ANATOLY KHLOPETSKY
THE ETERNAL FIGHT
Particularly important seems to me the following historic fact that namely Saint Nicholas of Japan gave his blessing to the adolescent Vasya Oschepkov for the way of mastering secrets of oriental duels in order to place this power at service to Russia as well.
XXI Century
Saint Nicholas of Japan
ANATOLY KHLOPETSKY
THE ETERNAL FIGHT…
First Book
BECOMING
“Yantarny skaz”
Kaliningrad, 2000
ISBN 5-87270-016-5
© A. Khlopetsky, author, 2000A. Egorov, producer
© E. Grigo, design, 2000
© E. Grigo & V. Tolkatchev – book jacket, 2000
V. Tolkatchev, computer design
All publication and copyright belong to ZAO “Information Company XXI Century”
LET THE WAY BE GOOD FOR A GOOD BOOK
There has come to its end the XXth century and at the same time the second millennium after Christ What is in store for us in the future, what mankind should expect? One should believe neither gloomy prognoses of coming apocalypses nor fantastic prophecy of the future to be bright and certainly happy for all. Future depends on what a man of the future will be.
All human life appears to be development of spiritual features, God’s image in a man, and the latter must strive to become really like his Creator. If he betrays his vocation to sublimate and remake the world he destroys his moral nature created by God, he ruins both himself and all that surrounds him. Man is responsible for all he has created, maintained or destroyed. It is so important therefore to keep one’s human countenance and dignity in any complicated circumstances. The book «Eternal Struggle» by A.P. Khlopetsky offered to a reader is valued for it reminds us of one of many examples of inviolable and all-triumphant belief in Christ, narrates about truly apostolic missionary activity of Saint Nicholas of Japan indeed. The author managed to show that Nicholas the Saint took care not only of establishment of a new Orthodox Church in Japan, but also actively cared of the best features of national character to be preserved and developed in our Russian people, matured plans of its spiritual enlightenment and education.
It seems that reading this book by young people who are not yet conscious of their true life destination and have not found their strengths appliance to serve the Good, Truth, Russia, will be of particularly great use for them. That will help them to find true clerical mentors, move away from disaster of unspirituality, aimless wasting their lives, save them from fear of the unknown feature. It is important that the hero of the narration, V.S. Oschepkov, founder of the single combat unarmed self - defence, is not an ideal hero, invented by the author, but a real man of a very uncommon destiny. Nevertheless he won his main fight against life circumstances, dejection and loneliness, evil thanks to the fact that saving God’s image in him he developed what had been cherished by his parents and spiritual teachers.
Let the way to people’s hearts be good for a good book.
Let God bless Russia.
Kirill, metropolitan of Smolensk
and Kaliningrad
AUTHOR’S FOREWORD
This book was conceived by me as a first part of the trilogy, devoted to deep sources, history and philosophy of one of truly Russian sport single combats - unarmed self - defence.
Already on the first pages of the book I would like to retrace indissoluble connection of Russian types of single combats and traditions of epic heroic struggle against the Evil, to remind of the main principles of the Russian bogatyrs (heroes in Russian folklore): to emphasize their being non-aggressive, prohibition to use their strength with malicious intent, their constant readiness to stand up for the weak and offended, their fellows, and at the same time to show charity to the fallen; ability, after having chastised, to forgive those who have understood the lesson given. On that truly Russian basis only could have been built such a bright personality as a would-be founder of unarmed self - defence Vassily Sergeyevich Oschepkov.
The image of Saint Nicholas of Japan I believe to be a key one in the story as well. I would like as many people as possible to learn about asceticism life of Saint Nicholas since his birth up to his last days.
Particularly important seems to me that historic fact, that namely Saint Nicholas of Japan blessed the adolescent Vasya Oschepkov for the way of mastering secrets of the oriental single combats in order to place this power at service to Russia. I believe, that just thanks to combination of primordial Russian traditions and ancient oriental canons mastered on benediction of Nicholas the Saint, there has been founded a new in the main and important for Russia type of sport and fighting single combat - unarmed self - defence.
Revealing V.S. Oschepkov’s spiritual cast of mind, being in much unknown to a reader until now, telling about his biography pages closed till recently, I could hardly fail to come to the conclusion that when founding unarmed self - defence Vassily Sergeyevich meant something that is more than effective self - defence method. Virtually there was coming a new life ideology, having absorbed in itself both the best principles of Russian orthodox people, and moral traditions, deep knowledge of all the mankind. V.S. Oschepkov’s life, which may serve as an example of a true devotion to his people and country is evidence of that it was just so.
By experience of many masters of unarmed self defence I got convinced that having started to be engaged into this type of single combat a man of any age goes an uneasy, but very important for his own becoming way, this is a cardinal change of character, moral principles, way of being, view on the surrounding people and own place in life. About the fact that these very people are fashioned by unarmed self - defence testifies also the example on the present new president of Russia.
Unarmed self - defence does not develop ability to concentrate maximum one’s strengths within a very short period of time only; to conquer an adversary, using his own aggression; to foresee intuitively one’s adversary’s actions and anticipate them.
Self-confidence, actual treatment towards life, calm kindness and readiness to enter at any moment into the fight against the evil outside and in oneself, whatever aspect it could take, that is the very cast of mind that unarmed self-defence helps to achieve.
I think, these very features we must try to cultivate in young people, who enter the XXIst century and who are to personify the future Russia. This book is about how such people are forged.
Anatoly Khlopetsky
International Class Sports Master
Honoured Trainer of the Russian Federation
FOUR FIGHTS
A man is sitting with his eyes closed, having settled back in his chair in a saloon of a flying air-liner. He is whether sleeping or simply meditating under slow and regular roar of powerful motors. Night. Saloon lights are slightly smothered. Side-light curtains are pulled together. Neither star-field in the sky nor its earthly reflection in lights of large cities can be seen. A young woman sitting in the next chair can not sleep and she is looking stealthily at her chance fellow-traveller: he seems to her to be little over his thirties.
Short sport-type hair-cut has never been touched with gray yet. He seems to be relaxed - to have a rest, but a trained body ready to any sudden reaction could be seen. He is well - dressed. Attractive. But there is some slight shadow on an aloof face - whether some anxiety, or dissatisfaction. He is actually dozing, but through his somnolence he feels a curious look on himself. And, though this sensation is somewhere on periphery of consciousness, it vaguely disturbs him. The flight has been usual for him for a long time. He uses this time of compelled idleness in order to divert and have a rest. But sometimes consciousness lives its own life and that unsteady border between reality and dream begins to fade. And today he fails to be conscious himself of how his brain " has turned on the switch of programs " and in his head there has suddenly arisen a picture of his dream being so distinct as if real …
… He was in a night city, which one he could not name, though, he seemed to have been there more than once. On this shortest street, lined with old trees. It had rained not long ago and then a light fog was curling under yellow lanterns.
He was coming back home from somewhere along that small street. Well, yes - certainly from his school: after all he was about ten or eleven and he had evening classes. And he might be coming from his music lesson from the Pioneers Palace. The street was deserted and only ahead, somewhere in one hundred steps, there was moving a man's figure slightly stooping. If one strained one’s eyes one could make out a stick, on which the man leaned as well.
And though it was, probably, most likely an old man and, if anything occurred, one could hardly expect some help from him, the boy felt somehow easier because someone shared the night street with him. He was going without looking round: for some reason it seemed to him, that where he had already passed through, danger could not arise any more. That strange, completely illogical sensation however did not deceive him.
They, those drunk dregs, appeared ahead indeed, somewhere from black holes of unclosed entrances, - three, gray in a fog, silently slipping figures.
And though it was absolutely clear, that they could not care less about the boy , they simply did not see him, having directed themselves towards the one who was hobbling ahead, the boy rushed panic-stricken behind a trunk of the nearest tree, nestled himself close to its wet bark and almost merged with it, trying not to breathe.
Three figures, dangling, came nearer to the old man, and the boy could catch a question so familiar from stories, harmless and terrible:
« Hey, fellow, will you share a cigarette with me?»
He did not catch what the old man answered, but heard perfectly a second mocking ironical voice:
« Look, guys, they take care of their health !»
And the third one deliberately slow, lazy:
« He is going to leave his life being healthy …»
And then again a mocking and joyful one:
«What a cool fun turned up !»
The boy nestled himself closer to the tree and listened with horror what the doomed old man babbled, how he offered money, begged for freedom, and, perhaps, life to a mocking, drunk laughter of the three.
And suddenly - that shout, that yell full of hatred and triumphant fury! It would then break the tympana for long in night nightmares:
«Yah-hа-a-а-а!»
What followed then looked most of all like the impetuous presto, which they discussed on that day at the lesson of the musical knowledge: yes, it was, certainly, a fight, but some unclear rhythm was felt in it. As if someone conducted those glimpses of the old man’s stick, abuses, constrained groans and, at last, heavy sounds of three bodies falling down on the ground.
And the old man was not already running in that direction , where he had gone before, but for some reason backward. He came up with the tree. The boy felt his hot, light hand on his shoulder, lifted his eyes up to him, still large for fear. That old man, perhaps, was not so old, and spoke quite like a boy:
« Well, what? Cave? Let’s slip away?»
They, having joined their hands, disappeared in the nearest entrance, which turned to be communicating with an open back door. Then under some arch in an other lane. Some more short run and the boy saw with surprise that they found themselves to be on that same street, only far ahead from that tree and that lantern, and that terrible place, where all had occurred.
He looked round and the companion put again his hand on his shoulder, bent forward almost to his very face and suddenly winked cheerfully. The boy calmed down for some reason but then he had a lot of questions to ask. And firstly he asked the most important one:
«So, then you knew I was going behind you ?»
The man smiled and nodded his head. No, he was, perhaps, all the same old - he was over his 40s. And with a stick. Was he lame ?
«Do you hate them strongly?», the boy asked again.
«I don’t know», the old man answered not at once . « No, probably, not. You see, they would have to be hated all time. It is difficult to live feeling constant hatred. Do I hate? No. But I love … Well, for example, this silent autumn evening. This street in a fog. You. And one must not give up what one loves in favour of the evil».
« Me? But you don’t know me at all!»
«Well, how could I fail to know? You are the boy with a file to keep notes in, who goes home along a dark foggy street».
" And is that enough to love me?! " , the boy would like to ask. But instead he said in a low voice :
«And what about them ? One should call militia!
The old man frowned and shrugged his shoulders. A smile appeared on his face for a moment again, but that time it was quite an other one - firm, fastidious and, perhaps, hard. And he said carelessly:
«There is nothing to worry about, they will rest in bed. But they will remember this lesson for a long time». Then, as if having caught some disagreement in boy’s being silent, he explained unwillingly: « You see, I had to knock them slightly out, and for that, while they investigate, you know yourself, what one could go through».
« But you defended yourself ! They were first …», the boy objected hotly.