"Issha Zetsumei" is a Japanese phrase whose image provides a masterful foundation for the art of pistol shooting. When translated to English it means literally "one shot and expire." The saying conjures the image of the last act of a dying man - a shooter summarizing his entire life with a single shot. In other words, the goal is to establish in your mind that you have no other purpose or concern in life than to properly execute the current shot.
Calmness of spirit in all circumstances, acting spontaneously without restraint, acting without concern for public recognition, seeing things as they truly are, and realizing that every day is a fine day are positive qualities that are already within us.
Greed, competitiveness, vanity, self-criticism, shyness, fear, need for approval - are but a few of the personality traits that can lead to delusive thoughts that cloud our awareness. We must recognize these flaws before we can transcend them. Recognize that life is an ongoing struggle with the ego, a battle with oneself. In this battle, one must face physical and psychological pain in order to experience the fruits of victory. From our practice, one learns to endure pain and austerity, delay gratification, concentrate fully on the task of the moment, each moment, and refine form to the nth degree. The ultimate objective of our continued practice is losing the ego and realizing the freedom of the true Self.
Quite possibly, a person's most powerful weapon for survival and success is the ability to believe in oneself. It is true that one of the most difficult points in the practice of any Zen art is coming to terms with the fact that we alone are responsible for everything that happens. As a result, this reality creates a natural stress arising from doubts of our ability to perform well. However, it can be said that these self-doubts are nothing more than delusional thoughts. Just as you do not drive to work every day fearing that you are going to be fired, you cannot allow thoughts of the fear of failure cloud your mind. It is imperative that any stress we experience be identified in order that we can set our delusional thoughts aside. Once identified, stress can be seen as a positive thing. Armed with self-confidence, stress can be re-channeled into positive energy for the intense mental concentration that is necessary to succeed.
Our first priority in preparing to do anything is to bring all of our awareness to the present. The routine processes of taking our stance and focusing on our breathing should act as a trigger to automatically bring our thoughts fully to the moment at hand. To understand this mindset, try to picture the image of a digital clock - this instrument has no sense of past or future; all it has is the moment. Surely you've watched one to see how it changes - take this as a challenge to "catch the ceaseless flow of quality in the passing moment." How much quality can you compress into any moment by simply being there and nowhere else? This is the magic and life-lesson of our art.
Any number of delusive thoughts can distract us and cloud our minds at any moment. It can be thoughts of trying aspects of our daily lives such as work, finances or relationships that can intrude our concentration. But the thoughts that are most difficult to keep from following are those relating to our performance itself. Each day should be lived without any regard for past performance or to one's performance in the future - concern about how the aggregate score is going to be affected cannot be a consideration. However, the truth is that most of the internal dialogue that people have in their minds center upon thinking about and planning what they will do. These thoughts are delusive - this planning for the future simply keeps them from concentrating fully on the present and impairs their performance. "Have you ever gone on a well-deserved vacation and in the middle of all of the fun and relaxation found yourself thinking about when the trip will end?" asks Sensei Dan DeProspero. Everyone has done so - and this is precisely the delusional type of thinking we must avoid.
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