The instinctive drive to reproduce has undoubtedly played a part in the evolution of Martial Arts. The laws of the jungle say that certain species are here for two reasons, to hunt and to reproduce. There are other functions too, such as being part of the ecosystem, but essentially the basic drives of animals are to reproduce and to eat. The masculine force is driven towards the feminine, just as Yin interacts with Yang. Most species go about this as part of a cycle, according to seasonal conditions for example. These factors have played a significant role in the evolution of humans, which is now increasingly under conscious control, unlike in the rest off the animal kingdom. So, the difference between humans and animals is that we have a conscious awareness and a certain control over the processes of the mind and body. An animal does not, it is simply alive because nature wants it to reproduce and make way for the next generation. It is driven inn a certain way.
How is sexuality related to Martial Arts? It is not actually related in any way. However, the drive to reproduce can cause animals, including humans, to become hostile towards others they see as rivals. This is an example of how conflict can arise. Conflict often creates a hormonally driven exchange of territorial activity between such rivals. Or, it can be the other way round, and hormones drive people towards certain activity. This is often the basis for fighting in the wild, just as it can be in a nightclub for instance. This instinctive exchange over territory is not really what martial arts is about, even if it is what often drives combat. So it is a part of day to day experience more generally, and certain drives function according to different inclinations.
It is not just a case of enhancing your combat capabilities just to fight over a trophy or territory. Above all, martial arts is a process, and a war against the destructive tendencies which often drive a species towards the the grave ultimately. There have been many codes of conduct in martial arts for this reason. So the tendency to engage in such forms of survival are there within the warrior. Codes of conduct and practices put restraint on potentially desk destructive tendencies. The methods for addressing these forces are varied, depending on the individuals inclinations and expectations of life.
Testosterone is one chemical which is associated with both sexuality and combat. Will testosterone drive action? Certainly it will, but the question is, do you want to be driven by chemicals, or drive them consciously as you would a limb? For the man on the street, this may be what drives him towards attacking somebody or trying to impress or attract a partner. another individual may focus more on channeling this in some way to become a different prospect. In fact, if you get into a heated situation with somebody who is trying to appear dominant in front of a potential mate, then this might go very badly no matter which side you are on due to the volatility of such a situation. For someone who is driven hormonally in such a way, unless they beat the opposition and impress a potential mate in the process, they are unlikely to be satisfied. But that is not necessarily a very good state to be in if you want to become successful in the longer term beyond the immediate situation in hand. So martial arts involves activity which will bring the need to engage in volatile activity down drastically if it is done effectively. There are hormones, but it is not hormone driven.
There have been many ideas about sexuality and Martial arts. For instance, some say you cannot have sex before a competition for example. This is a popular notion in boxing circles, because they believe this will make the boxer more competitive. As I said before, this has nothing to do with martial arts. If a certain pressure is to be maintained within the system, it needs to have the necessary flexibility and circulation. If an electric circuit doesn’t have the right transformers, dampeners, insulation, etc., then it becomes a potential problem. So energy is energy, it doesn’t have a goal, the same energy can power a city of create an electric chair. This is why in traditional martial arts there has always been an emphasis on deep breathing and circulation after intensive bouts of activity, to clear the system of blockages and interference. This fullfills the requirements to make clear decisions. Martial Arts ensures that stagnation of energy is minimised and tension is not held in any particular region. So this is a way of developing balance and tempered fire power, so that the drive for intense activity becomes fulfilled.
At the same time, for many people having the right relationship and family situation can provide the necessary social and emotional support to succeed in martial arts and provide meaning in their life. This is another way of fulfilling unfulfilled needs. So Martial Arts involves building a quality within that utilises everything in its proper place, so that the need to take further action is gone. For some, if their family is with them, or their significant other, this can not only become a psychological boost but also a union of souls so that they are not alone in the fight. But the outcome of a war is not decided based on social factors, but they can be tools in the arsenal contributing to the outcome. It is the same as anything else, it is the striving within to evolve and Bette oneself, by whatever means appropriate to the individual.
Martial arts is not an activity, but a process. So to make sweeping statements about “You can’t have sex” or “You must have sex” don’t mean anything at all. Sex itself is based on the Muladhara chakra region, or the Hui Yin region in Chinese Systems. This is known as the most Yin or feminine centre in the body. The reason for base chakras significance in martial arts is because the tail is related to the head. The Sahasrara Chakra, or Bai Hui in Chinese systems, is known as the masculine or Yang centre, at the head level. So, within the individual, there is a longing of the feminine to unite with the masculine, just as their is in many other ways. This is obviously the same idea of physical union of a couple. This is symbolised by Shakti rising to Meet Shiva in Yogic systems. There are any number of references. Essentially, when the tow polar opposite energies converge, they can meet the highest point and unify. Otherwise, one is said to be too yang, or too yin. For example, a street thug who goes around in an agitated way pulverising people would be considered excessively yang. Others might say they are too masculine in a certain way. Here, feminine does not mean a woman, and masculine does not mean a man. It simply means two polarities interacting to create powerful new possibilities.
Because martial arts is rooted in conquest, it will always appear as though this is what its about. But this is not so. At the root level, Muladhara, there is always a striving to rise. If you were to judge a flower by its roots, you would never see it in terms of fragrance and flowering which was achieved by rising above certain conditions. At the same time, the root is to be studied, accepted, and seen in contrast to the flowers. If a plant manages to master and move beyond the root level, it uses such a platform for growth and stability. When life exists at that higher level, there is an increased nourishment from other sources of energy such as sunlight and oxygen, as well as soil. In the same way, when a martial artist moves beyond the periphery of experience with acceptance of it, they develop new dimensions within themselves. So these new dimensions are established from the roots, but are not experienced at the root level exclusively. This is because, experience can take a variety of directions even though all life follows a common direction.
So it is not a question of this much activity or that much activity. This isn’t how the body works. It is up to each individual to decide the amount appropriate to them. Take the example of food. Some people must eat a certain amount to maintain a certain weight. If somebody else tries this it might not be appropriate to them. The same goes with food types. Some people get on well with one type of food, other people get on with another type of food. There is no standardised amount really, other than guidelines. There are guidelines which apply to the average person, but the truth is that this average person does not really exist in reality. Energy is formless, so to look at the physical properties only is limited. So the more you individualise your own potential, the more of an outlier you will become and the less you represent the average. In other words, the more you realise your own individual strengths and unique qualities, the more of an authority you become on yourself. This all depends on how your energies function, rather than your form.
Take one hundred people who are very different and you will get an average which represents nobody in particular. If someone is stressed this may cause them to lose weight even if what they are eating remains constant. This shows how diverse each persons needs and requirements are in reality. Similarly, if someone does intensive meditation this may cause the energies to circulate rather than stagnate creating the appropriate level of metabolism for them, even if there is not much physical action going on. For another person, they may require intense activity in order to reduce the stresses building up within them. So for one person, sitting still is a way to experience a sense of balance and energised alertness. Here, all problems can then be worked out because by imitating stillness and silence, one may realise that they are not defined by activity. Getting themselves lost is good if it is done consciously. For another, the situation may require physical work so that they work out all the pent up energy and stress.
Saying that you must or must not think about something often has to opposite effect to what was intended. So if you tell a martial artist not to think about sex leading up to a competition, then in all likelihood that is what they will think about. This is why general prescriptions are actually harmful. But sexuality is a small part of the individual which is often blown out of proportion. In terms of energy it represents the roots of the organism. But the root also represents the top in many ways. However, if the roots end up imposing definitions on the head, this is like the army leading the general. The nature of the root is to sink into the earth not take the place of the crown. In Yoga for instance, Shiva does not come down to meet Shakti. The nature of any instinctive drive is activity, and to subside once it has been accepted and worked out. Yoga, martial arts, family relations, and other situations have all been employed as effective channelling methods in this way.
If, for example, you feel extremely angry and do some breathing exercises or martial arts activity, you soon feel as though this instinctive drive has been worked out and channelled appropriately. In a way it has subsided, in another it has transformed. In other words, anger was the beginning of action rather than an end in itself. Of course anger can be used in its original form, but it can also be worked out energetically. This is the nature of an intense energy, it requires activity of some kind to transform it. Lots of people do not realise that like any instinct, sexuality has many potential uses. The key is to engage with deep breathing or meditative exercises, such as Yoga and Tai Chi for instance, so that a transitory state can subside and can be easily transformed in a short time into vigorous energy, or what is known as oojas, in Yogic terminology.
The body is not responding to your instincts or drives, it’s just that the energies of the body have a multi dimensional nature depending on the activity. According to function you assign your energies, that’s where they will expand. So depending on the discretion of the mind and the inclinations of the individual, various energy states can be transformed or set in motion off the bat in one way or another. Energy functions according to not only the space you give it, but also the situation it meets within you according to the work you are doing and the direction of your efforts.
It is easy to get lost in the initial stages of activity without a proper road map or full view of the goal to be attained. Actually, a lot of the time people may have a map but they don’t know how to read it. For example, people get into martial arts because they like fighting. They may think this is because they are bad people, but it might be that their energies have come to the surface and they haven’t found effective methods yet. They only realise this later after some work and self understanding. Other people get into martial arts because they want to develop this urge towards self mastery rather than conquest over others. In terms of experience, there is nothing wrong or right about either way. Individuals are in various states of seeking towards fulfilment. Socially and morally there will be various opinions about it. But what’s important is the individual subjective experience and whether their activity is beneficial or not to their own development.
When you sit in meditation, train diligently with full attention, or simply perform an activity with awareness, there is no experience of sexuality, there is just energy functioning according to the situation. In the Garden of Eden, we have all heard of the tree of knowledge and the forbidden fruit. Knowledge divides things up into good and bad, right and wrong. The idea to pursue the tree of knowledge came because the snake fed Eve that information. Because of that, human life was said to be possible. So the Tree of Knowledge represents a certain kind of idea. The energy addresses this idea by cresting a certain form. In Yoga, Shiva is depicted with a snake at his head. Here, symbolically speaking, the snake and energy has risen to a different dimension to create a different form of expression. This energy is known as Kundalini, or cosmic energy rising. This is to indicate that the same energy which is responsible for reproduction of the species is involved in self realisation. So there is one energy, responsible for many forms depending on what your circumstances and situation is.