Imperfection

When I train, I often find myself performing at a level far below what I feel to be acceptable.  I experience a great deal of frustration and self loathing when I fail to perform technique perfectly. However, this response does not accord with the principals we see operating in nature.  From the entropy present in all natural systems, to the disastrous forces of unleashed nature, to the beauty of the asymmetrical, there is a Divine harmony in the imperfect.  The harmony present in natural imperfection speaks to the existence of Divine grace operating in a corrupted universe.

Budo has long recognized the virtue of imperfection in the development and operation of technique.  Imperfection is, in fact, desirable not to mention an ever present reality--we are not gods.  Indeed, the imperfect execution of technique allows for the creativity of "henka" and infuses budo with life.  In particular, taijutsu finds its strength and power in the freedom to apply the imperfect to the interplay of space and timing, producing martial art.  In the dojo, I observe as the young budoka struggle with the illusion of their own imperfection, while those mature in budo taijutsu move in natural unity with imperfection and, thereby, become living examples of martial art: the budo of elegance.