It Has to be You

明けましておめでとう
Akemashite Omedetou
Happy New Year!

This article was originally published in El Budoka magazine in Spanish on January 1st, 2024. Translated by Santiago Garcia Almaraz Sensei of Kodokai Dojo. Read the Spanish version.

According to Chinese astrology, 2024 will be the Year of the Wood Dragon. The Dragons in Japanese symbolism are the powerful protectors of mankind and are supposed to bring good fortune, happiness, strength, and courage.

Understanding that 2024 can be a year filled with prosperity, I suggest that students focus on themselves.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that we are supposed to think that we are “the” one or that we are #1 because that is having a self-centered focus. Arrogance is the beginnings of ego, pride, and self-centeredness which will only lead to our downfall. I am also not advocating that people be more selfish.

When I say, “focus on yourself,” I mean that we should focus on becoming the hero in our own stories. We have to become our own savior. We have to believe that no one is coming to our rescue not in a fatalistic sense but in the sense that I, alone, will be the one to fix my own problems because no one is coming to save me.

A person who becomes the hero in their own story adopts the mantra: “It has to be me.” The journey in martial arts training is hitoritabi (独り旅) or “a solitary journey.” We alone must make this journey and no one can do it for us and thus we alone have to put in the work to get good, be successful, or achieve our goals. Soto Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki said, “The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your own two feet.” Thus, we must stand on our own two feet and become the hero in our own stories.

The Buddhist say that every person has busshou (佛性) or “Buddha nature.” Buddha nature is “the potential for all sentient beings to become a Buddha or the fact that all beings already have a pure buddha-essence within them.” Like Buddha nature, each person has jiriki (自力) or “personal power.” Many of us don’t know this power exists and it takes martial arts training to help us to realize this power and release it. The term jiriki comes from the Japanese idiom jirikikosei (自力更生) or “to improve one's way of life without relying on the help of others.” Thus, when we realize our own power, we learn to stand up on our own two feet.

When we realize that no one is coming to save us, we learn to put in the work, and we realize how to be self-reliant. Being self-reliant teaches us to have konjou (根性) or “fighting spirit.” Fighting spirit is how we develop the will to never give up no matter what the circumstance.

Here’s a story which typifies this idea of having the will to be the hero in your own story because we alone must have the will and fighting spirit to see things through to the end because no one is coming to save us but us.

During the Heian period (794 to 1185), there lived a famous Japanese warrior monk named Saito Musashibo Benkei who was more commonly known as Benkei. Benkei was born out of wedlock and joined the priesthood as a child. When Benkei was 17 years old, he stood 2 meters or 6.6 feet tall, had long hair and big teeth and so people started calling him Oniwaka (鬼若) or “demon child.” When Benkei was a young man, he traveled all over Japan studying Buddhism and engaging in duels. Benkei is often depicted carrying seven weapons on his back: a broad axe (masakari), a rake (kumade), a sickle (nagigama), a wooden mallet (hizuchi), a saw (nokogiri), an iron staff (tetsubo), and a Japanese halberd (naginata). This depiction was most likely to show his prowess as a warrior. At one point, Benkei was said to have been on a quasi-religious quest to take 1000 swords by defeating 1000 samurai warriors who he believed were unworthy. In his 1000th duel, he came upon a young samurai playing a flute and carrying a beautiful gold covered sword. Benkei thought, “This would be a great 1000th sword.” So, he challenged the much smaller man to a duel. Just before the duel, the smaller man said, “There are too many people in this shrine and people might get hurt, so we should duel on the bridge.” The terrain of the bridge however was too difficult for Benkei’s large body, and he lost handily to the much smaller samurai. That samurai ended up being the famous warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Frustrated to have his streak broken, Benkei followed Yoshitsune to Kiyomizudera temple and waited for him to leave. Requesting a duel, Benkei easily lost to him for a second time. As a form of respect, Benkei knelt down and pledged his loyalty to Yoshitsune and became not only his retainer, but his friend too. Yoshitsune and his brother Yoritomo defeated the Taira clan in the Genpei War but after the war, Yoritomo became suspicious of Yoshitsune and ordered his death. Benkei was loyal to Yoshitsune and so the two fled. Yoritomo’s forces trapped Yoshitsune at the castle of Koromogawa no tate. To preserve his honor, Yoshitsune wanted to commit seppuku or “ritual suicide.” To allow Yoshitsune the time to preserve his honor, Benkei alone had to keep Yoritomo and hundreds of his retainers out of the castle. Wave after wave of soldiers tried to defeat Benkei but each one was either crushed by him or literally chopped in half. In total, Benkei killed over 300 soldiers by himself. Realizing that he could not beat Benkei in hand-to-hand combat, Yoritomo switched tactics and brought in his archers. Seeing the archers, Benkei adjusted his priest robes and stoically took a firm stance at the castle’s entrance. The archers shot volley after volley at Benkei but he never wavered. After an hour, Benkei just stood there riddled with arrows. Yoritimo ordered one of the soldiers to engage Benkei but when he got close enough, he realized that Benkei had died standing up. Benkei’s death came to be known as Benkei no Tachi Ojou (弁慶の立往生) or “the Standing Death of Benkei.” Benkei’s last stand has become the personification of a person who stands alone and typifies loyalty, courage and strength in the face of adversity.

In the end, we must learn to kogunfuntou (孤軍奮闘) or “fight alone.” Alone doesn’t mean helpless. Alone means that we must first and foremost rely upon ourselves. No one is coming to save us but us and therefore “it has to be me” that saves me. 2024 is supposed to bring good fortune, happiness, strength, and courage but the only way those things will ever come into fruition is by our own power. Go forward this year and make your way by your own power. The best martial artist has the courage to stand alone.

Letting Go

“The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.” - Morihei Ueshiba

As the year comes to a close, it is helpful to remember that in training, and really in life, it is actually a process of subtraction rather than addition. We do not become strong by adding things to build ourselves up. We become truly powerful when we cultivate the skill of letting go. In Japanese, this process could be called bakyaku wo arawasu (馬脚を現す) or the process of “revealing one's true nature.” The Buddhist believe in this idea of honrai mu ichimotsu (本来無一物) or “Originally, there was nothing.” Honrai mu ichimotsu is a Zen reminder to free oneself from attachments and get back to “nothingness.” Nothingness is not apathy or being a nihilist. Nothingness and attachments are about freeing ourselves from the things that have accumulated over the years that we are desperately holding on to which are clouding our true natures. For each of us, the attachments and the natures we are revealing are different. However, what is the same is that we are all immensely more powerful and greater than we think, we just don’t realize it, yet.

When I was a student, Furuya Sensei would often admonish the students taking his ukemi by saying, “You’re too stiff.” Stiffness in an Aikido sense is when we tense our bodies out of fear or lack of training when taking ukemi. This stiffness affects how we move our bodies. A person whose body is “too stiff” cannot move with the technique which disables them from being spontaneous when being thrown. It is said that we can feel the confidence, or fear in the uke by how they grab us. Too much power or strength can cause the uke to get stiff which can be dangerous, and this overcompensation can also transmit the uke’s fear or lack of training. Therefore, the uke trains themselves to only grab strong enough to maintain the connection and give their partner the sense of a good attack.

In the process of carving the famous statue David, Michelangelo supposedly said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” Interestingly, in Aikido training it is essentially the same thing. It takes an entire lifetime to strip away all of our conditioning, preconceived notions, and fears and just move spontaneously without fear. Ideally, with each throw, we let go of a little something which gives us a truer picture of who we really are or reveals our true inner Davids. Miyamoto Musashi said, “Do nothing which is of no use!” Thus, in Aikido and in life, don’t build yourself up, learn to let go of those things which are of no use and learn to let go.

This is the last blog message of 2023.
Have a wonderful New Year’s and May Peace Prevail on Earth.
Sekai jinrui ga heiwadearimasu you ni (世界人類が平和でありますように).

Be a Warrior on the Inside

The best Aikidoists have to be warriors on the inside. To be a warrior on the inside is to have not only a tsuyoikokoro (強い心) or “strong mind,” but also a mind that has been tamed. Aikido training teaches us that the mind is a tool, and, like all tools, one must learn how to use it.

People love to argue back and forth about effectiveness. Whether or not a martial art is “effective” is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. The real fight is raging inside our minds. As someone once said, “The mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.” Understanding this, perhaps that is why O’Sensei believed in masakatsu agatsu (正勝吾勝) or that “the true victory is self-victory.” O’Sensei understood that it is all mental and thus the real victory is to master our minds. Our minds like to play games. Our minds will tell us something that it wants us to believe and we have to be “mentally tough” enough or seishintekini kibishii (精神的に厳しい) to not believe it. Interestingly, seishintekini kibishii literally translates to mean “to be mentally strict.”

Before class starts, the two main things students should be doing to master their minds is practicing their rolls and sitting quietly. Sitting quietly and practicing one’s rolls actually go hand in hand and both play a role in learning to become mentally tough. The repetitiveness of rolling, back and forth, can only be done smoothly when our minds are turned off. Thus, the more we do it, the better we get. Once we get good at rolling, it becomes smooth and almost rhythmic. The repetitiveness and rhythmicness of rolling without stopping help us to turn our minds off and with this, we learn to be spontaneous and just move. Sitting quietly with our eyes closed helps us to calm our minds. However, just sitting in the quietude can sometimes allow our overbearing thoughts to overtake us. Here’s where rolling and sitting go hand in hand. While we are seated with our eyes closed, our minds will naturally gravitate to the rhythmicness of someone rolling off in the distance. This allows our minds to focus on something other than our thoughts. Allowing our minds and our breathing to be overtaken by the rhythm of rolling will enable our minds to naturally calm down. With rolling or sitting, the more we do it, the faster our minds will turn off and calm down. The sequence of rolling first or sitting first doesn’t matter - students should see what works best for them. When our minds are empty and we have mentally calmed down, then we can start to build mental fortitude.

In Aikido and in life, there will always be something. We will get injured, be annoyed, or become disheartened to name just a few of life’s bullsh*t. If it is not one thing, it will be another thing and there will always be a challenge to overcome. Aikidoists realize that it is all mental and that is why the best Aikidoists have to be warriors on the inside.

Today’s goal: When life gives you lemons, realize that it is all just a mental game.

Watch this video of David Foster Wallace explaining
how “The mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.”

Take Nothing For Granted

“Personal greed and egoism are things that cause human beings to
forget respect for others and to violate rules that have been
established for the sake of peace and friendship.”
- Mas Oyama, Founder of Kyokushinkai Karate

The best Aikidoist takes nothing for granted. The definition of taking something for granted is “to fail to properly appreciate someone or something.” One way to say, “take for granted” in Japanese is kimeru (決める). Interestingly, kimeru can also mean “to decide” and it is also a martial arts term for a “double-arm lock.” If we play with the meanings, then a person takes something for granted (kimeru) and then the other person decides (kimeru) to take advantage of their oversight and put them into a double arm lock (kimeru).

Aikidoist don’t take anything or anyone for granted because they are supposed to be good at details. The movements in Aikido are supposed to be very seido (精度) or “precise.” Precision is necessary because the philosophy of Aikido dictates that we place a great amount of emphasis on limiting the amount of injury inflicted to our opponents. In order to do that, we need precision. Another reason that Aikidoists don’t take things for granted is because in Aikido, we are also supposed to be training ourselves to become “good at finding weak points” or suki wo mitsukeru noga jozu desu (隙を見つけるのが上手です). By scanning for suki (隙) or “weak points,” we get good at seeing details. Any detail, no matter how small, can become the clue which helps us to unlock our opponent’s offense or defense.

In class, one of the easiest ways to teach ourselves to look for the details is during the warm-up. If we are paying attention as people warm-up, then we can notice who is flexible and who is not. We can also see where people are inflexible or who cannot follow the warm-up. One interesting thing we can notice is how people carry their bodies. Most times, we warm-up mindlessly and so a person can observe how our bodies move without conscious thought. Here, to name just a few things, we can see how balanced a person’s body is, if their body moves in sync, or if how well acquainted they are with their body. That information goes into our calculation of how to best deal with them.    

In Aikido, everything matters down to the smallest details. In Aikido and in life, we are supposed to be training ourselves to notice not just where people are weak but where they are strong. On the mat, this starts as a means to overtake our opponents but later we are supposed to transfer that skill into becoming better human beings. The act of being “human” is about relationships and thus how we treat one another is important. A famous Tea Ceremony quote is “Give those for whom you find yourself with every consideration.” Once we can “see” others, we should never take them lightly. We become real martial artists when we decide (kimeru) to not take anything or anyone for granted (kimeru) but if we do, someone is likely to put us in a double arm lock (kimeru). The best Aikidoist do their best to not take people, things, or situations for granted.   

This weekend, I am aware that many of the students “lost” their weekend to the dojo, and I apologize for imposing on everyone. I hope that you all know that your sacrifices are not taken for granted. I think everyone had a good time despite the work and long hours, especially Vrej who lightened the mood of mochitsuki with the phrase, “Part of the job is hanging out.” So true indeed.

Today’s goal: Try to truly see one person today and not take them for granted. Tomorrow, strive for two.

Watch this video to better understand taking things for granted

Act Like a Martial Artist

"The ultimate goal of Judo is to perfect yourself and
to contribute something of value to the world." - Jigoro Kano

The best Aikidoists act like real martial artists. In the days of old, the warrior class in Japanese society was at the top of the social hierarchy. The title samurai (侍) means “one who serves.” The kanji or character for samurai is made up of the kanji for “man” or hito (人) and “temple” or tera (寺). Furthermore, the word for temple (寺) can be separated into the characters for “warrior” or “person of high esteem” or shi (士) and sun (寸) which is the word for “measurement.” Notice that there were no words which represent death, dying, killing or mayhem in the kanji which made up the word for samurai. Thus, breaking these words apart, the true definition of samurai could be a person of high esteem who acts are measured in the service of others. Most Japanese martial arts can trace their lineages back to the days of the samurai and Aikido is no different. And, like the samurai, Aikido has little to do with gaining the ability to defeat one’s opponents. Aikido, like all martial arts, is a vehicle of self-improvement. What Aikido is trying to teach us is how to be better human beings or how to be people of high character or esteem. Thus, one’s prowess in Aikido is measured more in how they carry themselves than how easily they can defeat people. Every year, our dojo volunteers at a local temple to pound mochi for the New Year. The pounding is done manually and is hard work but is supposed to bring good luck. Pounding mochi or “mochitsuki” dates back to the 14th Century. It is believed that the god of abundance or Toshigami will bring good luck, happiness and prosperity in the New Year to those who offer him kagami or “round mochi.” Therefore, by pounding, we are helping people gain prosperity for the New Year. We volunteer as part of training because we are supposed to show the world what it means to be martial artists. How we conduct ourselves is an example of our level of training. Anyone can hold it together for a little while but only a true ardent can live the Way. What does it mean to live the Way? Living the Way is similar to the Eightfold path in Buddhism which can be summed up as “right thought, right speech, and right action.” This too could be the summary of Aikido and traditional martial arts. How we conduct ourselves is the physical representation of not only who we are but how well we are training in our respective martial arts. It takes training to act with decorum and propriety. It takes training to do the right thing at the right time. This weekend, our job is to show people what it means to study Aikido. Everyone should have a good attitude but also work hard, work together, be efficient and most of all lend a helping hand where needed. If we cannot see where others need help, that shows our level of ability. If we get caught fooling around, that shows our level of ability. We have to remember that we do not just represent ourselves. We represent Aikido, O’Sensei, our dojo and our teachers. How we act is a direct reflection upon Aikido and all traditional martial arts for that matter. Today, traditional martial arts are losing ground and people don’t see the value in studying them. It is our job, not just as Aikidoist, but as martial artists to be the example of what studying Aikido, or any traditional martial art can do. The best Aikidoist live the Way and thus they act like real martial artists.        

Today’s goal: Live the Way. Be the example of why someone should study a martial art, not the reason why they should not.

Watch this video to better understand how to be in service of others.

Do it Anyways

The best Aikidoists do it anyways. To “do it anyways” means that we will “take action, or pursue a goal even in the face of obstacles, doubts, or uncertainties. It's about embracing the courage to move forward despite the potential difficulties or fears.” Every person has fears and an Aikidoist is no different. The difference is that an Aikidoist does it anyways despite being afraid or facing seemingly overwhelming odds. “Do it anyways” is about courage and so it is one of those things we can’t be taught, but we can learn. In other words, we have to teach it to ourselves. In Aikido, we are not supposed to just stand there and wait to be hit or grabbed. At the tachiai (立ち合い) or “the initial moment of contact,” we are supposed to be in motion. Thus, we neutralize our opponent’s attack with movement. By moving before or as we are attacked, we are unknowingly teaching ourselves to “do it anyways.” An Aikidoist is supposed to be able to size up their opponent, assess the situation and act, all in a split second. If an Aikidoist stops to think or allows themselves to succumb to the fear, they will fall into the trap of their opponent’s attack. On a certain level, any movement is better than not moving at all but with time and training, we learn to move in the right direction and appropriately. Over time, moving despite the fear or odds becomes an integral part of our Aikido. When we can, we have taught ourselves the concept of “do it anyways.” “Do it anyways” is a habit and like all habits, it begins consciously but over time and the more we do it, it becomes subconscious or second nature. When it becomes habitual in the dojo, it becomes habitual in life. In life and in Aikido, we will always be confronted with fear, adversities, and obstacles. The great thing about Aikido training is that it gives us the tools to face our fears, overcome our adversities and have the courage to keep going no matter what. “Do it anyways!” is really just a battle cry or mantra that we use to spurn ourselves forward and in doing so it eventually leads us to acts of courage. The best Aikidoists know all the risks and have all the fears, but they move forward anyways and that is why the best Aikidoists do it anyways.

Today’s goal: When you are afraid or don’t want to, just say to yourself, “Do it anyways.”

Watch this video to better understand "Do it anyways."

Believe in Yourself

“All man are the same except for their belief in their own selves,
regardless of what others may think of them.” - Miyamoto Musashi

The best Aikidoists believe in themselves. One of the hardest things to do in this life is to shinjiru (信じる) or “believe” in ourselves. The character for “belief” or shin (信) is made up of the characters for nin (人) or “person” and gen (言) or “say.” Thus, one could posit that belief is what we say to ourselves. A disease that pretty much every person suffers from is “not good enough” disease. A person who suffers from “not good enough” disease “experiences feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, worthlessness, or just not feeling like they are ‘enough.’” The Buddha said, “Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought.” In the deepest darkest recesses of our minds, we are quietly talking to ourselves. In Japanese this is called kokoroniomou (心に思う) or “to secretly believe.” These thoughts or dialogues shape what we think and thus develop us into who we are - it creates our reality. The problem with many of these thoughts or things that we are saying to ourselves is that sometimes those thinkings are only slightly true. Most of the time, we need to see with our own eyes that we aren’t as bad as we think. One of things that Aikido training excels at is that it helps us get out of our heads. In our mental reality, we are influenced by our thoughts which may or may not be true and thus we begin to see things askew. On the mat, the physical reality is rooted in what we can actually do or not do and we get to “see” exactly who we are and how we are doing. How we think is largely habitual and that is why the Buddha said “mind-wrought” which conjures up this idea of the mind being beaten and forged like a sword. Understanding this, our mental states are shaped by not only what we say to ourselves but also what we think. In Aikido, we cannot be successful if we do not believe in ourselves. Thus, most of us need to “see” it for ourselves and thus the training of Aikido helps us to understand our true reality. Knowing what we can do versus what we can’t do gives us a sense of confidence and thus we begin to believe in ourselves because we know what we are capable of. On a certain level, this is where the outside begins to influence the inside because the way to combat the things, stories, or thoughts in our heads which may or may not be true is with the physical reality on the mat. Each of us is immensely powerful but that power can be used against us if we don’t know who we are. Aikido training, if nothing else, is the study of the self. The more we see our true reality, the more our minds start to change and thus we begin to believe in ourselves. Believing in ourselves benefits every aspect of our lives and this is where we start to see the benefits of Aikido training. We are only as powerful as what we think and that is why the best Aikidoist believe in themselves.

Today’s goal: Believe in yourself. You are only as good or bad as you think.

Watch Queen's Sir Brian May discuss the reality of the Imposter Syndrome

Go With The Flow

“Aikido is not simply over-powering your opponent or competition of physical strength, one must begin
to appreciate Aikido in terms of blending, the flow and out-pouring of energy, balance and timing
and bring them all together in an integrated and effective way.” - Rev. Kensho Furuya

The best Aikidoists go with the flow. One way to say “flow” in Japanese is ryuudou (流動). Ryuu means “flow” and dou means “movement.” Flow in terms of Aikido, means that no matter what happens, we go with it instead of against it. Modern psychology dictates that there are three responses to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to our survival: fight, flight, or freeze. However, there is a fourth option - Aikido. To do Aikido means that we do not fight with our aggressor, we do not run from an attack, and we don’t freeze. In Aikido, we go with the flow. Typically, when we try to explain Aikido to people, we say, “Aikidoists use other people’s force against them.” This is not quite entirely true. Aikido is more sophisticated than that. When confronted, the first thing we do is meet the stressor with calmness and composure. This enables us to move appropriately but it also gives us the wherewithal to not lose our cool and hurt someone out of fear or anger. Then, we neutralize our opponent’s attack with movement and align with their force. Next, we change the orientation of their power, momentum, or body weight and redirect that energy back into their bodies. We use that energy to either throw them down, pin them, or employ a joint lock. In Aikido, our response to our aggressor has to always be in accordance with the natural movements of the body so as to cause the minimalist amount of pain, suffering, or injury. All of these steps can be summed up in one word - flow. The definition of flow is “the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is.” One way we learn how to go with the flow is when we learn how to roll. First, we learn the mechanics of rolling. Then, we apply our roll and use it when we are being thrown. Most times, in the early stages of our training, our roll will be clunky and square rather than round and smooth. Later on, as our roll becomes round, we strive to be thrown and roll without any hesitancy in both mind and body. Eventually, we learn how to roll spontaneously in accordance with how we are being thrown and it is not only a nonevent but a seemingly joyful experience as well. In life and in Aikido, things will invariably come and attack us, and bad things will invariably happen. None of us are immune. The difference between an Aikidoist and other people is that we choose to flow instead of fight, runaway or freeze. The best Aikidoist always goes with the flow in mind, body, and spirit.

Today’s goal: Don’t resist - go with the flow. Do Aikido.

Watch this video of Barry Sanders going with the flow.

Step-by-Step

"In the practice of martial arts, follow the principles; in life, follow the path." - Morihei Ueshiba

The best Aikidoists are methodical. Aikido is a very precise martial art. It is kind of like a language of movement. Once our bodies learn the language, then it is like a conversation where the movements of the nage (thrower) and uke (throwee) just flow together. In Japanese, this would be called wachuukyoudou (和衷協同 ) or “a harmonious cooperation.” In Aikido, there is no fighting, struggle, or forcing it - it is just two people moving together. To accomplish this harmony, everything in Aikido needs to be done jun wo otte (順を追って) or “done in order step-by-step.” Everything is done methodically - we don’t just do things to do things. Every step has a reason and fulfills a need. Furuya Sensei said, “Every technique holds a secret.” Thus, it is the student’s job to discover the secret, and this can only be done by not only putting reps on the techniques but also by meticulously following each step. Beginners tend to skip steps. They do this mainly because they think that this is how they acquire speed. The main difference between a beginner and an expert in Aikido is that the expert doesn’t skip any of the steps - they just do them faster. Beginners need to be patient but also methodical. Each step needs its full attention. As we master the steps, speed and power will naturally come. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe once said, “God is in the details.” Someone explained this quote: “It means that when attention is paid to the small things it can have the biggest rewards and that the details matter.” Today, in our fast paced technologically advanced society, it is easy to grasp on to ideas that seem great at the time. We don’t just do things to do things. As martial artists we are always carefully preparing ourselves for the outcomes that we desire. This careful preparation enables us to meet all adversities and adversaries with a sense of calmness and composure. Perhaps that is why the famous Chinese proverb says, “A careful foot can step anywhere.” Technique and skill alone do not lead to victory. It is the strategy, method, and having a systematic approach which lead to victory. In Aikido and in life, we have to follow all the steps and be meticulous in everything that we do.

Today’s goal: Be patient, take your time and follow all steps.

Watch this video of Kyle Carpenter talking about how The Smallest of Steps Completes The Grandest of Journeys

Be Ready

“Prepare for nothing, be ready for everything.” - John Grinder

The best Aikidoists are ready for anything. They have to be ready for anything because they know that they are in control of nothing. Control is just an illusion. We cannot foresee the future, nor can we control other people. So, if we don’t know what is going to happen or what other people will do, we have to be ready for anything. In Japanese, the idiom which means “to be combat ready at all times” is jouzaisenjou (常在戦場). In Aikido, the person who “receives the technique” is called the uke (受け) and roughly 50% of the class, we are taking ukemi or are on the “receiving end of the technique.” When we are taking ukemi we are trying to get to a level where we can receive the technique and move with the person doing the technique and move with spontaneity and appropriateness. In the beginning our ukemi is contrived, stiff, and forced and sometimes we don’t even take the right ukemi for the technique even though we knew the technique that was being executed. Later, as we become more experienced, we can take the proper ukemi smoothly and seamlessly without knowing what the technique was prior to it being done to us. This is something that people who don’t practice Aikido don’t understand. To be thrown and fall smoothly and seamlessly without hesitation and without getting hurt takes a high degree of skill. When our ukemi is good, we can be thrown harder and take more difficult throws. Thus, taking ukemi becomes a metaphor for life: no matter what life throws at us, we have to be ready to receive its chaos with composure and spontaneity. The road of life will always be fraught with unpredictability. One of the great unpleasant truths is that our struggles will always be equal to our level of ability - we only receive what we can handle. Understanding this, instead of trying to control it, we just try to be ready as can be. Miyamoto Musashi said, “The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.” The trained Aikidoist is ready to meet all of life’s challenges with calmness, composure, and spontaneity.

Today’s goal: When things get tough, hang in there - just take ukemi.

Watch this video of Alan Watts talking about spontaneity

Be Lethal

The best martial artists have a lethal mind. A lethal mind is not a mind that is focused on killing. To focus on killing means that a person has “lost their mind” and in Japanese this crazed mindset is called sakki (殺氣) or “bloodlust.” Sakki literally translates as “killing energy.” Lethal or chishi (致死) can mean “deadly” but it also means “capable of causing death.” From a martial arts standpoint, a lethal mind can be associated with killing or harming others, but it really means having a mind which is so serious that it can be “capable of causing death.” Interestingly, in the 16th century lethal meant “causing spiritual death.” But who’s spiritual death are we talking about? If we have learned anything from modern PTSD, the spiritual death that we are causing when we take another’s life is our own. Taking a life is a mortal sin and that is why engaging in a martial art which teaches that skill is supposed to be taken seriously. Shotokan Karate 10th Dan, Mikio Yahara Sensei said, “We are here to practice Budo Karate. But what does Budo Karate mean? It means defeating an opponent with a single strike. If the technique is not strong enough, it is not considered Budo.” In Karate, "to annihilate with a single strike" is referred to as ikken hissatsu (一拳必殺). The only way we can develop a strike strong enough to kill in one blow is to train for it. Miyamoto Musashi said, "It takes 1,000 days to forge the spirit and 10,000 to polish it.” Thus, the strike, cut, or technique takes 1,000 days to learn and 10,000 days to perfect. However, along the way to developing this lethality, we realize that the technique that we are developing isn’t to destroy another person but rather to give them mercy. In the first 1,000 days our technique easily becomes deadly, but it takes another 10,000 days to make it merciful. In the past, it was thought to be inhumane to hack or beat someone to death. It was thought to be merciful to kill one’s opponent with just one cut or strike. The reason for this efficiency is because the samurai viewed their opponents very differently than a person does today. In the past, they thought that the person who faced them was the same as them. They both devoted themselves to their craft as a warrior but, at the same time, they both had the unlucky karma to face each other on the battlefield fighting a war because it was their duty. So, if this person is the same as you and you would want mercy and compassion in your last moment, then you should end this person’s life as quickly and as mercifully as possible. Thus, a samurai trains so that they can be lethal but at the same time merciful. Today, most of us don’t fight in battles or engage in duels but the lethalness still has to be there. Lethalness is a mindset that is so serious that it is capable of causing death, but that lethalness has to be balanced out with mercy and compassion. In everything we do, in the dojo and in life, we have to seek a balance between being lethal and being merciful.      

Today’s goal: Go forward and be lethal but also be merciful.

Click the picture below to watch Yahara Sensei discussing Budo Karate

Be Bold

“Fortune favors the bold.” - Virgil, Roman poet     

The best martial artists are bold but not reckless. Most times, when we think about the difference between being bold or reckless, we only think about the outcome. If someone is successful, then we consider them bold but if they fail, then we think that they were being reckless. To a martial artist, boldness and recklessness are really about one’s level of training and development. A popular Japanese idiom is tandaishinshou (胆大心小) which means “to be bold and courageous, but also careful and meticulous.” This idiom is similar to the legendary basketball coach, John Wooden’s assertion that one should “Be quick but don’t hurry.” Essentially, there is a difference between quickness and hurry just as there is a difference between reckless and bold. Boldness and recklessness both have conviction and passion, but boldness has a sense of structure, planning, and decisiveness. From a martial arts standpoint, the bold martial artist has to be more developed so that they are able to be more decisive and strike just at the right moment. A reckless martial artist needs no training and typically attacks haphazardly out of passion and impetuousness. Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Understanding this, luck is having the ability to do the right thing at the right time. Therefore, there is a higher likelihood of success when we are bold because to be bold a martial artist has built themselves up so that they are able to act appropriately when the time is right. Bold also doesn’t mean to not feel fear, but rather to move in despite being afraid. Thus, there is a sense of composure to a bold martial artist. In the dojo, one way we are unknowingly teaching ourselves boldness is when we practice irimi (入り身) movements. Irimi means to “move forward.” Every time we move forward either into the attack to parry or redirect or when we initiate an attack, we are teaching ourselves how to act boldly. In the beginning, our timing will be off, or we won’t be skillful enough and so we will have to force the technique and so we will appear reckless and most times won’t be successful. Later, with time and training, we become more skillful, and our sense of timing becomes more developed. This preparation enables us to be bold enough to do the right thing at the right time and thus, we are more likely to be successful. Eventually, the boldness we learned in the dojo begins to have an influence on our daily lives and we see this boldness come out in everything we do. In the martial arts and in life, train yourself to be bold enough to meet and overcome any adversity with skill, poise, and meticulousness. A martial artist is bold but is never reckless.

Today’s goal: Go forward and be bold but don’t be reckless.

Watch this video to better understand boldness.

Set no Limits

“Without mountains, we might find ourselves relieved that we can avoid the pain of the ascent, but we will forever miss the thrill of the summit. And in such a terribly scandalous trade-off,
it is the absence of pain that becomes the thief of life.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough

The best martial artist sets no limits. What are you capable of? The normal person has all of these hadome (歯止め) or “self-imposed limits.” A person who studies a martial art is not normal and so they are searching for the outermost limits of what they can do. Thus, to study a martial art is really to study the self and that’s why a martial art is a do (道) or “a way of life.” Martial arts are supposed to be a journey and not a destination but all paths lead somewhere. That somewhere that our journey is leading to is our true selves. Our true self is who we were before we were told that we could not be who we are or achieve what we wanted to achieve. When we study a martial art, we find things that we want to achieve or skills that we want to acquire. The normal person sees something difficult or complicated and thinks, “I can’t do that.” A martial artist sees the same things but thinks, “I can’t do that, yet.” Through time and experience, training teaches us that surmounting obstacles is how we uncover our true selves. Along the way, we find out not only what we are made of, but we also realize that we have infinitely more power than we ever imagined. That is why Morihei Ueshiba believed in masakatsu agatsu (正勝吾勝) or that “the true victory is self victory.” In the martial arts and in life, we are really only held back by two things: fear and the beliefs that what we were conditioned to believe are true. When we challenge those self-limiting beliefs, we realize that most, if not all, were not true at all. How do we challenge them? We challenge them by not giving up when things get hard or seem impossible. It is only by challenging our limits that we see who we really are, what we are made of, and what we can do. Thus, the road to figuring out who we are and what we can do is really just a mind game. Former Navy SEAL, David Goggins came up with the 40% Rule which states, “When our mind is telling us to quit, our body has actually only used up 40% of its potential.” What Goggins is saying is that we quit because we talked ourselves into believing that this is was the end and that we can go no farther. Goggins assertion aligns with the Japanese saying: Sanchunozoku wo yaburu hayasukushinchunozoku wo yaburuhakatashi (山中の賊を破るは易く心中の賊を破るは難し) or "Defeating the bandits in the mountains is easy; defeating the bandit in one's mind is harder.” Novelist James Lane Allen said, “Adversity does not build character—it reveals it. How far can you go? Only as far as you push yourself. Where should you go? Only to the places that scare you. The best martial artists set no limits because they have realized that there are no real limits.

Today’s goal: Wherever you don’t want to go is where you probably should go.

Watch this video to better understand self-limiting beliefs

Uncertainty

"In the face of uncertainty, a martial artist finds strength through adaptability and resilience."
- Gichin Funakoshi

A few days ago, it was the 4th memorial of Michael Stinson’s passing. Michael was a student at our dojo who built our website and newsletter. Lying in bed sick, I had nothing but time to reflect upon his passing. No one actively wants tragedy, disappointments, or difficulties, but they are a part of life. Then I thought that we, as martial arts, have to become comfortable with uncertainty. Thinking about Michael’s passing, I remembered a quote that Furuya Sensei would often say from his Zen master Bishop Kenko Yamashita: “Nandemo omoidori ni ikanai” which means “Nothing goes the way you want it to.” I never fully understood this quote until now because when we begin our martial arts training, it seems like one of the main things that we are striving for is kakujitsu (確実) or “certainty.” After all, every martial art is centered around kata (型) or “a set of predetermined moves.” Practicing these predetermined moves gives us confidence and teaches us how to use our bodies in the most efficient way to address a predetermined attack which kind of sounds like the definition of certainty. One of the kanji characters in the word certainty (実) shows up in swordsmanship where they talk about one’s mindset being reflected in one’s stance or  kyo-jitsu (虚 実). Kyo is an unprepared state of mind and jitsu is a prepared mind. One way of judging if a person has kyo or jitsu is if their stance has a sense of confidence. As beginners, we gain that confidence through our development of certainty. At this stage, we practice the movements so that they can become second nature and we can do them almost mindlessly. Later on in our training, after we have mastered the basic movements, we are supposed to transcend the form or the certainty of the predetermined movements. This is where the Bishop’s assertion comes into play. If we spend too much time forging certainty, then it can create this rigidness in our minds and movements. That is why we have to move past it. If we can move past that certainty or rigidness, then our minds and bodies will have a sense of fluidity and we will be able to calmly and deftly address any attack that is thrown at us. In Aikido, this is called ki no nagare or “the flow of ki.” In a sense, it is embracing the certainty of uncertainty which separates the beginner from the expert. Later on, we take this fluid mindset which can mindfully address any problem and apply it to our daily lives. One thing that Michael’s passing teaches us is that we don’t know for certain how long we will be on this Earth nor do we know how long a person will be in our lives. Understanding this uncertainty, we must strive to be mindful and not waste the time that we have with each other. That is why they say, “every moment and every person is precious.” In the martial arts and in life, nothing happens as we like and that’s why the best martial artists are preparedly unprepared to accept the certainty of the uncertainty of life.

Today’s goal: Don’t be so certain that there will be a tomorrow.

Watch this video to better understand uncertainty.

Appreciate Life

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the Spanish language magazine El Budoka. Translated by Santiago Garcia Almaraz Sensei. Read it here: La Atencion Plena

“A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dreams.” - Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure

The end of year always reminds me of the fragility of life. Maybe it is the cold or maybe it is the changing of the year. Regardless, it is easy throughout the year to think that we have time, and that life will never end. Experienced practitioners of Budo know that life is tenuous and through their training, they learn how to appreciate life.

About 15 years ago, I was approached to appear on an episode of the TV show, 1000 Ways to Die. In the interview, a producer asked me, “Why do the samurais love death?” I replied, “A samurai does not love death and in fact, a samurai learns how to live by appreciating the eventuality of their death.” That is not what they wanted to hear and thus, I did not get the part.

This TV show propagated one of the most popular misconceptions about the samurai - that they glorified death. The producers were not alone, and it seems completely logical that a person who engages in violence would somehow love it. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. The samurai were actually a sad lot who found themselves employed to do what society deems to be its most abhorrent act - killing. In fact, Japanese society thinks of blood or dead bodies as impure substances and thus anyone handling them would be deemed “unclean.” Regardless of the context of their job, a samurai does what needs to be done, but that doesn’t mean that they have to like it, let alone love it.

A samurai’s vocation dealt with death and dying but somehow, they learned how to live by accepting the fact that they were going to die. One way they could have done this was by engaging in mindfulness which is brought about by the act of appreciation.

Mindfulness is defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment.” However, being mindful is easier said than done. One cannot just wish to be mindful or just say that they are in a state of mindfulness. Mindfulness is something that has to be cultivated and practiced.

One hint about how to achieve mindfulness could come from a quote by The Buddhist monk Takuan Soho. Takuan was an advisor to the prolific swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Takuan said, “Sever the edge between before and after.”

The interval between before and after that Takuan is possibly talking about is this one moment. If we cleave off the moments before and chop off the idea that there will be moments afterwards then we are left with just this one moment. The past moments can attach themselves to the present moment, but they can be thought of as illusions that may or may not have even happened. The future moments cannot be predicted thus they are merely also just illusions. In a sense, those moments before and after this single moment are not tangible and thus, we cannot be certain that those moments ever really existed or will ever come into fruition. Understanding this, we come to realize that as human beings, we are only guaranteed this moment.

To understand appreciation we can look at the Japanese concept of mono no aware (物の哀れ) or being able to “appreciate the fleeting nature of beauty.” An author on osusumebooks.com referred to mono no aware as “an awareness of the impermanence of things, and the powerful emotions that stirs within us. A sad kind of beauty, or pathos, from our awareness of both the transient lives we lead and the moments contained in them.” When we realize that we are going to die, we see the beauty in living. There is a great quote from the movie Troy that basically sums up mono no aware. Achilles says, “The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed.” Therefore, there is a beauty in knowing that we are going to die if we can only see it as such.

With this thinking, every day in class, we are closer to mindfulness and appreciation than we know it. In the Japanese martial arts, we say, “rei ni hajimari, rei ni owaru” (礼に始まり礼に終わる) which means “Everything begins and ends with respect.” Every day, we bow to thank our partners. This act of giving respect is nothing more than showing someone our appreciation. The secret is that the act of appreciation enables us to savor the moment because to engage in appreciation can only happen when we are mindful. That is why the martial arts are way more than just a method to kill people. True martial arts teach us how to live. That is why Rev. Kensho Furuya used to say, “true budo does not kill” or “shinmu fusatsu” (真武不殺).

When something is precious to us, we learn to appreciate it. Actively stopping to appreciate something gives us that moment back. The year is almost over but our lives might not be. Death is just means to an end. Living is hard work. That is why the Japanese say, seihakatakushihayasushi (生は難く死は易し) or “living is difficult; dying is easy.”

A good martial artist, like a samurai, knows how to live because they appreciate that they are going to die. Therefore, they savor this moment. We are only guaranteed this one. There is still time left in 2023. Don’t waste it. Appreciate it.

Support

“Fellow samurai must support each other. We are never so keenly grateful for the kindness
of others as when we have fallen on hard times.” - Oishi, The Loyal 47 Ronin

All we can do is support others on their journey. In the martial arts, progress is accomplished by jiriki (自力) or “by our own power.” Thus, the journey of the martial arts is supposed to be a singular pursuit because no one can do our work for us. However, from time to time, we all need a little bit of sentoushien (戦闘支援) or “combat support.” When thinking about support, I love this quote in the 1958 movie, The Loyal 47 Ronin. In this scene, the 47 Ronin are trying to secretly move their weapons cache so that they can take their revenge. While moving through territories, a high-ranking samurai of another clan catches the main character Oishi Kuranosuke in a lie while examining his papers. When he is caught in his deception, Oishi immediately apologizes and explains the situation. Hearing about Oishi and the other ronin’s plight to regain their honor, the samurai in charge lets them go and gives them safe passage through his territory. Hearing the verdict and being overcome with emotion, Oishi says, “Fellow samurai must support each other. We are never so keenly grateful for the kindness of others as when we have fallen on hard times.” This scene illustrates that although our journeys are solitary, we all need help.  The question one should ask is “How much support should we give?” It is tough to strike the right balance because too much support can create dependance while too little support can create undue hardship. In the martial arts, two things that we are trying to cultivate in our techniques are timing and restraint. Timing is to do the right thing at the right time. Restraint is being able to apply the right amount of power which is appropriate for the situation. The same applies in teaching. In class, teachers should think about timing and restraint in not only what they teach but in how they teach it and be mindful of the appropriateness of their corrections. In giving support, it is easy to overdo it because we intensely want people to accomplish their goals. However, we should always err on the side of balance by first keeping in mind healthy boundaries. Secondly, we should always put the ownness of change on the person who wants the change and not do the work for them. To do this, be mindful of this old Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” This proverb leads us back to the idea that helping people in the martial arts and in life should be done with just enough support so as they can still do it by their “own power.” This way the realizations and changes are their own and they learn to stand on their own two feet. We can’t do the work for anyone other than ourselves and so all we can really do is support others on their journey.   

Today’s goal: Don’t forget to be kind and lend a helping hand because every person is suffering.

Watch this video to better understand support

The Process

A good martial artist focuses on the process rather than the outcome. Most martial arts are a do (道) like Karate-do, Judo, or Aikido. Do means “way.” With this understanding, the study of a martial art is a journey. However, many mistake studying a martial art as a means to an outcome and that outcome is typically centered around winning or losing. Seeing things this way, creates a win-loss mentality where everything is either a win or a loss with nothing in between. Focusing on winning or losing is part of the journey but it is just a momentary stop. It can become pathological and turn into a bad habit if we stay in this mindset too long because constant winning or constantly focusing on winning breeds ego and causes the winner to become short sighted. The monk Shunryu Suzuki said, “In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.” People tend to think that Suzuki Sensei’s quote means that the expert is able to bare down and focus on the one thing which leads them to success. However, this quote is in support of having a shoshin (初心) or “beginner’s mind.” In the beginning, a student has wonderment and is in awe of the vastness of the art. Later, they become jaded and lose sight of all the things which initially drew them to the art. Therefore, what this quote is alluding to is that a person with an expert’s mentality or, in this case, a person who focuses solely on winning can get tunnel vision and begin to overlook the little things. As human beings, we tend to think in terms of black or white and with a winning or losing mindset, we tend to think that when we win, all things that have happened were good or are “wins.” When we lose, we tend to think that all of things we did were bad and are “losses.” This thinking is too shortsighted, and we lose the perspective that even though the outcome was a loss, there still might be things that went well in the process. Focusing on the outcome can be self-centered because we think things are happening to “us” and thus we take it personally. When we focus on the process, we can see other things and people and see all the steps which led up to this moment which may or may not have gone well regardless of the outcome. For instance, the other day, two students did something which resulted in a loss of money. My initial response was to get angry. However, when I sat back and examined the process, I realized that both of these people were doing something to be nice to other people. Therefore, it was a good deed regardless of the outcome. Because I was able to look at the process, I was able to not make it personal and see that there was good even though the result was bad. In today’s society, many are caught up with being a “winner” but this creates an all or nothing mentality where everything will be either a win or a loss. This mentality only contributes to our suffering because like most things in the martial arts and in life there are no absolutes. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet says, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Therefore, nothing is totally 100% good or bad. A good martial artist is able to understand this and thus they try to examine every aspect to see what works or didn’t work regardless of the outcome. When we focus on the process, we can see much more than just ourselves.

Today’s goal: Don’t make it personal. Try to see farther than yourself.

Watch this video of Seth Godin to better understand the process.

Hope

A good martial artist never loses hope. Hope is “an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.” A few of the words for “hope” in Japanese have the character (光) for light in them. For instance, one way to say “hope” is koumyou (光明). Interestingly, koumyou also means “bright light.” Koumyou is also a Buddhist term for “the light which emanates from the Buddha” which symbolizes wisdom and compassion.” Conversely, when “we lose hope,” the Japanese say menomaegamakkuraninaru (目の前が真っ暗になる) which means “to be plunged into darkness.” Hope from this standpoint can be thought of as our inner light which guides us through the dark times. Hope may be an emotion, but it is also teachable. Thus, one of the many things that martial arts training teaches us is how to deal with discouragement. All martial arts are skill-based and as we build those skills, we are confronted with frustration and discouragement. If we tease the process out: we are shown something, we try it, we are horrible at it, we become frustrated and/or discouraged, we keep practicing, and with patience and practice, we eventually master it. In between each of those steps is hope. Someone once said, “When the world says ‘Give Up,’ Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’” With hope, we realize that there is still a chance that we may prevail and that is what keeps us going. Long ago, I had a client who had a very sunny disposition and always had a smile on his face. Whenever he entered the room, he always greeted everyone, and the mood of the room always lifted. One day, he learned that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The next time I saw him, he had lost all of his light and within only one month, he died - he had lost all hope. Furuya Sensei said, “To be discouraged is a part of training.” It is not only a part of training, but a huge part of life as well. At every stage of one’s training, no matter if we are a student or teacher, every person becomes discouraged at some point. What separates a martial artist from a normal person is that we have learned to be hopeful because we have experienced frustrations and setbacks before and have surmounted them. Later on, on the actual battlefield or on the battlefield of life, when things get bad, the student can look back upon their past difficult situations and remember how hope carried them through. That hope then becomes the light that guides them out. That is why teachers shouldn’t be too discouraging or make the learning process too frustrating. In the old days of martial arts training, discouragement was one the teacher’s main teaching tools. It was thought that a student should have “thick skin” because having thick skin was thought to be the precursor to developing mental toughness. I would argue that the thing that we are really learning in the martial arts is how to never give up no matter how hard it gets. Therefore, the true key to mental toughness is our ability to never lose hope and never give up.

Today’s goal: “If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” — Banksy

Watch this video from Ted Lasso to better understand hope.

Acceptance

“A falling leaf does not hate the wind.” - Zatoichi

The best martial artists have learned acceptance. Acceptance in psychology is “a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) that is a fait accompli without attempting to change it or protest it.” In Zen Buddhism, acceptance can be thought of as heijoshin (平常心) or the “peaceful mind.” Heijoshin is thought of as the state that we were born with before we “learned” to be disturbed by the ways of the world. In Japanese, “acceptance” is teinen (諦念) but it can also mean “spiritual awakening.” Therefore, we can think that by learning acceptance, our minds can become awakened. In the martial arts, acceptance looks like movement that is powerful but also graceful. In Aikido, to move single-mindedly with smoothness and power is called ki no nagare (氣の流れ) or “the flow of ki.” In the beginning of our training, we address attacks with our bodies. At this stage, we cannot move smoothly because we get caught up in addressing the attack physically while simultaneously trying to memorize the movements. This causes us to “force” the movements and everything looks kind of blocky and out of sync. With time and reps on the technique, our movements begin to smooth out. After we have memorized the movements, we can begin to address the attacks with our minds. This is where our movements really start to smooth out. To address attacks with our minds, we have to first see them without any type of emotion or baggage that we place upon them. Adding emotion, causes us to react mindlessly rather than act mindfully and thus it can change how we move. Writer Anaïs Nin said, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” If Nin’s assertion is true, then we are looking at attacks, people, and situations in a skewed manner. When a person moves to strike us, our first reaction is typically fear or anger. We react in these ways because we take the attack personally and because it is personal, it activates us emotionally which could cause us to move incorrectly. To accept things as they are is to see things without placing any emotional baggage upon them. If we can look upon the attack unemotionally, then we can begin to move unencumberedly. In swordsmanship, to move unemotionally is called seichu no do, do chu no sei (靜中動 動中靜) or “movement in calmness, calmness in movement.” Learning to accept things as they are is mindset and perhaps this is why Miyamoto Musashi’s first principle in his Dokkodo or the supposed 21 rules he lived by was “Accept things as they are.” Attacks are perpetrated by human beings. Human beings are deeply complicated and complex beings who often do things not because it is personal to us but because they are suffering. Perhaps Carl Jung knew this and that is why he said, "Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” When we can accept who we are, then we no longer search for blame, engage in victimhood, or fight against others. Thus, acceptance is a mindset. Learning to accept things as they are can enable us to move mindfully and appropriately but it can also help us to live happier and healthier lives. That is why the best martial artists have learned acceptance.

Today’s goal: “The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your own two feet.” - Shunryu Suzuki, Soto Zen monk

Watch this video by Chris Do to better understand acceptance.

Stay Vertical

“Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment.” - Morihei Ueshiba

All martial artists strive to stay vertical. In the beginning of Wong Kar Wai's movie, The Grandmaster, Kung-fu master Ip Man discusses the ethos of the martial arts and says, “Kung Fu, two words, horizontal-vertical. Make a mistake - horizontal. Stay standing and you win.” To me, Ip Man’s quote distills down what all martial artists are striving to do - live another day. If we can wake up, stand up, and fight another day, then on a certain level we have won. I once read that some 150,000 people die every day worldwide. So, if we are alive, then we are one of the lucky ones. If we are in fact one of the lucky ones, then what should we do with the opportunity that we have? Someone once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” To stand for something means to have purpose. I firmly believe that everyone has a purpose. With that being said, I also believe that most people are unaware of their life’s purpose. Some people are lucky and find their life’s purpose by happenstance, but for the rest of us, it requires a lot of trial and error. A martial artist may or may not know their life’s purpose, but they know how to find it. To study a martial art is to practice the art of incremental improvement. One way to understand this is based upon the Japanese concept of monozukuri (物作り) or the “craftsman’s mindset.” Monozukuri is a mindset, spirit, or philosophy of striving toward perfection - "striving" being the operative word, since perfection is not a destination but a journey. One thing that martial arts training teaches us is to have ichinen (一念) or "determined purpose.” Every day, when students and teachers show up to class, they should have something that they are consciously and mindfully working to perfect - this is a determined purpose. They should have a question that they are trying to answer to make themselves incrementally better. This quandary is what guides our training and helps us to make the best use of our time. For instance, let’s say that the last time you were in class, you bumped your head while being thrown. After class, you asked a senior student, and they showed you what you were doing wrong. The next day, you would purposefully try to be mindful of that nuance so that you could use it to perfect your roll. Having the mindfulness of determined purpose helps us to get good at a martial art. Later, we apply that same mindful awareness to other aspects of our lives outside the dojo and this is where training and life start to crossover. Viktor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” A martial artist understands this and that is why they are people of purpose and strive to stay vertical.

Today’s goal: As St. Jerome said, “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best.”

Watch the opening scene from Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster