A new way of SEEING things.

[Rick Marchand]

This is a very interesting article on human vision and how it relates to our awareness. I've been practicing many of these principles through years of martial arts and bush rambling... this article explains it in black and white.
Rick

http://www.navaching.com/hawkeen/nwalk.html

 

[znode]

maximize the potential for our experiencing flow
vision (VEN) and Vision (VEB)
"second sight" facilitates a distinct change in perception while promoting a serene sense of well-being
It had a strange dimensional quality
Fire, Water, Earth, Air - Once again, the Physiological Shift created by NightWalking

Pseudoscience, mysticism, and the elements? No thanks, I like the real world better.

 

[coote]

Thanks for this. I have saved it to my favorites for going over when I have a bit more time. I am very interested in some of the things hinted at on this site. I believe there is much more to life than we might think.

 

[akennedy73]

That is interesting - I have only briefly skimmed it but I'll take a closer look.

"In The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman of 16th century Japan, implies that he fought his greatest duels with his eyes crossed, and goes into considerable detail about developing and using this strange ability."

I cross my eyes initially for a few moments when I'm sparring - it does seem to calm my mind and bring about a kind of soft focus that better enables me to see and read my opponent's movements. So I'd have to agree with Musashi that it helps.

 

[nephildevil]

i haven't read it (yet), but from the quote above it seems similar to what i experience in the wild

somehow i feel more relaxed, but at the same time my senses are extraordinary sharp, i see, hear, sometimes even smell everything

very primal

 

[tknife]

Nice link. I remember reading Tom Brown write on using "splatter vision" in the wild, and have tried to practice that ever since.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I cross my eyes initially for a few moments when I'm sparring - it does seem to calm my mind and bring about a kind of soft focus that better enables me to see and read my opponent's movements.

If you've ever seen the Magic Eye books, you know you can initialize the 3D effect by crossing your eyes, and looking past the surface and into the pattern.

I don't know why, but I can also feel what you describe about the calming effect of doing this.

somehow i feel more relaxed, but at the same time my senses are extraordinary sharp, i see, hear, sometimes even smell everything

a leaf fell in the forest​

The eagle saw it fall​

the dear heard it​

the bear smelled it​

 

[Kat013]

Very interesting.. I read the particular page you linked until I hit the acronyms for particular types of attention, and then realized it's part of a series, and decided to pursue it from the beginning.

The 'flow' on the NightWalking page is something I've been able to achieve while drumming (not around-a-fire-improv, though I've done that.. I'm classically trained). Percussionists in my geographic area call it 'the zone'.

znode... it's a model for understanding some aspects of how our brains work. True, it doesn't seem born out of hard science, though it certainly makes use of scientific elements, and the basic principles (on the first page: http://www.navaching.com/hawkeen/pmap.html ) are certainly not new to science... that we can learn to consciously control our physiological state, including emotions.

A good chunk of it may be 'mysticism', but if it works, bloody hell.. I will have found a way to keep my stress levels from triggering my insomnia. Beats taking Xanax and a beta blocker. I will have found a way to train myself to consciously choose my mode of attention, and keep it or change it at will (http://www.navaching.com/hawkeen/atten.html), which is a big problem for me.

 

[Wabajack]

Pseudoscience, mysticism, and the elements? No thanks, I like the real world better.

QFT

* Quoted for truth

 

[Wabajack]

"In The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman of 16th century Japan, implies that he fought his greatest duels with his eyes crossed, and goes into considerable detail about developing and using this strange ability."

In no literary work by him or pertaining to his life has it been said that he “crossed his eyes” in combat, or at least in a literal sense as you have taken it. I have been a long time student of Japanese history and have read the actual Japanese text of ‘Go Rin no Sho’ (The Book of Five Rings) and nowhere in it does it state this. You have either read a bad translated peace or have misinterpreted the text.

Also, I should state, as a long time practitioner of Niten-Ichi swordsmanship (the style Musashi founded) there has never been mention of such “eye crossing” which further debunks your interpretation.

You must use a critical mind when reading such stuff. It should be quite apparent that when using a close range focus (which is basically what going crossed eyed is) will not in anyway aid your ability to conduce combat. It will be nothing short of a great disadvantage, both attributes of blurred and duel vision would be a great impediment.

I cross my eyes initially for a few moments when I'm sparring - it does seem to calm my mind and bring about a kind of soft focus that better enables me to see and read my opponent's movements.

It's called a placebo effect. It is all in your head, since you ‘heard’ that some great swordsman from century ago had apparently used such a tactic you let your brain lead you to believe that it actually works, when in essence it is not.

So I'd have to agree with Musashi that it helps.

Unfortunately the historical record shows that he has never stated such a thing.

 

[Rick Marchand]

In no literary work by him or pertaining to his life has it been said that he “crossed his eyes” in combat, or at least in a literal sense as you have taken it. I have been a long time student of Japanese history and have read the actual Japanese text of ‘Go Rin no Sho’ (The Book of Five Rings) and nowhere in it does it state this. You have either read a bad translated peace or have misinterpreted the text.

Also, I should state, as a long time practitioner of Niten-Ichi swordsmanship (the style Musashi founded) there has never been mention of such “eye crossing” which further debunks your interpretation.

You must use a critical mind when reading such stuff. It should be quite apparent that when using a close range focus (which is basically what going crossed eyed is) will not in anyway aid your ability to conduce combat. It will be nothing short of a great disadvantage, both attributes of blurred and duel vision would be a great impediment.



It's called a placebo effect. It is all in your head, since you ‘heard’ that some great swordsman from century ago had apparently used such a tactic you let your brain lead you to believe that it actually works, when in essence it is not.



Unfortunately the historical record shows that he has never stated such a thing.

I agree Waba, to a point...
I have not studied Musashi and take your word on the "crosseyed" contriversy. But I have studied MA for 23yrs now and can relate to this altered field of view technique.... there are subtle differences between this and the meditative "blurred vision" practices that so many groups attest to. What I believe this article perhaps wrongly refered to as "crosseyes" is, infact, a technique that some call Mushin(Sp?) or "Looking to the distant mountains."
It is actually the reverse to crossing your eyes... where you allow your vision to reach out and encompass the entire field of view... not focusing on one thing but rather "the whole". People do it everyday while driving. If we focussed on every moving object and every billboard and car that past we'd shurely be worse drivers for it. Thats why you can drive down the highway and for some reason look over at that hawk perched on the fence post. You saw it even before you focused on it... same goes for watching TV and suddenly you're drawn to look over at the cricket walking along the wall in the shadows. Mushin is not so much changing your field of view as it is using your focused and peripheril(Sp?) vision more effectively.... does that make sense or am I rambling??
Rick

 

[Wabajack]

I agree Waba, to a point...
I have not studied Musashi and take your word on the "crosseyed" contriversy. But I have studied MA for 23yrs now and can relate to this altered field of view technique.... there are subtle differences between this and the meditative "blurred vision" practices that so many groups attest to. What I believe this article perhaps wrongly refered to as "crosseyes" is, infact, a technique that some call Mushin(Sp?) or "Looking to the distant mountains."
It is actually the reverse to crossing your eyes... where you allow your vision to reach out and encompass the entire field of view... not focusing on one thing but rather "the whole". People do it everyday while driving. If we focussed on every moving object and every billboard and car that past we'd shurely be worse drivers for it. Thats why you can drive down the highway and for some reason look over at that hawk perched on the fence post. You saw it even before you focused on it... same goes for watching TV and suddenly you're drawn to look over at the cricket walking along the wall in the shadows. Mushin is not so much changing your field of view as it is using your focused and peripheril(Sp?) vision more effectively.... does that make sense or am I rambling??
Rick

I actually think we completely agree with one another, I was merely attempting to debunk the literally taken ‘cross-eyed’ theory.

As for ‘mushin’ I have had first hand experience with similar such teachings and it is a completely factual technique one can utilize, it premise lies in looking at the whole and it has proven itself beyond that of a mere placebo. It unlike that of ‘crossed-eyes’ does not actually impair your vision, it merely makes it easier for you to acknowledge and differentiate rival movements.



Cheers!
~ Wabajack

 

[znode]

znode... it's a model for understanding some aspects of how our brains work. True, it doesn't seem born out of hard science

It's not very hard to make a model from existing facts. But the thing about science is - does that model have predictive power? Does it say anything new about the world (that wasn't part of the facts from which the model was made)? If it doesn't, or if its predictions are wrong, then the model is useless.

, though it certainly makes use of scientific elements, and the basic principles (on the first page: http://www.navaching.com/hawkeen/pmap.html ) are certainly not new to science...

That is exactly how pseudoscience is despicable - they use legitimate science to preface their ravings, which lures people into thinking the conclusions are properly researched.

A good chunk of it may be 'mysticism', but if it works, bloody hell.. I will have found a way to keep my stress levels from triggering my insomnia.

If something works, that's good! But if the model is wrong, you should be looking for other explanations as to why something worked, that everyone can benefit in the future.

 

[znode]

If you've ever seen the Magic Eye books, you know you can initialize the 3D effect by crossing your eyes, and looking past the surface and into the pattern.

In no Magic Eye books are you "looking into the pattern". You cross your eyes because the book is carefully, optically designed, that exaggerated eye convergence (or divergence, but that's much harder) causes each eye to see a slightly different image - which makes 3D binocular vision possible.

During a duel, I doubt your opponent would be optically designed to stay in focus .

 

[akennedy73]

You have either read a bad translated peace or have misinterpreted the text.

Actually neither - I skimmed the article linked in the first post and pulled the quote from it. You'll have to take it up with the original author of the article as to translation or interpretation. I have no idea as to its validity.

Also, I should state, as a long time practitioner of Niten-Ichi swordsmanship (the style Musashi founded) there has never been mention of such “eye crossing” which further debunks your interpretation.

Good to know - but again, its not my interpretation.

You must use a critical mind when reading such stuff. It should be quite apparent that when using a close range focus (which is basically what going crossed eyed is) will not in anyway aid your ability to conduce combat. It will be nothing short of a great disadvantage, both attributes of blurred and duel vision would be a great impediment.

The people I spar with on a weekly basis would disagree. Take it for what it's worth.

I cross my eyes (sometimes if the mood strikes me) for a few seconds which brings about a soft encompassing focus to my field of vision and further seems to quiet and still my mind. Strikes and parries then seem to come out of nowhere. It works - and I don't know why.

It's called a placebo effect. It is all in your head, since you ‘heard’ that some great swordsman from century ago had apparently used such a tactic you let your brain lead you to believe that it actually works, when in essence it is not.

On the contrary I know nothing of Mushashi's techniques - I skimmed a few pages of 5 Rings once and didn't find it very enlightening. I've never heard of him crossing his eyes until reading that article a couple of days ago - I happen to cross my eyes momentarily simply because it intuitively seemed like the right way to bring about a softer, more encompassing focus to my vision in the few spare moments one has between when a fight begins and actual physical engagement.

Maybe it is all in my head - or maybe I'm just a natural fighter who has very fast reflexes. But regardless of whether it's in my head or I'm born with it, I'll do what I do until I discover something better because it works for me.

Cheers :thumbup: