Confucius Said

The words of Confucius:

Reviewing the old as a means of realizing the new - such a person can be considered a teacher.

Zigong asked about exemplary persons. The Master replied: "They first accomplish what they are going to say, and only then say it."

Learning without due reflection leads to perplexity; reflection without learning leads to perilous circumstances.

To become accomplished in heterodox doctrine will bring nothing but harm.

Zilu, shall I teach you what wisdom means? To know what you know and know what you do not know - this then is wisdom.

Sickness of the Mind

To think only of winning is sickness. To think only of using the martial arts is sickness. To think only of demonstrating the result of one's training is sickness, as is thinking only of making an attack or waiting for one. To think in a fixated way only of expelling such sickness is also sickness. Whatever remains absolutely in the mind should be considered sickness. As these various sickness are all present in the mind, you must put your mind in order and expel them.

---Yagyu Munenori

The Core of Karatedo

The core of karatedo is so profound that it can only be comprehended, as in the case of the martial arts in general, when the practitioner can completely grasp the meaning of the zen saying, "Transmit outside of the orthodoxy and not fixed on words."

--- Chojun Miyagi