Introduction
In the modern age, the progress of science has not yet fully contributed to the advancement of mankind. Our technologically oriented society has failed to free the individual to realize himself. Man is a prisoner of the machines that were designed to liberate him. Living conditions for most people have improved tremendously, but new evils have appeared. Obesity, heart disease, and nervous ailments are plaguing our societies, where many live at a frantic pace, alienated, in huge cities made of concrete and asphalt. We need to find a natural way to alleviate stress, to acquire a peaceful, relaxed mind, and develop a healthy and fit body.
Karatedo can fulfill all these needs at once. More than anything else, karatedo is a way of life. It is sometimes said, "Life is a heavy load that everyone has to carry to the top of the mountain." One has to prepare to reach this goal by building a strong body and mind. But if one is to overcome the difficulties of life, one must train hard and learn to fight. Karatedo teaches that to reach true peace of mind and harmony with nature, one must go beyond the rather narrow concept of winning and losing, and learn to win over oneself.
In the search for self-perfection, the student of karatedo will acquire the greatest virtues: patience, humility, respect for others, courage, and fortitude. It is hoped that this book can contribute to the fulfillment of some of the goals common to all mankind: health, happiness, and peace.
In the two decades that have passed since the first publication of this book, many changes have taken place in the world of karate generally and particularly for Shorinjiryu Karatedo. The development of Supersafe protective equipment has revolutionized karate training and competition as it allows practitioners to make solid contact with their strikes without the risk of serious injury to one another. This balance of realism and safety has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the development of karate both as a sport and as a method of self-defense. Furthermore the introduction of the Koshiki Karatedo competition system has broken the barriers that separated the different martial arts and is bringing competitors from a variety of styles together to compete and grow together through the tournament medium.
Koshiki has also brought together competitors from a variety of countries, and I hope that karate will continue to serve as a vehicle for the promotion of international exchange and friendship. It appears that at last karate will become an Olympic sport and through the efforts of Koshiki Karatedo competitors and supporters worldwide, I am sure that this is a goal we can achieve by the turn of the century.
As we enter the twenty-first century, it is with a sense of hope and excitement that I continue to promote and develop karatedo both as a sport and a way of life. I hope that by reading this and my other text, Essential Shorinjiryu Karatedo (also published by the Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co.), that you may come to understand the many beneficial aspects of karate training and that in some way it may better your life and the lives of those around you.
chapter 1 Philosophy of Karatedo
1. Spiritual Development of the Individuality in Mind and Body
Spiritual development of the individuality in mind and body is the motto of Kenkokan Karatedo and expresses its philosophy. Karatedo, as initially developed, was a method of fighting to dispose of an adversary in the most efficient and acute way. It has evolved through the centuries and has been imbued with the Zen philosophy to become a way of life, where the goal is to further the development of the mind, the body and the spirit. From its origin, karatedo has kept the efficiency in techniques and the maximum concentration of physical and mental power that can only be possible when one's life is the issue of the fight. Zen has brought karatedo into the realm of religion. Man understood that his art, limited to destroying other men, could not liberate him from his most fundamental fear, the fear of death. The object of his fight changed from others to himself: if he could not surmount the fear of death by killing, he would do it, possibly, by living and applying the same methods against himself that he had used against others. Techniques would be a means of perfecting the body which would respond at once, and with determination. In the process of this absolute concentration of mental and physical activity, the mind would be freed from the material constraints created by the most fundamental issues of life and finally overcome the fear of death. The original goal of killing has become one of living.
In modern karatedo, where violence is tightly controlled, techniques are still to be executed as if it were a matter of life or death. The body is thus taught to react with all of its power at once under the complete control of the mind. In order to reach this stage of complete harmonious discipline of mind and body, techniques must be practiced thousands of times under all kinds of circumstances. The body will by then have gained an automatism which will free the mind of the task of controlling the execution of the technique. That is why it is said in karatedo that the ki should not be put entirely into one's technique because, absorbed with this, the mind will not see the opportunity for the attack. Neither should the ki be applied entirely to the opponent, because the technique will then be improperly executed. Instead the ki should be exercised everywhere, in oneself, in one's technique, against the opponent, in his technique, etc. This also means that the ki is nowhere in particular because the ki is 'being at one' and is located everywhere at the same time. This may appear as a contradiction to the dualistic logic of Cartesian thought, in which something is either here or not here, black or white, right or wrong. The oriental, however, reconciles this apparent contradiction with a more intuitive approach which says that a mind empty of thoughts is not necessarily in a state of nothingness. On the contrary, it is in a state of acute awareness but without goals. It can thus perceive everything at once but without concentrating on anything in particular; thus not being given the opportunity to be unaware of that which is seemingly less relevant. In this state of total awareness, the mind is at peace with itself and in harmony with its environment. Karatedo is one of the ways to reach the higher mental state described by most religions of the world; be it Buddhism, Islam, or Christianity, they all preach different methods for man to transcend into a superior state of grace. In the Nirvana or paradise, man is integrated with the universe or with god.
The road to this state of complete harmony with the universe is certainly a long one, but in this quest for the absolute, man can build a strong and healthy body; he can learn to know and control himself though the physical and mental exertion required by karatedo training; by confronting his will against others in kumite and shiai he will develop fortitude, humility, and respect for his fellowmen; he will not be afraid to stand for what is right. All these qualities will make him a better man and he will be able to transpose them into all aspects of everyday life, helping him to fulfill his commitments to himself and to society. The Kenkokan school of karatedo stresses the positive development of mind and body. The student must develop himself according to his own physical and mental characteristics. He must first possess a good technical knowledge of karatedo and learn to know himself, his weaknesses, and his strong points. Then he must improve himself, correcting his weaknesses but basing his development primarily on his strong points. There is no standard way of reaching the highest state of mental and physical development. Each individual must find his own way by himself after he has come to know himself and mastered the techniques of karatedo well enough. From this point on, his physical and mental strong points must spearhead his development. For example, in competition (and the same reasoning is applicable to every other aspect of life) the student must possess a set of favorite techniques or combinations of techniques in which he will have developed the highest skill. This