Post by Teng Lai Chang on Oct 14, 2015 21:28:49 GMT
In "Expert," by Nakajima Atsushi, Chi Ch'ang wanted to master the art of archery, so he went through intensive training and guide under the discipline of Wei Fei. Under Wei Fei's training, he was able to have impeccable accuracy and precision in his archery skills. However, this led Chi Ch'ang to be filled with arrogance and complacency as he aimed to become the best archer in the world. He lacked the respect and gratitude that he should have for his mentor, Wei Fei, as he wanted to kill Wei Fei to prove he was the best archer in the world. It was quite hilarious when they hugged after Chi Ch'ang's failed attempt at killing Wei Fei. It kind of seemed as if they were apologizing to one each other for their impulsiveness. I especially love the part where the author inputs his own thoughts of how strange and astounding that people can forgive one another after trying to kill one another and that this sort of friendship could have only existed in the past.
Chi Ch'ang is able to learn humility and respect nature as he goes through training under Kan Ying. Kan Ying teaches him that the true art of archery comes from the heart and soul, not through arrogance and complacency. He teaches that tangible objects such as bows and arrows are not needed to master the art of archery, which explains the quote, "real archery dispenses with both bow and arrow" (237). Through Kan Ying, he learns not only to be a successful archer, but also a humble and respectful person. He no longer boasts about his achievements or skills, but learns to be selflessness and be one with nature. Kan Ying teaches the importance of non-action and the way/path of nature as he says, "The ultimate stage of activity is inactivity; the ultimate stage of speaking is to refrain from speech; the ultimate in shooting is not to shoot" (238). This reminds me of Laoizi and his philosophy, Daoism/Taoism, in which we live our lives in compliance/harmony with Dao (nature). We must live through non-action or non-doing, and this doesn't mean we don't do anything and just lie on our beds for the rest of our lives, but non-action is action in relation with nature, how one acts accordingly to nature, and effortless and natural movement. We don't force, alter, or control the natural way of life, and we don't impose or force actions onto ourselves and other people because that's using effort and it defies nature and harmony (I think it was something along those lines - maybe). For example, emperors in China shouldn't enforce rules and laws upon people because that is imposing one's thoughts onto others, which would lead to chaos. Only when the emperor rules with non-action, allowing the country and people to run on its own, does the world become peaceful and harmonious. And in this case, only when Chi Ch'ang uses non-action by not forcing himself to shoot objects with bows and arrows (since that disrupts nature), does he achieve the success of archery and become one with nature.
Discussion Question: What's the importance or meaning of Chi Ch'ang forgetting the name and use of bows and arrows? What did the author mean by "Oh, Master. You must indeed be the greatest Master of all times. Only so can you have forgotten the bow - both its name and its use! (239)?
Chi Ch'ang is able to learn humility and respect nature as he goes through training under Kan Ying. Kan Ying teaches him that the true art of archery comes from the heart and soul, not through arrogance and complacency. He teaches that tangible objects such as bows and arrows are not needed to master the art of archery, which explains the quote, "real archery dispenses with both bow and arrow" (237). Through Kan Ying, he learns not only to be a successful archer, but also a humble and respectful person. He no longer boasts about his achievements or skills, but learns to be selflessness and be one with nature. Kan Ying teaches the importance of non-action and the way/path of nature as he says, "The ultimate stage of activity is inactivity; the ultimate stage of speaking is to refrain from speech; the ultimate in shooting is not to shoot" (238). This reminds me of Laoizi and his philosophy, Daoism/Taoism, in which we live our lives in compliance/harmony with Dao (nature). We must live through non-action or non-doing, and this doesn't mean we don't do anything and just lie on our beds for the rest of our lives, but non-action is action in relation with nature, how one acts accordingly to nature, and effortless and natural movement. We don't force, alter, or control the natural way of life, and we don't impose or force actions onto ourselves and other people because that's using effort and it defies nature and harmony (I think it was something along those lines - maybe). For example, emperors in China shouldn't enforce rules and laws upon people because that is imposing one's thoughts onto others, which would lead to chaos. Only when the emperor rules with non-action, allowing the country and people to run on its own, does the world become peaceful and harmonious. And in this case, only when Chi Ch'ang uses non-action by not forcing himself to shoot objects with bows and arrows (since that disrupts nature), does he achieve the success of archery and become one with nature.
Discussion Question: What's the importance or meaning of Chi Ch'ang forgetting the name and use of bows and arrows? What did the author mean by "Oh, Master. You must indeed be the greatest Master of all times. Only so can you have forgotten the bow - both its name and its use! (239)?