The Breath of The Dragon

I’ve been studying and teaching martial arts for over thirty years. I was fascinated by the ‘secret’ techniques that were alluded to when I began. What I came to realize is that they aren’t the kind of secrets that can simply be told to another person. They are secrets that can only be revealed to individuals through practice. They may be more correctly seen as Ways of understanding. One such Way is The Breath of The Dragon. The Way of the Breath isn’t spoken about very often. Martial artists that practice The Way don’t speak about it openly because of the danger it can be to someone trying to advance too quickly.

Some Christians tend to see any allusion to a dragon as connected to Satan. That’s an overly simplistic and very misleading understanding. The more correct understanding of the symbolism is akin to the Celtic view. The Dragon represents all of creation and it’s breath the life-force, the pulse, of creation.

In Eastern schools of philosophy the direct experience of reality is considered the ultimate experience. The symbolism of a veil between us and reality is commonly used. The function, the goal, of Eastern religious-philosophical schools is to lift the veil and allow us a direct understanding; a direct connection with “IT”. The Breath of the Dragon is one such Way.

I don’t consciously think about martial arts very much these days. They are so much a part of me that they're almost too natural to question. I sometimes have to stop and realize that most people have little to no understanding of that approach to life.

The Breath makes you face life and death directly. Without betraying any of its techniques or secrets I can say that it brings you to new levels of understanding. It brings you to a place where paradoxes and inner conflicts are reconciled, a place where connections are seen where none were visible before. You learn to see beyond life and death. The Breath shows you that inner peace is the greatest strength, but it’s not a place you can live in all the time. With practice your visits there can become longer and longer.

The Breath is a part of me…or, I should say, I'm a part of it. The way that it influences me sometimes surprises even me. I find, as I get older, that I don’t care for ambiguity or subtlety nearly as much as directness. I tend to go straight to the heart of a matter when it’s important to me. That puts some people off and even scares some people. The Breath is a way without rituals or games…it drives us to seek only truth and connection. I’ve found in life that not many people are comfortable directly facing truth. It can be very scary…because it forces you to change and grow.

What the masters say is true, the taller the tree...the stronger the wind. I only know that if acorns didn’t change…there would never be oak trees. I can’t imagine a world without oak trees.