Using the Title "master"

[tonydee]

First of all There will always be some one working to be better than the next. I believe one can have mastery of an art, but yet they should not be called master. Even members of a hanshi status say they are nothing more than a mere student.

Sometimes excessive unwarranted humility becomes a conceit, keeping the focus on that which is being protested. Master, student, they're all just labels, and many labels can apply concurrently - one need not be a denial of another equally appropriate. But then, if I had an organisation and controlling things from a lofty height (yeah, right), I'd defer conferring the title until it was unequivolcably deserved, which is not always done.

I believe once you become a so called master, than you feel you can take a break and you may go lax, this is unacceptable, a Teacher should be in front or alongside his students training even harder than his students... but like I said, I believe once one gets that status as a master...they believe their training and learning days are over...some may not think this way, but I know the majority that I have met do believe this.

Hmmm... interesting insights and experience. Some people definitely do get like that after they pass a certain rank. In some organisations, the technical requirements for senior dans pretty much break down - with predictable periods of continuing loyalty and student funds being the only significant requirements for ongoing (if less frequent) promotion; people can practically "retire" towards grandmasterhood. There are certainly those who loose their drive (or had the wrong one all along), whether or not the word "master" contributes....

Cheers,

Tony

[Chuck]

I'm in Central New York.

Osu, I thought you might be a Sensei J from the West Cost; you have similar backgrounds.

[The BB of C]

In Capoeira - Master is an actual rank.

Mestre cords/titles are usually earned after between fifteen and twenty years of Capoeira.

[sensei8]

Within the Shindokan Hombu/Association, rank/titles are importantly vital in that they serve a purpose but only in the formality that accompanies it per the context that it's used in. Outside of the Shindokan Hombu/Association, rank/titles are subjective to the proponent of the individual's own value base.

Whenever I'm a guest/visitor at someone's Dojo/Dojang/school/headquarters I give them the respect that's due to them, as well as to their rank/title/office.

I'm Hanshi, I'm Kaicho, and I'm the Chief Instructor of the Shindokan Hombu/Association, but, I'm a student first and foremost within the martial arts and I'm still learning from day to day...with no end in sight. Therefore, the title of "student" is far more important to me than anything in and out of the Shindokan context/content.

Having said that, I'm only a student and this is how I like to be refered to. As a matter of fact, I'm Bob, nothing more and nothing less. Within the confinements of what is known as the Shindokan Hombu/Association, I'm still just Bob, with the exceptions of when formality is called upon and when formality arises in its proper context/content in the Shindokan Hombu/Association; then and only then am I Kaicho, Hanshi, Chief Instructor.

[Wa-No-Michi]

I'm in Central New York.

Osu, I thought you might be a Sensei J from the West Cost; you have similar backgrounds.

I see you like to Osu'

(Please no one mention the 24 fighting chickens)

WNM

[Ichi_Geki]

I'm in Central New York.

Osu, I thought you might be a Sensei J from the West Cost; you have similar backgrounds.

I see you like to Osu'

(Please no one mention the 24 fighting chickens)

WNM

24 fighting chickens?

[DWx]

I'm in Central New York.

Osu, I thought you might be a Sensei J from the West Cost; you have similar backgrounds.

I see you like to Osu'

(Please no one mention the 24 fighting chickens)

WNM

24 fighting chickens?

http://www.24fightingchickens.com/2008/12/31/do-you-say-osu-too-much/

http://www.24fightingchickens.com/2009/01/05/the-esprit-de-corps-of-osu-or-maybe-not/

Loads more where those came from

[Ichi_Geki]

Ahhh haha now I understand haha.

I use osu, as a 'train hard' in a sense...Good or bad I dont really care haha.

[WireFrame]

I think my brother trained at a dojo like that in the 70s/80s. I mentioned I was being trained by a 6th Dan and he said "Oh so he's a master then, 5th dan and above!"

This confused me, since the principles of always training and learning no-matter your grade kind of eliminate the idea of "master" in my mind. Sensei/teacher yes, but Master means there is nothing left to learn, which is never true.

Regardless of grade, all our sensei's get called "Sensei"

[mauro1]

no one in my school is called master, My Sensei is above 5th dan and he wishes to keep the name Sensei. He doesnt consider himself master, mastery is perfection and you can physically fully perfect your karate, when you fix one mistake one is bound to pop up so you may get the title but its not literally the art is the way that your called master for, your understanding of Karate-do(way) not the Karate-Jitsu(art), Masters are those who adopted Karate-Do(empty hand way) as a way of life.