Carefree or Careless

In our last issue we examined the need for tension free motion when executing our throw for ‘Ball in Bin’. This holds true for motion, be it athletic or otherwise. In our last article we mentioned the tendency for people to become sloppy when attempting to perform tension free movement. But we only glossed over it. In this issue we look more closely at the problem of becoming careless in an attempt to be fluid.

When students of mine start throwing they are trying to hole out. This trying inevitably leads to the conscious control of outcome and tension within motion. After explaining the need for tension free, fluid motion the next few throws are usually extremely good. “Great!” the mind says, “this tension free stuff really works.”

“If I just stop trying and throw smoothly I’ll throw great.”

The mind has wrestled itself into control again. The mind is now ‘not trying’. The mind no longer ‘tries’ but rather ‘tries not to try’. This is in response to me saying that you need not care about the outcome. No amount of caring about the outcome is going change, or in any way, guarantee it. So the clever mind thinks, “I don’t give a shit about the result. I can’t influence the result by thinking so I’ll just make a casual throw and see what happens.”

The Missing Ingredient
Again, we find ourselves in the midst of paradox; that unfamiliar place where truth resides and begs us to pry it loose. I want you to throw without tension and with no attachment to outcome and yet not be sloppy. When you throw with tension free motion YOU MUST NOT LOSE YOUR INTENT. Without your intent there is no purpose to your motion.

One arrow, one life…

You must give each throw everything you have. You must lay down your life on each and every throw as though it were your last. You must do this with a level of sincerity that transcends the result of your throw.

You must throw for the sake of the throw itself …

The result of the throw is but a reflection of the purity of intent of the individual throwing. To throw without conscious interference and yet give it all you have is to arrive at a state of mind I call PURE INTENT. Your intent is untainted by the subsidiary aims of the ego, in particular to control outcome.

To borrow from Herrigel’s Zen in the Art of Archery, ‘Ball in a Bin’…

“…is… not intended for utilitarian purposes only or for purely aesthetic enjoyments, but are meant to train the mind: indeed, to bring it in touch with the ultimate reality.”

The goal is not to hole out but rather (Herrigel)…

“…the Japanese does not understand a sport but, strange as it may sound at first, a religious ritual… he does not mean the ability of the sportsman, which can be controlled, more or less, by bodily exercises, but an ability whose origin is to be sought in spiritual exercises and whose aim consists in hitting a spiritual goal, so that fundamentally the marksman aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself.”

Any dickhead can read an Inner Game book and begin practising mental trickery, the cornerstone of modern sports psychology and something THAT DOES NOT LAST. ‘Ball in a Bin’ is a spiritual exercise. To truly overcome the destructive influence of ego mind and unleash your true potential your training must become truly spiritual in nature.

What began as an exercise in ball throwing with your eyes closed has evolved into a spiritual experience. When I train someone in Awareness I use metaphors, psychology and trickery of all sorts to get your ego mind to let go if for but an instance. The idea is for you to experience truth, even if it is for one throw. I have one student in particular who trained once a week in only Awareness stuff for over 1 year. It took the full year for him to finally begin trusting in WHAT HE CAN’T SEE, NAME OR UNDERSTAND.

Without doubt, Awareness training is the most powerful, frightening and liberating training we do at Brutal. It is here though that we must leave our discussion.

You see Awareness training is all about experience, not words. You will not be able to glean from these pages the realisations I seek to impart to you. You can only have them for yourself by doing Awareness training. And you must have these experiences often, in order to gradually weaken the mind’s hold over you. It is a very gradual process, a blossoming. From there you have to be able to apply the same realisations to your everyday life.

I can’t write this down for you!

Consequently, this is the last Awareness article I will write for the web site. Instead, from now on, I will be answering questions on the forum about Awareness training, so feel free to ask any questions you might have. Otherwise, the best I can offer is to be here if you ever decide to come and experience ‘Ball in a Bin’ for yourself.

These basic articles to introduce Awareness training will remain on the site but you’ll have to head to the forum for more information. OR, you’ll have to head to Melbourne, Australia and I’ll fry your brain by getting you perform what I call ‘small miracles’.

Good luck and remember to always remain Aware.