The best martial artists always do the right thing at the right time. In Japanese, tadashiiokonai (正しい行い) means “to conducting oneself properly” or “to do the right thing.” Furuya Sensei would often say, “Always act as if your teacher is watching.” When our teacher is watching, we act appropriately and thus by acting “as if your teacher is watching” supposes that we would continue to act appropriately in their absence. This March 6th will mark the 16th year since Furuya Sensei passed away. When your teacher passes away, it becomes a final exam of sorts. It is the final exam because the teacher is no longer there to teach us directly and how we conduct ourselves going forward demonstrates whether or not we got all the information they were teaching. In other words, it is like taking a final exam but one that lasts for the rest of our lives. In addition to proper technique, a good teacher is also supposed to instill a sense of propriety in their students. Touhi (当否) or “propriety” is the ability to act appropriately regardless of the circumstance. Interestingly, when you take apart the word touhi, tou (当) can mean “to hit” and hi (否) means “to decline.” Thus, propriety can be thought of as the ability to have “restraint” or“Just because you can hit someone, you probably shouldn’t.” When our teacher is alive or present, they bring a sense of “borrowed decorum” or tatasu (立たす) which means that they “help us to stand up” properly or enable us to make use of their level of quality or ability as we develop our own. To develop our own sense of propriety takes time and is difficult because when the teacher is not present, we tend to revert back to our former selves. However, with training and dedication, we learn to tatsutoriato wo nigosazu (立つ鳥跡を濁さず) which translates as, “The water stands still after a bird takes flight” but it means to have the ability “to do the right thing.” When the teacher is no longer with us, we honor them by continuing to do the right thing at the right time no matter what happens. People who study the martial arts are supposed to have integrity. Integrity is the junction between who we say we are and our actions. Essentially, it is who we are when no one is watching. It is hard to act appropriately because to do the right thing when no one is looking requires that we have self-discipline. Sensei understood this dilemma and that’s why he suggested that we “Always act as if your teacher is watching.” Now that Sensei is gone, I can honestly tell you that this is something that I think about every day, and it helps to frame every one of my decisions. For instance, a few months ago, I was in Spain, and someone fell down behind me. As I heard the sound, I turned around and was moving to help them before I even knew what was happening. Afterwards, I asked myself, “Did I act out of conditioning or is this my true nature?” I don’t really know but what I do know is that before that lady hit the ground, I was already en route without thinking - the training just kicked in. The other day in swordsmanship class, Watanabe Sensei said, “Proper grip usually means proper posture and a balanced center which will enable us to create the proper attack.” Thinking about this, propriety is what enables us to become successful regardless of what we are doing. The path to success is fraught with distractions and obstacles. The easiest way to do the right thing is to just act as if our teachers are watching. That is why the best martial artists always do the right thing at the right time.
Today’s goal: Who are you when no one is watching?
Watch this video of Furuya Sensei discussing the benefits of Aikido training