More Notes from Budo Training

I, Deshi, will describe this week's training.

To our sadness, the Antagonistic Buddha has been absent from the dojo. He received an urgent call to action last Friday afternoon. The Great Sage wasted no time packing his gear. The last any of us saw of him, he bid us farewell before stepping into the yellow taxi that took him to the airport.

We were left in the care of the Silent Master. The advanced students assure us that the Silent Master is the finest technician among the masters, but they also fill us with various rumors and gossip about him. We have learned the Silent Master is stern, but fair.

Training under the Silent Master is very different from the playful style of the Antagonistic Buddha. The Silent Master demonstrates, and we do our best to mimic him. It is up to us to find our mistakes and correct them. The Silent Master does not repeat his demonstrations once he has concluded the movement. This is the old method for transmitting Budo, and it places the responsibility for learning squarely upon the student.

It is very much a time for drilling kihon waza. We stand in kamae, or shadow box through our various strikes. The silence we have adopted in deference to our teacher helps to focus our minds. Only occasionally do we break this silence with the dull thud of fists connecting with makiwara, or the clatter of practice weapons clashing.

Practice under a different teacher has provided us with new insight. Still, we all look forward to the return of the Antagonistic Buddha.