Just to let you know that all my blogs have been "moved" into one account. I had them set to particular email accounts that would differentiate each accordingly but for efficiency I transferred all four blogs to the one main account so you might see some of my profile stats different, i.e. now under isshin.do.karate@gmail.com mail account, etc.
Everything else remains intact as do the actual historical postings, etc.
Thanks,
Charles J.
All Bottles are Truly Good
The "EYES" Must See
I can be stubborn where once I learn something that really resonates with me with emphasis on my practice of karate-do I tend to resist any attempts to refute that premise even when it is incontrovertible truth. I have since found that this is a crippling trait that I now try to avoid at all costs. It assumes that my findings are the final answer when in reality all answers are subject to "change."
In this light the ken-po goku-i's reference in line seven also can mean to "see" truth; to "see" beyond our limited understanding of things; to "see" that all idea's and answers to all things are subject to the same laws that govern the Universe, i.e. constantly changing; fluid. We must "see" ourselves for what we truly are so that we don't color our view with preconceived notions and idea's that we tend to make intractable so we remain inflexible; a path to disaster and stunted growth both personal and in martial training.
Seeing all sides is to "see" all sides. Don't limit your interpretation and application of this to just what you literally see to all sides of your physical presence. Step outside the box, see all sides!
In this light the ken-po goku-i's reference in line seven also can mean to "see" truth; to "see" beyond our limited understanding of things; to "see" that all idea's and answers to all things are subject to the same laws that govern the Universe, i.e. constantly changing; fluid. We must "see" ourselves for what we truly are so that we don't color our view with preconceived notions and idea's that we tend to make intractable so we remain inflexible; a path to disaster and stunted growth both personal and in martial training.
Seeing all sides is to "see" all sides. Don't limit your interpretation and application of this to just what you literally see to all sides of your physical presence. Step outside the box, see all sides!
Extra Words Ken-po Goku-i
My question is, "Where did the other English translation words come from?" What I am saying is this, "is this really the translation of the characters and if it is how did they determine that person and heart would be the same, and how is it the same, as heaven and earth. There is nothing notable to indicate that the person who wrote these characters originally meant it to be some comparison.
That comparison even if correct is not apparent, is it? This makes me wonder what exactly the Ancients intended when they provided the ken-po goku-i. I suspect, as stories are told, that because a good part of it was conveyed verbally and taking in to consideration the level of education for those who wrote things like the bubishi and lets not forget the environment, customs, and beliefs of those in that particular time will have an effect as well.
Maybe this was the ultimate purpose so that it would remain fluid so as times and people changed the meaning would change accordingly. The only hiccup here for me is the need to know the intent and meaning of those at their time so that I can utilize it to convey meaning to my time and meaning.
Isshinryu-no-Megami Hands
One hand is open and one is closed into a fist. What is the symbolism of this? The right hand is closed to represent the hard aspects of our style. It also suggests that we have the ability to defend ourselves if required. The left hand is open to represent the softer aspects of our style. It represents peace and tells us that we have no weapons and we strive to avoid trouble.
In the book, "Japan: Strategy of the Unseen", by Michel Random the quote I am referring to is as follows: "The open palm of the Buddha’s represents the Extended, the Infinite. A closed fist represents only itself."
The open palm as stated above tells us that our training is not a goal but a life long endeavor that is never over or you could say infinite in its nature for training and practice takes us all the way to our transition to the Tao.
The closed fist represents only itself might suggest that lost path, the closed mind, the trap that our ego puts on our mind and thus into our bodies. If we close our minds to the possibilities of what life and practice have to offer then we close ourselves to the possibilities that are afforded to us in our journey to enlightenment.
The open hand and closed fist also represent the "in-yo" or dualism of nature that must become one or the Tao of life. All things begin and end with one.
We can also say that the open hand represents the state of mind we must all maintain in our practice as well as in our lives. To keep our minds open to all of life's possibilities and use the singular practice of the way of the empty hand as our guide in reaching out to the stars.
Lastly, I also feel it signifies the maxim of soft-to-hard:hard-to-soft applications. I believe this is symbolized because it provides a maxim that applies to all technique applications depending on the targeting. A punch involves the closed fist and punching with the fore-knuckles, i.e. karate punch, and a strike involves the open hand such as a slap to the head, an open handed back hand to the face, or the use of the open hand, the elbow, the forearm or both elbow and forearm. The soft-to-hard:hard-to-soft maxim means use a hard, fist, against soft targets; a soft, strike/slap, against hard targets.
Bibliography:
Sutrisno, Tristan, MacYoung, Marc and Gordon, Dianna. "Becoming a Complete Martial Artist: Error Detection in Self Defense and the Martial Arts." Lyons Press. Connecticut. 2005.
In the book, "Japan: Strategy of the Unseen", by Michel Random the quote I am referring to is as follows: "The open palm of the Buddha’s represents the Extended, the Infinite. A closed fist represents only itself."
The open palm as stated above tells us that our training is not a goal but a life long endeavor that is never over or you could say infinite in its nature for training and practice takes us all the way to our transition to the Tao.
The closed fist represents only itself might suggest that lost path, the closed mind, the trap that our ego puts on our mind and thus into our bodies. If we close our minds to the possibilities of what life and practice have to offer then we close ourselves to the possibilities that are afforded to us in our journey to enlightenment.
The open hand and closed fist also represent the "in-yo" or dualism of nature that must become one or the Tao of life. All things begin and end with one.
We can also say that the open hand represents the state of mind we must all maintain in our practice as well as in our lives. To keep our minds open to all of life's possibilities and use the singular practice of the way of the empty hand as our guide in reaching out to the stars.
Lastly, I also feel it signifies the maxim of soft-to-hard:hard-to-soft applications. I believe this is symbolized because it provides a maxim that applies to all technique applications depending on the targeting. A punch involves the closed fist and punching with the fore-knuckles, i.e. karate punch, and a strike involves the open hand such as a slap to the head, an open handed back hand to the face, or the use of the open hand, the elbow, the forearm or both elbow and forearm. The soft-to-hard:hard-to-soft maxim means use a hard, fist, against soft targets; a soft, strike/slap, against hard targets.
Bibliography:
Sutrisno, Tristan, MacYoung, Marc and Gordon, Dianna. "Becoming a Complete Martial Artist: Error Detection in Self Defense and the Martial Arts." Lyons Press. Connecticut. 2005.
Why study the Chinese ancient classics?
We practice Okinawan Karate, yes? So, a good question is why would we want to study the ancient Chinese classics? In a nutshell to understand the customs of the Okinawans and especially the fighting arts of karate we would want to study the classics because Okinawan's are a product of the Chinese influences and they also studied the classics, the customs, the courtesies, etc. of the Chinese.
The Chinese as to historical data received the greatest influences from them and worked diligently to assume and practice them in a unique Okinawan fashion.
With out going into more depth I would express my answer here through my study of Isshinryu karate-do. Isshinryu is a fairly young Okinawan system but the creator, Tatsuo Shimabuku Sensei, did study the classics such as the Chinese I Ching and Bubushi, which is a tome on Chinese boxing.
He also presented early practitioners a copy of the ken-po goku-i on silk in kanji/English. The significance here is it is derived from his studies and influences from earlier masters of Okinawan karate who also derived these from the study of Chinese classics with an emphasis on the Chinese version of the bubishi.
Do you have to study them to practice/learn/instruct karate in any of its forms? No, you do not yet I firmly believe to achieve greater depth and breadth and understanding and applications you should study them. I firmly believe they are the Yin side of that coin, yang being the physical practice of karate. It will provide guidance and balance in your studies and practices where they will become most influential when you actually take up the instruction of karate-do.
Something one who studies a martial system should consider. You might want to remember that even the Japanese studied the classics and then incorporated what the felt was pertinent into their customs, etc. Everything Japanese/Okinawan were influenced by Chinese connections.
The Chinese as to historical data received the greatest influences from them and worked diligently to assume and practice them in a unique Okinawan fashion.
With out going into more depth I would express my answer here through my study of Isshinryu karate-do. Isshinryu is a fairly young Okinawan system but the creator, Tatsuo Shimabuku Sensei, did study the classics such as the Chinese I Ching and Bubushi, which is a tome on Chinese boxing.
He also presented early practitioners a copy of the ken-po goku-i on silk in kanji/English. The significance here is it is derived from his studies and influences from earlier masters of Okinawan karate who also derived these from the study of Chinese classics with an emphasis on the Chinese version of the bubishi.
Do you have to study them to practice/learn/instruct karate in any of its forms? No, you do not yet I firmly believe to achieve greater depth and breadth and understanding and applications you should study them. I firmly believe they are the Yin side of that coin, yang being the physical practice of karate. It will provide guidance and balance in your studies and practices where they will become most influential when you actually take up the instruction of karate-do.
Something one who studies a martial system should consider. You might want to remember that even the Japanese studied the classics and then incorporated what the felt was pertinent into their customs, etc. Everything Japanese/Okinawan were influenced by Chinese connections.
Shaolin Ch'an Buddhism
"... a form of Buddhism that emphasized on self cultivation through seated meditation ... 'Dhyana' in Sanskrit or the investigation of one’s mind is called “Ch'an” in Chinese. The Japanese later pronounced it as “Zen”. ... a series of physical and breathing exercises. ... These movements—derived from Indian yogic practices of hatha and raja—were classified according to the 18 main animals in Indo-Chinese iconography, and evolve into Shaolin Gungfu. ... While the practice of Ch’an points directly to the mind, and emphasizes self-awareness and self-motivation, the practice requires self-discipline. ... To the the student of Shaolin Gungfu, it should be similarly emphasized that the introduction of movements and breathing exercises are entry points to develop self-discipline, and concentration that is required to begin the investigation of one's mind to seek wisdom ... " - Traits of Ch'an Buddhism
This post is one more step that provides me many more hours of thought and analysis as to my practice and what it may mean or could have meant to Tatsuo Sensei. As I continued to connect dots in my studies I came across a reference to the "Ch'an Buddhist" practice of the Shaolin monks where it is believed our roots to martial systems from Chinese influences originate.
As I continued to research the topic I read a few sources that described the practice of Ch'an Buddhism in many ways that I believe are relevant to my practice and the intent/spirit of Tatsuo's teachings via references us to the ken-po goku-i.
The fundamental thoughts of Ch'an Buddhism seem to follow my past studies in one area of the "Tao-te-ching." Many of the traits mentioned here seem to fall right into what many martial systems of Okinawa and Japan teach/instruct as to the opposite, esoteric, side of the coin - Martial Art, Budo!
Although it began with emphasis on seated meditation, think mokuso, it does go on to how a series of physical and breathing exercises, the lohan of Chinese boxing, to achieve a more enlightened state of living. It exemplifies the way to self-awareness, self-motivation, self-discipline, mindful awareness, and so on. All of these I have posted on in the past as a part of my practice.
It finishes up with a partial quote on how it all comes to the "one" or "wholehearted" delving into the mind to seek wisdom. To investigate the mind is to investigate it through the actions of the body which includes meditative practices with a greater emphasis on breathing. I have also posted with many references to the practice and use of breathing to achieve goals in karate-do which extend to our daily lives.
In addition they refer to Ch'an Buddhism as it was translated into the Japanese practice of "Zen." Apparently the word Zen is the Japanese pronouncement of Ch'an.
Yes? No? Maybe? Comments ... this begs the question for me, am I actually practicing a version of Ch'an Buddhism?
The Brain and All the Hoopla about Monkey and Lizard Stuff
Chiron Blog by Rory Miller provided a term I had not heard before, Triune Brain. In that light as I tend to do I did some searching on the subject that led me to a site I believe would be beneficial to all readers as it leads you to all the complexities of the brain functions that can either help or hinder our ability to apply karate or any system to self defense/protection, etc.
The site I found the most helpful in my continued understanding of how we work in society is: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/index_i.html
It has layers much like Marc MacYoung's web site "No Nonsense Self Defense" so take your time and go through the main topics then click links to continue the journey to more knowledge.
One main point I have derived so far confirms what others with more experience than I tell us about self defense. In a nutshell it is best to enhance our instincts provided by mother nature to achieve a good solid defensive ability. If I have got it right that means "avoidance" is still the 90% rule. Taking those natural abilities that have worked so well for centuries and give it some enhancements that build on it will serve most folks better than simply learning a few techniques and then assuming they will work when needed. News flash folks, us normal folks will not apply these waza but simply fall back on the flight or fight response. Actually, freeze and face the threat then either totally freeze or run like hell or something like this, read the pages and come to your own conclusions.
What I found to be important to this site is it validated the teachings of what I have "seen and heard." It also provides some insights as to how you can enhance your training and practice so you can program how your brain constructs things and hopefully puts it into action when required.
The site I found the most helpful in my continued understanding of how we work in society is: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/index_i.html It has layers much like Marc MacYoung's web site "No Nonsense Self Defense" so take your time and go through the main topics then click links to continue the journey to more knowledge.
One main point I have derived so far confirms what others with more experience than I tell us about self defense. In a nutshell it is best to enhance our instincts provided by mother nature to achieve a good solid defensive ability. If I have got it right that means "avoidance" is still the 90% rule. Taking those natural abilities that have worked so well for centuries and give it some enhancements that build on it will serve most folks better than simply learning a few techniques and then assuming they will work when needed. News flash folks, us normal folks will not apply these waza but simply fall back on the flight or fight response. Actually, freeze and face the threat then either totally freeze or run like hell or something like this, read the pages and come to your own conclusions.
What I found to be important to this site is it validated the teachings of what I have "seen and heard." It also provides some insights as to how you can enhance your training and practice so you can program how your brain constructs things and hopefully puts it into action when required.
What is the Ken-po Goku-i?
As to Isshinryu, which is the basis and reason for my study of this short terse tome on karate-do:
The "Kenpo Gokui"(Secrets of the Fist Way), taken from the Bubishi's "8 Poems of the Fist." Shimabuku Sensei reportedly received his Ken-po Goku-i from his Goju-ryu teacher, Miyagi Chojun. This document was very important in the development of Isshinryu. Shimabuku Tatsuo would give copies of the ken-po goku-i to his early students.
Advincula Sensei relates information on this as follows:
Isshinryu's Kenpo Gokui is from White Crane. The Kenpo Gokui is the yin while "Kihonteki, kata and kumite" (practiced until they become "one") is the yang of Isshinryu. Tatsuo used the I Ching which influenced his creation and practice of Isshinryu. We can see this in the Kenpo Gokui.
Kenpo gokui is a code which is often called the Pome of kenpo (Karate). The word kenpo is made from two kanji or Chinese characters; ken means "fist" and po means "law". Kenpo means "fist method" or "Law of the fist."
A code is a systematic statement of a body of law. A law is a system of principles or rules that also include a moral code. A moral code is a state of mind that dictates moral practices or teachings, modes of conduct, and ethics. Conduct is the act, manner, or process of carrying on in different situations be it mental or physical. A code is also a system of symbols letters or numbers used to represent assigned (and often secret) meaning(s).
The Kenpo gokui has eight precepts (as does article 13 of Bubishi). Precepts are principles intended as a general rule of action. Action is a function of the mind, body, and/or one of its parts, and can also be the manner or method of performing something. This can be brought about by altering or modifying each precept (much like the I-Ching) to suit a certain situation. Each situation can be dealt with by physical force or with (civility) reasoning. Reasoning means using the mind and drawing inferences or conclusions through the use of reason and or argument. Argument demands reasonable thinking and thought.
The Kenpo gokui is a micro I Ching (Book of changes/wisdom) in the form of a very terse, forty word pome (a pome of wisdom). The very reason it is called essential. The Kenpo goku puts the "Do" in karate for it is the very essence of karate.
The gokui are the "Essential principles of a system". To Tatsuo Sensei these precepts of the Kenpo Gokui were so important that he gave his students a copy written in kanji on silk.
The Kenpo gokui is rich in history and knowing it brings more value to Isshinryu as an art. Karate is not just punching, striking, and kicking; it is about life and harmony. Harmony of Mind, body, and spirit. Harmony of cultures.
This is a set of thoughts as taught in the Isshinkai, a group dedicated to the preservation of traditionally taught Isshinryu by Tatsuo Sensei.
You find many variations from system to system even in the splinter groups of the Isshinryu system. Not many actually have any understanding as to its purpose in karate but those who wish to go beyond the mere physical manifestations, to even find more of the physical, can discover many things by the research, investigation, study of the silk certificates.
A couple of notes one should consider when in receipt of the English translation. It was written by someone other than Tatsuo Sensei who provided the kanji versions. It should be understood that the English versions don't connect exactly to the characters for those are more subjective in relation to the times, customs, and beliefs of the person who wrote it, it was written long, long ago by Chinese who passed it down within the system of ken-po or way of the fist.
I found that it can and does provide more than just its minor connection to karate or any other martial system that has it in their teachings. I see that it has connections to the I Ching or book of changes, the tao-te-ching, and other older translated Chinese classics.
I see it as a key that can and does open many doorways revealing many paths with a variety of signposts that when followed lead to more answers and more questions that result in a never ending endeavor to learn, understand and practice both karate and all of life's encounters, etc.
I hope this short and vague answer inspires the reader to seek out, investigate, analyze and understand it and its implications for there is not right answer, only the unique answers for each individual.
I have a blog that posts on this and older, unpublished web pages, that expand on my studies from the beginning to today. Anyone who wishes to read what I have compiled can ask via email and I will try to create a pdf to send to you.
Think of the ken-po goku-i as a seed. You plant it, cultivate and feed it, you let it grow not knowing it it will be a beautiful flower or just another weed. Don't pull it until it presents its true self, you never know. Most gardens are filled with the beauty of nature in flowers, shrubs, and bushes while the weeds are few due to the gardeners constant tending of the garden of knowledge.
The "Kenpo Gokui"(Secrets of the Fist Way), taken from the Bubishi's "8 Poems of the Fist." Shimabuku Sensei reportedly received his Ken-po Goku-i from his Goju-ryu teacher, Miyagi Chojun. This document was very important in the development of Isshinryu. Shimabuku Tatsuo would give copies of the ken-po goku-i to his early students.
Advincula Sensei relates information on this as follows:
Isshinryu's Kenpo Gokui is from White Crane. The Kenpo Gokui is the yin while "Kihonteki, kata and kumite" (practiced until they become "one") is the yang of Isshinryu. Tatsuo used the I Ching which influenced his creation and practice of Isshinryu. We can see this in the Kenpo Gokui.
Kenpo gokui is a code which is often called the Pome of kenpo (Karate). The word kenpo is made from two kanji or Chinese characters; ken means "fist" and po means "law". Kenpo means "fist method" or "Law of the fist."
A code is a systematic statement of a body of law. A law is a system of principles or rules that also include a moral code. A moral code is a state of mind that dictates moral practices or teachings, modes of conduct, and ethics. Conduct is the act, manner, or process of carrying on in different situations be it mental or physical. A code is also a system of symbols letters or numbers used to represent assigned (and often secret) meaning(s).
The Kenpo gokui has eight precepts (as does article 13 of Bubishi). Precepts are principles intended as a general rule of action. Action is a function of the mind, body, and/or one of its parts, and can also be the manner or method of performing something. This can be brought about by altering or modifying each precept (much like the I-Ching) to suit a certain situation. Each situation can be dealt with by physical force or with (civility) reasoning. Reasoning means using the mind and drawing inferences or conclusions through the use of reason and or argument. Argument demands reasonable thinking and thought.
The Kenpo gokui is a micro I Ching (Book of changes/wisdom) in the form of a very terse, forty word pome (a pome of wisdom). The very reason it is called essential. The Kenpo goku puts the "Do" in karate for it is the very essence of karate.
The gokui are the "Essential principles of a system". To Tatsuo Sensei these precepts of the Kenpo Gokui were so important that he gave his students a copy written in kanji on silk.
The Kenpo gokui is rich in history and knowing it brings more value to Isshinryu as an art. Karate is not just punching, striking, and kicking; it is about life and harmony. Harmony of Mind, body, and spirit. Harmony of cultures.
This is a set of thoughts as taught in the Isshinkai, a group dedicated to the preservation of traditionally taught Isshinryu by Tatsuo Sensei.
You find many variations from system to system even in the splinter groups of the Isshinryu system. Not many actually have any understanding as to its purpose in karate but those who wish to go beyond the mere physical manifestations, to even find more of the physical, can discover many things by the research, investigation, study of the silk certificates.
A couple of notes one should consider when in receipt of the English translation. It was written by someone other than Tatsuo Sensei who provided the kanji versions. It should be understood that the English versions don't connect exactly to the characters for those are more subjective in relation to the times, customs, and beliefs of the person who wrote it, it was written long, long ago by Chinese who passed it down within the system of ken-po or way of the fist.
I found that it can and does provide more than just its minor connection to karate or any other martial system that has it in their teachings. I see that it has connections to the I Ching or book of changes, the tao-te-ching, and other older translated Chinese classics.
I see it as a key that can and does open many doorways revealing many paths with a variety of signposts that when followed lead to more answers and more questions that result in a never ending endeavor to learn, understand and practice both karate and all of life's encounters, etc.
I hope this short and vague answer inspires the reader to seek out, investigate, analyze and understand it and its implications for there is not right answer, only the unique answers for each individual.
I have a blog that posts on this and older, unpublished web pages, that expand on my studies from the beginning to today. Anyone who wishes to read what I have compiled can ask via email and I will try to create a pdf to send to you.
Think of the ken-po goku-i as a seed. You plant it, cultivate and feed it, you let it grow not knowing it it will be a beautiful flower or just another weed. Don't pull it until it presents its true self, you never know. Most gardens are filled with the beauty of nature in flowers, shrubs, and bushes while the weeds are few due to the gardeners constant tending of the garden of knowledge.
Ode to the Ken-po Goku-i
A person's heart likened to the glow of the heavens as they shine upon the earth.
Blood flows along the path lit by the glow of crescent moon seeking the illuminate of sun soon rising.
Blood flows along the path lit by the glow of crescent moon seeking the illuminate of sun soon rising.
The manner of man living hard lives made easy from effort of self.
Maintaining the balance of nature same as earth's rocks on the plain solidly adhered to Earth.
Maintaining the balance of nature same as earth's rocks on the plain solidly adhered to Earth.
Bodies watched from mindful awareness.
Finding time to achieve its internal best.
Finding time to achieve its internal best.
Eyes seeing all that is there, that is not.
Hearing the heart beat, feeling the flow of energy, expanding within to without.
Hearing the heart beat, feeling the flow of energy, expanding within to without.
Enlightened active awareness universally exposed to those seeking the path.
It merely waits for a seeker, a sage, a person of desire.
It merely waits for a seeker, a sage, a person of desire.
See-n-hear-n-heart-n-body
Awareness means one should first "see" within themselves and then once seeing must become attentive to what they find with clarity, honesty, and absolute openness for to "see" all that makes up our personalities and perceptions is the only way we can truly discover change and its benefits.
When seeing and being mindful in the present we can actively affect such things as emotional reactions, "heart" rate, blood (circulating) pressure, and cholesterol levels that affect pressure, blood flow/circulating, and the monkey brain.
We must tune in to what our bodies are telling us so we may "hear" how it is working, good, bad, or diseased or any myriad of things that are the effect of such a cause as anger, stress, fear, and more.
We hear our breathe, breathing and thus use our respiratory system to affect our body, mind, heart, and spirit. Breathing is a central control of all the body and mind either experience and/or do. Mindful breathing is one fundamental that allows us to change our genetic and environmental experiences thus shaping and reshaping our bodies, minds, and spirits throughout our entire lives.
The body, i.e. heart, blood, circulation, senses, etc., are often calmed and controlled by first achieving awareness and present moment mindfulness of it and its visualization of effect to the systems brain-body-mind connections promoting either health and clarity of thought or disease and fogginess of thought.
Through present moment mindful meditation of the body and mind one can achieve a level of concentration, focus, active awareness that transcends out of the personal universe to that of the entire universe. This is how one achieves the fundamentals and moves into the higher abilities inherent in all traditional martial artists.
Being mindful is developing investigative skills so one obtains true and clear knowledge of self by recognizing, labeling and observing the body-mind. It must be observation of self which is to be unbiased, not shaded by personal beliefs or attitudes; other words mind-no-mind.
It is this way one achieves behavioral changes that stick and are available in all types of conditions and stimuli such as conflict, etc. To achieve such change a person must develop and cultivate through the ingredients of change, i.e. begin with simple steps; seek out an supportive and motivational environment and then make it habit or instinctual by repetitive practice and training.
We are not fully aware of many habits so "seeing" them and then "hearing" about them in our "heart" and "mind" provide us the first step in being mindful of self.
This is another aspect of what they try to present to all practitioners through the ken-po goku-i.
When seeing and being mindful in the present we can actively affect such things as emotional reactions, "heart" rate, blood (circulating) pressure, and cholesterol levels that affect pressure, blood flow/circulating, and the monkey brain.
We must tune in to what our bodies are telling us so we may "hear" how it is working, good, bad, or diseased or any myriad of things that are the effect of such a cause as anger, stress, fear, and more.
We hear our breathe, breathing and thus use our respiratory system to affect our body, mind, heart, and spirit. Breathing is a central control of all the body and mind either experience and/or do. Mindful breathing is one fundamental that allows us to change our genetic and environmental experiences thus shaping and reshaping our bodies, minds, and spirits throughout our entire lives.
The body, i.e. heart, blood, circulation, senses, etc., are often calmed and controlled by first achieving awareness and present moment mindfulness of it and its visualization of effect to the systems brain-body-mind connections promoting either health and clarity of thought or disease and fogginess of thought.
Through present moment mindful meditation of the body and mind one can achieve a level of concentration, focus, active awareness that transcends out of the personal universe to that of the entire universe. This is how one achieves the fundamentals and moves into the higher abilities inherent in all traditional martial artists.
Being mindful is developing investigative skills so one obtains true and clear knowledge of self by recognizing, labeling and observing the body-mind. It must be observation of self which is to be unbiased, not shaded by personal beliefs or attitudes; other words mind-no-mind.
It is this way one achieves behavioral changes that stick and are available in all types of conditions and stimuli such as conflict, etc. To achieve such change a person must develop and cultivate through the ingredients of change, i.e. begin with simple steps; seek out an supportive and motivational environment and then make it habit or instinctual by repetitive practice and training.
We are not fully aware of many habits so "seeing" them and then "hearing" about them in our "heart" and "mind" provide us the first step in being mindful of self.
This is another aspect of what they try to present to all practitioners through the ken-po goku-i.
Seeing
Another aspect that brings to mind the seventh sentence of the ken-po goju-i is the question I would ask practitioners, "Do you actively see in all directions?" Ok, this is a bit out of what you might think cause I have been talking of this outside the box labeled, "Literal." It deals again with awareness, active awareness.
When you are scanning your environment are you focused on what you see in that narrow blinder vision, i.e. what you see directly? Marc MacYoung calls this "one-point focusing." Take a moment in your next training or practice session, watch Sensei and then tell me what you see out on your peripheral?
Normally we pretty much ignore anything that leaves this narrow, say twenty degree spread span, but that peripheral area, over twenty and up to 180 degree spread. Yet, I bet if you were actually fighting on the street that area might be a bit more important. Regardless of whether your fighting or not the ability to avoid relies on what you "see" and "hear" as you move through any area/environment, yes?
When the ken-po goku-i says in all directions don't limit that to what you see in the one-point focus but train yourself and then practice it diligently to perceive what is in your peripheral. If you do it right it will signal your brain if some dangerous issue comes up so you can adjust. It can be like walking to a car in a lot that is somewhat dark at night and your peripheral "sees" something hinkey so you turn and then proceed to avoid and escape to safety.
What Mr. MacYoung seems to be saying don't forget to train your ability to "see" and "be aware of" what crops up as to your entire vision span.
Now, about hearing, the same applies. You should be training yourself to actively "hear" in all directions as well and that would work well with seeing all sides cause if you hear it, don't see it in your peripheral then guess it is coming up fast from the rear.
Now, lets take it one step further. You are scanning but you are really aware so you know that this also means you have to turn your head from side to side so you can register all 360 degrees. Just like driving a car into an intersection. You scan left and right so your full vision and hearing can perceive any danger like that other nut on his cell looking down at his laptop screaming through a red light, oh gosh, maybe I should stop now ;-)
One more thing, if your opponent is closing your eyes are on his then your peripheral will pick up those movements on him that may tell you, Uh Oh, attack coming on, MOVE.
Bibliography:
MacYoung, Marc. "Violence, Blunders, and Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques and Street Etiquette." Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1992.
When you are scanning your environment are you focused on what you see in that narrow blinder vision, i.e. what you see directly? Marc MacYoung calls this "one-point focusing." Take a moment in your next training or practice session, watch Sensei and then tell me what you see out on your peripheral?
Normally we pretty much ignore anything that leaves this narrow, say twenty degree spread span, but that peripheral area, over twenty and up to 180 degree spread. Yet, I bet if you were actually fighting on the street that area might be a bit more important. Regardless of whether your fighting or not the ability to avoid relies on what you "see" and "hear" as you move through any area/environment, yes?
When the ken-po goku-i says in all directions don't limit that to what you see in the one-point focus but train yourself and then practice it diligently to perceive what is in your peripheral. If you do it right it will signal your brain if some dangerous issue comes up so you can adjust. It can be like walking to a car in a lot that is somewhat dark at night and your peripheral "sees" something hinkey so you turn and then proceed to avoid and escape to safety.
What Mr. MacYoung seems to be saying don't forget to train your ability to "see" and "be aware of" what crops up as to your entire vision span.
Now, about hearing, the same applies. You should be training yourself to actively "hear" in all directions as well and that would work well with seeing all sides cause if you hear it, don't see it in your peripheral then guess it is coming up fast from the rear.
Now, lets take it one step further. You are scanning but you are really aware so you know that this also means you have to turn your head from side to side so you can register all 360 degrees. Just like driving a car into an intersection. You scan left and right so your full vision and hearing can perceive any danger like that other nut on his cell looking down at his laptop screaming through a red light, oh gosh, maybe I should stop now ;-)
One more thing, if your opponent is closing your eyes are on his then your peripheral will pick up those movements on him that may tell you, Uh Oh, attack coming on, MOVE.
Bibliography:
MacYoung, Marc. "Violence, Blunders, and Fractured Jaws: Advanced Awareness Techniques and Street Etiquette." Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1992.
Body Movement
I wanted to touch base on the fifth line of the ken-po goku-i in that we train/practice to have our bodies change directions at any time. What may get stuck in some minds is the "sport driven" aspect of movement, i.e. forward and directly backward in a straight line. I am going to once again venture into that land I am not expert in and that is street conflicts.
We humans if not informed of other stuff tend to lock on to such things and it remains until a light comes on and says, "Oh yea, cool!" You know that "Oh shit moment." In many dojo sparring and fighting and self defense training remains in the dark ages of sport driven body movement.
When I say change direction at any time I mean all dimensions, i.e. forward, on angle forward, on angle backward, in a circular back or forth or both movement, etc. I like to spiral sometimes so when someone actually moves and enter my clear zone I move in a particular direction say right and then do a spiral move as I close in to attack (not self defense here ;-).
I know of several interpretations of the ken-po goku-i but then tend to stay within that locked up view of moving, sport-driven. Another point I would like you to consider is that the reason the goku-i was provided in such a short, terse, way was to promote self-analysis, perception and open the door to our minds ability to "create," or to "see." Ops, here I go again with "seeing."
So, add that to the possibilities of the ken-po goku-i, yea! There is always something to see, always something to learn. In line four a person's unbalance being the same as a weight try the lack of knowledge and ability to make things work; to see outside the box is light a huge weight causing your balance to kilter out and drag your progress down to oblivion ... why people quit?
We humans if not informed of other stuff tend to lock on to such things and it remains until a light comes on and says, "Oh yea, cool!" You know that "Oh shit moment." In many dojo sparring and fighting and self defense training remains in the dark ages of sport driven body movement.
When I say change direction at any time I mean all dimensions, i.e. forward, on angle forward, on angle backward, in a circular back or forth or both movement, etc. I like to spiral sometimes so when someone actually moves and enter my clear zone I move in a particular direction say right and then do a spiral move as I close in to attack (not self defense here ;-).
I know of several interpretations of the ken-po goku-i but then tend to stay within that locked up view of moving, sport-driven. Another point I would like you to consider is that the reason the goku-i was provided in such a short, terse, way was to promote self-analysis, perception and open the door to our minds ability to "create," or to "see." Ops, here I go again with "seeing."
So, add that to the possibilities of the ken-po goku-i, yea! There is always something to see, always something to learn. In line four a person's unbalance being the same as a weight try the lack of knowledge and ability to make things work; to see outside the box is light a huge weight causing your balance to kilter out and drag your progress down to oblivion ... why people quit?
Focus In, then, Focus Out
More of my studies and practice indicate, to me, that before we can truly participate in society or the Universe we must first "know" that Universe within us as each individual. To much of what we have within us influences how we interact with the Universe and if we are not sure of what we are within then we will not be beneficial and productive to those the stand outside of our personal Universe.
How can we instruct others in anything be it the physical, mental or spiritual as related to the ken-po goku-i, the ancient classics such as the I Ching and other tomes of knowledge like "Fully Present," "The Now," and "Becoming a Complete Martial Artist." These are but a few too!
It should be a primary goal of an instructor or anyone intent on being involved in life that they disentangle their thoughts from reality for we do influence our thoughts with our past experiences and such so we should take it all in and discover through our internal awareness as to what is correct. In the case of karate what is morally correct and societally acceptable behavior even in fighting, conflict, combat, etc.
Read the quote again, I personally do not want now or have never wanted to become what others thought I should become but rather what I feel I should become and I cannot or have not done otherwise in my life. I got caught up in external validation which is just a way to excuse myself from myself which if you think of it provides me the perfect excuse when what others decide goes wrong I can then blame them when in reality regardless it is and always will be my decision and my fault when it goes wrong. More importantly, keep this foremost in your mind, when things go right I can be satisfied that I did right, by me, myself, and I and that projects onto others who enter my sphere of influence. If both of us are alike in this concept then we are mutually influencing to our benefit.
As a fledgling novice regard internal focus as a personal fundamental. As a fledgling associate instructor also focus inward to find truth and knowledge then when you become an instructor you will have already discovered "most" of the things you will transmit to others and it will be right.
To Practice Mindfulness ...
"We think we know something one day only to discover that what we thought we knew was not quite right. We constantly wake up to knowledge, shifting from ignorance to awareness. What we are conscious of changes constantly."
Bibliography:
Smalley, Susan L. PhD. Winston, Diana. "Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness." Da Capo Press. Philadelphia. 2010.
Mindfulness, a valuable tool ...
Once we achieve this level of self awareness we can then by our actions and interactions effect the minds, mindfulness, etc. with the Universe. We "see" now that the intent of the ken-po goku-i reflects more than seeing in all directions literally to a more metaphysical view of all the Universe. Take this like science fiction, or string theory if you will, the ability to see beyond the literal and into the multi-dimensional Universes there to "see" and "hear" if we are actively aware.
Simply, karate/karate-do can be a tool as well that helps us achieve the awareness and focus that mindfulness uses to see and hear all that we are and can be; karate and other difficult and rigorous activities thus provide all you can achieve and develop physically with note that we see and hear that the mind is following the body while the body follows the mind.
Is not one of the reasons we practice the way, to achieve enlightenment. Is enlightenment at least in part wisdom. Is wisdom also enlightenment of ourselves which will reflect in our actions and thoughts as we connect, strings, with other life in the Universe.
Mind:Ephemeral:Yin - Body:Physical:Yang
The mind or mental processes are ephemeral. The gray matter that makes up our brains are physical while the thoughts and emotions we experience that are from the brain/mind are short-lived. Ephemeral is Yin; Physical is Yang; one is fleeting from moment to moment while the other resides permanently in the present moment.
What is it that gets us humans, more males then females, into a lot of trouble, emotions, the monkey brain driving the train. If we are not aware of our emotions, how they affect us and our bodies, then they tend to control us once triggered. To become aware of emotions; to label the emotions; to stop stories from being attached to while remaining aware of how they feel is the beginnings of controlling our emotions - to an extent.
All our emotions have the potential to drive the bus causing us any number of issues, both positive and negative emotions. In karate we train to shackle the monkey so we can balance intuition with reason. Reason means access to the things we train and practice while intuition, unencumbered by emotional effects, etc., can allow a mindful use of proper tactics to avoid, deescalate, etc. in a conflict/altercation. When the mind is clouded by our emotional monkey driving the bus it cuts the circuit that connects reason and intuition, it freezes or slows to a crawl leaving you unresponsive in the altercation, verbal or otherwise.
Stories and emotions are attached to things, this gives fuel to the bus and tells the monkey to do its dance leaving us subject to its whims. When we train the body and leave the mind to its own resources we get chaos but if we are aware/mindful of our bodies and minds with all there luggage we can control how we respond, i.e. with the monkey in charge or with reason and intuition - your choice, always is; always has been. Ease of implementation - practice, practice, practice ...
I find that the ken-po goku-i touches in all eight tomes both the physical and mental. A person's heart is physical yet making a reference the Heaven and Earth as the ancient Chinese did it becomes mental or of a more spiritual nature which is not physical.
Blood is a physical yet circulating and it similarity once again is not physical but an analogy that means both physical and mental/spiritual.
The body is physical but the performance of changing its direction comes from the mind and the minds perception of stimuli in the physical world which causes us to choose, a mental activity, to change a direction which is a physical manifestation of the choice the mind made, mental.
Time is both physical and mental, it exists when referenced say on a watch yet is truly a mental perception in the mind like our ability to project into the past or contemplate the future but more importantly remaining in the present moment which really stops dealing with time for time has not relevance in present moment mindfulness.
The eyes see all sides where one type of "eyes" is the physical eye that sees stimuli and transmits those signals to the mind which then translates through the minds knowledge and experiences, both not of physical nature, into some thought where actions of the mind are mined and again non-physically transmitted to the part of the brain that will trigger the physical manifestations, i.e. what is instinctual and/or trained/practiced.
The ears may be physical yet all they do are non-physical. The more you allow the mind, Yin, to function and work the more you can transmit/translate that into actions which your body, Yang, take in life. It can be living every day or it can be the actions taken in a physical confrontation, physical:Yang, and finally the act of avoidance, Yin:a choice, into moving away from the danger zone, physical:Yang, to safety.
Duality, Yang-n-Yin, and the ken-po goku-i do teach us something if we are willing to "see" and "hear" more than what we may be comfortable with ... ?
What is it that gets us humans, more males then females, into a lot of trouble, emotions, the monkey brain driving the train. If we are not aware of our emotions, how they affect us and our bodies, then they tend to control us once triggered. To become aware of emotions; to label the emotions; to stop stories from being attached to while remaining aware of how they feel is the beginnings of controlling our emotions - to an extent.
All our emotions have the potential to drive the bus causing us any number of issues, both positive and negative emotions. In karate we train to shackle the monkey so we can balance intuition with reason. Reason means access to the things we train and practice while intuition, unencumbered by emotional effects, etc., can allow a mindful use of proper tactics to avoid, deescalate, etc. in a conflict/altercation. When the mind is clouded by our emotional monkey driving the bus it cuts the circuit that connects reason and intuition, it freezes or slows to a crawl leaving you unresponsive in the altercation, verbal or otherwise.
Stories and emotions are attached to things, this gives fuel to the bus and tells the monkey to do its dance leaving us subject to its whims. When we train the body and leave the mind to its own resources we get chaos but if we are aware/mindful of our bodies and minds with all there luggage we can control how we respond, i.e. with the monkey in charge or with reason and intuition - your choice, always is; always has been. Ease of implementation - practice, practice, practice ...
I find that the ken-po goku-i touches in all eight tomes both the physical and mental. A person's heart is physical yet making a reference the Heaven and Earth as the ancient Chinese did it becomes mental or of a more spiritual nature which is not physical.
Blood is a physical yet circulating and it similarity once again is not physical but an analogy that means both physical and mental/spiritual.
The body is physical but the performance of changing its direction comes from the mind and the minds perception of stimuli in the physical world which causes us to choose, a mental activity, to change a direction which is a physical manifestation of the choice the mind made, mental.
Time is both physical and mental, it exists when referenced say on a watch yet is truly a mental perception in the mind like our ability to project into the past or contemplate the future but more importantly remaining in the present moment which really stops dealing with time for time has not relevance in present moment mindfulness.
The eyes see all sides where one type of "eyes" is the physical eye that sees stimuli and transmits those signals to the mind which then translates through the minds knowledge and experiences, both not of physical nature, into some thought where actions of the mind are mined and again non-physically transmitted to the part of the brain that will trigger the physical manifestations, i.e. what is instinctual and/or trained/practiced.
The ears may be physical yet all they do are non-physical. The more you allow the mind, Yin, to function and work the more you can transmit/translate that into actions which your body, Yang, take in life. It can be living every day or it can be the actions taken in a physical confrontation, physical:Yang, and finally the act of avoidance, Yin:a choice, into moving away from the danger zone, physical:Yang, to safety.
Duality, Yang-n-Yin, and the ken-po goku-i do teach us something if we are willing to "see" and "hear" more than what we may be comfortable with ... ?
Awareness
We feel our feet as they move and reach into the next stance with proper positioning, alignment, posture, etc. Our awareness means our minds are trained to focus on this in training so our minds will instinctively "feel it" if something is not right. Lets say your fighting. You move into a specific stance so a particular technique can be executed to not get hit and stop the fight. Your body moves, you feel it move, you sense it going further than you wanted due to external circumstances so it will tell your mind to do one of two things, either not execute that technique and start moving into a new one with all its parts or try to adjust so you can get that technique executed, NOT the second part for sure. If you don't have all the ducks lined up for a particular technique you don't use it, it loses its effectiveness.
This is why awareness goes beyond the obvious and into the realm of feeling and sensing what your body is doing and where it is going at all times. It is one component that is critical to making all the components of power and force work as you would intend. Range and how you get to it; weight transfer into momentum for power, etc.; no wasted movement to include an patching or adjusting to make it work; timing and placement so it all comes together as one in the right direction and the right time; and finally adding in those acceleration techniques to boost power and force.
This is all geared to your awareness of all those concepts and components through awareness of body movement and all it entails so you can "sense" or "see" with the minds eye and "feel" where your body is, was, is going, etc.
Let me extend this post to the ken-po goku-i, parts that reference the ability to '''see" and "hear" in all directions is more than just north, south, east, west, etc. but in all metaphysical/metaphorical/spiritual/conceptual directions and more. Its references to hard and soft, feel it and apply it appropriately, body changing directions is not only turning and such but changing the way your body moves and assumes poses/postures where awareness tells you to see and feel and sense these actions of the body.
The time to strike is not just applying a punch or kick but timing awareness so that all components of your system come into that "one" instant that applies what your goals, tactics, and strategies use to not get hit and stop the attack.
Another lesson to me on NOT assuming that what I see is all I can see for seeing goes beyond the obvious as well as hearing is more active than just having sound reach and ring the ear drum, it is an awareness of what is being heard beyond initial impressions and allowing our ability to see, hear, sense, go beyond the first layer.
Breathing Mindfulness
Breath is an index of health and well-being. In Chinese medicine, Chi, is a measure of life force of the body, is assessed through examination of pulse (heart, blood, and circulation) and breathe.
The premise I propose is that connectivity is in all of the universe - nature. That to achieve a connection to all of the Universe it starts with breathing. A mindful breathing that results in present moment mind, no past and no future thoughts but simply present moment, now, mindfulness of the breathing process.
If we are able to practice this daily and in present moments through out the day we promote health and well being of the spirit-mind-body that translates to a greater ability to remain present moment focus and awareness that will serve us in all situations.
The mind-no-mind premise is actually a present moment mind. No allowed distractions with full focus and awareness in the now, this exact moment as it moves from moment to moment so that everything is seen and heard and felt as the moments move through the present. A moment does not become until it is present, the moment just in front of the present nor the moment just leaving the present is to be allowed space in that moment. Its shadow, its effect when in the present moment is the only thought that is like a shadow of the present yet it also instantly changes and leaves as each moment becomes present.
The mind and thus the body and by mind-body the spirit is present, focused, and aware that has the intensity to create affects that respond. This is mind-no-mind which is present moment mindfulness which is like the Tao-te-ching that cannot be adequately described in words but must be achieved in present moment actions. Its understanding and belief comes from the individual who has practiced it diligently and with present moment mindfulness.
A most difficult concept, idea, belief, etc. that can be obtained in spirit yet not held or seen or heard or felt. It is a state of being, a state of spiritual awareness of awareness.
Note: If your photo-graphic please let me know, don't know where it came from but want to give credit.
Bullying
Do we, as Sensei, have a responsibility to instruct young adults in this subject? I cannot say with any experience or certainty that it is something we should do in martial systems instruction but maybe we should be contemplating it as Sensei.
I would be considering it in the strongest terms if I had a dojo that instructed young adults, i.e. young persons in grade and/or junior high school. This is grade five up to 12.
What is it that we could do as Sensei?
Should we do this?
Is it something we should provide in our fundamentals of any martial system?
Is this a step beyond our responsibility and should this be on the shoulders of the parents only?
If you do or do not address this in instructing young adults would you be either liable or not liable if that person used what you taught to cause grave injury to another young person?I am sure many school systems today are fighting with themselves over this subject. I would suggest, theory only with no data to back it up, that Sensei of all martial systems who instruct persons under the age of 18 (legal age in the state where you instruct) should be giving this a great deal of thought.
I personally do not know the answers. If a karate-ka actually applied a powerful punch or strike to another child's head and it resulted in unconsciousness and hospitalization I would be devastated. With power comes responsibility! Do young adults really have the experience and knowledge to assume that responsibility?
All questions we Sensei should ask ourselves. Have you asked yourself these and other related questions? Take a moment, do a search on youtube for bullying, view what you see and consider the question(s), please!
Awareness-Mindfulness-Now-Present Moment
Awareness is being mindful. Mindful is an inclination to be aware or having awareness. It is a certain vigilance in observing what one experiences. To have "Mindful Awareness" one is to be aware of awareness. This implies that one is aware of self and has a capacity to reflect.
This is our way of explaining the awareness one must use to remain in a state of "avoidance" in the martial system of karate. This also speaks of the "Way or Do" of bu-do, karate-do, etc.
To achieve a level of proficiency in karate-do one must have equilibrium in awareness. The one spoken of here of the self and then that of what you experience. This experience is not limited to conflict of fighting yet it must be taught and practiced by individuals so they remain aware of all the present moment experiences that may or may not include any form of conflict.
Remain aware of the self to control our actions and reactions as we experience life and what it offers us at each and every unique moment, not past or future but the now of the moment as fleeting as it is or may be.
The practice of any budo promotes this type of mental training yet it seems as if that is focused solely on the fighting art or martial system being taught and practiced. It becomes clear as one progresses that it is merely a singular form of practice that can and does open the connections to all of what we are capable.
To parry a strike or punch in reality is no different than parrying a verbal assault. We do this parry by not allowing the verbal assault to reach our emotional monkey thus keeping it reined in or shackled so our logical side can act or react appropriately.
Once one opens the mind to all that is present and allow it to lead us and guide our travels we connect to the tribe, the group, society, our world, nature and the Universe and all the energies that propel us from this exact moment into the next and so on.
Ah, you say, what has this to do with the ken-po goku-i? Awareness, mindfulness, the self, etc. are all referenced within the goku-i.
Awareness of our bodies, the energies that circulate like the sun and moon. Our bodies weight for weight transfer to build energy and power in movement, i.e. body is like a weight where we use our bodies weight as it moves to build momentum which is the bases for power.
Seeing and Hearing is tantamount to both seeing and hearing our environment to perceive all things in the present moment both benign and not. Seeing and hearing within ourselves those weaknesses to build a better person.
To see or hear in all directions means in the environment as well as in ourselves, others, and society. Unlimited and when present and mindful you see and hear things most others take for granted.
The body changing direction not only to movement, another stone in the power chain, but movement within the self that promotes the way.
See, there are connections in all that we do, hear, see, say, feel and perceive: Awareness, mindful of awareness, aware of awareness for each present moment. The now of our existence for the now is always now.
Heaven and Earth as representative of all the Universe with all its present moments of life giving energy that we are able to perceive and tap into if we remain mindful; aware of awareness; awareness of the Universe's primordial energy that permeates all.
This is our way of explaining the awareness one must use to remain in a state of "avoidance" in the martial system of karate. This also speaks of the "Way or Do" of bu-do, karate-do, etc.
To achieve a level of proficiency in karate-do one must have equilibrium in awareness. The one spoken of here of the self and then that of what you experience. This experience is not limited to conflict of fighting yet it must be taught and practiced by individuals so they remain aware of all the present moment experiences that may or may not include any form of conflict.
Remain aware of the self to control our actions and reactions as we experience life and what it offers us at each and every unique moment, not past or future but the now of the moment as fleeting as it is or may be.
The practice of any budo promotes this type of mental training yet it seems as if that is focused solely on the fighting art or martial system being taught and practiced. It becomes clear as one progresses that it is merely a singular form of practice that can and does open the connections to all of what we are capable.
To parry a strike or punch in reality is no different than parrying a verbal assault. We do this parry by not allowing the verbal assault to reach our emotional monkey thus keeping it reined in or shackled so our logical side can act or react appropriately.
Once one opens the mind to all that is present and allow it to lead us and guide our travels we connect to the tribe, the group, society, our world, nature and the Universe and all the energies that propel us from this exact moment into the next and so on.
Ah, you say, what has this to do with the ken-po goku-i? Awareness, mindfulness, the self, etc. are all referenced within the goku-i.
Awareness of our bodies, the energies that circulate like the sun and moon. Our bodies weight for weight transfer to build energy and power in movement, i.e. body is like a weight where we use our bodies weight as it moves to build momentum which is the bases for power.
Seeing and Hearing is tantamount to both seeing and hearing our environment to perceive all things in the present moment both benign and not. Seeing and hearing within ourselves those weaknesses to build a better person.
To see or hear in all directions means in the environment as well as in ourselves, others, and society. Unlimited and when present and mindful you see and hear things most others take for granted.
The body changing direction not only to movement, another stone in the power chain, but movement within the self that promotes the way.
See, there are connections in all that we do, hear, see, say, feel and perceive: Awareness, mindful of awareness, aware of awareness for each present moment. The now of our existence for the now is always now.
Heaven and Earth as representative of all the Universe with all its present moments of life giving energy that we are able to perceive and tap into if we remain mindful; aware of awareness; awareness of the Universe's primordial energy that permeates all.
8 Ken-po Goku-i & 8 Trigrams
Is there a relationship or connection between the two? Did the ken-po goku-i, will call it gokui for brevity purposes only, actually come to be from the study of the trigrams and the I Ching, i.e. Hexagram's and so forth?
Lets see what is most obvious first. There is a reference to the Earth. There is a reference to the Sun. There is references to both the eyes and the heart. There is a reference to the moon and there is a reference to Heaven.
One trigram has hips and buttocks which relate to changing directions, balance, and both hard and soft depending on its use. Another trigram refers to the abdomen or the seat of power with our interpretation as the center of the body. This is the spot we tend to refer to as the starting point of movement or the central axis both vertical and horizontal that relates to a persons balance and weight.
Another trigram refers to hands, spine, and small bones. After all, isn't karate about the empty hands? Doesn't the spine connect the center axis to all parts of the body that when aligned properly provide power to the body and thus the application of techniques?
All eight trigrams make some reference to the elements, family relations, a body part and a group that relates to nature, i.e. east, west, north, south, etc.
When we talk of our practice we talk about balance or equilibrium and for the trigrams the number eight represents perfect balance. So, eight goku-i and eight trigrams equals balance. The body references in trigrams depending on its line arrangement can indicate positive and negative issues of that body part or area so striving for balance promotes health and well being much like striving for balance in martial practice promotes ability and confidence, etc.
All the trigrams represent nature and the Universe while the goku-i also references the Universe with direct and indirect connections to the person, the body, the mind and the spirit. Person and body being one, the mind is the next and the spirit third for the trilogy of life, i.e. spirit, mind, and body with no particular order asked or required.
Also notice that the spirit-mind-body are the trilogy correspond to the three lines of all eight trigrams. The example I use is heaven-man-earth with heaven at the top; spirit-body-mind with spirit related to Heaven, body related to man and the mind related to Earth. Man receives the benefits of Heaven and Earth, i.e. that person's heart being the same, i.e. heart of the body, for a balanced or healthy body that comes from the spirit being in balance with Heaven and the mind being steady and strong as is the Earth resulting in a strong body.
Also when sorted in a particular order there is now a matrix of three x three resulting in the eight trigrams. The eight goku-i relate the same way and when put in the order of three by three form a matrix for the various martial systems and relate to all systems. All bottles are good, they all serve a purpose. All eight goku-i are good, they all serve a purpose. All eight trigrams are good, they all serve a purpose. Connections ...
The trigrams are further governed by the elements; wood, fire, earth, metal, water; and they lead to the twelve hexagrams, primary hexagrams, of the I Ching. How far the rabbit hole goes is up to the practitioner and how far they wish to take their studies. Like anything done in martial practice the extent, depth, and breadth is totally up to the person practicing the discipline, any discipline regardless of its being martial or something else.
Out attitudes of the mind must be governed much like the mechanics of the martial systems. Martial systems have specific natural fundamental requirements that must be taught, learned, practiced and followed for it to work much like the inferences from the I Ching, the Trigrams, and the Ken-po Goku-i that assist us in the practice of the physical so that we apply them in a positive and beneficial way to ourselves, our tribes and our society.
Tom Sanders, in the Isshinryu system, has provided a great deal of material on his studies as to connecting the art of the empty hand to the goku-i to the trigrams or Tai Chi, I Ching, etc. I can say that it applies to his studies and practice yet what he provides may influence other individuals in how they approach their practice and training.
Bibliography:
http://www.168fengshui.com/Articles/8_trigrams.htm
http://www.goldenelixir.com/taoism/table_bagua.html
Lets see what is most obvious first. There is a reference to the Earth. There is a reference to the Sun. There is references to both the eyes and the heart. There is a reference to the moon and there is a reference to Heaven.
One trigram has hips and buttocks which relate to changing directions, balance, and both hard and soft depending on its use. Another trigram refers to the abdomen or the seat of power with our interpretation as the center of the body. This is the spot we tend to refer to as the starting point of movement or the central axis both vertical and horizontal that relates to a persons balance and weight.
Another trigram refers to hands, spine, and small bones. After all, isn't karate about the empty hands? Doesn't the spine connect the center axis to all parts of the body that when aligned properly provide power to the body and thus the application of techniques?
All eight trigrams make some reference to the elements, family relations, a body part and a group that relates to nature, i.e. east, west, north, south, etc.
When we talk of our practice we talk about balance or equilibrium and for the trigrams the number eight represents perfect balance. So, eight goku-i and eight trigrams equals balance. The body references in trigrams depending on its line arrangement can indicate positive and negative issues of that body part or area so striving for balance promotes health and well being much like striving for balance in martial practice promotes ability and confidence, etc.
All the trigrams represent nature and the Universe while the goku-i also references the Universe with direct and indirect connections to the person, the body, the mind and the spirit. Person and body being one, the mind is the next and the spirit third for the trilogy of life, i.e. spirit, mind, and body with no particular order asked or required.
Also notice that the spirit-mind-body are the trilogy correspond to the three lines of all eight trigrams. The example I use is heaven-man-earth with heaven at the top; spirit-body-mind with spirit related to Heaven, body related to man and the mind related to Earth. Man receives the benefits of Heaven and Earth, i.e. that person's heart being the same, i.e. heart of the body, for a balanced or healthy body that comes from the spirit being in balance with Heaven and the mind being steady and strong as is the Earth resulting in a strong body.
Also when sorted in a particular order there is now a matrix of three x three resulting in the eight trigrams. The eight goku-i relate the same way and when put in the order of three by three form a matrix for the various martial systems and relate to all systems. All bottles are good, they all serve a purpose. All eight goku-i are good, they all serve a purpose. All eight trigrams are good, they all serve a purpose. Connections ...
The trigrams are further governed by the elements; wood, fire, earth, metal, water; and they lead to the twelve hexagrams, primary hexagrams, of the I Ching. How far the rabbit hole goes is up to the practitioner and how far they wish to take their studies. Like anything done in martial practice the extent, depth, and breadth is totally up to the person practicing the discipline, any discipline regardless of its being martial or something else.
Out attitudes of the mind must be governed much like the mechanics of the martial systems. Martial systems have specific natural fundamental requirements that must be taught, learned, practiced and followed for it to work much like the inferences from the I Ching, the Trigrams, and the Ken-po Goku-i that assist us in the practice of the physical so that we apply them in a positive and beneficial way to ourselves, our tribes and our society.
Tom Sanders, in the Isshinryu system, has provided a great deal of material on his studies as to connecting the art of the empty hand to the goku-i to the trigrams or Tai Chi, I Ching, etc. I can say that it applies to his studies and practice yet what he provides may influence other individuals in how they approach their practice and training.
Bibliography:
http://www.168fengshui.com/Articles/8_trigrams.htm
http://www.goldenelixir.com/taoism/table_bagua.html
Three Treasures
In long-established Chinese traditions, the "Three Treasures" are the essential energies sustaining human life:
• Jing 精 "nutritive essence, essence; refined, perfected; extract; spirit, demon; sperm, seed"
• Qi 氣 "vitality, energy, force; air, vapor; breath; spirit, vigor; attitude"
• Shen 神 "spirit; soul, mind; god, deity; supernatural being"
This jing-qi-shen ordering is more commonly used than the variants qi-jing-shen and shen-qi-jing. I can only surmise this is so because "jing" is related to that energy that brings breath to life and leaves when death occurs. The other two are a part of that life span which regulates how life is lived, etc.
When the ken-po goku-i, referred to as "gokui" for the remainder of this article, mentions a person's heart, blood circulating, drinking/spitting for hard/soft, body balance, and both the eyes and ears we can relate this to the three energies or treasures of the Ancient Chinese.
My theory, which remains fluid as I study, is that "Jing" is similar to the reference of the "one" or the "Great Tai Chi" which manifests into the duality of Yang-Yin and so on as related by the I Ching and the tri-grams/hexa-grams.
The Qi and Shen make up the Yang-Yin of our bodies, mind, and spirit where a balance brings about health and well being which by their actions provide a longer life which is in direct relation to how much Jing we have at birth. It is believed that there is a finite amount of Jing in all of us yet through Qi and Shen we can extend it a bit.
When Jing runs out, death occurs. I would also have a theory that depending on how we manage Qi and Shen during our life spans also determines our Jing.
We promote a balance of these three treasures by such things as how we handle daily stresses, illness, the foods consumed, stimulation form such as exercise and meditations, etc. We begin to see the relations of the gokui in its inference of body and nature, i.e. Heaven, Earth, Sun, and Moon, etc.
If today's martial systems is truly the descendants of those passed down from the Ancient Chinese then the connections and relevance applies warranting a bit more effort to study this esoteric aspect of the Way.
• Jing 精 "nutritive essence, essence; refined, perfected; extract; spirit, demon; sperm, seed"
• Qi 氣 "vitality, energy, force; air, vapor; breath; spirit, vigor; attitude"
• Shen 神 "spirit; soul, mind; god, deity; supernatural being"
This jing-qi-shen ordering is more commonly used than the variants qi-jing-shen and shen-qi-jing. I can only surmise this is so because "jing" is related to that energy that brings breath to life and leaves when death occurs. The other two are a part of that life span which regulates how life is lived, etc.
When the ken-po goku-i, referred to as "gokui" for the remainder of this article, mentions a person's heart, blood circulating, drinking/spitting for hard/soft, body balance, and both the eyes and ears we can relate this to the three energies or treasures of the Ancient Chinese.
My theory, which remains fluid as I study, is that "Jing" is similar to the reference of the "one" or the "Great Tai Chi" which manifests into the duality of Yang-Yin and so on as related by the I Ching and the tri-grams/hexa-grams.
The Qi and Shen make up the Yang-Yin of our bodies, mind, and spirit where a balance brings about health and well being which by their actions provide a longer life which is in direct relation to how much Jing we have at birth. It is believed that there is a finite amount of Jing in all of us yet through Qi and Shen we can extend it a bit.
When Jing runs out, death occurs. I would also have a theory that depending on how we manage Qi and Shen during our life spans also determines our Jing.
We promote a balance of these three treasures by such things as how we handle daily stresses, illness, the foods consumed, stimulation form such as exercise and meditations, etc. We begin to see the relations of the gokui in its inference of body and nature, i.e. Heaven, Earth, Sun, and Moon, etc.
If today's martial systems is truly the descendants of those passed down from the Ancient Chinese then the connections and relevance applies warranting a bit more effort to study this esoteric aspect of the Way.
Apologies
Normally, I like to respond when I have comments on blog posts but my only excuse is pure laziness ... apologies to those who comment; yes, I will reply sooner in the future! If you commented a while ago you may find a reply now.
Complexity Alert
Just an alert that any subject, martial or not, can be made just as complex as you wish. In study and academia go ahead with all the complexities necessary to understand and learn. In practice of a martial system don't allow those complexities to muddy the water of your training and practice and instruction.
KMSS: Like the KISS principle, keep martial systems simple. If you wish to use it in real life fighting situations then remain simple and direct. If you wish otherwise then it matters not. Complexity may be necessary to get you to the simplistic application.
If you instruct/teach then ask yourself, "Is my articulation of the subject complex because I am showing off my intelligence and acumen or is it necessary for understanding in this particular moment?"
KMSS: Like the KISS principle, keep martial systems simple. If you wish to use it in real life fighting situations then remain simple and direct. If you wish otherwise then it matters not. Complexity may be necessary to get you to the simplistic application.
If you instruct/teach then ask yourself, "Is my articulation of the subject complex because I am showing off my intelligence and acumen or is it necessary for understanding in this particular moment?"
Present Moment
"For most, there is the past, the present, and the future. The past is nothing more than memories, and memories are stale reminders of what has been lost to the present moment. The future is a vague promise - dreams and puffs of smoke. Only the present matters, because the present is the her and now of what we are, the happenings of life, the immediacy of death, and ti could be controlled as neither past nor future could. The present is an ever evolving chain of moments that living and dying forge, and you are always there to see it come." - Passage from the books written by Terri Brooks, i.e. The Heritage of Shannara: Book 2.
I read this the other day and it hit me that it says much as to how life should be lived, in the moment.
Past posts wrote about how I perceive present moment living by utilizing information from the past, when necessary or need, to find responses appropriate to present moments so that the past remains nothing more than a reference in learning about the moment.
I also believe contemplation of the future serves no purpose other then allowing the monkey brain to cause unnecessary stimulus that results in mental and physical adverse effects against health and well being.
It also goes to say that you can mine data almost anywhere that will enlighten and express thoughts and idea's in a way that stimulates thought, growth, and understanding as to our life here on planet Earth.
I read this the other day and it hit me that it says much as to how life should be lived, in the moment.
Past posts wrote about how I perceive present moment living by utilizing information from the past, when necessary or need, to find responses appropriate to present moments so that the past remains nothing more than a reference in learning about the moment.
It also goes to say that you can mine data almost anywhere that will enlighten and express thoughts and idea's in a way that stimulates thought, growth, and understanding as to our life here on planet Earth.
Open Eyes and Ears
The Ken-po Goku-i once again alludes to the use of "eyes" and "ears" having the ability to focus on all that goes on all around us, i.e. to all sides and in all directions, so we can attach a meaning that a karate-ka should be able to see or hear or both those moments and incidents that either require an application of karate waza or not.
A budo-ka/karate-ka cannot just close their eyes and ears to the consequences of utilizing karate in a fight. Closing your eyes and ears to the obvious for ego's sake is defeatist and should be avoided. This is hard.
Those who instruct must see and hear practitioners to determine the fundamental personality traits that may lead to misuse of karate. An instructor must remain observant by "seeing" all sides of a practitioner and "hearing" how they express themselves that may lead to missing the system.
In the same light instruction should provide a karate-ka lessons and understanding when engaging in any conflict so they may "see" and "hear" the others side and view on the subject of this particular conflict. It may be a verbal exchange so the practitioner needs to actively "listen (hear)" to this person and "observe (see)" their expressions and body language in running the gamut of Avoidance-Deescalation-Awareness-Manners before physical becomes involved.
See the person, hear the person and then act accordingly to resolve with mutual satisfaction of you both avoiding a fight. Bet you didn't think of this one when you read the ken-po goku-i?
A budo-ka/karate-ka cannot just close their eyes and ears to the consequences of utilizing karate in a fight. Closing your eyes and ears to the obvious for ego's sake is defeatist and should be avoided. This is hard.
Those who instruct must see and hear practitioners to determine the fundamental personality traits that may lead to misuse of karate. An instructor must remain observant by "seeing" all sides of a practitioner and "hearing" how they express themselves that may lead to missing the system.
In the same light instruction should provide a karate-ka lessons and understanding when engaging in any conflict so they may "see" and "hear" the others side and view on the subject of this particular conflict. It may be a verbal exchange so the practitioner needs to actively "listen (hear)" to this person and "observe (see)" their expressions and body language in running the gamut of Avoidance-Deescalation-Awareness-Manners before physical becomes involved.
See the person, hear the person and then act accordingly to resolve with mutual satisfaction of you both avoiding a fight. Bet you didn't think of this one when you read the ken-po goku-i?
Tendency to Number Things
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| Finally found one, looks like Tatsuo's penmanship, maybe! AJA is Advincula Sensei. |
The current translation of the ken-po goku-i is numbered from 1 to 8 but is that something Tatsuo Sensei applied in his English translation, i.e. when presenting early practitioners the silk kanji copy and its accompanying translated copy?
I am not completely sure that Tatsuo actually gave translated copies of the goku-i to those early practitioners as I cannot find one on the Internet but do not want to assume it was not done because of it.
I have a theory that it was the American practitioners who created the English version and then like a lot of military minded folks just numbered it. I can attest that there is no numbering on the silk kanji copies. I can also attest that the translation of the characters, simplistic, do not equal the entire English words in the translations.
I am guessing and/or theorizing here but when you translate the characters the terseness of the ken-po goku-i is more pronounced. It then muddies up the waters as to what they mean, may mean, or do mean as to Tatsuo Sensei's view of the document. This is where translations, especially by folks who have no real background in the Okinawan and Japanese philosophies, come into question. Then we have to view the present validations as coming from a variety of validated sources as also in question for they all seem to differ yet all seem to believe their version is the one true one.
Lets look at the start of the characters as translated literally, hopefully, where we start on the right side. It says, "person - heart - same - heaven- earth." Then Americans, theory here again, adjusted it to fit our needs and be more palatable to our minds and philosophies, i.e. "A person's heart is the same as heave and earth."
There seems to be a good deal of assumptions in the translations. Even when some questioned those closest to Tatsuo for a translation may have simply said yes, that is it due to language barriers and a lack of understanding, etc. between cultures.
I am not saying that Google translate is the official and fully vetted place to translate English-Japanese characters but as a way to test I put in the actual English and got a lot more in the translation to Japanese/Chinese characters than what appears on silk certificates, etc. I do see the characters within the totality of the translation but would not want to assume that it is correct yet do accept that it backs up the question as to both translation to English and the overall meaning Tatsuo Sensei was trying to convey to mostly foreign practitioners whose philosophies and cultures differed like night and day.
It does make for great discussion and research.
I personally can say from the more terse translation that it does seem to say that a person's heart is the same as heaven and earth but then again that is my American mind perceiving it literally and since characters can mean many things and also mean things depending on how they are used, where they are used, by whom they are written and used, etc. may not mean what I think they do.
Example is the reference to "heaven" when I found that in the ancient Chinese classics their interpretation or meaning of "heaven" does not come close to the one we use here, i.e. religious place all good people go to be with God, etc. I also found that the reference to "earth" does not necessarily mean the ground on which we all stand at this very moment.
A good deal of questions do jump up as this topic is analyzed, discussed, and studied. Regardless of its connections to karate or to some other philosophical connection. Who knows, Tatsuo Sensei may not have meant it to be connected to his system of Isshinryu but merely wanted us to have it so we may go on to fully understand Okinawan religious, philosophical and cultural beliefs and way. I have heard that stated many times that Tatsuo wanted Americans to understand and know Okinawans in this way.
If it is not truly connected with Isshinryu Karate practice and training then it must be something like I describe, maybe? Speculation will go on forever; Tatsuo Sensei is no longer able to provide us guidance or even answers, he is gone. So on we speculate!
Lastly, numbering them seems to be truly what was added by Americans or whomever translated it. I do know that in the many studies I have done to date of ancient classics that numbering them would put limits on it as to understanding and meaning to any one individual. I would tend to remove the numbers so the translations/characters would then stand on their own, alone, or can be combined in any number of ways as used by each individual in accordance with their practice, studies, beliefs, and overall philosophies.
Code of Isshinryu - Black Belt Magazine
I just thought it would be a nice contrast to read someone else's view of the Ken-po Goku-i. This article is on-line and from the Black Belt Magazine Archives, "Code of Isshinryu by Jason K. Martin."
The URL is to the page where you can print it which is a safer link. I would be interested in comments as to how this contrast is seen or interpreted by you the reader.
The URL is to the page where you can print it which is a safer link. I would be interested in comments as to how this contrast is seen or interpreted by you the reader.
Fundamental Learning/Teaching
All of us adhere to the ken-po goku-i, the emphasis on "eyes" and "ears" as to "seeing" and "hearing." We tend to extrapolate meaning of the ken-po goku-i to that which is physical in relation to karate but it extends to guide us in understanding the "three fundamental concepts" of learning and teaching.
How do we learn? By what we "see," "hear," and "do." Information is processed by what we see; what we hear; and how we put that into an action or "doing" or to take the character for the "Way" as in following a path or road, etc.
Each of us has a lifestyle and personality traits that can provide us a means of discovery. Discovery in what it takes to bring about knowledge, understanding, and proficiency depending on how we "see," "hear," and "do."
The eyes must see all sides. We initially take this to mean actually "seeing" all around us spatially. We look and actively see left, right, forward, behind us, then in many variations such as up and down, and degrees between such things as left-to-front, etc. We also must be able to "see" all sides of how events transpire both our own and any other person involved. The ability to "see" from the perspective of others teaches us and can guide us to avoiding conflicts and so on. When we teach we try to "see" all sides of how a person in receipt of our efforts learns. Whether they learn by doing, by the discussions, by combinations of perception and application. This ken-po goku-i provides us lessons to learn and teach far beyond the mere physical manifestations.
All I have said to "seeing" also applies to "hearing." We can hear what goes on spatially but to hear actively what a person is saying to us leads to understanding and understanding allows us to choose a means to mutual benefits thus avoiding conflicts. If we also hear the other voice, spoken and unspoken meanings, we can achieve a level of perception of the individual that translates into the ability to teach and they to learn.
The ken-po goku-i was meant to be more than simply how to apply karate to conflict. It can lead us to achieving more with ourselves and with others. It can lead us to see and hear and then do what is called teaching and learning; apply that to life!
How do we learn? By what we "see," "hear," and "do." Information is processed by what we see; what we hear; and how we put that into an action or "doing" or to take the character for the "Way" as in following a path or road, etc.
Each of us has a lifestyle and personality traits that can provide us a means of discovery. Discovery in what it takes to bring about knowledge, understanding, and proficiency depending on how we "see," "hear," and "do."
The eyes must see all sides. We initially take this to mean actually "seeing" all around us spatially. We look and actively see left, right, forward, behind us, then in many variations such as up and down, and degrees between such things as left-to-front, etc. We also must be able to "see" all sides of how events transpire both our own and any other person involved. The ability to "see" from the perspective of others teaches us and can guide us to avoiding conflicts and so on. When we teach we try to "see" all sides of how a person in receipt of our efforts learns. Whether they learn by doing, by the discussions, by combinations of perception and application. This ken-po goku-i provides us lessons to learn and teach far beyond the mere physical manifestations.
All I have said to "seeing" also applies to "hearing." We can hear what goes on spatially but to hear actively what a person is saying to us leads to understanding and understanding allows us to choose a means to mutual benefits thus avoiding conflicts. If we also hear the other voice, spoken and unspoken meanings, we can achieve a level of perception of the individual that translates into the ability to teach and they to learn.
The ken-po goku-i was meant to be more than simply how to apply karate to conflict. It can lead us to achieving more with ourselves and with others. It can lead us to see and hear and then do what is called teaching and learning; apply that to life!
Blog, What is It?
Compu-toon by Charles Boyce in today's comic said, "Bloggers are mostly struggling authors with a book nowhere is sight." I am still laughing on that one simply because it may be true for me, somewhat. That is not the purpose of this post. I wanted to clarify in my mind what it is that happens in the blog-sphere.
Blog: web log: a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies; (a contraction of the term "web log") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order; website that allows users to reflect, share opinions, and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal while readers may comment on posts; An online journal, published frequently (often daily). Readers can post comments on each journal entry, and so on ...
Journal: a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations; a periodical dedicated to a particular subject; a daily record of events or business; a private journal is usually referred to as a diary, and so on ...
Uh-hum, so what I see here is a blog, for me anyway, is a personal journal (guy term) which is no more that a dairy (gal term) that hold thoughts, ideas, comments, personal views, and so on with an emphasis on "personal."
I wanted to take the time to remind myself that this blog to which the subject is karate and sometimes a slight deviation but always connected to karate/karate-do so that I am "clear" that this is like me writing a journal where the only difference is that it is on the Internet where anyone, anywhere can read it and then provide me feedback.
My blog, my journal, my content ... your comments ... it is not a magazine, newspaper, or any type of official publication, electronic or paper-to-electronic like the New York Times has both paper and on-line publications. These types are not blogs, but publications, this is a blog, a journal, that is it.
Blog: web log: a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies; (a contraction of the term "web log") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order; website that allows users to reflect, share opinions, and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal while readers may comment on posts; An online journal, published frequently (often daily). Readers can post comments on each journal entry, and so on ...
Journal: a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations; a periodical dedicated to a particular subject; a daily record of events or business; a private journal is usually referred to as a diary, and so on ...
Uh-hum, so what I see here is a blog, for me anyway, is a personal journal (guy term) which is no more that a dairy (gal term) that hold thoughts, ideas, comments, personal views, and so on with an emphasis on "personal."
I wanted to take the time to remind myself that this blog to which the subject is karate and sometimes a slight deviation but always connected to karate/karate-do so that I am "clear" that this is like me writing a journal where the only difference is that it is on the Internet where anyone, anywhere can read it and then provide me feedback.
My blog, my journal, my content ... your comments ... it is not a magazine, newspaper, or any type of official publication, electronic or paper-to-electronic like the New York Times has both paper and on-line publications. These types are not blogs, but publications, this is a blog, a journal, that is it.
Change
If nothing else comes from the I Ching and other classics then let it be that it teaches us that change is what makes things work.
The Meaning of Tao - XVI
The power of your eyes are exhausted by what you wish to see.
[Reality vs. the stories we tell ourselves to remain comfortable and away from the discomfort that life has along with its contorts. To see past the vales we draw upon ourselves to escape the trials and tribulations of our lives is truly "seeing."]
Why I Write a Blog
This quote/statement puts it in perfect perspective for me and I wanted to convey that to those who read the blog. I use the blog as a way to accomplish this plus I wanted to cement the knowledge and understanding by the type of feedback/comments/critiques readers provide. If I am able to inspire a reader to pursue more because of a post all the better, that makes me very happy.
A process and if you view my type description you would understand why this works for me. I get a lot from writing as well as doing. I see myself falling into the kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. I am not sure where the writer part fits yet but when I read my type along with fuller explanations I tend to say, Oh yea, that is me alright! Very Interesting... [question does come up, am I being open or am I just telling myself the story I want to hear; a part of self-analysis, yea]
The blog
The Meaning of Tao - XV
Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and non-action; - this is the Level of Heaven and Earth, and the perfection of the Tao and its characteristics. ... Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and doing-nothing are the root for all things.
[Another connection to the vast view of what heaven and earth meant to the ancients and the texts they wrote on life.]
The Meaning of Tao - XIV
Chinese heaven is not the same as what we understand when we hear the word. Heaven, as we perceive it as stars, planets, sun, moon, etc. is actually the "space (void)" in between all the myriad things we "see" as the heavens above us, i.e. humans and earth or on Earth. Tao is heaven, Heaven is the void theta the myriad things of heaven exist...But by "heaven" there is not intended "the blue sky" above us, nor any personal Power above it, but the Tao embodied in our constitution, the Heavenly element in our nature.
[Another meaning to enhance the reference to Heaven and Earth in the ken-po goku-i. By the practice we achieve in conjunction with understanding of the goku-i we achieve a greater "heavenly" element to our very nature. This is the true heart of a person, where wholehearted practice is achieved. This is true personal power above and beyond that which is physical.]
Not Everything ...
On the blog I express my personal view as to the practice of karate and the plethora of "martial" or "budo" systems as I understand them. What I am going to express in this post is this, what I write may "seem" correct but for those who are "novice practitioners" you should always run things by your teacher/sensei/instructor, always.
Every thing you see, hear, read, experience should be qualified and verified from those sources you deem reliable and trustworthy, regardless. I have been wrong in the past and expect to be wrong as I go forward; the human condition and you should take all I post with a grain of salt.
Every thing you see, hear, read, experience should be qualified and verified from those sources you deem reliable and trustworthy, regardless. I have been wrong in the past and expect to be wrong as I go forward; the human condition and you should take all I post with a grain of salt.
Heart, One Heart, ... Isshin ...
It is becoming apparent to "me" that Tatsuo was very astute (the intellectual ability to penetrate deeply into ideas) in his creation of the name and symbol for his eclectic (selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas) system of karate-do.
Recently I found a new site that gives you Japanese romanization to Kanji, etc. where I discovered a variety of characters that made up a variety of words where one of those characters was the character used for the name of the system, i.e. "shin" or "heart." It may have been dump luck that all this "seems" to be a deliberate connection especially when you learn that Tatsuo studied the ancient classics and used the terse version of the I Ching called the Ken-po Goku-i as a "key" provided to serious practitioners.
One English word, center, uses the heart character which the system of belief for Tatsuo believes that the center of humans resides in the heart. The center of the body being two to three inches below the naval, i.e. hara, and so on ...
Recently I found a new site that gives you Japanese romanization to Kanji, etc. where I discovered a variety of characters that made up a variety of words where one of those characters was the character used for the name of the system, i.e. "shin" or "heart." It may have been dump luck that all this "seems" to be a deliberate connection especially when you learn that Tatsuo studied the ancient classics and used the terse version of the I Ching called the Ken-po Goku-i as a "key" provided to serious practitioners.
One English word, center, uses the heart character which the system of belief for Tatsuo believes that the center of humans resides in the heart. The center of the body being two to three inches below the naval, i.e. hara, and so on ...
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Ken-po Goku-i - Chinese Classics - Indian Yoga
If we believe the history of the fighting/martial art called karate we would then understand that it all began with India. India's Bodhidharma came to China and gave his teachings to the Shaolin monastery. The Okinawans much later connected with China in trade where the indigenous form of "toudi" was enhanced by the learning of Chinese boxing.
If true then we can hypothesize that the ken-po goku-i, which connects to the Chinese classics, then connects to the teachings of India which in part is the teaching and practice of "Yoga."
So, it that is correct then you can understand that my current studies involving "Pranayama or art of breathing" will show by its teaching the connectivity to our karate practice. As I study the book on Pranayama I am experiencing the connectivity academically since the terms as defined in the book make reference to the universe, heaven sun, moon, blood, body, eyes, ears, etc. which can give us a whole new experimental view of our practice today.
We can say that we have an indirect connection to it all in our practice and by understanding these classics we can experience that historical connection which can provide us with a more "spiritual" experience to today, yesterday, Okinawa, China and India. This also brings to mind a string theory of mine that all things of this Earth have a connection, an underlying connectivity which has not regard for time and/or distance.
Interesting, don't you think?
If true then we can hypothesize that the ken-po goku-i, which connects to the Chinese classics, then connects to the teachings of India which in part is the teaching and practice of "Yoga."
So, it that is correct then you can understand that my current studies involving "Pranayama or art of breathing" will show by its teaching the connectivity to our karate practice. As I study the book on Pranayama I am experiencing the connectivity academically since the terms as defined in the book make reference to the universe, heaven sun, moon, blood, body, eyes, ears, etc. which can give us a whole new experimental view of our practice today.
We can say that we have an indirect connection to it all in our practice and by understanding these classics we can experience that historical connection which can provide us with a more "spiritual" experience to today, yesterday, Okinawa, China and India. This also brings to mind a string theory of mine that all things of this Earth have a connection, an underlying connectivity which has not regard for time and/or distance.
Interesting, don't you think?
My Viewpoint
I am opinionated [which does not mean that it cannot change]. I make assumptions and state things from my viewpoint, those experiences and studies that teach me but my viewpoint is not written in stone. A lesson that took many years to learn and I find that I have to remind myself of this from time to time so as to not get caught up in ego.
I provide my viewpoint as a learning tool. How does this work for me? I write and talk about things I know of at any one given point of time, usually the present moment in a specific time. When that moment and time pass then I work to remain open so that if a response or anthers viewpoint comes to my attention I know that is has the potential to teach me, to make me change my viewpoint. It is this that allows me to attain knowledge which teaches the mind and the mind teaches the body and when the spirit, mind and body unite in this effort it allows me a chance to reach an enlightened state; a state of knowledge at the very least.
My viewpoint is my perspective as influenced by what I see, hear, feel, taste, read and my comprehension allows my mind to sort through and arrive at its own conclusions. Only in this way can I move forward.
It is and always will be my hope that those who happen to stop by and see, hear, and read my views can comment back with their thoughts, feelings, and impressions from their viewpoint so that we may have a mutually beneficial communication where we both end up with a greater understanding.
Anyway, this is my goal and I appreciate all the interactions I encounter in this manner. It is all part of my "Way!"
I provide my viewpoint as a learning tool. How does this work for me? I write and talk about things I know of at any one given point of time, usually the present moment in a specific time. When that moment and time pass then I work to remain open so that if a response or anthers viewpoint comes to my attention I know that is has the potential to teach me, to make me change my viewpoint. It is this that allows me to attain knowledge which teaches the mind and the mind teaches the body and when the spirit, mind and body unite in this effort it allows me a chance to reach an enlightened state; a state of knowledge at the very least.
My viewpoint is my perspective as influenced by what I see, hear, feel, taste, read and my comprehension allows my mind to sort through and arrive at its own conclusions. Only in this way can I move forward.
It is and always will be my hope that those who happen to stop by and see, hear, and read my views can comment back with their thoughts, feelings, and impressions from their viewpoint so that we may have a mutually beneficial communication where we both end up with a greater understanding.
Anyway, this is my goal and I appreciate all the interactions I encounter in this manner. It is all part of my "Way!"
Blood Circulates Sun Moon
In my journey to understand all the underlying aspects of the physical through the practice of the singular called "karate-do" I have studied the ken-po goku-i which states in general, "The blood circulating is similar to the sun and moon. In the journey I have discovered many links, connections, that took me to the academic study of the source, India Yoga.
In reference to the "Sun" It states that the sun radiates heat which evaporates water. The vapor becomes clouds from which rain falls to the "earth." Man tills the earth and produces food which, when consumed, creates the energy that maintains vigor. Vigor engenders discipline, which develops the faith that gives knowledge; knowledge bestows learning, which brings composure and creates calmness; calmness establishes equanimity, which develops memory that induces recognition; recognition brings judgment, which leads to the realization of the "Self".
If we remain open to connections that could possible bring more meaning to our practice and to our lives then such connections are positive and beneficial. In this quote I connect to the first and second line of the ken-po goku-i, i.e. "The person's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth" and "The blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon."
How does this apply to karate-do or any other endeavor that leads or guides us to openness and better life practices? In the physical practice of the body through the actions of the mind we must endeavor to create a body that is complete and at its peak which requires us to feed the body the fuels necessary to accomplish this goal. Food or fuel comes from "the breathe," "food," and "knowledge" which promotes health which is physical fitness which also influences the mind through the many systems of the body connected to the bodily functioning and vice versa.
The body follows the mind and the mind is influenced by the actions of the body. You decide in your mind what and how you will care and maintain your body and your body reciprocates accordingly in its influences to the mind.
Something to think about, yes?
Note: Sun provide energy by the light spectrum it sense us on Earth. The sun also provides heat which as the quote says influences the myriad things of the Earth where it provides sustenance to all life. Changes occur due to this relationship in water becomes gaseous/vapor rising into the heavens called "sky" creating by the changes in atmospheric pressures and temperatures clouds that rain on the Earth enriching the soils so that we may produce the foods necessary to create energy that fuels the very cells of our bodies and so on ...
Note: The body needs food containing the right balance, water helps digest and assimilate the food, food then nourishes by its assimilation into the various forms through out the body. One must find out by trial and experience which food is suitable to him/her.
Note: Our temperment is influenced by our diet because what we eat does affect the functioning of the mind. It is that state of mind that is important and proper diet will help to maintain clear and unwavering mind.
Note: The quantity and quality of food should be moderated. Respiration/proper-breathing provides the energy to promote digestion. Moderate and nourishing food is essential to maintain vigor, strength and alertness. Food is to be respected, not abused.
How does one achieve this in karate-do, by discipline. To achieve discipline the rigors of karate-do promote it and by it we can achieve discipline of the mind and spirit. This type of discipline promotes the kind that allows us to decide on our diet and then live that diet even when tempted by all the surrounds us such as advertisements, etc. This is how it starts and the singular practice of the mind and body in karate-do promotes this and the other disciplines necessary to change and promote living well, being healthy in both mind and body.
Bibliography:
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing. Crossroad Publishing New York. 2010.
In reference to the "Sun" It states that the sun radiates heat which evaporates water. The vapor becomes clouds from which rain falls to the "earth." Man tills the earth and produces food which, when consumed, creates the energy that maintains vigor. Vigor engenders discipline, which develops the faith that gives knowledge; knowledge bestows learning, which brings composure and creates calmness; calmness establishes equanimity, which develops memory that induces recognition; recognition brings judgment, which leads to the realization of the "Self".
If we remain open to connections that could possible bring more meaning to our practice and to our lives then such connections are positive and beneficial. In this quote I connect to the first and second line of the ken-po goku-i, i.e. "The person's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth" and "The blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon."
How does this apply to karate-do or any other endeavor that leads or guides us to openness and better life practices? In the physical practice of the body through the actions of the mind we must endeavor to create a body that is complete and at its peak which requires us to feed the body the fuels necessary to accomplish this goal. Food or fuel comes from "the breathe," "food," and "knowledge" which promotes health which is physical fitness which also influences the mind through the many systems of the body connected to the bodily functioning and vice versa.
The body follows the mind and the mind is influenced by the actions of the body. You decide in your mind what and how you will care and maintain your body and your body reciprocates accordingly in its influences to the mind.
Something to think about, yes?
Note: Sun provide energy by the light spectrum it sense us on Earth. The sun also provides heat which as the quote says influences the myriad things of the Earth where it provides sustenance to all life. Changes occur due to this relationship in water becomes gaseous/vapor rising into the heavens called "sky" creating by the changes in atmospheric pressures and temperatures clouds that rain on the Earth enriching the soils so that we may produce the foods necessary to create energy that fuels the very cells of our bodies and so on ...
Note: The body needs food containing the right balance, water helps digest and assimilate the food, food then nourishes by its assimilation into the various forms through out the body. One must find out by trial and experience which food is suitable to him/her.
Note: Our temperment is influenced by our diet because what we eat does affect the functioning of the mind. It is that state of mind that is important and proper diet will help to maintain clear and unwavering mind.
Note: The quantity and quality of food should be moderated. Respiration/proper-breathing provides the energy to promote digestion. Moderate and nourishing food is essential to maintain vigor, strength and alertness. Food is to be respected, not abused.
How does one achieve this in karate-do, by discipline. To achieve discipline the rigors of karate-do promote it and by it we can achieve discipline of the mind and spirit. This type of discipline promotes the kind that allows us to decide on our diet and then live that diet even when tempted by all the surrounds us such as advertisements, etc. This is how it starts and the singular practice of the mind and body in karate-do promotes this and the other disciplines necessary to change and promote living well, being healthy in both mind and body.
Bibliography:
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing. Crossroad Publishing New York. 2010.
Blood Circulates Sun Moon
In my journey to understand all the underlying aspects of the physical through the practice of the singular called "karate-do" I have studied the ken-po goku-i which states in general, "The blood circulating is similar to the sun and moon. In the journey I have discovered many links, connections, that took me to the academic study of the source, India Yoga.
In reference to the "Sun" It states that the sun radiates heat which evaporates water. The vapor becomes clouds from which rain falls to the "earth." Man tills the earth and produces food which, when consumed, creates the energy that maintains vigor. Vigor engenders discipline, which develops the faith that gives knowledge; knowledge bestows learning, which brings composure and creates calmness; calmness establishes equanimity, which develops memory that induces recognition; recognition brings judgment, which leads to the realization of the "Self".
If we remain open to connections that could possible bring more meaning to our practice and to our lives then such connections are positive and beneficial. In this quote I connect to the first and second line of the ken-po goku-i, i.e. "The person's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth" and "The blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon."
How does this apply to karate-do or any other endeavor that leads or guides us to openness and better life practices? In the physical practice of the body through the actions of the mind we must endeavor to create a body that is complete and at its peak which requires us to feed the body the fuels necessary to accomplish this goal. Food or fuel comes from "the breathe," "food," and "knowledge" which promotes health which is physical fitness which also influences the mind through the many systems of the body connected to the bodily functioning and vice versa.
The body follows the mind and the mind is influenced by the actions of the body. You decide in your mind what and how you will care and maintain your body and your body reciprocates accordingly in its influences to the mind.
Something to think about, yes?
Note: Sun provide energy by the light spectrum it sense us on Earth. The sun also provides heat which as the quote says influences the myriad things of the Earth where it provides sustenance to all life. Changes occur due to this relationship in water becomes gaseous/vapor rising into the heavens called "sky" creating by the changes in atmospheric pressures and temperatures clouds that rain on the Earth enriching the soils so that we may produce the foods necessary to create energy that fuels the very cells of our bodies and so on ...
Note: The body needs food containing the right balance, water helps digest and assimilate the food, food then nourishes by its assimilation into the various forms through out the body. One must find out by trial and experience which food is suitable to him/her.
Note: Our temperament is influenced by our diet because what we eat does affect the functioning of the mind. It is that state of mind that is important and proper diet will help to maintain clear and unwavering mind.
Note: The quantity and quality of food should be moderated. Respiration/proper-breathing provides the energy to promote digestion. Moderate and nourishing food is essential to maintain vigor, strength and alertness. Food is to be respected, not abused.
How does one achieve this in karate-do, by discipline. To achieve discipline the rigors of karate-do promote it and by it we can achieve discipline of the mind and spirit. This type of discipline promotes the kind that allows us to decide on our diet and then live that diet even when tempted by all the surrounds us such as advertisements, etc. This is how it starts and the singular practice of the mind and body in karate-do promotes this and the other disciplines necessary to change and promote living well, being healthy in both mind and body.
Bibliography:
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing. Crossroad Publishing New York. 2010.
In reference to the "Sun" It states that the sun radiates heat which evaporates water. The vapor becomes clouds from which rain falls to the "earth." Man tills the earth and produces food which, when consumed, creates the energy that maintains vigor. Vigor engenders discipline, which develops the faith that gives knowledge; knowledge bestows learning, which brings composure and creates calmness; calmness establishes equanimity, which develops memory that induces recognition; recognition brings judgment, which leads to the realization of the "Self".
If we remain open to connections that could possible bring more meaning to our practice and to our lives then such connections are positive and beneficial. In this quote I connect to the first and second line of the ken-po goku-i, i.e. "The person's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth" and "The blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon."
How does this apply to karate-do or any other endeavor that leads or guides us to openness and better life practices? In the physical practice of the body through the actions of the mind we must endeavor to create a body that is complete and at its peak which requires us to feed the body the fuels necessary to accomplish this goal. Food or fuel comes from "the breathe," "food," and "knowledge" which promotes health which is physical fitness which also influences the mind through the many systems of the body connected to the bodily functioning and vice versa.
The body follows the mind and the mind is influenced by the actions of the body. You decide in your mind what and how you will care and maintain your body and your body reciprocates accordingly in its influences to the mind.
Something to think about, yes?
Note: Sun provide energy by the light spectrum it sense us on Earth. The sun also provides heat which as the quote says influences the myriad things of the Earth where it provides sustenance to all life. Changes occur due to this relationship in water becomes gaseous/vapor rising into the heavens called "sky" creating by the changes in atmospheric pressures and temperatures clouds that rain on the Earth enriching the soils so that we may produce the foods necessary to create energy that fuels the very cells of our bodies and so on ...
Note: The body needs food containing the right balance, water helps digest and assimilate the food, food then nourishes by its assimilation into the various forms through out the body. One must find out by trial and experience which food is suitable to him/her.
Note: Our temperament is influenced by our diet because what we eat does affect the functioning of the mind. It is that state of mind that is important and proper diet will help to maintain clear and unwavering mind.
Note: The quantity and quality of food should be moderated. Respiration/proper-breathing provides the energy to promote digestion. Moderate and nourishing food is essential to maintain vigor, strength and alertness. Food is to be respected, not abused.
How does one achieve this in karate-do, by discipline. To achieve discipline the rigors of karate-do promote it and by it we can achieve discipline of the mind and spirit. This type of discipline promotes the kind that allows us to decide on our diet and then live that diet even when tempted by all the surrounds us such as advertisements, etc. This is how it starts and the singular practice of the mind and body in karate-do promotes this and the other disciplines necessary to change and promote living well, being healthy in both mind and body.
Bibliography:
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing. Crossroad Publishing New York. 2010.
The Self: Confrontation
One of the many topics I have posted on is the self, the ego, and the path of karate-do as it is used to help us see inside ourselves. The ability of see ourselves as we really are, removing all those self-imposed "stories" or thoughts, emotions, judgments, and motivations that make up our character. We must first come face-to-face with ourselves in order to "see" and "hear" truth especially when encountering conflict.
Yogi Iyengar states in his book, "He unravels himself from the external body to the self within. He proceeds from the body to the nerves, and from the nerves to the senses. From the senses he enters into the mind, which controls the emotions. From the mind he penetrates into the intellect, which guides reason. From the intellect, his path leads to the will and thence to consciousness. The last stage is from consciousness to his Self, his very being."
What is alluded to in this is the singular practice of yoga, much like karate, is the path whereby the training of the body provides unity of body, mind, spirit allowing us to "see" within ourselves fault. This teaches us how the body functions and leads to the mind and then the mind is trained to unify that body and the only way that is achieved is to see ourselves as we really are and remove all the illusions we put ourselves in to attain a comfort in living life.
Terri Brooks said it well in a fictional account of how evil is destroyed by taking that entity to its very essence, its true self, reality. This is a modified quote, redacted to achieve clarity to the practice of karate-do:
"In the vortex of emotion and basic self that comprises the center most region of our being, we come face-to-face with ourselves. There is a chaos of uncertain impressions: Pictures and impressions loomed up before us. Thrust suddenly before our eyes, the world that is our birthplace and life source, from past to present, lay open and revealed to us, stripped bare of our carefully nurtured illusions, and we see the reality of existence in all its starkness. No soft dreams colored our view of life, no wishful fantasies clothed the harshness of its self-shaped choices, no self-conceived visions of hope softened the rawness of its judgments.
Amid its sprawling vastness, we see ourselves displayed for the pitiful, insignificant spark of momentary life that we represent. We struggle wildly for our grasp of the vision of self that has always sustained us, for what had been our hold on sanity, fighting to shield ourselves from the awesome view of our inner nakedness and the weakness of the thing we are compelled to recognize as ourselves.
... the thoughts, emotions, judgments, and motivations that made up this character. ...
... we see another side of ourselves, aside we have never been able to recognize - or perhaps had simply refused to accept. It reveals itself in an endless line of events, all caricatures of the memories we had believed in so strongly. An accounting of every hurt we had caused to others, e4very petty jealousy we had felt, our deep-seated prejudices, our deliberate half-truths, our self-pity, our fears - all that was dark and hidden within ourselves.
We open our minds to be receptive to those images, expanding outward to embrace them, forcing ourselves to admit the reality of what we have been shown. We cannot sensibly deny these other sides of our characters; like the limited image of the person we had always believed ourselves to be, we have to accept it. It is the truth.
We have to be able to accept the weakness and frailty that are a part of our human nature, as it is a a part of all men."
Only by accepting reality, only by accepting our weaknesses and frailties, only then can we truly attain proficiency in practice and thus in life. Yogi Ivengar also states eloquently [redacted to show karate-do], "Through the stages of karate practice one develops understanding of his own self. He proceeds step by step from the known - his/her body - to the unknown. He proceeds from the outer envelop of the body to the mind. From the mind, he goes to the intellect, the will, discriminating consciousness, conscience and lastly the self."
As one studies the many academic writings we find an underlying connectivity that permeates all of life. Following this one can achieve unity of self to the universe but subverting the path leads to a detrimental outcome.
Yogi Iyengar states in his book, "He unravels himself from the external body to the self within. He proceeds from the body to the nerves, and from the nerves to the senses. From the senses he enters into the mind, which controls the emotions. From the mind he penetrates into the intellect, which guides reason. From the intellect, his path leads to the will and thence to consciousness. The last stage is from consciousness to his Self, his very being."
What is alluded to in this is the singular practice of yoga, much like karate, is the path whereby the training of the body provides unity of body, mind, spirit allowing us to "see" within ourselves fault. This teaches us how the body functions and leads to the mind and then the mind is trained to unify that body and the only way that is achieved is to see ourselves as we really are and remove all the illusions we put ourselves in to attain a comfort in living life.
Terri Brooks said it well in a fictional account of how evil is destroyed by taking that entity to its very essence, its true self, reality. This is a modified quote, redacted to achieve clarity to the practice of karate-do:
"In the vortex of emotion and basic self that comprises the center most region of our being, we come face-to-face with ourselves. There is a chaos of uncertain impressions: Pictures and impressions loomed up before us. Thrust suddenly before our eyes, the world that is our birthplace and life source, from past to present, lay open and revealed to us, stripped bare of our carefully nurtured illusions, and we see the reality of existence in all its starkness. No soft dreams colored our view of life, no wishful fantasies clothed the harshness of its self-shaped choices, no self-conceived visions of hope softened the rawness of its judgments.
Amid its sprawling vastness, we see ourselves displayed for the pitiful, insignificant spark of momentary life that we represent. We struggle wildly for our grasp of the vision of self that has always sustained us, for what had been our hold on sanity, fighting to shield ourselves from the awesome view of our inner nakedness and the weakness of the thing we are compelled to recognize as ourselves.
... the thoughts, emotions, judgments, and motivations that made up this character. ...
... we see another side of ourselves, aside we have never been able to recognize - or perhaps had simply refused to accept. It reveals itself in an endless line of events, all caricatures of the memories we had believed in so strongly. An accounting of every hurt we had caused to others, e4very petty jealousy we had felt, our deep-seated prejudices, our deliberate half-truths, our self-pity, our fears - all that was dark and hidden within ourselves.
We open our minds to be receptive to those images, expanding outward to embrace them, forcing ourselves to admit the reality of what we have been shown. We cannot sensibly deny these other sides of our characters; like the limited image of the person we had always believed ourselves to be, we have to accept it. It is the truth.
We have to be able to accept the weakness and frailty that are a part of our human nature, as it is a a part of all men."
Only by accepting reality, only by accepting our weaknesses and frailties, only then can we truly attain proficiency in practice and thus in life. Yogi Ivengar also states eloquently [redacted to show karate-do], "Through the stages of karate practice one develops understanding of his own self. He proceeds step by step from the known - his/her body - to the unknown. He proceeds from the outer envelop of the body to the mind. From the mind, he goes to the intellect, the will, discriminating consciousness, conscience and lastly the self."
As one studies the many academic writings we find an underlying connectivity that permeates all of life. Following this one can achieve unity of self to the universe but subverting the path leads to a detrimental outcome.
The Meaning of Tao - XIII
Injury should be recompensed with Kindness.
[True bu-do; karate-do is also a dual endeavor where one side of the coin is destructive and the other is healthy. We as practitioners should work to learn both sides of the coin. By learning how to heal the body and mind we find that this study provides us the insights into using the same for destructive purposes, i.e. combat against predatory evil intent on doing us and our tribe harm and where no other avenue is still available to avoid conflict. This is the meaning behind the myriad things of the Tao-te-Ching, that of karate-do.]
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