General Tian Bubishi

[MatsuShinshii]

Thank you for your reply!

I think that what you say is important on many levels, but maybe more so in that you made me realize that some people associate “Do” with a combatively watered-down form of karate. That is not what I meant. Karate should be intense, as far as I am concerned. And it was intense, even in times when it was naturally a Do-practice.

Now let me explain: Do, has many meanings. In the (ordinary) martial arts context it means moral self-cultivation. That is the Confucian Way.

Confucianism, from its very beginning, was not a philosophy per-se. It did include specific “philosophical” ideas but put huge emphasis on practice (and practices). In fact, it has been argued quite convincingly that that which distinguished Confucians from other early “philosophers” such as Daoists, was their practices (not thought). Ancestor worship, for example, was one such practice, and it had to perform in a prescribed and precise manner. It was part of the Confucian Way, the Confucian program for self-cultivation.

Practice-based moral self-cultivation then was fundamental to all East Asian culture. In fact, it is one of its defining characteristics. Thus, and here I politely disagree with you. Confucius, or Confucianism, had created a space in East Asian culture for the creation of such practices as martial arts (in general) and karate in particular.

Thus, we have no choice in the matter; we do not “add” or don’t “add” Do to karate. And neither did karate teachers of the past. For, as I explained, it was such a given aspect of East Asian culture that people absorbed it at home, at schools, at the local temple—it was everywhere. Do was, in other words, an integral part of karate form its very inception. Karate (fundamentally, a sort of practice) then was added to the Confucian repertoire of self-cultivation practices.

And here we get to the pint of intensity: if your goal is moral self-cultivation you would want to create intensity strong enough to challenge, and continue challenging, your integrity, your composure, your spirit.

And this is what I meant—MMA means that martial research is done for the purpose of defeating others. But if you care about intensity, techniques and methods matter less. You can see it in Aikido—its techniques are problematic for self-defense etc., but they are suitable for the creation of (martial) intensity.

Best

David

Thank you for your explanation. I understand where you are coming from and respect your point of view.

[lowereastside]

David Nisan - Thank You - I have not been exactly right in quit a long time. . You and the other members have all given good viewpoints.