"Headmistress?" Jim called as he stepped inside. The woman turned to face him.
"James, welcome back. Have you cleared your heart?"
"Yes," the young man answered. "I had been scared that it wouldn't go well, but it did, and now I'm ready for the training you mentioned."
"Good. Come over here."
Jim was twenty years old and had been studying martial arts at the headmistress's school for a little over three years. The headmistress, on the other hand, was somewhere in her mid-thirties and was one of the most successful, if controversial, warriors around.
Jim approached as directed, unsure what to expect of these private lessons. Secret techniques to overcome better opponents? Refinements that would make his existing skills unstoppable? There was no way to know without experiencing the lessons, but one thing was certain: Jim was ready to learn.
Jim stopped in front of his teacher and waited for her instructions.
"James, what is the whole being?" she asked him.
Jim was taken aback by the question. "The whole being? I don't know."
The headmistress sighed with a light smile. "How long have you been learning here?"
Jim could answer this question far more easily. "Three years."
"In those three years, what parts of you have you used?"
Jim thought through the techniques he'd practiced. "Arms, legs, hips, back. I think those are the big ones."
The headmistress nodded slowly. "In short, you've used most of your body. But is your body all there is to you?"
Jim pondered for a minute. "Everything goes through the body; that's the way we do things in the world, right?"
His teacher smiled. "In general, yes. But the body is not all you are. You are also a mind, a soul. You have learned to fight with the body, and have trained very well, but if you can find the link between your soul and your body, you can use that connection to reach levels that are impossible to you now. Let me show you something. Take off your shirt."
Jim did as instructed, feeling the cool air against his chest and back. He could feel the headmistress's eyes as she examined him.
"What's this on your back?"
"Oh, I wanted something to show how committed I am to this school and its teachings. So I had got school's mark on me."
The headmistress crossed her arms. "You should have asked me first. This school has no insignia of its own. It is my school, it uses my mark. You have not marked yourself as a devoted student here, but as devotedly... mine."
Jim paused as he realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, headmistress. But I promise that I will devote myself to you as you teach me."
The headmistress spent a moment in thought. "Very well. I'll start as expected. But I'll be adjusting some of your lessons." She faced Jim. "Close your eyes."
Jim closed his eyes. He felt her hand on the center of his chest.
"Can you feel your heart beating? Do you feel the warmth of it?"
"Yes," Jim answered as he paid attention to his body.
"Good. Now feel even deeper. The energy of your life that makes your heart beat."
Jim focused inward, but struggled to find the energy she mentioned.
The teacher continued. "Feel how the energy moves through your body, like the warm blood pumped from your heart to every corner of you. To your arms, hands, and fingers. To your legs, feet, and toes. To your head." Her hand moved down Jim's torso and crossed his belt. "To your manhood."