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

Technique and Posture

把势、把势，全凭架式。
Techniques, Techniques, they depend on posture (structure). 

没有架式，不算把势。 
Without posture (structure), there is no technique.

---  Martial Proverb

Karate Ni Sente Nashi

“Karate ni sente nashi” means “No first attack in karate”. There seems to be misunderstandings about its meaning. The following are words of two karate masters that might provide some clarification.

There is an expression, “karate ni sente nashi.” Apparently some people interpret this literally and often profess that “one must not attack first,” but I think that they are seriously mistaken. To be sure, it is certainly not the budo spirit to train for the purpose of striking others without good reason. I assume that you already understand that one’s primary purpose must be the training of mind and body. The meaning of this saying, then, is that one must not harm others for no good reason. But when a situation can’t be helped, in other words, when, even though one tries to avoid trouble, one can’t; when an enemy is serious about doing one harm, one must fiercely stand and fight. When one does fight, taking control of the enemy is crucial, and one must take that control with one’s first move. Thus, in a fight one must attack first. It is very important to remember this.

--- Choki Motobu

There is a precept “karate ni sente nashi.” Properly understood, this indicates a mental attitude of not being eager or inclined to fight. It is the teaching that just because one has trained in karate does not mean that one can rashly strike or kick others. It seems that there are two types of mistaken interpretations regarding this precept, and [I’d]
like to correct them.

The first is a mistaken understanding held by some people who are not karate practitioners. Such people say, “In all fights the opportunity for victory is seized by getting the jump on your enemy; a passive attitude such as sente nashi is inconsistent with Japanese budo.” Such a view forgets the essential purpose of budo: Bu takes as its ideal the stopping of the spear, and its aim is the maintenance of peace. Those who make such statements do not understand that the true spirit of Japanese budo means not being bellicose. When faced with someone who disrupts the peace or who will do one harm, one is as a warrior gone to battle, and so it only stands to reason that one should get the jump on the enemy and preempt his use of violence. Such action in no way goes against the precept of sente nashi.

Second is a mistaken understanding found among some karate practitioners. It is a view that does not see sente nashi as an attitude, but rather as a literal, behavioural rule to be rigidly followed. As noted above, when absolutely necessary, when one is already facing a battle, it is an accepted truth of strategy that one should try to take sensen no sen ( take the initiative and attack first) and forestall the enemy’s actions.

In conclusion, the expression karate ni sente nashi should be properly understood to mean that a person who practices karate must never take a bellicose attitude, looking to cause an incident; he or she should always have the virtues of calmness, prudence and humility in dealing with others.

--- Kenwa Mabuni

Practice Kata Properly

In karate, the most important thing is kata. Into the kata of karate are woven every manner of attack and defence technique. Therefore, kata must be practiced properly, with a good understanding of their meaning. There may be those who neglect the practice of kata, thinking that it is sufficient to just practice kumite that has been created based on their understanding of the kata, but that will never lead to true advancement. The reason why is that the ways of thrusting and blocking have innumerable variations. To create kumite containing all of the techniques and each and every one of their variations is impossible. If one sufficiently and regularly practices kata correctly, it will serve as a foundation for performing any of the innumerable variations.

However, if practice of kata is all you do you will not develop sufficient ability. If you do not utilize various training methods to strengthen and quicken the functioning of your hands and feet, as well as to sufficiently study things like body-shifting and engagement distancing, you will be inadequately prepared when the need arises to call on your skills.

If practiced properly, two or three kata will suffice as "your" kata; all of the others can just be studied as sources of additional knowledge. Breadth, no matter how great, means little without depth. In other words, no matter how many kata you know, they will be useless to you if you don't practice them enough. If you sufficiently study two or three kata as your own and strive to perform them correctly, when the need arises, that training will spontaneously take over and will be shown to be surprisingly effective. If your kata training is incorrect, you will develop bad habits, which, no matter how much kumite and makiwara practice you do, will lead to unexpected failure when the time comes to utilize your skills. You should be heedful of this point.

Correctly practicing kata - having sufficiently comprehended their meaning - is the most important thing for a karate trainee. However, the karate-ka must by no means neglect kumite and makiwara practice, either. Accordingly, if one seriously trains – and studies - with the intent of approximately fifty percent kata and fifty percent other things, one will get satisfactory results.

--- Kenwa Mabuni

The Ritual Cat

When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, a cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. One day the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice.

Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.

--- Zen Story