Community Concepts (May 2021)

Community Concepts (May 2021)

05/06/2021

Dojo Philosophy for Everyday Life

As a karate teacher, I make people push their minds and bodies for years in preparation for an event that I hope they will never experience. Even if they were to win, I would never hope for them to have to defend themselves in a fight. The founders of modern day Karate observed that the benefits of their training on the life of the individual far outweighed the need for victory in combat. They made a version of their art available to the public in order to better their communities through this practice. The fight we’re really training for is the battle against ourselves.

Code of Ethics #8
Self confidence, self control, modesty, and a non-defeatist attitude are the mental keynotes of the Cuong Nhu student.

This simple list is actually an endless spiral that begins with the simplest challenges and grows and grows without end. In the beginning we seek confidence in ourselves. This confidence is the grasping belief that this body and mind are capable of growing to be the self that can accomplish our goals.

Change and growth are difficult and painful. Once we have made the confident decision to attempt growth, we are soon met with the challenge of commitment. Change takes time and momentum. While we build up, it can look like the change isn’t happening. All of those reasons to give up or postpone feel much more immediate. Self control is taking a step back from the impatience and resistance so we can reconnect with our efforts, and continue the pursuit of the goal.

Once we’ve accomplished our goals it is critical to be modest. This is not just about how bragging affects others, but about being honest with ourselves about our ongoing progress. Instead of crowing about each step along the way, we focus on the next. Not clinging to our success allows us to release our setbacks as well. This leads to the non-defeatist attitude. With this approach, nothing means defeat. Each roadblock is a new puzzle or challenge, and a chance to improve ourselves.

Once we are pushing past challenge after challenge, we build even more confidence. The roadblocks of greater challenges require greater self control. The new victories require new levels of modesty, and on and on the cycle of the non-defeatist attitude spirals forward. When karate’s founders saw the impact that this training had on their student’s lives, and by extension the communities they lived in, they realized that the true power of their art was its ability to improve the individual and society.

If you train for the battle of the self, the victory is the training itself.