“You can abandon your body, but never let go of your honor”.
Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645)
The willingness to “sacrifice” is the fundamental character trait for those that choose to pursue the perfection of Karate. The June 4th, 2009 blog posting, described “Sutemi” as the mental ability to “sacrifice” the body during a life threatening self defense situation in order to achieve victory. In certain situations this is instinctual for all of us, but the indomitable spirit (Fudo Shin) obtained through the correct training will only hone this ability. The definition of Sutemi presented in the 2nd posting of this series may be described with a different interpretation.
The cultivation of Sutemi and Fudo Shin:
The newsworthy stories that are reported from time to time of super human strength, and heroic feats are proof of our own inherent abilities. Throughout history our forefathers have dealt with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in daily life. Hunting for food, growing crops, travel, disease, and building shelter are only a few of these obstacles. Our lifestyle has placed filters that keep us from dealing with any hardship that make life hard or uncomfortable in any way. The struggles that our ancestors dealt with on a daily basis are done by someone else, and society does not reap the “benefits”, from these hardships.
Pursing the perfection of Karate is an arduous journey, that requires sacrifice. Without hardship and struggle the practitioner will not be successful in their endeavour. The dedication and commitment to the pursuit of perfection, will have a positive impact on all aspect’s of the practitioners life. In conclusion to this series of postings is a statement. The Karate practitioner that pursues perfection must be willing to sacrifice “themselves” physically and mentally, to be successful.
Doryoku,
Scott
