Essays From The Master

The Monkey Sage: Grand Master Ashida Kim

 

It is said in the east that “the knowing must go about the world as a holy man, a madman or a fool,” it is not the learned who decides this title in many cases the masses do and history does. There is among world’s martial artists is one who is in his way a holy man in that he is self aware and aware of all that is not himself, he is called madman by those who fear him and yet have no knowledge of him and a fool by those who have cause to belittle him. The man’s name to the world is Ashida Kim, a name that arises from a nick name given him by his fellows and with this name he writes and teaches. His detractors have used his public name to say that he is a fake because it is not his real name. He never has said it was his birth name; it is a name he has chosen to be known by in this incarnation. Grand Master Kim is a brave warrior on so many levels it transcends any ability to number. He has dared to be the public face of the Koga Clan and its many styles of the Silent Way. He has fought for the ideals of the United States of America and has shown that he is strong enough to not react to those who view him as their enemy.

 

Master Kim was brave enough to reach out to any who seek his path as a part of there own. Master Kim has stood up to corrupt businesses and continues to fight them though it forces him to live at a lower financial level than he deserves. As widely as his books are read and bought, downloaded and copied Master Kim should be rich on the order of Donald Trump. Master Kim took on the task of keeping the system of the infamous Count Dante alive not because of any reason other than it is an effective means of self defense. Master Kim has written many books on the Silent Way and other martial arts, he has founded the 21 century martial art Mugei mumei no jitsu whose name means no name no art.  His greatest strength is a heart filled with laughter and with that laughter he can teach one the wisdom of the path or cut one’s ego out like a vital organ before a sword.

 

In the lore of the Silent Way there is often mention of the hermit-wizard-master-immortal who is said to be the root or embodiment of that which he represents, such men are called Senin. In legend Senin are usually linked to an animal and are called the sage of that animal, a famous Senin of note is the Gama Senin or Toad Sage.  Because so much of master Kim’s personal style is based on enlightenment through laughter or joy as well as trickery we of the Komuso Ryu know master Kim as the Monkey Sage. He is so named in part after Saratobi Saskei the leaping monkey ninja who is a famous example of the Koga Clan. He is also called such because like the monkey he bites you on the ass while you are laughing at his antics to paraphrase Circle of Iron, an important film for the martial arts as a whole. Many have been the occasion on which Master Kim has made this student laugh and in laughing learn truly profound things.

 

Were I to start quoting Master Kim this article would be a book so profound are the words of the Grand Master, though one of the most fundamental is “train yourself and be your own master.” Through his books on the Silent Way and the other martial sciences Master Kim offers the world the means of peace through skill in war by which war it’s self could be eliminated. The Monkey Sage, master of the mystical laughing light shows the path to the future in which each individual is both enlightened and empowered from within. Ashida Kim to we the blessed who know him is an avatar of freedom and to those like my self Master Kim is a father-figure and a brother. It was Master Kim who inspired me as a child and through his books and training it was Master Kim who took a chance and trained I whom other “masters” had spurned. In a world gone mad such as we have today Master Kim is a voice that inspires us to be true to our selves.

 

Monkey Sage crowned are you with the halo of your joy,

You know the pains of life are but the bitter to balance the sweet that is the bliss of eternity.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 8th, 2007 at 3:06 am and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.