I would like to move on to other topics, but before I do please let me say that I am very happy with the fact that this blog has sparked so many conversations among Karateka all over the world. Coming together and sharing ideas and experiences is exactly what I wanted this to facilitate. I have received a lot of positive feedback since I started this writing late last year. Some have even told me that this blog has been inspirational, motivating them to resume training after time off due to injury. I am humbled by the fact that this blog is speaking to so many people in such a personal way.
I do not consider myself to be an expert in any particular field, but my experiences here in Japan have lead me to pursue a career in education. My passion for Karate Do combined with my experience in the education system here has provided me with many unique opportunities to learn and grow. What I really want to do is share some of these experiences with you. Even if the posts do not help you directly, I do hope that they can facilitate meaningful conversations within the Karate Do community.
This most recent topic is continuing to teach me so much as it has caused me to research Eastern and Western philosophies more deeply. I have to admit, I feel like I have waded into very deep waters talking about 'spirituality' and I realize that, in doing so, I may become a target for criticism. But, I am confident that the ripples sent out from this topic will reach many people and the discussions that will take place as a result will be positive because my intentions are pure and I want nothing more than to learn.
It is hard to put into words, many of the things that I have and continue to experience here. As I said in my very first post, 紹介 Introduction, "Japan is the furthest a young boy from Nova Scotia can go in this world" not just geographically, but also culturally. I am doing my best to verbalize these experiences. However, on this topic especially, I don't think that my experiences carry enough weight to illustrate or define the process of 'spiritual growth' within the context of Karate Do. Therefore, I would like to ask Sensei here in Japan and around the world about their spiritual journey in Karate Do. I hope that the question is not too personal for people to talk about, although, I completely understand if it is.
In the near future, I would like to interview some of the people whom I have close relationships with here to share their views on this subject. I hope that those of you who are searching for answers will do so, too. I will not attempt to define all of these terms. I would prefer to let the professionals and etymological scholars do that, but I will try to illustrate them with the experiences I have had here in Japan and frame the conversations more appropriately in future posts.
Recently, I found a link to an old TV program by Alan Watts, considered by some to be an authority on Eastern and Western Philosophies. In this particular program, he is talking about the Zen Buddhist term the often translated as the "void." But, he says something that I think mirrors the point that I am trying to make in the discussion on spiritual growth. He says, "When trying to explain things like this, the funny thing is, it can't be explained because it has to be felt. Because it is a transformation of one's basic feeling, one's basic consciousness of life" (1959). While I don't agree with some of the things he says in this program and it is quite obvious by the way he handles the 刀 Katana, Sword that he has no martial training, I still feel that he articulates some very important points well and that the program is worth a viewing.
Furthermore, I feel like I am experiencing similar transformations to those of which he speaks. Living in Japan has caused me to monitor my own thoughts and actions to a much higher degree than that which we would do while we are residing within our native culture. The process of residing outside of our native environment, forces us to examine and scrutinize more carefully what thought processes we may be 'privileging'. Thought processes that may be inappropriate remnants that we are bringing from our native culture paradigms, therefore, become much more obvious. This awareness alters our state of consciousness causing changes in our fundamental beliefs. Please take a look at the link to Alan Watts if you are interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PFxAiVwfis
I do not consider myself to be an expert in any particular field, but my experiences here in Japan have lead me to pursue a career in education. My passion for Karate Do combined with my experience in the education system here has provided me with many unique opportunities to learn and grow. What I really want to do is share some of these experiences with you. Even if the posts do not help you directly, I do hope that they can facilitate meaningful conversations within the Karate Do community.
This most recent topic is continuing to teach me so much as it has caused me to research Eastern and Western philosophies more deeply. I have to admit, I feel like I have waded into very deep waters talking about 'spirituality' and I realize that, in doing so, I may become a target for criticism. But, I am confident that the ripples sent out from this topic will reach many people and the discussions that will take place as a result will be positive because my intentions are pure and I want nothing more than to learn.
It is hard to put into words, many of the things that I have and continue to experience here. As I said in my very first post, 紹介 Introduction, "Japan is the furthest a young boy from Nova Scotia can go in this world" not just geographically, but also culturally. I am doing my best to verbalize these experiences. However, on this topic especially, I don't think that my experiences carry enough weight to illustrate or define the process of 'spiritual growth' within the context of Karate Do. Therefore, I would like to ask Sensei here in Japan and around the world about their spiritual journey in Karate Do. I hope that the question is not too personal for people to talk about, although, I completely understand if it is.
In the near future, I would like to interview some of the people whom I have close relationships with here to share their views on this subject. I hope that those of you who are searching for answers will do so, too. I will not attempt to define all of these terms. I would prefer to let the professionals and etymological scholars do that, but I will try to illustrate them with the experiences I have had here in Japan and frame the conversations more appropriately in future posts.
Recently, I found a link to an old TV program by Alan Watts, considered by some to be an authority on Eastern and Western Philosophies. In this particular program, he is talking about the Zen Buddhist term the often translated as the "void." But, he says something that I think mirrors the point that I am trying to make in the discussion on spiritual growth. He says, "When trying to explain things like this, the funny thing is, it can't be explained because it has to be felt. Because it is a transformation of one's basic feeling, one's basic consciousness of life" (1959). While I don't agree with some of the things he says in this program and it is quite obvious by the way he handles the 刀 Katana, Sword that he has no martial training, I still feel that he articulates some very important points well and that the program is worth a viewing.
Furthermore, I feel like I am experiencing similar transformations to those of which he speaks. Living in Japan has caused me to monitor my own thoughts and actions to a much higher degree than that which we would do while we are residing within our native culture. The process of residing outside of our native environment, forces us to examine and scrutinize more carefully what thought processes we may be 'privileging'. Thought processes that may be inappropriate remnants that we are bringing from our native culture paradigms, therefore, become much more obvious. This awareness alters our state of consciousness causing changes in our fundamental beliefs. Please take a look at the link to Alan Watts if you are interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PFxAiVwfis
