The tale of the rat and the cats

A martial arts master had a serious problem in his dojo a large, cunning rat. He had tried everything to catch it: traps, poison, even his bokken and sword. But the rat was too fast, too smart.In desperation, he visited a friend who specialized in training cats.

“I have a young cat,” said the friend. “Full of energy. He’ll wear the rat down or chase it away. It’ll be good training for him.” The master took the cat home. The cat immediately darted through the dojo, searching wildly. The rat, however, remained calm in its hole. When the cat finally paused to catch its breath, the rat snuck up and bit its tail. The young cat screamed and fled, bleeding. The master reported back.

“This must be a wicked rat,” said the trainer. “I’ll send you another cat. This one is well-trained, experienced, and incredibly skilled.” The second cat, athletic and muscular, entered the dojo. He began his routine training with impressive precision. When the rat appeared, the cat sprang into a formal fighting stance. The rat simply sniffed around and, when close enough, blocked the cat’s strike and scratched its face viciously. The cat retreated in fear. Again, the master returned.

“This rat is something else,” the trainer said. “I will send you my best a teacher among cats. Master of all budō qualities. He will surely prevail.” This third cat arrived with calm and presence. He bowed to the space, quieted his mind (fudōshin), aligned his body (sanchin), and used his intuition (kan-ken) to locate the rat. He waited in perfect stillness at the rat’s hole. Then a squeak behind him. The rat stood confidently right behind him. The cat was stunned. He lost his balance and fled, deeply shaken. Frustrated, the master asked if they should give up.

“Well,” said the trainer, “I have one more cat. He used to be a master rat-catcher. But now he’s old. Sleeps most of the day. I never call on him anymore. Still... why not?” The master brought the old cat to his dojo. The cat curled up in a corner and slept. The rat noticed him but the cat didn’t react. Days passed. The rat relaxed, grew careless. Then one day, as the rat passed by the “sleeping” cat wham!

With one perfect strike, the old cat killed the rat and laid it at the master’s feet. Amazed, the master returned with the cat and asked his friend to gather all the others for a meeting.“ How did you succeed?” they asked the old cat.The old cat replied:

“The first cat used all his energy but the rat had more experience.
The second cat used technique but the rat had sharper instinct.
The third used all his martial qualities but the rat was fearless and superior. I used none of these. I simply waited. I was fully present. And in that moment, my energy, skill, and training came together in one strike:
One punch, one kill. But,” he added with a yawn, “that’s not even my goal.
My teacher lives on a high mountain. He naps in a hammock, drinks sake, and does absolutely nothing. Yet no rat dares come near his mountain or even the valleys around it. That... is my goal. But I still have a long way to go.”

Food for thought

In martial arts as in life effort, technique, and skill are important. But the ultimate mastery lies not in action, but in presence. True power flows not from struggle, but from deep awareness and perfect timing. Sometimes, the wisest move is to wait. And the greatest strike… is the one you barely need to make.