JUST THEN, IT SHOT
Back in the 60's and my first
years of teaching at NDSSS, I taught an article by Gilbert Highet called
“The Mystery of Zen.” The gist of it was that if the Zen master
meditated on his target long enough he could hit it dead center with the
perfectly released arrow. When his ‘grass flopper,’ his “chela” asked
how he did it, he replied, “Just then, It shot.” The implication of the
essay was that we have the sub-conscious ability to do amazing things if
we can tap into our brains' astonishing hidden capabilities. But one
needed much practice, and deep meditation on every phase of one's
action.
I've experienced some of those
“who'd believe it?” shots myself, but never by meditation. In my case
the amazing shot-- whether with bow, gun, or basketball came with
complete spontaneity. The more I'd ponder on the shot, the more likely I
was to miss, just like Wilt Chamberlin trying to make free throws.
One of those circus shots came
while bow-plinking in Oregon. I was with a pal, and we spotted a white
dish pan tilted in our direction from a slope about70 yards out. I said,
“Hey Ken, watch this.” Then I wheeled around, aimed my arrow up in the
air around 50 degree and let fly, all in one motion. My arrow hit that
pan dead center-- slight side wind and all. How my brain figured out the
logistics of that shot, I have no clue. We both aimed at the pan quite a
few more shots, but few even came close.
On a duck hunt once with Lathan
West, we had a high wind and a teal came zooming way up at well over 70
mph. I 'flang' my gun back and killed it dead. I had to walk 80 yds. To
pick it up. Lathan came up with one of his West-isms: “Imbelieveable!”
(It should be “un.”) That was the only “zen” shot I made that day
but it was totally instinctive. If I'd tried to calculate and maintain
the correct lead, which I've done a few times on flocks of teal, I'd
have hit the bird 0 yds behind the one I “aimed” at.
I've always loved shooting
baskets, and I've noticed one thing—there was a “streak” of five or ten
minutes when I was “on.” I couldn't miss, no matter what the shot I was
trying to make. I've seen that magnified ten fold in great athletes. I
became a Golden State fan watching Stephon Curry when he was “on” in
many games-- not just for a few minutes but often for a whole quarter or
even a half. I've read that he practices his shots and moves long, long,
hours, so that in a game it all looks easy, but amazing-- truly 'the
“Steph” that dreams are made of ' --if you're his coach.
I also got hooked watching my
Oregon Ducks play for coach Chip Kelly. In some of those games, it
seemed that the whole team was “in the zone.” And I loved seeing Marcus
Mariota 'thread the needle' with passes only a seamstress could
appreciate. Those teams routinely scored over 50 points, using a “hurry
up” “no huddle” offense, and if they got the ball with a minute left,
they usually scored. A thing that Marcus shares with Steph is that both
point 'up' after great plays-- thanking the “source” of their success.
That's the kind of humility God loves. “How sharper than a serpent's
tooth it is to have a thankless child,” cried King Lear over his
monster daughter, Goneril.
My point in all of this is that
man indeed has powers few imagine. David, in Psalm 18 speaks of being “fearfully
and wonderfully made” ... “so that a bow of steel is broken in my
arms” … with “feet like hinds feet,” and “able to leap over a
wall.” or “run through a troop.” And we read also of Sampson whose
God-given powers made him unbeatable and at his end, able to push down
the pillars holding up the enemy's temple. Such biblical heroes were
often described as being “anointed.” or empowered from “on High.”
The tradition of anointing the
king came directly out of Hebrew scriptures and was invoked by the
British and other monarchies when they “christened” their kings. The
king's head was anointed with oil, a “balm” symbolizing the Holy Spirit
which blessed with power both the king and his reign. Interestingly, the
word “Christ” means 'anointed one' and his 'power' “the anointing.”
Jesus, beginning his ministry, cites Isiah's prophecy from chapter 61:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to
preach good news to the poor ...” King Richard II as he was being
deposed, cries out, “Not all the waters in the great wide seas can wash
the balm from an anointed king!”
Gene Pinkney - For the Daily News
– 5/25/21
The Bible says that we are all
“children of The Most High God” and ”heirs according to His promise.” So
why should we think it so unusual that now and then, one of us lights up
the score-board with a feat so 'imbelieveable' as to remind us of our
ancestry and stretch our ability to believe it.
html uploaded 09-03-2021