Samurai Mind Training for Modern American Warriors

Samurai Mind Training for Modern American Warriors

news.yahoo.com

Not long ago at Fort Bragg, N.C., the country's largest military base, seven soldiers sat in a semi-circle, lights dimmed, eyes closed, two fingertips lightly pressed beneath their belly buttons to activate their "core." Electronic music thumped as the soldiers tried to silence their thoughts, the key to Warrior Mind Training, a form of meditation slowly making inroads on military bases across the country. "This is mental push-ups," Sarah Ernst told the weekly class she leads for soldiers at For

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It's a bit surprising that this wasn't a part of mandatory military training throughout the history of the military. I suppose this is about recommiting oneself to the true nature of our work and not half assing it by relying on the gun and drugs.

Considering the number of veterens that are unable to function in society after war, I feel optimistic that they are finally taking a proactive approach to what a soldier has to deal with and realize that the military and soldiers don't start wars...the societies that they are a part of do.

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Originally posted by IDK88

...the societies that they are a part of do.

No 'Society' has ever started a war.

Those are always and have always been started by Old Men like me.

Old men like me have been using wars to control societies for millenia.

*War on Drugs, War on Terror - those aren't really wars, but they were started by old men; to control societies.



[edit on 8-9-2009 by Exuberant1]

Fire walking has been used. The true modern soldier: plagerized from "unto the breach" by John Ringo

Modern Western combat training has been tested and proven to create soldiers that have a combat ability that is unheard of up until recently. Modern American standard infantry soldiers find, localize, engage and destroy targets with a coldness and precision that was unthinkable only twenty years ago. The reasons are complex and involve both new methods of training and certain societally common experiences. But the effect has been proven, repeatedly, to be synergistic and give the individual soldier and unit a combat multiplier over any of our standard opponents on the near order of twelve to one.

It's just mental training... The word "Samurai" is just a marketing image.

The Samurai image was selected after careful deliberation; it was certifiably anti-sissy

I LOLed at this part because they really didn't make their research very well because Bushido have similarities with the Spartans about homosexuality.


And they are not talking about bushodo code.
* Rectitude
* Courage
* Benevolence
* Respect
* Honesty
* Honor
* Loyalty



[edit on 8/9/09 by blackcube]

The Greeks called it 'mindfulness'. I love how 'Eastern' balderdash continues to infiltrate our military. Everyone obsesses over the Samurai, why? The average Samurai would not have lasted five minutes with a Hoplite or Viking!

IMHO, this is just more Manchurian nonsense that is breaching our society, 'embrace the Eastern way'. 'Confucius say'

No thanks, I will gather my knowledge from everywhere, but my passion from the western mind.

reply to post by traderjack


I agree. People seem to think that Western knights were something less than professional killers, trained from childhood.

By the Middle Ages, all of Western Europe was like Sparta.

I would like to see the 150,000 Samurai Warriors in Iraq, commit ritual suicide by ripping their own guts out,

The MOST POWERFUL NATION ON EARTH has failed the Emperor, by not being able to totally crush a broken down little sand pit like Iraq in six long years of Combat.

Oh the shame of defeat, of the most technologically advanced and war like military on the planet, beaten by a few cross eyed camel jockeys.

I think mental toughness was taught to Western soldiers, just in a different way. Perhaps the military was also looking for something that could be implemented efficiently.

A dimly lit room and some throw rugs for the student to sit upon sounds efficient.

reply to post by Sargon of Akkad


Back in the olden days if a man wanted to eat meat for dinner...he'd have to go catch and kill his meal. Cut off its head, bleed it, skin it, gut it, flay it, etc. etc. It was taught as a critical responsibility from childhood.

Mental toughness with regards to killing would have been a part of a soldier when he arrived for basic training.

Today...we just go to the butcher and the only skill that we require is identifying a good cut of meat. The modern soldier is at a disadvantage from day one, especially the ones that were born and raised in large cities, as even a country boy has gone out to the woods and caught and killed a fish or shot a rabbit, only to see his grandad chop off its head, skin it, gut it, cut it into small pieces and toss it in the hot grease.

All american soldiers are given the equipment and training required to clean house, but I don't think they necessarily have the ability to deal well with the aftermath of the death they may have caused.

[edit on 9-9-2009 by IDK88]

reply to post by IDK88


Very true. Nice Tamerlane avatar, btw.

Comparing an American soldier to a samuria warrior is a bit of an insult to the Bushido code is it not?

Most American soldiers are heavily dependant on equipment and gear and technology and lack any survivability besides heavy weaponry.

Pfft.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
Comparing an American soldier to a samuria warrior is a bit of an insult to the Bushido code is it not?

Most American soldiers are heavily dependant on equipment and gear and technology and lack any survivability besides heavy weaponry.

Pfft.

Samurai were all about their gear. As a matter of fact, only samurai were initially allowed to carry the katana, arguably the best bladed weapon ever crafted and they had modern(at the time) heavy armor.

[edit on 9-9-2009 by Exemplar]

Originally posted by mr-lizard
Comparing an American soldier to a samuria warrior is a bit of an insult to the Bushido code is it not?

Most American soldiers are heavily dependant on equipment and gear and technology and lack any survivability besides heavy weaponry.

Pfft.

And the Samurai didn't depend on their High Tech Blades, Yumi and Armor? Without their Katana, a Samurai was not a Samurai. Samurai were the special forces of the country, a comparison to a normal infantryman is not a valid one.