Martial arts also offer a path to inner appeasement. This is what Pierre-Yves Albrecht seeks to demonstrate in his recent book Martial Wisdom, published in Phil aurora editions which he founded in 2019.
This 77-year-old Swiss writer, doctor in anthropology, but also a therapist and philosopher, is interested in the exploration of consciousness (Trances and prodigies, Arma Artis, 2015), as well as the spiritualities of the world (In the heart of the zaouias, Arma Artis, reissue, 2015) and the paths of initiation, which he deals with in particular in his latest book, The Master and the disciple. The initiatory journey (Phil aurora). So many dimensions that the martial arts associate in a gesture with often misunderstood metaphysical resonances.
The title of your book, “La Sagesse martiale”, associates two words whose everyday language tends to be opposites. How can combat be wisdom?
We often start martial arts with the idea of learning to fight. But the more one practices, the more one wonders about the deeper dimensions. This was my case: I started karate at 18, and I had the chance to meet the great master Ohshima [né en 1930, et aujourd’hui âgé de 91 ans], who gave an internship in my Swiss town of Sion. It was a shock.
Meeting and reading great masters makes it possible to grasp the essence of martial arts: the spirituality of gesture. By progressing on the “straight path”, we understand that what is at stake is not the small war, in other words breaking the face of one’s adversary, but the big one, against our internal enemies and our anxieties. Gradually overcoming these obstacles creates a quiet evolution by which peace is made within us. Martial arts therefore initiate a spirituality that passes through the body: little by little the way in which each gesture refers to a celestial meaning is revealed.
How to define martial arts?
Current opinion does not link the martial arts to wisdom. It is generally seen as an art of self-defense through techniques that could save us the day. However, in the Eastern spirit, the martial arts constitute initially a very spiritualized philosophy. For example, the founder of aikido, master Ueshiba (1883-1969), thinks that we fight surrounded by the kami, the invisible deities of Japanese Shintoism.
“The challenge is not the small war, to break the face of your adversary, but the big one, against our internal enemies and our anxieties”
You have 80.04% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.