazuki fuming, his arms limp by his side, his bokken lying on the floor.
With utter relief, Jack lowered his aching arms. They felt heavy as lead, but he had won. He had beaten Kazuki – in front of everyone. Relishing his very public triumph, he bowed to Kazuki.
Kazuki, imprisoned by etiquette, was forced to acknowledge Jack’s victory with a lower bow.
At lunch that day, Akiko, Yamato, Kiku and Saburo crowded round Jack at the table at the far end of the Chō-no-ma. Kazuki sat rigid at the opposite table, fixing Jack with a thunderous expression and ignoring the attempts of Nobu and Emi to lighten his mood.
‘How did you manage it, Jack?’ pestered Saburo. ‘Your arms were dropping. You were defeated. Then BANG! They went straight as an arrow.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Jack, who was still trying to massage the remaining tension from his shoulder muscles. ‘I just had a rush of energy from nowhere and my arms felt weightless.’
‘Ki!’ said Kiku.
Jack looked at her, baffled.
‘Ki means “life force”. My father explained it to me once. It is your spiritual energy. With training, samurai can channel it into their fighting,’ explained Kiku.
‘Of course!’ interrupted Saburo enthusiastically. ‘The sohei monks of Mount Hiei were legendary for being able to harness their ki. Supposedly, they could defeat their enemies without even drawing their swords.’
They all gave Saburo a collective look of disbelief.
‘No, really! Sensei Yamada could probably teach us all how to use our ki. We have his Zen class this afternoon. We could all then defeat our swords.’
‘It’s unlikely he’ll be any help,’ mumbled Jack, more to himself than anyone else, but Akiko overheard him.
‘What makes you say that?’ she asked.
‘Well, last night Kazuki decided he wanted me to apologize and tried to break my arm.’
‘Why didn’t you report him?’ said Akiko, her eyes inspecting his arm with genuine concern.
‘What’s the point? Kazuki stopped before anything happened. But only because Sensei Yamada showed up. He wasn’t much help. He did nothing but spout some meaningless saying at me.’
‘What was it?’ asked Yamato.
‘“In order to be walked on, you have to be lying down.” Some sage he is! What help is that?’
‘Excuse me.’ A tiny voice piped up and Yori, the boy who had forgotten his bokken, peeped round from behind Saburo. ‘Sensei Yamada may be suggesting you learn to defend yourself.’
It took a moment for the meaning to sink in before Jack realized Yori was right. It was suddenly so obvious. If he could master the sword and taijutsu, and be stronger, faster and better than Kazuki, then it would be Kazuki lying down, not him.
With the right skills, he could defend himself against anyone, maybe even Dokugan Ryu!
Now that was a reason worth training for.
‘Are you all right, Jack?’ asked Akiko, curious at the look of determination fixed upon Jack’s face.
‘Absolutely. I was just thinking about Yamada’s words. They make sense now. Complete sense.’
There and then, after just one lesson at the Niten Ichi Ryū, Jack vowed to devote himself to the Way of the Warrior.
28
THE DARUMA DOLL
‘Come. Come. Seiza!’ encouraged Sensei Yamada as they hovered at the entrance to the Butsuden, the Buddha Hall, located on the east side of the courtyard.
Sensei Yamada beckoned them in. He was perched on a raised dais at the rear of the hall, sitting upon a small round zafu cushion, which in turn was set upon a larger square zabuton. He wore a simple robe of charcoal blue and sea-green and sat cross-legged, one leg resting upon the other, his hands gently laid in his lap, the tips of his fingers touching. He reminded Jack of a genial toad on a lily pad.
The afternoon light fingered its way into the hall through slatted windows, catching smoky trails of incense and giving Sensei Yamada’s grey wispy beard the appearance of a finely woven spider’s web. The air was heady with the scent of jasmine and sandalwood and Jack soon felt calmed by the aroma.
The class settled themselves upon cushions set out in semi-circular rows. Jack found a zabuton near the front with Akiko, Yori and Kiku. As Jack made himself comfortable, he saw Kazuki and Nobu enter last and sit at the back of the class. Kazuki caught Jack’s eye and shot him a venomous look.
‘Please. Sit as I do,’ gestured Yamada.
There was much shuffling as all the students rearranged themselves to mirror Sensei Yamada’s pose.
‘This is a half-lotus position. Good for meditation. Encourages the circulation of your ki. Everyone comfortable?’ he enquired and then took a long measured breath. ‘Now in front of each you is a gift to welcome you to my Zen class.’
Jack looked at the small wooden object at his feet. It appeared to be a small egg-shaped doll but with no arms or legs. Pai
nted in a vivid red, it had a bright surprised face with a black moustache and beard, though its white eyes had been left blank.
‘Can anyone tell me what it is?’ asked Yamada.
Kiku raised her hand.
‘It’s a Daruma Doll. It’s modelled on Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen. You write your name on its chin and fill in one of its eyes with black ink while making a wish. Should the wish come true, you colour in the second eye.’
‘Yes, that is what it is, but it is much more than that,’ said Yamada, lightly pushing the Daruma Doll that sat in front of him.
The doll lolled to one side, slowed, then rolled the opposite way and slowed, before continuing the motion in smaller and smaller sways.
The class waited patiently for Sensei Yamada to continue, but the old man appeared to have fallen into a trance. Only when the doll had completely stopped moving did Sensei Yamada look up, blinking as if surprised they were all still there.
‘So who can tell me what the “Nine Views” are?’ he continued, apparently unaware he had not explained his last statement.
Nobody raised a hand.
Sensei Yamada waited.
Still no one offered an answer. Still Yamada waited, as if the answer was simply needing to settle in the minds of his students, like dust on an old book.
Finally Kiku tentatively raised her hand.
‘Yes, Kiku-chan?’
‘Is it the nine rules to achieve enlightenment?’
‘Not exactly, Kiku-chan, but a worthy summation,’ said Yamada, obviously pleased with her effort. ‘It is an ascending sequence of nine stages, or views, that a samurai needs to pass through during meditation. Proper understanding of the Nine Views leads ultimately to satori, enlightenment.’
An enigmatic smile appeared on his lips and his eyes sparkled like sunlight on a stream. Jack felt himself being drawn in to the old man’s gaze, as if he were a leaf floating upon that same stream.
‘This meditation process is called zazen. The aim of zazen is sitting and opening the hand of thought. Once your mind is unhindered by its many layers, you will then be able to realize the true nature of things and thereby gain enlightenment.’
Sensei Yamada’s voice was the sound of a babbling brook, the hum of bees in summer and the soft tenderness of a mother all rolled into one. So while Jack did not really understand what the sensei was talking about, he drifted effortlessly along with the hypnotic ebb and flow of the old man’s speech.
‘Today we will practise zazen on the Daruma Doll. We will meditate for a stick of time,’ he said, lighting a short length of incense that would measure their progress.
‘The first “View” is to adopt the proper meditative posture, as you are all doing now – seated, legs folded, back straight but relaxed, hands on top of one another, eyes half-closed.’
Everyone re-settled themselves into position.
‘The second “View” is to breathe from the hara. Aim just above your navel. This is your centre. Breathing should be slow, rhythmic and calm. Mokuso,’ he said, beginning the breathing meditation.
Jack concentrated on his breathing, but he found it difficult to shift his breath from his chest down to his stomach.
‘From the hara, Jack-kun. Not the chest,’ said Yamada softly.
How on earth could he tell? thought Jack, astounded. He re-focused on his breathing, trying to push out his stomach rather than raising his chest.
Sensei Yamada let the whole class slow their breathing for several minutes.
‘The third “View” is to soothe the spirit. Let go of any trivial thoughts, distracting emotions or mental irritations. Imagine they are snow in your mind. Let them all gradually melt away.’
Jack became aware that his mind was crammed with thoughts. They buzzed in his head like wasps – Kazuki, the rutter, Dragon Eye, Akiko, home, Masamoto, his father, Jess… He tried to calm his mind but as he pushed one thought away, another instantly took its place.
‘The fourth “View” is fulfilment. As your worldly thoughts dissipate, begin to fill your body with ki. Envisage yourself as an empty vessel. Pour in your spiritual energy as if it were honey. Let it fill you from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.’
Still struggling to clear his head, it was impossible for Jack to concentrate on this next stage. He found his mind constantly being dragged away by random thoughts.
‘The fifth “View” is natural wisdom. When one is calm, undisturbed and at peace, things can be seen in their true light. This naturally leads to the development of wisdom.’
Sensei Yamada’s mellifluous voice continued to lull everyone into a dreamlike state. He let them float for a while longer before continuing. Jack was still trying to clear his mind so that he could fill himself with ki and once again experience the energy he had stumbled upon during the bokken test.
‘For today, we will remain at this fifth “View” and begin with a basic koan, a question for you to answer for yourselves. Focus your attention on your Daruma Doll and start it rocking. We all know what it is, but what is it?’
It was clear Sensei Yamada didn’t want to hear an answer to his koan, but only for them to ponder on an answer. Unfortunately for Jack, he was still unable to focus properly and no solutions were forthcoming. The Daruma Doll still looked like a Daruma Doll, its sightless eyes as blank as Jack’s answer.
Jack’s mind wandered from the doll, thoughts flickering like shadows until the incense stick had burnt through and Sensei Yamada chimed, ‘Mokuso yame!’
Everyone ceased their attempts at meditation and there was an audible sigh of relief now that the task was over.
‘Well done, everyone. You have just learnt an important ideal of bushido,’ said Sensei Yamada, a smile of contentment spreading across his face as if the answer to the koan was as clear as daylight.
Jack still didn’t understand what the sensei was talking about. He glanced around and saw that many of the other students also had confused expressions on their faces. Enlightenment had clearly not graced them either. Kiku and Yori, however, appeared quite satisfied with their experiences.
‘Tonight I want you all to continue your meditation upon the doll. See what else you can learn from it.’ Sensei Yamada nodded sagely, suggesting there were many more truths to be discovered from the wooden toy. ‘The key to the art of Zen is daily regularity, so discipline yourself to meditate every morning and night for half a stick of time. Soon you will see life for what it is.’
He bowed, signifying the lesson was over. The students got to their feet and, bowing, departed with their Daruma Dolls in hand.
Jack shook the blood back into his legs and went to join Akiko, Kiku and Yamato.
‘Remember to paint in the first eye and make a wish!’ Sensei Yamada cheerily called after them, remaining perched upon the dais of cushions, still the genial toad on a lily pad.
Emerging from the dim Butsuden into the main courtyard, Jack had to shade his eyes against the winter sun, which had dipped low in the evening sky.
‘So, what was that all about?’ asked Saburo, who came shuffling down the Butsuden steps behind them.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Yamato. ‘Why not ask Kiku? She seems to know everything.’
‘You are supposed to work it out yourself,’ said Kiku, over her shoulder.
‘I still don’t get it,’ said Saburo. ‘It’s just a wish doll.’
‘No, it’s not. It’s more than that,’ responded Kiku.
‘That’s exactly what Sensei Yamada said. You’re just repeating his words. I reckon you don’t have a clue either,’ challenged Saburo.
‘Yes, I do,’ she replied primly and refused to say any more.
‘Will someone tell me what he meant?’ pleaded Saburo. ‘Akiko? Yamato?’
They both shrugged.
‘I would ask you, Jack, but you probably don’t even know what Zen is.’
He was right. Jack didn’t know. He had hoped someone would tell him, but hadn’t dared ask for fear of
appearing even more stupid.
‘Seven times down, eight times up,’ said a tiny flute-like voice.
They all turned to see Yori coming down the steps towards them.
‘What?’
‘Seven times down, eight times up. No matter how often you are knocked down, get up and try again. Like the Daruma Doll.’
They all stared at Yori in bewilderment.
‘Sensei Yamada taught us a vital lesson in budo. Never give up.’
‘Why didn’t he just tell us that?’ said Saburo.
‘That’s not the way Zen works,’ said Kiku, clearly annoyed at Yori for revealing the answer. She turned to Jack as if offering the explanation for his benefit. ‘Zen emphasizes the idea that ultimate truth in life must be experienced first-hand, rather than pursued through study.’
‘Sorry?’ said Jack, desperately trying to grasp the concept.
‘Sensei Yamada is meant to guide us, not instruct us. You are meant to discover the answer for yourself. If Sensei Yamada had just told you the answer, you wouldn’t have understood its true meaning.’
‘I would have!’ interrupted Saburo. ‘It’d have saved me a lot of brain-ache too!’
That night, Jack lit a short stick of incense and sat cross-legged in the half-lotus position in his room, contemplating the red doll. He pushed it over and watched it wobble. Then he waited patiently for enlightenment.
A stick later, an answer wasn’t forthcoming, so he lit another and poked the Daruma Doll again. Its gentle movement started to lull him. He pushed it once more and, without anyone there to distract him, Jack felt himself drift. The doll continued to sway.
Jack’s posture relaxed… His eyes half-closed… His breathing slowed… His mind calmed… His thoughts became less chaotic… His body gradually filled with a soft warm glow… ki… Then a single thought burnt bright in his mind.
He knew what to wish for.
Jack painted in the first eye.
29
SENSEI KYUZO
Jack was flying through the air.
The Way of the Warrior Page 14