I’m set to grade for my Nidan, or second degree black belt, in karate in just two weeks. It’s a nerve-wracking prospect, not the least because it comes with a question-and-answer component that focuses on the theory of martial arts, and outside factors that influenced it to become what it is today. One of the most significant among those is Zen, and so today’s post is my attempt at connecting some dots between Zen and classical martial arts.