Beverford Discussion on Martial Arts

On December 23, 2015, I had a discussion with Arthur Beverford in the astral planes. This was regarding the value of martial arts as compared to yoga. Some are of the opinion that that two disciplines are similar but in a sense they are worlds apart. This is because yoga is concerned with full introspection and curbs everything to being within the confines and value of internal observation regarding internal features of the psyche.

Beverford asked me to study several types of martial art process through video observation of these systems. During the time I was with him when he used his last body, he tried to convince me that the study of martial arts was worth the while. This argument of his never made much sense to me.

Once during the year of 1973 just after both of us came back from the Philippines to the USA, I once slipped into a high siddha state where I resumed a past life, when I used a body which was a Martial Arts master beyond compare. In that life, once I was attacked by several other martial arts experts from an opposing lineage and somehow because of my quick developed reflexes, I defeated all of them. During the experience even I was surprised at the proficient of martial arts which I developed in that life, but when the experience was over and I returned to this physical body, it felt as if a power station had shut down and the lights all went out.

Way back in 1973, I discussed used this with Beverford when he was pressuring me to study martial arts again but he said in reference to it, that I should again take up the practice and resume the proficiency. Something which I disagreed with silently.

For one thing, a living entity would do well if he or she makes sure to fulfill the spiritual purpose for which the body was assumed. However once one gets the body there are many influences which contravene that purpose. One has to be sure that one stays on course no matter what happens, even if those negative influences become effective in one’s life. Luckily in this life, I am so far able to stay on course. That is good luck.

The style of martial arts which Beverford wanted me to look at today, is a Chinese method which is known as Wing Chun. However even though the Bodhi Dharma began the practice of martial arts, his purpose in doing so was to help students to begin the practice of meditation in the way Buddha did it, which is a nonphysical process, a totally psychological discipline. It was not his intention to make martial arts into a separate and complete study in its own right.

The material nature (prakriti) could care less about honor or dishonor, right or wrong, good or bad. It is only concerned with experience. Ultimately it is concerned with ruination of whatever it produced along the way. This means that our obsession with being good or bad has no value in the face of the material nature.

This does not mean that it makes no different socially if we do good or bad. But it makes clear that in the final analysis nature does not give a hoot about it. Nature could care less about our defense or offence, and also the same nature supports both, our defense or offence, where we experience that some mischievous persons are successful for a time and some well-intended persons are also successful for a time.

The issue for student-yogis is to turn away from the social scene and its various applications. One has to focus on the core-self and its adjuncts. If there is to be a martial art in yoga, then it is the one in which the core-self gains mastery so that it is not dominated by the adjuncts in the psyche.

External mastery one physical body to another has nothing to do with yoga in real terms because the hassle in the social environment is a distraction to the real issue which is the response pulsation of the psyche to the psyche of others.

Even though the trees regard the deer as their enemies, the same trees do not see the tigers as a threat, even though the deer must regard the tigers as enemies. Hence social intercourse has to do with one person’s relationship to another or one species relations to another. These interactions cannot be settled except by psychological adjustment within the psyche.

Martial arts as a physical practice for offensive or defensive purposes does not give mastery over the adjuncts and so it is a diversion from the practice of real yoga. In martial arts one has to be focused on the opponent and on one’s reflexes in reference to a real or imagined opponent but in yoga the focus in the psychic adjuncts which are opponents to the core-self.