DOJO KUN
Introduction
The dojo kun are the
eight principles of training as handed down by Senseis Eiichi Miyazato and
Koshin Iha. They are guidelines that help us form a strong, yet flexible
character, by emphasising the need for humility, patience and calmness. They
should not be thought of as esoteric commandments, but instead as common-sense
guidleines that will help us in our daily lives and complement the physical
training.
The dojo kun are all inter-related, but the main
emphasis is to develop character and to balance the physical and philosophical
aspects with one another. Austere physical training is only beneficial if
conducted intelligently and in tune with your own body's requirements and
abilities.
True progress in the martial arts is only possible if we
cultivate ourselves as morally upgright people. According to Shoshin Nagamine's
book "Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters", this maxim was taught by Kanryo
Higaonna as bun bu ryo do i.e. philosophical and physical are one study.
The same princple was also expounded by the renowned White Crane and Tai Chi
Master Huang Sheng Shyan.
Be humble and polite
Bob Honiball once
asked Sensei Miyazato what he considered to be the greatest gift he had from
Karate. His answer was simply "humility".
One must be humble in order to
learn from our teachers, our peers and our students. It takes strength of
character to learn from our mistakes and failures, and to continue to grow as
people, even when we begin to realise just how little we really know about
ourselves.
If we are truly humble, then it it is entirely natural to be
polite with others.
Train considering your physical strength
Training should build resilience, health and fitness. Too much
training, or overstressing the body, can cause physical deterioration instead
of development and even lead to illness, whilst too little will provide
insufficient benefit. The aim should be to train in accordance with your
ability and push yourself a little bit beyond what you are currently capable
of. As you gradually build intensity and quality, over the years, your body
will grow stronger.
Practice earnestly and with creativity
The
purposes of training must be borne in mind during practice and you should
strive earnestly towards them. As such, use your creativity and intelligence to
structure your training in way that is productive and makes the best possible
use of your circumstances and environment.
Practice with the serious and
honest intention to improve yourself, physically and mentally, in the full
knowledge that you are actively preserving your health for everyday living and
preparing yourself to deal calmly with dangerous situations.
Quality
should be emphasised more than quantity. Practicing one million punches
incorrectly will over time ensure that you are very good at performing poor
quality punches, regardless of how "hard" you may have trained. "Little and
often" is the key. Frequent periods of correct practice, perhaps one or two
hours per day, will be far more vaulable than a marathon effort once a month.
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Be calm and swift
If the mind is calm,
instead of agitated, then it can efficiently use the senses to perceive
movement and threats, and so direct the body to react. Correct relaxation in
the body also springs from a calm and relaxed mind. If the mind is tense, then
the body will also be tense. Consequently, it will be very difficult to react
quickly and appropriately in stressful or dangerous situations. If the mind is
calm, the body can let go of unnecessary tensions.
If the body is
inappropriately tense during a particular movement or in a fixed position, it
cannot react and change to another movement unless it first relaxes, thus
introducing an unnecessary delay. Furthermore, the body and limbs will move
much slower if the wrong muscles are engaged, as they will have a braking or
destabilising effect. It is therefore important to ensure that the only
tensions are those actually required to perform the movement - no more and no
less.
Take care of your health
It is good
self-defence to maintain a healthy body and mind. In addition to exercise, it
is just as important to eat and sleep properly, avoid over-indulgence, keep
your body clean and look after your teeth. This apparently "obvious" advice
will help keep your body free from disease and injury.
Live a plain life
For the mind to properly
engage with the practice, there must be as few distractions as possible. The
dojo is a place where distractions have been removed, so there it is possible
to practice. However, if we are to progress as Karate Ka and grow as people,
the mental and philosphical aspects of practice must also extend beyond the
dojo into our daily lives. This will not be easy to achieve if our lives are
either too flamboyant, materialistic or cluttered.
The renowned White
Crane and Tai Chi Master Huang Sheng Shyan has often been quoted as saying
"neither the very rich nor the very poor would succeed in learning (Tai Chi) as
they were both too concerned with money".
Do not be too proud or modest
The more we
learn about ourselves and about Karate Do, the more we come to realise just how
much we don't know, and that our current knowledge really is just the
tip of the iceberg. It is natural to feel a bit of pride,or at least self
respect, in our achievements or abilities, but this should be tempered by the
knowledge that, in the grand scheme of things, we have barely
begun.
Excessive pride is to overstate, or attach too much importance
to, our achievements and abilities. Excessive modesty is to attach too little
importance. In its extreme this may even be pride in disguise. For example
"false modesty", where we deliberately play down our qualities in the hope that
someone will tell us that we are in fact really amazing!
Continue training with patience
The
effects of training the mind and body are gradual, cumulative and cannot be
rushed. However, adhering to the correct principles and methods, under the
guidance of a good teacher, will bring development in the optimum time
period.
In the begining the body feels awkward and clumsy but, even
after just one or two years of diligent practice, the change in an individual's
bearing, confidence and sure-footedness is noticeable.
The modern World
presents us with quick fixes, fast-food and labour saving devices. There are no
such parallels in Karate Do and it can be difficult to accept that mastery can
never be achieved by simply turning up at the dojo twice a week, paying the
fees and then sweating for a couple of hours. |
