'Wushi' -- The Mist Warrior - Part 1

(Fiction)

Year: 1600 AD Circa, Place: Henan Province, China

It was all silent in the dense forests of Henan. It was an hour before the sun rise and a time when the beasts and men alike were in deep sleep. Even the majestic Hwang Ho (The Yellow River) that cut through the forest appeared to be brooding. Not far away from the flowing river, to the south of it was a Buddhist pagoda that blended with the serene surroundings. Standing on raised ground and having an octagonal base, it was a five-storey construction with a finial at the top. It was an imposing structure that had a striking appearance. But for the thick cover of trees shielding it from the view of boats sailing in the river, it would have made its presence felt immediately.

The pagoda added a strong sense of spirituality to an already serene location. The thick bushes were cleared from the bank of the river to pave a stone path till the flight of stairs that lead to the main entrance and front veranda of the pagoda. The ante-chamber was connected to an inside room with strong oak doors, where in the middle of the room stood a golden Buddha on a raised platform. The inside room also had stairs leading to chamber beneath the floor. The underground chamber contained Buddhist relics and ancient scriptures on Mahayana and Wushu. To the right side of the pagoda was a two-floor house made of wood and with a thatched roof. In front of the house was a large square-shaped ground that was cleared and hay strewn all across it.

Amidst the calmness of surroundings, Saomi Manchu's mind was racing with excitement and anticipation. Saomi was sleeping on a hay mat inside the wooden dwelling and could feel the chill of the cold winter morning. He was unable to sleep all night. His 12 year intense training in 'Wushu' had come to an end, and it was now time to take the final qualifying test. The coming 12 days would see him perform 3 tasks assigned by his master, which if he performs to the satisfaction of his master would make him a 'Wushi' – the mist warrior. Failing to do them might mean additional 12-year long training. Though competent enough, Saomi could feel the tension mounting. At an age of 24, Saomi was full of energy and vigour, but nothing could stop him from being as nervous as he was today. After all a Wushi too was a human. As dawn was approaching and Saomi heard the first bird sing, he decided it better to wake-up and do a final round of preparation before facing the ordeal.

While Saomi was all tensed up, Wun Yuen, his master was as calm as the rocks hit by Hwang Ho's flowing water. In fact, he was more than relaxed today as he prepared himself for his morning meditation. He had finally done his job. He successfully trained his successor for the past 12 years, and very soon it will be his time to retire.

His 60 years of life had made him see the tragedies and triumphs of life that were no way ordinary. Becoming a Wushi at an age of 24, Wun very soon came to be known for his intellect and wisdom. He was admired by the other 11 Wushis and was elected the leader amongst them. He was also influential in Chinese victories over the Japanese invaders and was much revered by the Chinese Emperor Wangli of Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuen, the master of Shaolin Temple of Henan was a great friend of Wun and treated him with respect deserved by an equal. While Zhu excelled in Kung Fu, Wun was the best in Wushu. At 48, after 24 years of active life fighting for the good cause and protecting China from becoming an anarchistic state, Wun Yuen found his pupil in young Saomi. No sooner had he brought the boy from Shenyang, the capital of Manchus and started training him in the Wushu monastery in Jianking (Nanjing) of Jiangsu province, than tragedy struck the Wushu masters. All the Wushu masters were killed one after another, until only Wun Yuen remained. It came as a rude shock to Wun Yuen, as Wushu itself was known in very few quarters and the details of training, monasteries, scriptures and masters was kept a secret and shrouded in mystery. How could anyone possibly break in? Unable to grasp the sinister plot and unwilling to go after the mystic opponent, as it might risk the very existence of Wushu, Wun Yuen decided to go underground. In a ploy to beat his mystic opponent, Wun Yuen acted his own death and left Jiangsu province for Henan. He reached the Shaolin Temple and with the help of his dear friend Zhu Yuen, the master of Shaolin Temple, started living near to the temple to the south of the river Hwang Ho.

For the past 12 years since the great tragedy, Wun Yuen spent all his waking hours in either deep meditation or training his single pupil, Saomi Manchu. Wun was so far able to shield his identity, as there were no further attacks on him or his pupil. It was in this peaceful setting that Wun Yuen trained Saomi to master the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of Wushu.

Wushu, was an ancient Chinese art form and meant ‘drawing the sword in the mist’. The masters of Wushu were called Wushi or the mist warriors. In Wushu, the sword swinger fights the early morning mist using his long sword. Albeit it appears physical, it requires a great deal of mental rigour, restraint and discipline from the sword swinger. It’s always easy to fight an opponent you can see, but how can you fight the mist, which is there and not there, which is seen yet unseen? Thus in Wushu, one had to master both the physical and mental while trying to attain a spiritual perfection, which was both the means and the end of Wushu. Wushu transformed a swinger into a meditative person and an introvert, who could look inside and cut through the ignorance and petty feelings. It made man an enlightened being like 'Buddha'.

Wushu, was started by Chih-I, a contemporary of Bodhidharma in 6th century AD. Both of them were proponents of Mahayana Buddhism. But, while Bodhidharma propounded Zen Buddhism with an emphasis on Ch’an or cessation/meditation, Chih-I called for a balance of both Zen and Lotus Sutra (Contemplation). Thus he propounded Chih-Kuan (Cessation and Contemplation). Even as Bodhidharma started Shaolin temple on Mt. Songshan in Dengfeng, Henan Province, Chih-I began 12 lineages of Wushu to reach the spiritual. As a tradition, a Wushu master could take only one student in his entire life time and train him to become his successor. Except for the first master, Chih-I, who formed 12 lineages, a one to one relation was always maintained. This one to one relation has always had the benefits of constant attention by the master to the pupil and an unflinching loyalty by the pupil to the master. Thus in spite of 1000 years of its existence, Wushu still remained a non-entity for many.

Wushu masters were generally initiated as a Wushi (master of Wushu) by the age of 24 years, by which time they would have had completed 12 year training under a Wushu master and passed the three qualifying tests. As a rule, a Wushu master remained a celibate all his life completely unattached to his family. The next 24 years were spent by the masters making sure peace and goodness prevailed in the land. This was to ensure that the social conditions were conducive enough for the common people to become spiritual and involve in the higher task of finding oneself and the truth. Thus they served as social auditors for 24 years, traveling the length and breadth of the country, after which Wushi would search for a right student to impart him the knowledge and transfer him the legacy. Once the right student was found, they would go reclusive and would devote all their time to meditation and training their pupils. As soon as the pupil passed the test and became a Wushi, they could retire from the material world and spend rest of their lives meditating and finally become enlightened.

It was this thought of able to spend the rest of his life meditating and the satisfaction derived by finishing a job perfectly, which made Wun Yuen relax and smile. Wun was more than confident that Saomi would easily pass the three tests to qualify as a Wushu master. Nevertheless, Wun was cautious that anything might happen. It might be possible that the mystic opponent was waiting for the right time to strike. What other time could be best than an initiation ceremony of the last Wushu master? This very thought made Wun's brows come close in a musing. He felt a need to do something to prevent another catastrophe. Though frail and weak physically, Wun was still very powerful and could be much formidable to any mystic opponent, no matter how powerful the opponent might be. Wun was a great warrior and more than that a very discerning person. It was this wisdom that has made him not go on the trail of revenge and stay back to prevent Wushu from getting extinct. And it was this wisdom that was now weaving a web in his mind to catch the mystic opponent. Very soon a smile came up on Wun Yuen’s wrinkled face as he sat down to do his morning meditation. Finally it was time to strike back.

(To be continued)