Fear, Doubt, Surprise, and Confusion

Fear, doubt, surprise, and confusion are concepts considered by the great masters of Budo to be the four sicknesses of the killing arts developed by the beginners and intermediate level practitioners of the art, and at times amongst those of the highest ranks. Once one starts to understand the basic concepts of the Budo arts these sicknesses begin to manifest themselves by means of fear in applying these proven Budo concepts in daily life afraid of their true functionality, doubt in oneself and their abilities to apply these concepts of Budo, surprise of the capabilities of these teachings, and confusion caused by the outcome the teachings. When made in reference to the art of Japanese swordsmanship these four sicknesses have the ability of hindering a swordsman’s capability of achieving victory over an opponent in a definitive manner. Upon further analysis we will discover how each one of these sicknesses will disable one’s ability to succeed and how these sicknesses run hand in hand.

Fear

Fear is perhaps the most common of the four sicknesses. Fear of an opponent or of the capabilities one possesses to confront a life situation demonstrates lack of preparation and/ or confidence in ones abilities, ultimately leading to defeat of one’s own mind and body. To overcome this fear one must sacrifice them self in training and preparation in order to develop a strong state of mind and body in turn allowing them the confidence to overcome this fear and conquer their goal.

Doubt

Where fear may act in times leading to the conflict, doubt lingers in the mind at the moment of conflict. Doubt in life, just as in swordsmanship, can have the potential of making one falter in times of attempting or finalizing the finishing blow, resulting in catastrophic results. Doubt, just like fear can be brought upon oneself through the lack of preparation and the inexperience of practical application. If the principles of Budo are closely adhered to, one will start to discover that these concepts are truly effective and must, at times, place trust in the hands of its philosophies in order to become successful. One must always remember that the teachings of Budo have existed for hundreds of years and proven time and time again. It is for this reason that it is still in practice today in modern day life by many, each time providing a successful way of life to its practitioners.

Surprise

In swordsmanship, the sickness of surprise is that of not being fully focused and being caught off guard by the opponent. At times this element can lead to fear and doubt simply by venturing into the unknown and finding the unexpected. Through the teachings of Budo we can overcome this concept of surprise by adhering to the basics and not straying into what is unknown, but only into what is heavily researched and examined, where the outcome as well as its possibilities of becoming reality is known. By doing so, one can avoid this element of surprise in whole and only venture into what is known, in the long run proving beneficial to oneself in being victorious over one’s goal or opponent.

Confusion

Confusion is derived from the culmination of fear, doubt, and surprise. In Budo, when a state of confusion enters the mind and body, the outcome is guaranteed defeat of oneself. It is for this reason that the teachings of Budo demonstrates to its pupils the way of evading confusion by showing the proven basics of life. Starting with discipline, cleanliness, and unselfishness, then transcending into the more complex of philosophies as that of Sutemi and Enzan No Metsuke. Once concepts such as these are understood and well thought out, following a logical mindset, in their true meaning can one avoid such sicknesses as confusion.

As examined in the latter, the studies of Budo possess the power of teaching its practitioners the way of conquering its sicknesses of fear, doubt, surprise, and confusion, as well as showing them the way to a long and healthy mental state of mind through the teachings of what may appear to be common sense, but when further reviewed, much more challenging and complex to fore fill in physical daily life. It is through this constant struggle with oneself that one will be able to improve them self and in turn improve society around them.