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We all hear stores of how the dojo went in the dead of winter to practice a few days in the snow and if possible did sanchin under a waterfall of icy cold water but I had to ask myself, “Is that true shugyo?” Although challenging; although it takes many way outside their comfort zone; although it is probably more than most have ever endured as to hardships in their lives it is still not shugyo, not in my view.
I prefer to call such things - challenges, those events and situations you allow or place yourself in that take you out of your comfort zone and hopefully present you with things that prepare you for life events especially if that involves a career in disciplines that expose you frequently to conflict and violence.
When I think of shugyo, I first consider boot camp for the United States Marines. Within that training there are other challenges that take you beyond the shugyo of boot camp such as what I experienced, at the time referred to as, “Motivation Training.” Now, another form of shugyo is what I would call the training to qualify for and get into military special operations. In my time it was Marine Recon Training and today has been morphed into Marine Raider Qualifications and Training. Now, that is shugyo!
Often it is more than a few hours or even days of high stress physically demanding training but weeks and even months. In some military operations after qualifications you still have to endure heavy stressful demanding training for a minimum of two years where at any time you could end up out and back to the regulars.
The types of shugyo training I have researched in karate and martial arts is not true shugyo but a realistic self-test challenge of being stressed and taken outside what you have experienced to date and into something never experienced before but not true shugyo.
Lets find out, at least from one translation source, what the actual characters/ideograms mean, i.e., Shugyo [修行] The characters/ideograms translate to, “Ascetic practices (Buddhist term); training; practice; discipline; study.” The first character translates to, “Discipline; conduct oneself well; study; master,” the second character translates to, “journey; going.”
First, I notice that in this translation there is no reference to austere but to ascetic as to a Buddhist term. That word is defined as follows, i.e., “Characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons; a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention.” It must be noted that the word “AND” exists between self-discipline and abstention and lets not forget “RELIGIOUS” reasons. This does not mean that the term, Japanese and English, are not accurate because it occurs on a regular basis even in Japan that translations, meanings and definitions depend on the person, their education and understanding and the area of cultural beliefs drive how it is used and defined, etc.
Second, as you put together the translated English words it could define a person who practices severe self-discipline and if enough accept that as a use then it may end up in the definition of said translation but note that this does not happen in the translation programs used.
Austere, not a word found in this translation, means, “Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance; (of living conditions or a way of life) having no comforts or luxuries; harsh or ascetic; having an extremely plain and simple style or appearance; unadorned.” But does this include a more temporary setting for shugyo or austere training because the strict definition of the English word indicates a living condition or way of living your life meaning to me, it is not just in a set time, place or way. Is close, close enough to give the meaning to shugyo that is provided in martial arts and karate communities? This is why I use, seishin shugyo as defined below although references “Spiritual Training” as its use and definition it does rely heavily on the acceptance from the community, and does it?
Bibliography (Click the link)
Other articles of shugyo:
In another way of seeing shugyo, it should be the type of experience that consistently and accumulatively adds to the challenges of each instance, i.e., in short, once you experience the first challenge always make the next one more demanding and more intense than the last. If it is not at least this type of challenge then it can never be truly shugyo, austere training.
Also:
Seishin Shugyo [精神修行者]
Seishin and the first two characters/ideograms mean, "Mind; soul; heart; spirit; intention." The first character means, "Refined; ghost; fairy; energy; vitality; excellence; purity; skill," the second means, "gods; mind; soul." Note: See the shugyo entry for that word and set of characters.
The Okinawan's believe that Seishin Shugyo or spiritual training is the "training that comes first." They use a phrase, i.e. Oku Myo Zai Ren Shin," that has a meaning that, "in order to find the secrets, one must first have spiritual training." It is also said, "Polish the heart through the polishing of technique."
This adds more meaning to "shugyo" and its importance to the study, practice and training in the art of karate-jutsu, the Okinawan art of the empty hand.
Shugyo [修行] The characters/ideograms translate to, “Ascetic practices (Buddhist term); training; practice; discipline; study.” The first character translates to, “Discipline; conduct oneself well; study; master,” the second character translates to, “Journey; going.”
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