Do your martial values have value?
It is, to an extent, one of the journeys that started with an inward reflection over something that should not bother me. When I travel to other dojo, I usually try to fly on or below the radar line. I am social and sociable, but I am not overly gregarious. I am not a shy individual, but I would rather simply 'be' and get to know people in that context (or have them get to know me in the same fashion).
Without getting on a soapbox and pontificating the greatness that is me (note the heavy sarcasm in that line), I am left somewhat stunned when I survey the territory. I am certainly not up for boyscout of the year this year, and my karma points, while not being equal, will not necessarily be enough to accord a painless end or a soft move forward into the next plane of existence. But, I know of the lessons I have learned as a karateka and as an instructor (largely on my own). I will often muse and reflect on my path as 'learning the hard way'. I went ronin early on after I got my shodan. I drifted into the world of sport karate and Olympic Tae Kwon Do for a while - under the tutelage of a man who saw martial arts as a business, his club as a game, and his students as gamepieces, kings, knights, pawns, and peons. I have had the taste of the dark side thanks to this man. I am thankful for that opportunity. I needed no one to shake me from the cloud as I saw what his true colours were (it only took me 5 years). The rest of my experiences came from the interactions that I had had when I was younger, the limited interactions I had when I was older, and lots of discussion, reading and study. I have to laugh as it only took me how many years to digest alot of the info I received when I was young? Staggering thought that it is.
Of late, I have seen a few things that disturb me. They relate to impressions and images and the role of sport in karate. There are more, but let's take this one bite at a time.
At one point, I used to try to impress folks with feats of derring-do of karate and whatnot (call them parlor tricks if you will). Thinking I was a bit of a tough guy in my sport phase, I caused myself unnecessary and possibly lifelong injury from some of the stupid things I did. They did not necessarily hurt at the time, but some of them were downright asinine and quite painful. Lessons learned. That is why I can look at a young man with some incredible skill and an amazingly acute ego with a certain amount of sadness and disdain. I had no one to correct me on my path but me- and I did. This young man has several people around him who do not reconcile the issue with some of his actions. Having skill is not wrong. Be proud of your skill is not wrong. Being arrogant or overbearing because of your skill is. Sadly, many of the folks in his inner circle are into this cult of personality and see nothing wrong with it. They are equally proud of his 'skill', which, according to one person, is often displayed to others at parties. Think 'human pinata of pain'. He seems to be quite proud of his ability to take a hit. Not sure why. I train my people not to get hit. If you do, suck it up and carry on, but do not relish in the ability to take the shot. There is any number of dangers in that.
The young man in question apparently tried to impress the wrong person with his skill, and they dropped him like a bad habit. Now, this person is human, like I. But to listen to him and to watch his attitude from a distance and you would think that he is infallible. Nope- he has chinks in the armour. The danger here is that people have seen these chinks- both the physical and the personal. These flaws may not be fatal, but they can be of some detriment. There was a warning shot fired across his bow twice; now, only time will tell whether he understands the more subtle message contained in the words or actions transmitted or whether he only grasps the superficial and grows more arrogant and perhaps a little bitter. It is a heartfelt wish that he wake up and find himself on the wrong trail of the path and do some backtracking. Seeing him as salvageable, I think he has some great talent. Rather than cultivate HIS talent, he need to redirect it to something more constructive.
Sport karate, Tae Kwon Do, and, increasingly, MMA are painting an image of violence and competition that does not exist in traditional budo arts or traditional karate. The masters warned of the death of the traditional side, the vital component within karate, which would be caused by sport. The life support cable seems to be disconnecting. If traditional schools were not dinosaurs before, they soon will be; many 'traditional schools' now include themselves in tournaments and other sporting events. Students compete for trophies and medals; the competitive spirit, the 'winning is everything' mentality pervades the student and the dojo. "Home of champions" is used as an advertising slogan by many school. Why do you need to compete or win trophies to be a champion? In a world full of world champions, why do you need to have a title to recognize the value of your training. And if you lose? Is your karate worthless? The answer is likely yes- but you are only partially awake to the truth.
True karate is not about beating your opponent; it is about developing your self. it is about beating the inner demons and becoming a more rounded person, a positive, contributing member of society- one who lives the values of karate in their daily life. You do not need a medal for that. What is the old adage- 'virtue is its own reward'? There is another one 'karate ni sente nashi'- no first attack in karate. Hard to reconcile in a tournament or sport setting when you need to be 'hungry', you need to have the drive to win. The principle of non-violence has to go out the window, and once you compromise one principle, the others follow suit quite quickly.
Sad thing is, few 'sport' karate people know about traditional karate- and that includes their own origins and histories and the origins, histories and applications of their style and their kata. The kata is a powerful dance made to look splashy and flashy. Add some chugging sounds in for good measure, and get the patented fierce look and a powerful scream (scream, not kiai). Ask the person who established the kata and what the workings of a certain technique are, and do not be surprised to get a blank look back.
I have seen few values and virtues taught by sport martial arts- and remember that I had the opp to be part of one for five long years. Lip service is paid, but little else is evident. Attitude is not confidence. Arrogance and smugness are not respect. Intimidation, impromptu displays of skill and braggadocio are neither self-control nor humility. Playing around with buddies and showing off for mixed masses are two different things. You may have all the physical skill and prowess in the world, but the spiritual and mental meters are stuck. You are better to call yourself a martial athlete than a martial artist.
Knowing where you come from, knowing what your system is about, knowing what does what, why and how- it may not seem like much, but it is only the tip of what has been lost by those who chase trophies and glory and fame in any form through 'modern' karate. Give me my traditional stuff any day. I guarantee you, those who follow the path will be better for it, and they will be better to the world for it as well.
One wise master recently said that beginner students will only grasp maybe 50% of what is said, juniors maybe 75%, yundansha maybe 100%; the acute learner, the one who pay attention will get 120% out of what is said. They will read, listen and absorb what is given to them. That, folks, is where the real learning is. If you are burdened by a lack of understanding of the path or are clouded by a 'sport' mind, the chances of getting to or beyond that 100% is slim.
Not bragging, just observing what has already been seen.
So, tell me, have you practised your karate life today?
If the answer was 'yes, from the moment I got up', then your value have value and you have learned to transform the physical into the spiritual, emotional, and mental.
If the answer was any form of the word 'no' (including a response using pejoratives, a 2nd person pronoun and the word man), then you need to go have a good hard look at what you do on and off the floor and ask yourself- do your martial values have value.
My best to you all as your travel the path.
Gambatte kudasai!
Without getting on a soapbox and pontificating the greatness that is me (note the heavy sarcasm in that line), I am left somewhat stunned when I survey the territory. I am certainly not up for boyscout of the year this year, and my karma points, while not being equal, will not necessarily be enough to accord a painless end or a soft move forward into the next plane of existence. But, I know of the lessons I have learned as a karateka and as an instructor (largely on my own). I will often muse and reflect on my path as 'learning the hard way'. I went ronin early on after I got my shodan. I drifted into the world of sport karate and Olympic Tae Kwon Do for a while - under the tutelage of a man who saw martial arts as a business, his club as a game, and his students as gamepieces, kings, knights, pawns, and peons. I have had the taste of the dark side thanks to this man. I am thankful for that opportunity. I needed no one to shake me from the cloud as I saw what his true colours were (it only took me 5 years). The rest of my experiences came from the interactions that I had had when I was younger, the limited interactions I had when I was older, and lots of discussion, reading and study. I have to laugh as it only took me how many years to digest alot of the info I received when I was young? Staggering thought that it is.
Of late, I have seen a few things that disturb me. They relate to impressions and images and the role of sport in karate. There are more, but let's take this one bite at a time.
At one point, I used to try to impress folks with feats of derring-do of karate and whatnot (call them parlor tricks if you will). Thinking I was a bit of a tough guy in my sport phase, I caused myself unnecessary and possibly lifelong injury from some of the stupid things I did. They did not necessarily hurt at the time, but some of them were downright asinine and quite painful. Lessons learned. That is why I can look at a young man with some incredible skill and an amazingly acute ego with a certain amount of sadness and disdain. I had no one to correct me on my path but me- and I did. This young man has several people around him who do not reconcile the issue with some of his actions. Having skill is not wrong. Be proud of your skill is not wrong. Being arrogant or overbearing because of your skill is. Sadly, many of the folks in his inner circle are into this cult of personality and see nothing wrong with it. They are equally proud of his 'skill', which, according to one person, is often displayed to others at parties. Think 'human pinata of pain'. He seems to be quite proud of his ability to take a hit. Not sure why. I train my people not to get hit. If you do, suck it up and carry on, but do not relish in the ability to take the shot. There is any number of dangers in that.
The young man in question apparently tried to impress the wrong person with his skill, and they dropped him like a bad habit. Now, this person is human, like I. But to listen to him and to watch his attitude from a distance and you would think that he is infallible. Nope- he has chinks in the armour. The danger here is that people have seen these chinks- both the physical and the personal. These flaws may not be fatal, but they can be of some detriment. There was a warning shot fired across his bow twice; now, only time will tell whether he understands the more subtle message contained in the words or actions transmitted or whether he only grasps the superficial and grows more arrogant and perhaps a little bitter. It is a heartfelt wish that he wake up and find himself on the wrong trail of the path and do some backtracking. Seeing him as salvageable, I think he has some great talent. Rather than cultivate HIS talent, he need to redirect it to something more constructive.
Sport karate, Tae Kwon Do, and, increasingly, MMA are painting an image of violence and competition that does not exist in traditional budo arts or traditional karate. The masters warned of the death of the traditional side, the vital component within karate, which would be caused by sport. The life support cable seems to be disconnecting. If traditional schools were not dinosaurs before, they soon will be; many 'traditional schools' now include themselves in tournaments and other sporting events. Students compete for trophies and medals; the competitive spirit, the 'winning is everything' mentality pervades the student and the dojo. "Home of champions" is used as an advertising slogan by many school. Why do you need to compete or win trophies to be a champion? In a world full of world champions, why do you need to have a title to recognize the value of your training. And if you lose? Is your karate worthless? The answer is likely yes- but you are only partially awake to the truth.
True karate is not about beating your opponent; it is about developing your self. it is about beating the inner demons and becoming a more rounded person, a positive, contributing member of society- one who lives the values of karate in their daily life. You do not need a medal for that. What is the old adage- 'virtue is its own reward'? There is another one 'karate ni sente nashi'- no first attack in karate. Hard to reconcile in a tournament or sport setting when you need to be 'hungry', you need to have the drive to win. The principle of non-violence has to go out the window, and once you compromise one principle, the others follow suit quite quickly.
Sad thing is, few 'sport' karate people know about traditional karate- and that includes their own origins and histories and the origins, histories and applications of their style and their kata. The kata is a powerful dance made to look splashy and flashy. Add some chugging sounds in for good measure, and get the patented fierce look and a powerful scream (scream, not kiai). Ask the person who established the kata and what the workings of a certain technique are, and do not be surprised to get a blank look back.
I have seen few values and virtues taught by sport martial arts- and remember that I had the opp to be part of one for five long years. Lip service is paid, but little else is evident. Attitude is not confidence. Arrogance and smugness are not respect. Intimidation, impromptu displays of skill and braggadocio are neither self-control nor humility. Playing around with buddies and showing off for mixed masses are two different things. You may have all the physical skill and prowess in the world, but the spiritual and mental meters are stuck. You are better to call yourself a martial athlete than a martial artist.
Knowing where you come from, knowing what your system is about, knowing what does what, why and how- it may not seem like much, but it is only the tip of what has been lost by those who chase trophies and glory and fame in any form through 'modern' karate. Give me my traditional stuff any day. I guarantee you, those who follow the path will be better for it, and they will be better to the world for it as well.
One wise master recently said that beginner students will only grasp maybe 50% of what is said, juniors maybe 75%, yundansha maybe 100%; the acute learner, the one who pay attention will get 120% out of what is said. They will read, listen and absorb what is given to them. That, folks, is where the real learning is. If you are burdened by a lack of understanding of the path or are clouded by a 'sport' mind, the chances of getting to or beyond that 100% is slim.
Not bragging, just observing what has already been seen.
So, tell me, have you practised your karate life today?
If the answer was 'yes, from the moment I got up', then your value have value and you have learned to transform the physical into the spiritual, emotional, and mental.
If the answer was any form of the word 'no' (including a response using pejoratives, a 2nd person pronoun and the word man), then you need to go have a good hard look at what you do on and off the floor and ask yourself- do your martial values have value.
My best to you all as your travel the path.
Gambatte kudasai!
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