Health Benefits of Karate Do Training (Continued) 心 Mind, 体 Body, (人の) 精神 Spirit

(Photo taken from meditationcommunity.wordpress.com )

Mind, Body, and Spirit
心 Shin, Mind, 体 Tai, Body and 精神 Seishin, Spirit these are the three things that I have felt grow as I have continued my Karate Do training from a young boy of 10 through adolescence and into adulthood. In this post I would like to continue to explain what I mean by Mind, Body, and Spirit. As you read these posts, please try to apply the techniques that we have learned to deepen our understanding of the Kanji presented and contemplate your own interpretation relating to your unique situation and experiences.

 

As I stated at the end of my last post:

I would like to talk more about the mind and body connection as well as address a statement I made when I started this series that Karate Do can offer us a "map" or an outline to healthy living in three main areas: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. I realize that this is a very heavy statement to make and I am aware that I need to back it up with fact. I am working on how to verbalize the experiences I have had and the feelings they have caused within me. Both the experiences and the feelings shaped my growth, as I am sure they have shaped yours.

 

The above paragraph is how I ended my last post, as you may remember. Since then I have been really thinking specifically about how to provide you with an adequate definition of the term 'Spiritual' as this seems to be the most personal and the hardest to define. Attwood & Attwood (2014) discuss spiritualism in their book Your Hidden Riches and they also provide a definition for the term spiritual that, I feel, can be applied to how I intended to use it in the Karate Do context. They state that, "Every accomplishment requires steps that are physical, mental, and, yes, spiritual (defining spiritual as whatever you are most devoted to and truly revere)" (p. 82). Indeed our Karate Do journey is defined by our accomplishments; As practitioners of Karate Do, the inner journey that we are on is one that reveals more to us with each step we take and it is a very personal journey indeed. It requires great physical and mental effort to pursue our training goals, but we still thirst for more, so much so that we "devote" ourselves to our training in ways that make others sometimes shake their heads. But, we keep going to the Dojo and submit ourselves to the sweat and the pain and the fatigue because we all believe, deep down in our souls, that we are becoming better people on multiple planes through our training. We actually, as my Sensei, Michael Delaney pointed out on a number of occasions, "humble ourselves to our training" and when we reach this point, I believe, spiritual growth occurs. I further believe that we all have the potential to accomplish our life goals through our studies and training in Karate Do the physical and mental tools that we possess become evident to us and as we continue our training these tools become polished and sharpened.

Getting Back on Track, Another Post on Courtesy in the Martial Arts

I would like to clear up something regarding my last post which may have been a little provocative. I want to make it clear that my intention was not to suggest that every Japanese family leaves all responisibilities of parenting to the teacher but rather show that, in my experience here, the school is more integrated into the family dynamic than my experience in North America. I admit, I got a little off topic and I would like to get back on track with this blog.

I would like to share with you a story about a situation I found myself in shortly after coming to Kumamoto. I was put in a difficult spot and needed to act quickly in order to make a good 第一印象 Dai Ichi Insho, A Good First Impression. This story is much more in keeping with the theme of this blog.

I had been working at the 西合志役場 Nishigoshi Yakuba, The Town Office in Nishigoshi in the deptartment of the board of education for a few Months and had gotten to know most of the staff in other departments as well. One staff memeber appraoched me at a staff party one night and told me that he practices 合気道 Aikido, I had practiced Aikido only a few times in 北海道 Hokkaido while I was studying there but, noticed many similarities to the applications of 千唐流空手道の分解 Chito-Ryu no Bunkai. (Bunkai are the practical applications of offensive and defensive techniques commonly found in kata which are broken down an practiced as self-defense techniques) He asked me if I would like to join his class someday and I said I would like to very much. A few more Months rolled by and I never heard back from him. I thought he had forgotten or maybe it was just a kind gesture that he made but never really intended to follow through with, a concept known as 本意と建前 Honne to Tatemae, Showing and hiding One's true intentions. (This is a huge topic that demands its own blog post. Therefore, I will discuss this in detail later)

Courtesy in the Karate Do Context

The ongoing theme of manners and respect are and will continue to be prevalent throughout this blog as good manners are of the utmost importance in Japanese martial arts. Ginchin Funakoshi Sensei (founder of 松濤館Shoto-kan Karate Do) stated that, “Karate Do begins and ends with courtesy.” This statement is very profound and in fact courtesy can be found in every aspect of most traditional styles of Karate Do. From the way one enters and leaves the 道場 Dojo, Training Hall, to the way a 空手家 Karate Ka, Practitioner of Karate Do conducts themselves in the course of their daily life, ‘Courtesy’ can be found in every breath and every action of intent. 

 

It is believed by many that acting in such a way brings honour to the individual. However, during my time in Japan, it seems to me that people don’t perform this kind of genuine courtesy in order to bring honour to themselves, but rather because it is natural for them to act in that specific manner in the given situation. This may bring honour to their community, Dojo, and their Snesei but, make no mistake, their courteous actions are not, in any way, performed to draw attention to themselves.

 

Furthermore, In my experience, showing proper manners through specific etiquette is a requirement for effective communication in Japan. So much so in fact, that different speech patterns were developed in the language to demonstrate this in everyday dealings with each other (see previous blog on Keigo). This concept of courtesy in daily life is known as 礼儀作法 Reigi Sahou, The Application of Courtesy. More accurately, the first two kanji mean Courtesy and the last two kanji mean Manners or Etiquette. When placed together they mean the practice of 'good' manners through courteous actions. In his book, ‘Bushido the Soul of Japan; An Exposition of Japanese Thought’ (1909) Nitobe Inazo discusses the many aspects of Japanese courtesy in the Budo context. It is a bit of a difficult read but I highly recommend it to any serious Karate Ka. In fact, over half of the book is dedicated to things such as Politeness, Sincerity, Honour and Self-control all of which are connected to Courtesy. Through out the text which is a collection of letters and essays Nitobe compares Eastern and Western philosophies on these subjects and reflects on them in detail.

the Teacher / Student Relationship

Introduction

As an educator and Instructor of Karate Do I feel it is important to consider the teacher / student relationship in order to better understand Karate Do on an even deeper level.  At the heart of every style of Karate Do lays the common philosophy of 文武両道 Bun Bu Ryou Do, the importance of excelling in both literary and military art (This is a concept that deserves its own post. Therefore, I will not discuss it in great detail in this post). I just want to point out that the majority of the martial arts in Japan place a unique emphasis on the development of the mind and the body, this is true of Karate Do as well.

 

Relationships

Every experience in our lives is an extension of a relationship. Even when we experience something alone it is still an extension of our relationship with nature or with the event itself. Therefore, we must consider the fact that our relationships with others greatly affect our experiences. This is especially true in Karate Do. The teacher student relationship in the Karate Do context is a very unique relationship that can sometimes become very complicated but, when all of the conditions are right and the level of understanding among those in the relationship is mutual this can be a very fulfilling relationship where both the student and the teacher enjoy physical, mental, and spiritual growth as a direct result of their unique relationship.

 

Forgive me for stating the obvious but, in order to develop a good relationship on any level with anyone else it is very important to begin with listening and continuing to listen as the relationship develops (See my previous post ‘Listening is the Key’). We are capable of listening and not hearing and at the same time we often hear things even when we are not listening. But, the key is to “listen with the intent to hear.”

There is a famous saying that is well-known world-wide, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I wish to suggest here that this statement should not be taken literally. That is to say, the 'teacher' who will 'appear' is not always a person dressed in a suit and tie who will, like an advice genie, magically appear suddenly, when you are ready and in need, to tell you what to do and guide you through the rough patches or by becoming your mentor after you have fulfilled the basic requirements. Although this is sometimes true, some times the teacher is not a person at all. Rather, the teacher could be an experience or an event that opens our eyes to new possibilities or expands our awareness. Growth like this in an individual thing that can only occur when that person is ‘ready’. Perhaps, it is someone or maybe even something that has always been there but we just couldn’t see it until we recognized it. We couldn't see it because we couldn’t comprehend the importance of that presence and how it could influence our life until. Once it is in plain sight, it we can learn from it or them. I think we have all felt this at one point or another in our lives.

Approaching Respect, Honorifics, Titles, and Rnaks in Karate Do (Part 3)

I realize that I promised some examples of practical Keigo in my previous posts and didn't deliver. To be honest with you, this topic is nowhere near a simple one  and while writing it, it has become even more clear to me that there is no simple and easy way to present the information to you. I am afraid that this will take a lot more than 3 short posts to explain fully. More likely, I foresee this this being an ongoing theme of this blog. I will however, try to provide you with an outline of Keigo in this post and go into more detail regarding the Teacher Student relationship in the next post.

 

Any of you who have studied any language formally will know that it is not fun at all. Using language however, can be a great deal of fun. I often tell my students that language should never be limited to paper because on paper language is boring. It is how people use language that makes it exciting. In this way language comes alive through us. In this post I will outline the three kinds of keigo and give some generic examples to illustrate how each form is used. I will also try to explain the intent with which we should use them. If our intent is pure and honest our mistakes will be taken for what they are and we will be given opportunities to learn from them. Remember, it is not just the words themselves but how we use them that affects those around us the deepest.

With this in mind I would like to introduce the three kinds of keigo to you. But, I do have to warn you, on paper this is very boring!

 

Introducing the Levels of Keigo
The Japanese language accommodates several levels of politeness through different verb endings as well as using alternative words and expressions. It should be noted that there are three general levels of politeness, which are expressed through different kinds of speech. “The levels correspond to colloquial, polite, and honorific situations" (Rozek, 2010).

 

Outlining the Kinds of Keigo
Rozek (2010) discusses three types of keigo and how they are used specifically. An out line of this is provided below:
1. Referring to others politely is called 尊敬語  Sonkeigo, this is respectful language used to refer to actions by people of a higher social class than you. Common examples of this would be expressions used in the customer service industry. This can also be seen in the Dojo when juniors are talking with seniors and students to Sensei.

2. Speaking about yourself; referring to you and those close to you such as family members and co-workers (inner-circle members) in a humble way is called 丁寧語 Teineigo, this is polite language that is not limited by the ‘lateral up / down relationships’. In Japan, there is a concept known as the 家 Ie or 内 Uchi which refers to any body's family, company including co-workers, or close circle of friends; the 'inner-circle'.

3. The third type of keigo is called 謙譲語  Kenjyogo. This is humble language used when referring to your own actions. It has two parts and is probably the most difficult one for North Americans to understand and or accept. It involves degrading yourself and those close to you (listed in number 2) and putting others and those close to them on a kind of metaphoric ‘pedestal’ effectively, intentionally lowering your 'social status' and elevating theirs.

2nd Post 諦めない Never Give Up & Follow Through

Since writing my first post, ‘自己紹介 Self-Introduction’ I have been wondering where to start my story and in what order to present the information that I have gathered over the years. What I really want to do in this blog is shed some light on the difficult concepts of Japanese culture that are deeply rooted in Karate Do and have strong ties to Confucius teachings from Chinese classic texts. But, I know I can’t just jump right into all of that. We need to build up to it. So, I would like to try to accomplish a few things in this follow up blog. Of course, I want to get and keep your attention as I introduce one Japanese term that I feel is very important in Karate Do training. Therefore I have decided to tell you about an experience that had a profound impact on my life. It happened, as many important life lessons do, at the 道場 Dojo, Tarditional Japanese Training Hall.

I was about 15 or 16 years old and ready to test for my 一級 Ikky 1^st Kyu (Brown Belt). This is, as many of you reading know well, the rank just before 初段 Shodan 1^st Degree Black Belt and in Dojo like ours it is a very important step. Delaney Sensei took this phase in a Karate Ka (practitioners) training very seriously. I still remember him saying to me, as well as others at the time that “you cannot pass your brown belt test if they (the grading committee) can’t already see you as a black belt someday.” I took this to mean that one must be serious about their future commitment to training in order to even attempt testing for 1^st Kuy but this was not a problem for me because by this time I was very eager to learn all that I could. To me, about 5 years into my training I couldn’t picture my life without Karate Do in it.

I still talk about this experience with my students because I feel that it is an important lesson that can give us some valuable hints on what perseverance really is, really the one core and common lesson in all Karate Do training…

 

When teaching my students about potential and possibilities I often show them a blank page in a book and an empty cup. I ask them what they see and then ask them what these two things have in common. The answer is that they both possess unlimited and unique potential and possibilities. Their potential and the possibilities for their use are only limited by us. Understanding this changes everything. This is how we must be when we come to Japan empty of pride and ego and full of potential and possibilities.

 As you can see, and, if you have trained for any length of time I am sure you already know, that Karate Do training develops more than just a strong fighting body that can take and give a hit. It also fosters something I like to call a ‘silent strength’ some people have referred to this as a ‘relentless’ spirit; relentless in the fact that one who truly understands the way of Karate, the Mitchi / Do in the title of this blog and not just the Jutsu, will never quit, never give up no matter what the task may be. The concept of continuing something whether it is a challenge, a personal matter, or work related, whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual in nature, it may be said that a longtime practitioner of Karate Do has an advantage over someone who has not practiced Karate Do if they are given the same task because the Karate Ka has developed this ‘relentless spirit’. At the same time it is not a display or a call for attention. It comes down to just simply doing the work until it is completed. Because of our countless hours of training and the repetitive practice of basics a Karate Ka is able to understand the true power of this silent strength. Furthermore, understanding the ‘code’ of (和と忍) Wa to Nin “peace through perseverance” we are less likely to quit half way through any endeavor that we devout ourselves to.

 I believe that this is the definition of the term (諦めない) Akiramenai (諦め) Akirame means abandonment or renunciation adding the (ない) which is a negative meaning ‘don’t’ or ‘not to’ in this case changes the meaning to a positive one ‘Don’t give up’ or ‘Don’t abandon the task at hand’.

 I often hear Japanese Sensei saying this to their students and I often use this phrase myself. Every time I hear these words I am reminded of a situation that I found myself in as a young student at the Atlantic Karate Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. I was 16 years old and going to test for my 1^st kyu (brown belt). It was the middle of August and very hot in the dojo that night. Delaney Sensei intentionally kept all of the windows shut for the duration of the training. There were literally puddles of sweat on the floor.