The Philosophy of Martial Arts. In Search of the Absolute Fulcrum. [True Story of my Spiritual Quest]

I was always interested in philosophy. For me, this means to answer vital questions. "Who am I? Where I came from? Where am I going? What is the meaning of my life? What is the cause of my problems and suffering? And how to find endless happiness?"

When I was 6 years old, I began to torment terrible headaches. 

My parents turned to doctors, but they were unable to help me. And then my aunt found a healer who took to treat me. And I with my sister moved to Ukraine, where at that time our aunt lived. Her husband was in the military, so they often changed their place of residence.

This healer used eggs and water.  She whispered something and poured water from one cup to another. We met with her several times a week, I was sitting on the chair, and she was doing her mysterious treatment. After a few months, the headaches ended.

That first experience of contact with a person with extraordinary abilities left a very bright trace in my memory.

Since then I became interested in all extraordinary. I was interested in spirits, magic, spells, magical wands and so on. If then I read the book about Harry Potter, it would have become my favorite book.

At age of 13 I became interested in boxing. The desire to fight manifested in me. And at some point I learned about Bruce Lee. I felt a kinship with him, with his intransigence and fanaticism in achieving the goal. And in 17 years I started to learn russian martial art. For me martial arts always meant something more than just a fight. It was a way of self-discovery. And it helped me to discover my own extraordinary abilities.

But the philosophical questions remain unanswered.

And after a few years, I stopped my workout. I guess I was disappointed. I was not able to obtain satisfactory answers to my questions.

Since then, much time has passed. A lot has happened. And I've changed a lot. My philosophical search  brought me some priceless fruits. I got a lot of answers, even more than wanted. Now, looking back, I see more. The way of the martial arts is the same way. By following it you also can get all the answers. 

Martial art is a way to keep the balance. Internal and external balance. 

Mental balance is peace, confidence and happiness. And this kind of balance is even more important than physical balance. And balance is impossible without the fulcrum. Therefore, the movement, the fight requires a search for new points of support, new fulcrums. And the winner is the one who better knows how to find these points. And if the physical side of the fight is more or less clear, (there is a certain biomechanics of the process), here with regard to the internal, mental part, everything is more complicated.

Mental fulcrums are our life values.

Life value is something that can make you happy. Life value - is the source of happiness. And everyone believes in different sources of happiness. Each in his own way imagines what is able to make him happy. Therefore, everyone has a different mental points of support. Different internal fulcrums.

How to determine your mentally fulcrum? It's pretty simple. 

What are you most afraid to lose - that's your main mental point of support. Fear is the main indicator. If you are afraid to lose your money, then money is your mental point of support. If you are afraid to lose a reputation - that's your point. If you are afraid to lose your family - so family is your inner fulcrum.

The fight has a simple essence.

You just need to unbalance your opponent. This means you need to see his points of support. Internal and external. In essence, this is all that needs to be done.

And so my search for the meaning of life and answers to the eternal questions at some point went beyond physical interaction. I realized that I have no reliable internal points of support. And this is my main imperfection as a fighter.

So I came to Vedic philosophy. 

I wanted a perfect inner fulcrum. This is what I needed. And although to some of my friends with whom I practiced martial arts, my new hobby was strange and not related to martial arts, I knew I was moving in the right direction. I was still doing the same thing - looking for a reliable point of support. That is, in fact, I was still doing martial arts, just moved from external to internal form.

And in fact, this perfect or absolute fulcrum is a source of happiness that no one can take away from you. 

This source must be what is beyond time. And beyond any material circumstances. This source must be spiritual.

This is a big and complex topic. At least it seems complicated to those who have never immersed themselves in it. For me the theme of spirituality now seems simple. In the sense that I was lucky enough to get a decent answers to those questions from my childhood.  As I wrote in my introductory post, I spent more than 15 years of my life and not a bit sorry that I left martial arts.

You can't beat the warrior, which is infinitely happy. 

Yes, this is the secret of true masters. The happy warrior - the invincible warrior. Yes, you can kill him, but defeat him you can't. He will die being in internal equilibrium.

But happiness comes from within. Happiness cannot be obtained by working with the external, material forms. Therefore, the true masters of martial arts are profound philosophers. And philosophical search, in essence, is a search for internal fulcrum. Search for that source of happiness that cannot be taken away under any circumstances. 

We all long for happiness.

We all search for endless enjoyment. This is the eternal nature of the soul, which is evidenced by the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12): anandamayo 'byasat. "The nature of the soul is ananda". And this word "ananda" in Sanskrit means happiness, bliss, pleasure. Another words, true enjoyment is in the spiritual reality.  True happiness is achieved through spiritual perfection, and not through material enrichment. Therefore, the absolute fulcrum can not be material. It must be spiritual.

I wish you all to find your absolute fulcrum and to obtain unwavering happiness.
Never give up.