An ominous opponent we will all face in our training is our own selfishness.
The virtues of budo are thought to be: Righteousness (Gi 義), Courage (Yu 勇), Benevolence (Jin 仁), Respect (Rei 礼), Honor (Meiyo 名誉), Honesty (Makoto 誠), and Loyalty (Chugi 忠実).
When we examine each of these martial tenets, we can see a common thread - selfishness. The thing that all martial arts training is trying to train out of us is selfishness. A righteous person cannot be a selfish person. It is difficult to be courageous when we only think of ourselves. It is impossible to be benevolent when we are self-absorbed. To truly be respectful, we cannot be self-centered. One’s honor are the rules by which one lives their lives in accordance with others and not above them. An egocentric person cannot be honest. It is interesting that loyalty is the final quality because loyalty is the ultimate test of one’s selfishness. When the time comes, will we choose ourselves over what it is we say, what it is we believe or who we have pledged ourselves to. Generally the first six principles can be subverted or justified, but loyalty is one of those things that is or is not.
As we train, we are confronted with each one of these virtues. Some are lessons while others are merely tests. Training teaches us to learn to let go of ourselves or the desire to be egotistical. The biggest barriers in one’s training is to let go of these three “ideas” of the self: “I think,” “I know,” and “I am.” Each one of these is rooted in the ego and thus selfishness. Train yourself to be a righteous person who lives a life of honesty, respect and kindness so that when the time comes you can act with courage and show your true loyalty.