Kiai: Expressions in Training
“If you cut open my veins, I would bleed green!” exclaimed Daisosho, aka Dr. Sen, the 15th generation grand master of the Urasenke school of Chado (Way of Tea). There were so many memorable words and uplifting messages from Dr. Sen’s lecture at the University of Hawaii in February, but what stays with me most was the expression of kiai (vital energy) coming from the 100 year-old master.
Yes, that’s right. Dr. Sen is turning 100 years in April and he still travels around the world giving lectures, spreading his message of “Peace Through a Bowl of Tea”, and fulfilling his role as a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador. Before I saw him speak, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I knew that he was a fighter pilot in World War II and that he had trained in Rinzai Zen at Daitoku-ji. I had seen a picture of Dr. Sen and he looked serious. But what I saw that day was quite unexpected.
When I arrived at the lecture hall, Dr. Sen was moving swiftly back and forth across the room, up and down the aisles, greeting and hugging people, basically working the room like a rock star. When it was time to speak, he walked up onto the stage and proceeded to give a lively, humorous, and heartfelt talk on how we are all connected and how Tea can remind us of that. Dr. Sen stood on stage for an hour and a half, frequently breaking away from the lectern to use physical humor to engage the audience and to tease his interpreter. When talking about the human condition, he deftly used his body to make his points. He slapped his Hara, swung an imaginary sword like a samurai, and crouched into position like a football player. Dr. Sen even spun around and patted his backside to demonstrate how the human body is oriented in a way that we don’t have to look at and deal with our own shit.
What I saw that day was like something I had only heard about in legends. I never thought it would be possible to be 100 years-old and that energetic! Dr. Sen is an amazing example of a person who had trained very seriously in The Ways for many, many years and from countless repetitions of the strict forms had developed the ability to move naturally and effortlessly from the Hara. I would not say that he was “full of energy” or that he “had a lot of energy” but rather that energy flowed through him, unimpeded. His energy source was coming directly from the fresh mountain spring and he demonstrated it in a way that was so open and generous that it made everyone around him light up.
Before Dr. Sen’s lecture, I had spent a week of training at Chozen-ji in Kyudo and Tea. During that time I was constantly in awe of my teachers and how much vigor they demonstrated during long training periods. I saw how they trained alongside their students who were much younger than them. Like Dr. Sen, their energy seemed to come from the mountain spring. I wondered, “Would I be able to keep training like that when I reach my teachers’ age?”.
One promising sign is that my relationship to all-night training has changed. I used to be anxious about training all night in Kyudo. Four or five years ago it seemed like an impossibility to shoot all night. I had difficulty even shooting for the 1-2 hours of a normal class. Now, when I draw my bow it comes from the Hara and not my arms. I also no longer waste energy doubting and worrying about the all-night training. Even though I use a stronger bow than before it is actually getting easier and not harder. This, and having the examples of Dr. Sen and all of my teachers tells me that it is never too late to start training in The Ways. Also, it is never a waste of time to develop the Hara!
"In my own hands I hold a bowl of tea; I see all of nature represented in its green color. Closing my eyes I find green mountains and pure water within my own heart. Silently sitting alone, drinking tea, I feel these become part of me. Sharing this bowl of tea with others, they, too, become one with it and nature. That we can find a lasting tranquility in our own selves in the company of others is the paradox that is the Way of Tea."
- Daisosho, Soshitsu Sen XV