THE SENSE OF SMELL

Few martial artists understand or utilize the SENSE OF SMELL except in certain instances and occasions,yet this important sense is not to be neglected if you wish to be a martial artist and know the 'esoteric' foundations of such. Unfortunately, few contemporary persons in 'civilization' as it exists today know what this entails because more persons tend to dull this important sense and have had absolutely no real training in it, despite the prevalence of various perfumes, incenses, aroma therapy items and the like because many only mask and remove their specific odors and scents and those of the natural world around them in various ways. Let us take what might be a 'socially important' odor: BAD BREATH. Bad breath can be an important weapon if developed but few will do this in an age of innumerable mouth washes, gargles, 'breath-savers', etc. and we tend to avoid the clues that anyone's oral breath could or can give use, such as, what they just ate. The same would be true if one was in the forest and came upon a pile of excrement. Some might know the difference between rabbit manure, dog manure, bird droppings,etc. and possibly human waste in woodland/forest areas if they should come upon it, but would they know other things about it, possibly derived, depending on how long it was on the ground, what the creature, whether man or beast or bird, had eaten? I think not. Most of us would tend to rely merely on the sense of sight. NOW CONSIDER THIS, suppose you are in a forest or a city and there is not light and it is dark, pitch-dark, and you cannot see and you do not hear anything around you but suppose a strange scent, a bad odor,etc. aroused you, what would you know from this? Could you detect the smell of a an animal, a snake, a man or a woman, or whatever? NOW, believe it or not, but every person has his own unique smell, some of it cultural to be sure. For example, people who chew and eat garlic and some types of herbs and spices will have such a scent around them which is detectable. Smokers, of course, heavy ones, exude a strong tobacco odor that non-smokers can sense immediately in their presence and they reek to high heaven as their clothes tend to become saturated with the odor. Alcoholics and drunks have a certain small about them-of alcohol and beer,etc. BUT there is more, US Citizens,socalled 'Americans" smell like MILK to many Asians, that is, as if they were made of milk. ASIANS usually don't use or drink much milk except incertain exceptions, like ice cream. Dairy products like cheese may be imited. Yak butter and carabao cheese,etc, are items not in the usual American diet, of course. Nevertheless, when you embrace people try to 'breathe in' their specific scent, even if they stink. You might be surprised at what you really learn about them and yourself.