competence, character and spirituality

I came across the martial arts of Bruce Lee called wing Chun the other day. So disturbed by its origin mhaving been created by a group of religious monks during the Manchu period of china. Wing Chun, being the name of a lady, who was trained by Ng Mui, a monk who is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders - survivors of the destruction of the shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty. For a warrior who is in pursuit of perfection in his craft, it must noted that wing Chun was developed within the spiritual sphere of the monks.

We must recognize as well the skill of the samurai warrior honed thru years of philosophy and spirituality. The philosophies of Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture. Zen meditation became an important teaching due to it offering a process to calm one's mind. The samurai warrior dedicated his life to perfection according to the purpose by which his culture and position required of him. Thus he perfects swordsmanship, hand to hand combat, archery and other weaponry. In his pursuit of skill of his sword, he is inclined to master first himself.  Thus it is said that "Mental bearing (calmness), not skill, is the sign of a matured samurai. A Samurai therefore should neither be pompous nor arrogant." - Tsukahara Bokuden. 

I have learned from experience the importance of spirituality.  We cannot depend on our physical attributes as our physic is merely a manifestation of our spirit.  There is a greater energy to be mastered from within - an inner force that connects with the universe. In practicing spirituality, we are able to tap an energy source that is self sustaining, not exhaustive.  It is the life force that gives energy to our limbs. Though reason can move us, contraption and logic will be more potent if mixed with the greater life force. 

I remember a greeting I came across with during college. A spiritual mentor and friend once greeted me “ Namaste” – the God in me greets the God in you. It is supposed to be an Indian salutation recognizing the greatness of another person. In spirituality, it is a basic process to recognize our spirit and the greater spirit which is God. In recognition and acceptance of a higher spirit, we are able to accept our possibility for greatness. In many cultures which has bred the greatest and fearsome of warriors, a greater spirit is recognized.  Warriors as the fierce Carthiginians under Hannibal’s command who laid waste the Romans territories in the Italian peninsula who took oath in before Baal, the formidable Macedonians under Alexander who believed in oracles and gods, the fearsome Vikings who worshipped Thor, supposed God of war,  legendary Greek warriors as Achilles who was believed to be the son of a god and the glory of the Romans who took the banner of Christianity in conquering Europe and Asia.

In the 21^st century, executives have resorted to vitamins, energy drinks, Chinese herbal medicine, aerobics, martial arts and fitness exercise to improve their stamina and longevity. More than  the physical exertion, mind over matter principle must revisited to find better solutions to our corporate predicament. Fast paced life of the metropolitan aggravated by the cutthroat competition and aggressive enterprise of the 21^st century where standards and technology are raised by the day, by the hour, by the minute. There is a need for spirituality to be able to appreciate the complications of the 21^st century corporate development.We need to revisit our spirituality and be able to connect with the greater life force. We need to recognize that we need to nourish as well our spirit which is the eternal source of life.

Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality  an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life; spiritual experience includes that of connectedness with a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm. Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life.  It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world.

Whilst the terms spirituality and religion both relate to a search for an Absolute or God, and thus have much overlap, there are also characteristic differences in their usage. Religion implies a particular faith tradition that includes acceptance of a metaphysical or supernatural reality; whereas spirituality is not necessarily bound to any particular religious tradition. Thus William Irwin Thompson suggest that "religion is the form spirituality takes in civilization."^[]

Those who speak of spirituality outside of religion often define themselves as "spiritual but not religious" and generally believe in the existence of different "spiritual paths," emphasizing the importance of finding one's own individual path to spirituality.

Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others, aspects of life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world, without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being. Spiritual practices such as mindfulness and meditation can be experienced as beneficial or even necessary for human fulfillment without any supernatural interpretation or explanation. Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words and actions that are in harmony with a belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent; this stance has much in common with some versions of Buddhist spirituality. A modern secular definition is as follows:

"Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. This is true when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation. we encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is "spiritual" when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life."  ( Wikipedia )