October 25th, 2007
Misogi, Sweat Lodge and Purification
Twice a year, in the Spring and then again in the Autumn, Heaven and Earth invites it’s students to attend a Misogi (purification) ceremony that features among other things our rendition of a Native American ‘Sweat Lodge”. Last weekend we held our “Sweat Lodge” - purification ceremony for the Autumn of 2007.
Uchideshi Michael Bennett tending the Sweat Lodge fire.
As we were sitting around the fire on Saturday night, one of our new Aikidoist asked me if this was a common practice done by all Aikido dojos. I explained to him that, what we were doing was something that I had put together for Heaven & Earth Aikido students, but that some dojos regularly performed something similar called ‘Misogi’. Misogi is a Japanese word that can be translated as cleansing or purification. The word Misogi is also used to refer to a specific purification ceremony that is performed under a cold waterfall. Of course with this he wanted to know more about ‘Misogi”, sweat lodges and purifications. I am also quite sure he was trying to figure out what this all has to do with Aikido or/and any Martial Art for that matter.
Having the door of curiosity open and never passing up a chance to lecture, I thought that this might be a good time to go over again not only with the new sweat lodge participants but with everyone who was in attendance, why we perform the purification ceremony and what it has to do with Traditional Martial Arts (TMA) . As we were sitting around the fire waiting for the stones to heat up, I began to explain the history and meaning of the ceremony and why I considered it a very important part of training.
First, a little history on the fighting class of old. It is important for us to understand who the ancient warriors were. As Aikidoist, we often limit our thinking to the Japanese Samurai’s or Chinese practitioners of Wushu. However, in the past every culture, in every part of the world had their warrior class. A select group within a society, whose job it was to protect the group. I have heard some people try to compare them to modern military men. There are some definite similarities, yet there are also some important differences between Ancient Warriors and today’s average modern solders. For example, today’s soldier signs up for a set time period which may or may not be extended, either way, when the “Term of duty” is finished they return to a civilian life. They get a job, go to school and many start families. For the Ancient warriors, war was there life. They often began their training very young (before their teens) and if they were skillful enough and perhaps lucky enough they would be able to have a leadership role in the military as they got older. There was no time that you were not a warrior and prepared for battle. Everything about their life was geared towards protecting the clan, village, city, country or empire. They never knew when the day may come that they may be called upon to go to battle. If they were not fighting, they trained and prepared their weapons for the day they would be called to battle again. It was a way of life for them, there was no end to it.
At the end of a battle, they may be lucky enough to find themselves alive. Lucky to be alive perhaps, but unfortunately, surrounded by the blood, guts and the screams of dying men. They may have even at some point held a dying comrade in their arms as life slowly and painfully left his body. Under these conditions a heightened awareness of the impermanence of life cannot help but be developed. Their own immortality was right in their face, they had no choice but to realize it and except it. Perhaps they wondered, how they will face their ultimate death.
For me, this is the most important difference between the traditional martial arts and modern sports martial arts. There is no ring or octagon to limit the scope of battle. Attacks could occur anywhere and at anytime, there was a constant need “to be ready and prepared”. There is no referee to stop the fight when one is obviously outmatched. You fought on or you died. If you were outnumbered or under equipped there was no one to say “hey, this isn’t fair”. There are no time limits. Battle could be short or last for years. There are no rules. Three men against one, a gun against a sword, nobody cared.
Because of this direct confrontation with death and the need to be constantly prepared and aware, these warriors often became very spiritual people. They developed rituals and ceremonies to prepare them for battle, injury and their own death. We might even say that these rituals were designed to give them a feeling that things in their life were taken care of and that “affairs were in order”. Each culture seems to have their own rituals and ceremonies. Perhaps each warrior man and women had their own personal way of preparing themselves for death.
Because of its cleansing nature, water, for many cultures, became an important symbol for cleansing and purification. Japanese Misogi involves purifying yourself by meditating or praying under a cold waterfall. Special preparation ritual are carried out before taking the plunge into the icy river or stream. Once under the water special prayers and chants are performed that in essence ask the spirits for purification and protection.
Native Americans used “sweat lodges”. They believed that excessive sweating could remove poisons located deep within the body. This is still commonly believed today. Who has not experienced the relaxation and feeling of cleanliness after coming out of a modern day sauna. In some parts of the world a suana goes hand in hand with deep cleansing. By erecting an airtight enclosure covered in blankets and then , placing hot stones into a small pit in the middle you have a traditional dry hot house. Spray a mist of water on the hot stones and a primitive sauna is achieved. Meditation, chanting or prayer is performed while in the sweat lodge to give it a spiritual feeling.
One of the most common forms of purification is meditation. Meditation is a great way of calming the mind and enhancing ones awareness. Samurai’s would often sit in meditation contemplating their life and the coming battle. It was even a common practice to rehearse their death during meditation in order to prepare themselves for the inevitable. By visualizing there death in many horrible ways they could come to terms with the way they might finally end their life. It also helped them die with awareness and honor.
For serious practitioners of Traditional Martial Arts, I feel that taking a serious look at death needs to be part of our training. Most of us will never experience the horrors of a battle field as the ancient warriors did. By understanding that the tradition of our training was a matter of life and death, we can hope to develop our minds as well as our bodies, like the ancients did. Warriors of old new that they would die, it was only matter of when.
October 14th, 2007
Heaven & Earth’s Aikiblog
Welcome to the first posting on the Heaven & Earth’s Aikiblog. I am excited about this new project and am looking forward to using it to keep everyone updated on Aiki related issues. From time to time I will post blogs relating to a variety of subjects. They may be about Heaven & Earth Aikido, Aikido in general, Aiki Jujutsu, Chi Gong, Daoism, Meditation or other Martial Arts. Anything pertaining to or relating to the “Aiki” theme.
I hope that you will enjoy it and I am looking forward to your comments. If you have a topic you would like to discuss, you may always email me and give me your suggestions.