What does your signature mean?

[ps1]

I have noticed a great many signatures since I started writing in this forum. Some are very self evident... others are not. Please, for those of you who have chosen to put your signature in another language or that has other meanings... let us know what it means and why you chose it.

I'll go first.

The first signature I had was "Dulce Bellum Inexpertis." This is Latin. It means, "War is beautiful to those with no experience of it." I learned it while serving in Iraq. I friend taught it to me.

My current signature, "Jikishin kore dojo," means "The direct mind is your place of training." Basically, this means keep your mind on what you're doing...the body will follow. I read it in a book entitled, Moving Toward Stillness, by Dave Lowry. He is among my favorite authors on traditional budo.

Ok, your turn.

[Red J]

I'll bite.

I got my line from a book called The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. The teacher, appropriately named Soc (for Socrates), uses this line.

From an MA standpoint it would be to achieve a "no mind" state when practicing the arts. When you can do this you rely on senses and you react instead of think.

[UseoForce]

My signature, arrogant as it may sound, is my general philosophy about martial arts. I have no particular loyalty to any style I practice; If I come across any bit of information that I think can make me a better fighter, I absorb it. I think it was Rickson Gracie that said something to the effect of: "Well, there's no jiu-jitsu for that, so I used a rock."

[Mr. Mike]

mine is pretty evident. those of you who have been there know what I mean.

[karatekid1975]

Mine is a quote from Gichin Funakoshi. "The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants."

The above is the reason I do martial arts, the perfection on character. I won't bore you with my life story, but martial arts helped me with charater building. Inside and outside of MA.

[SigungWhite]

I didn't realize that anyone would take the signature line to this level. I think that signature only reveals an outline of experience and the nature of the person it describes. Some are Ego based, others factual or both. Some are based on believes and ideology and other on poetry. So, my response is why is a signature line important anyway. I have one and I use it to outline my experience. It give the read a better understanding of who I am.

Sigung White

[Jeet Kune Do]

I think mine means that if you think your very tough and under estimate your opponent, you will be beaten (the stiffest tree is most easily cracked)

But if you move with the fight and don't under estimate your opponent, then you will win or draw (while th bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.

can anyone tell me what this means:

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water.Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash!”

I cant understand it

[SigungWhite]

To bend with the wind like a Bamboo or Willow mean is based on force application. The greater force is the wind, the willow and the bamboo are more supple in nature so to survive they go with the force given and return to their natural state. Now you must apply that to your daily living.

Sigung White

[Uechi Kid]

As good as we think we are, we can all use "MORE PRACTICE"

[UseoForce]

I like that one