How to choose between a martial art and meditation

[itachi uchiha]

I have been abused all my life.now i try to learn martial art.the problem is after all the survival work i only get 2 hours.so i can only pick 1.either martial art or meditation.meditation got me out of suicidal depression.but i am surrounded by people who abuse me.if i meditate i will escape depression but i will be abused.if i learn martial art i will get out of abusing but i will be in depression.i want both but can only have one.if someone can solve this problem it will be really appreciated

Edited September 14, 2021 by itachi uchiha

[Johnny Galt]

@itachi uchiha They can become as one. Considering what you mentioned, I'd choose martial arts and yet find a teacher that teaches the "internal" martial arts as this will attend to your spiritual relationship while at the same time, knowing you can defend yourself, this in itself can assist with dissolving your anxieties/fears.  Also, all that you internalize/depression, with movement, you can access that, bring it up, and transform/transmute that. In turn, a sitting/still practice because much more easy and relevant as you'll be more relaxed and rested as it is. 

Feel free to ask more questions!

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by Johnny Galt

[itachi uchiha]

@Johnny Galt those kind of martial art is bullshit and will not work for self defence

[Johnny Galt]

@itachi uchiha You make assumptions

[itachi uchiha]

@Johnny Galt for self defence taichi and other chinese chi martial art is bullshit.only combatative sports work which have 0 spiritual inclination

[Johnny Galt]

@itachi uchiha again, you're full of assumptions. Why did you just think tai chi? 

Go do the combative martial arts, you can still work with those arts while combining internal martial arts. 

[Mu_]

17 hours ago, itachi uchiha said:

I have been abused all my life.now i try to learn martial art.the problem is after all the survival work i only get 2 hours.so i can only pick 1.either martial art or meditation.meditation got me out of suicidal depression.but i am surrounded by people who abuse me.if i meditate i will escape depression but i will be abused.if i learn martial art i will get out of abusing but i will be in depression.i want both but can only have one.if someone can solve this problem it will be really appreciated

What do you mean, surrounded by people who abuse you?  Like at school they pick on you?  Can you clarify?  I'm trying to figure out will martial arts actually help you or not.  That said, meditation can be done for like 15-20 mins a day.  So I'm sure you can include both.

[blessedlion1993]

Biggest thing is protecting your body before increasing your consciousness. It's more important. I recommend learning to fight and fighting back as soon as possible. Even if you get beat up, people don't want to fuck with someone who is fighting back even if it's slightly. If you can cause them hard, they will associate you with pain and stop, hopefully. Also turn your martial art into a meditation.

[itachi uchiha]

@Mu_ my friends are abusing friends.also i am a nice guy and if i am inside a system with anyone they will take advantage of me as i am super nerd and a nice guy.i cannot stand up for myself

[itachi uchiha]

@blessedlion1993 but if i do not meditate i will get suicidal depression.that is the problem.i will get into substance abuse if i do not meditate

[Mu_]

19 minutes ago, itachi uchiha said:

@Mu_ my friends are abusing friends.also i am a nice guy and if i am inside a system with anyone they will take advantage of me as i am super nerd and a nice guy.i cannot stand up for myself

How do you see martial arts changing your friends from "abusing" you.  Abuse is a strong word, do you mean, verbally taunt with a touch of humor, or physically rough house in ways that you may not always like or connect with.

There is something to be said in gaining some muscle and having some physical defense skills, it can in a sense prevent some degree of that, since the other may see it less desirable due to the risk of your retaliation.

[itachi uchiha]

@Mu_ i mean mental abuse.if i learn boxing i will have strength and confidence so if they confront me i can hit back .i will have the ability to get unmoved.if they think of potential retaliation they will stop.basically everyone i meet will stop getting in my head if they know that i can fight back.i am basically getting exploited .not severe but small small exploitation

[Loba]

Martial arts, because you can learn to go into a meditative state when doing it.
It's good for your health, physique, it is a good way to channel male aggression - I think for a guy who is having the troubles that you are having, that martial arts could fix a lot of your problems.  Plus, if you get a lot of exercise, this can actually help with suicidal thoughts.  It is taking aggression and frustration and channeling that energy in the right way, that's perfect - it would help with self esteem and being comfortable with who you are.

I vote martial arts.  Good luck, sorry you're getting picked on, that's not cool.

Quote

Mushin is achieved when a person's mind is free from thoughts of anger, fear, or ego during combat or everyday life. There is an absence of discursive thought and judgment, so the person is totally free to act and react towards an opponent without hesitation and without disturbance from such thoughts. At this point, a person relies not on what they think should be the next move, but what is their trained natural reaction (or instinct) or what is felt intuitively. It is not a state of relaxed, near-sleepfulness, however. The mind could be said to be working at a very high speed, but with no intention, plan or direction.[7]

Some masters believe that mushin is the state where a person finally understands the uselessness of techniques and becomes truly free to move. In fact, those people will no longer even consider themselves as "fighters" but merely living beings moving through space.

On page 84 of his 1979 book Zen in the Martial Arts, Joe Hyams claimed Bruce Lee read the following quote to him, attributed to the legendary Zen master Takuan Sōhō:[8]

The mind must always be in the state of 'flowing,' for when it stops anywhere that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well-being of the mind. In the case of the swordsman, it means death.
When the swordsman stands against his opponent, he is not to think of the opponent, nor of himself, nor of his enemy's sword movements. He just stands there with his sword which, forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the subconscious. The man has effaced himself as the wielder of the sword. When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the man's subconscious that strikes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin_(mental_state)

It's hard to say, that I'm back on a straight line
You see my path is in fact just a fault line
It's in my blood, it's in my lungs and it won't die
I fight these words, I bite my tongue so I don't lie

Though it's me to blame
There is no more shame in me, in me
I just feel the same, immune to all this pain
And the scars don't write a song for me at all

I am a stone, unaffected
Rain hell down onto me
Flesh and bone, unaffected
Your fool I will not be

I am a stone, (I am a stone) unaffected
Rain hell down onto me
Flesh and bone, (I am a stone) unaffected
Your fool I will not be

I try to see and believe in the short sight
Accept the burn of a vain and a half-life
And how you rest your faith in these for a lifetime
That hollow lie against my hope that I won't buy

Though it's me to blame
There is no more shame in me, in me
I just feel the same, immune to all you say
And the scars don't write a song for me at all

No your tears won't line a path for me to crawl

I am a stone, unaffected
Rain hell down onto me
Flesh and bone, unaffected
Your fool I will not be

I am a stone, (I am a stone) unaffected
Rain hell down onto me
Flesh and bone, (I am a stone) unaffected
Your fool I will not be

The waters rise above my eyes
I will breathe it in and go out with the tide
And when you think this is the end
You will find me there where I have always been

I am a stone, unaffected
Rain hell down onto me
Flesh and bone, unaffected
Your fool I will not be

I am a stone, unaffected
Rain hell down onto me
Flesh and bone, unaffected
Your fool I will not be

I am a stone, (I am a stone) unaffected
Rain hell down onto me
Flesh and bone, (I am a stone) unaffected
Your fool I will not be

I am a stone
I am a stone

Edited September 16, 2021 by Loba

[Mu_]

On 9/15/2021 at 1:08 PM, itachi uchiha said:

@Mu_ i mean mental abuse.if i learn boxing i will have strength and confidence so if they confront me i can hit back .i will have the ability to get unmoved.if they think of potential retaliation they will stop.basically everyone i meet will stop getting in my head if they know that i can fight back.i am basically getting exploited .not severe but small small exploitation

I'd say lifting some weights and putting on some muscle will deter most fragile, surface level assholes, doing martial arts or boxing (which I think will make you more able to defend yourself faster) can build confidence in your self and healthy discipline, and doing 15-20 min meditation a couple times a week for mental clarity and sanity.

[Thought Art]

Tai chi/ Kung fu are not powerful compared to muay thai/ BJJ. But, they are useful for developing inner clarity and more nuanced set of movement.  Sounds like your mind that need developing more than the ability to beat others up.

I love doing Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I have trained and won BJJ tournaments. Personally think BJJ is my fav martial art. 

 

I personally found combat sport to be spiritual. Just in a different context.

Martial Arts are great for self esteem.

Meditation, yoga, Qigong are part of developing a balanced mature mind as well.

Martial Arts = Yang

Restorative practice (Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, meditation) = Yin

You likely wont train every single day, but 3 or 4 times a week max. Which means you have time for both things.

Good to have both. 

Edited September 16, 2021 by Thought Art