“I would like to teach my juniors as I was taught by my teacher, so that I can pass on the traditional karate culture of Okinawa. The challenge is to find the right spirit, the right heart, I teach only those who have the right mind. The more I do karate, the more I can do it with the right heart. It’s not just about skill in karate, it’s about having the right spirit, being a good person!” – Takehiro Gaja 9th dan Uechi-ryu (end quote)
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There are many sensei from Okinawa who feel karate today has lost much of its spiritual depth and culture, as well as its lethal effectiveness. The extent and rapidity of karate’s proliferation, and the push toward sport, has produced a different kind of karate to that which was originally found in Okinawa.
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Inherent in the learning of karate’s physical techniques is the education of your mind, and the revealing, to yourself, of your true nature. Those who find the learning and practice of authentic karate too difficult, fail to grasp the importance of the ‘self’. Karate should be about self-protection, achieved through self-discipline and self-discovery. It is not about fighting others, about winning, it’s about the struggle with your ‘self’, and your determination not to lose.
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As you move ever deeper into the study of Okinawan karate, you will discover the need to give more than you take, to listen more than you speak, and to strive for a sense of balance that brings with it a confidence where you can become humble and considerate.
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To develop as a karateka, you have to take responsibility for your karate. The process begins by looking for a good teacher, a real sensei, one who can guide you toward ways of thinking and behavior that lead you to a better understanding of your ‘self’. Practicing karate with just an instructor, only provides tuition in the physical techniques of karate. Where a good teacher will guide, point, and provide an example to those they teach; an instructor will drill, dictate, and offer only coaching.
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Today there is a tendency to forget the building of a student’s spirit and character, with a move toward a group activity where importance is placed on external paraphernalia, such as belts, badges, and trophies. Commercialism too, coupled with the sporting mentality of gauging your own success by the failure of others. The original karate of Okinawa still exists, and its teachers (sensei) can still be found by any with the patience and humility to approach them in the proper manner. ??
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“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. BE ONE.” – Marcus Aurelius
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