recoveryjones said:
That's deep stuff, however, I really like it.Good Post.
Thanks, hope it helps your game.
dhakala said:
"The moment of releasing chi - during which the final stroke of the cue is made - is thoughtless."
recoveryjones said:
I've experienced deadstroke a half dozen times or so where I just couldn't miss. My mind was free of all clutter and basically "thoughtless" as ball after ball disappeared in the pockets.
The question is, is how does one bring on deadstroke?
RJ
By pursuing satori, or kensho at first, through the practice of pool meditation. That is what I mean by "walking the Four-Bank Path to Enlightenment and Correct Thinking."
First, one must change Incorrect Thinking about pool.
Pool is not a frivolous game, but an earnest sacrament. Pool is nothing less than an effort to perfect one's eternal spirit, a task to be undertaken with joy but never carelessly. In episode 127 of Seinfeld ("The Doll," 1996, season 7), a sign on the wall of George's bedroom says it well:
"Pool is not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that."
Pool is not a competitive sport, but a solitary or cooperative pursuit like hunting. Competitors strive for the same thing - dominance over the other. A hunter strives to kill, while the prey strives to live; that is not competition, for their objectives could not be more different. One may hunt alone at a pool table or in cooperation with a team mate, but one's goal is not dominance over anyone. The goal of pool meditation is nourishment of one's spirit. Fortunately, nothing has to die for one's soul food.
With such Correct Thinking, one may pursue Enlightenment - a. k. a., satori, "dead stroke" - by adapting Zen meditation practices to pool.
Zazen - "sitting still" meditation, the stereotypical lotus position and half-closed eyes - may seem the furthest from pool. But hunters spend a lot of time motionless, patiently waiting for prey to appear. A Zen Cueist needs to develop the skills of motionless patience and thoughtless awareness of his environment.
Kinhin - walking meditation - is practiced in Zen mainly to relieve the physical stress caused by long periods of zazen. Ten minutes of kinshin out of each hour of zazen is often recommended for beginners, while adepts may need less. But kinshin plays a greater role in pool meditation, for obvious reasons.
Kyudo - the "way of the bow" or Zen archery - is an ancient and highly developed form of active meditation that is very much like pool meditation. Kyudo - and pool - bring the practitioner closer to the goal of satori (perpetual Enlightenment) by incorporating more physical activities than zazen or kinhin.
The ultimate goal is to live every moment in satori, while doing all the mundane activities of life. The book
One Arrow, One Life: Zen, Archery, Enlightenment, discusses the benefits of Zen in everyday life and how kyudo helps one achieve them.
"Dead stroke" is not a cigarette ligher to be flicked on and off as needed, but a guiding light to be left burning always so that one does not stray from the Path.
