student_karateka Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 I just started a week ago today. I wanted the accountability and development of self-discipline. Improved fitness is important to me. It would also be great to have the confidence of knowing that I can defend myself, should I need to. I'm glad that I found this forum.There's a saying that the beginner is the most important person in the dojo....(if there is a most) train hard!
Wado Heretic Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 Oddly; some of the most despicable people I have ever met have been life long practitioners of karate. The ultimate goal of karate, based on the results I have seen, would be that of developing some proficiency in self-preservation. However, saying that, many of the qualities one needs to have to be a capable karate-ka are virtues: 1. Dedication (to training daily or at least very regularly in the week)2. Sincerity (with regards to what one is in fact practicing)3. Respect (to the system and hierarchy)4. Industry (being productive with one's time to advance one's skills)However, often these qualities do not become global qualities, qualities that exist outside the dojo or a context. One may have no respect, only sycophancy. One may have no dedication, only a desire to belong. One may have no sincerity, only pragmatism. One may have no industry, simply selfishness.Perfect character is the ultimate goal of life, and karate may be your vehicle, but learning to punch and learning to live in harmony with others are distinguishable matters. Some times, we should pay attention to our to don't list rather than our to do list. I would like to end on a proverb: He who has no capacity for violence is condemned to pacifism, only a warrior may choose pacifism. R. Keith Williams
DWx Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 I actually wrote about this quote as part of my paper for my last testing. I believe Funakoshi is speaking about Karate as a Do and training for both the mind and body. Do (道) from the Chinese Tao (道) is about perfect harmony between mind and body. Strong mind, strong body, leads to perfect harmony with the universe.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao "Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." ~ Confucius
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now