Walk the path of Heiho. Ancient martial arts master Miyamoto Musashi describes Heiho throughout The Book of Five Rings. Heiho is a way of life, and a way of being. Musashi writes,

Broaden your knowledge and know the justice and injustice of the world; know the good and the bad of things. Walk the path of various arts and skills. After you can no longer be deceived by people in general, for the first time, you will attain the essence of the wisdom of Heiho.

In other words, outgrow your naivete. Drop your innocence. Wake up and be aware of the world in which you live, for all its good and all its evil. Ignorance may bring bliss, but it will never bring enlightenment.

In martial arts, Heiho strategy always begins (and ends) with initiative. Whether you move or don’t move, take the initiative to decide what movement is happening. Attack and counter-attack both occur in the context of a broader strategy. They aren’t moves. They are a continuation of your strategy.

As I’ve pondered jnana, which can mean knowledge or awakened awareness, I’ve thought about Heiho as a way of being that also includes action. Knowledge, at its best, brings us to act, too, doesn’t it?

This morning at taekwondo, we worked on kicking drills. We did single kicks first, then a combination of two, and then continuous kicking down the length of the dojang. The purpose was to practice our kicking strategy- to speed it up, to make it more smooth from one kick to the next. And, though I’m not there yet, there comes a point where you’re not thinking about “this kick” and then “this kick” but just naturally flowing from one to the next. Soon, it begins to look like a dance. That’s when you know the knowledge has become a way. It has become Heiho.

Musashi says, “The flow of things can always be seen if one’s intelligence is good.”

Intelligence in martial arts includes practice, awareness, sound mind. But it shows up in the flow of your movements.