Budo - The Martial Way
Korinji’s Zen lineage stresses that genuine practice is embodied and energetically vital. For this reason, physical disciplines have long been valued as part of training. Traditional martial arts are especially useful because they train body, breath, energy, and fearlessness in a way that complements Zen practice.
Some of Korinji’s lineage ancestors, including Omori Sogen Roshi, were dedicated practitioners of swordsmanship and other martial disciplines. Our abbot has also trained deeply in classical and modern martial arts. This is part of Korinji’s overall training style of Zen-Ken-Sho, “Zen-Sword-Brush”: the unity of Zen practice, martial discipline, and fine arts.
Through practice of forms that arose on the edge of life and death, students polish their spirits like swords. In this training, the enemy to be faced is not another person, but the fear, hesitation, anger, and attachment within oneself. As Omori Roshi wrote: "Zen without the accompanying physical experience is nothing but empty discussion. Budo without truly realizing the mind is nothing but beastly behavior. We agree to undertake all of this as the essence of our training."
Korinji Budo is the name of our monastery's martial training curriculum, chosen for compatibility with Zen training. It encompasses ken (sword), juken (bayonet), tanken (short-bladed weapons), tokkosho (vajra), and toshu (unarmed methods). Monastery residents undertake this training as an integral part of their practice, using both indoor and outdoor training spaces at Korinji.
A monthly class is also open to all members, along with periodic intensive martial arts training events and retreats hosted at Korinji and elsewhere. Please see the Calendar for more information.
