Simply the Ken-po Goku-i

Are we, therefore I, making the Ken-po Goku-i more complex than it was meant to be? Is our American tendency to go ballistic with complexities that are simply not there taking it beyond what Tatsuo meant or is it just "our way" as Americans?

Nothing is simple when it comes to subjects we try to take on as Americans. The diversities indicate that the comparisons are able to teach us something but as to what is determined by our view point, our standards, our customs, etc.

If I were to "simplify" my view on the ken-po goku-i what would that be:

First, remove all the numbering. You don't see it in the silk certificates provided to early practitioners so we can rightly assume it was Americanization that caused us to number them to fit us.

A person's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth. This could be a simplified reference to the ancient classics only so far as to emphasize to practitioners that there is a connection to the spirit of humanity to that of Nature as represented by Heaven and Earth.

The blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon. Asians put explanations in a form that made sense at that period of time. If you study the I Ching and Taoist classics this is a reference to the cycles and patterns set by nature as symbolized by the sun and moon in action. This could be the connection from the broad view of Man, Heaven and Earth to the Human triad of the mind, body (heart) and spirit. 

The next six are even more specific and relate to teaching a practitioner about such things as achieving balance, etiquette in both practice and combat, and extending our simple senses into an awareness that results in self-improvements that extend to societal connections which change from person to person and societal groups and so forth.

The first of those six teaches about the duality of all myriad things being at extreme hard or soft with a variety of levels between. Then it goes on to teach us about finding balance in spirit and in action. This is followed by a teaching of using our bodily ability to change with reference to the literal changes of the body in fighting to those mental changes in conflicts.

It goes on to teach us about focus and timing and then the two abilities to literally see or be aware by vision and/or hearing only to allow us to allude to seeing and hearing beyond the literal to the more undefined, i.e. the third eye and hearing the underlying meaning of sounds.

We can make it more complex as I have shown by all my interpretations as they would and could relate to study of the I Ching and Taoist teachings but is that necessary or was it implied when presented by Tatsuo?

It comes back to my original feelings in that each of us as a unique person needs to determine the validity of any study and take it to the level that teaches us as an individual. Maybe the goal was to present a fundamental view with intent of allowing the individual to either accept it as is or take it beyond our outside the box.

We all have to decide for ourselves and remember that all bottles are good as they all serve a purpose. So, what ever level you take this study of the ken-po goku-i is solely yours and yours alone. This is possible and possibly true with the study of the I Ching, etc.