What "karatedō" means to me

I was sitting at the barber shop the other day waiting for Wally the barber to give me a haircut. I brought along a book to read that my mom gave me on my last trip home. It's called The Center Within; a collection of transcribed talks by the Buddhist Reverend Gyomay Masao Kubose. As I was sittin' there waitin', I came across two articles that struck me as, "huh...when karate is translated to empty hand as opposed to China hand it has deeper meaning for me." The "empty hand" translation of karate reflects a modern Japanese influence upon this Okinawan art that some people in the karate nerd community feel is unnecessary to emphasize anymore. And actually, I kind of agree with that notion as its motivation lies to me in the recognition that Okinawa's unique cultural contributions have been obscured by their forced assimilation into Japanese society. That being said, I also have a 1/4th Japanese blood in me and maybe that's what's coming out when I say that I kind of like karatedō being translated as " the way of the empty hand". I'll quote Rev. Kubose's articles to breakdown the metaphysical meaning I like to think of behind "karate" and "dō" respectively:

EMPTY HANDED (pg. 8)

In Buddhism it is said, "Go with empty hands." To go empty-handed means to have no fixed ideas, no rigid plans. It means to be ever-ready; whatever comes we will receive it one hundred percent, do it one hundred percent.

Suppose you bring beautiful flowers or a box of candy to a friend. Some might say that taking something with you is not going empty-handed. However, empty-handed does not mean nothing in the hands; it is a condition of the mind. You simply want to give flowers out of real joy. There is no idea of "I am giving; I will be thanked, or I am returning a favor." There are no expectations. This is empty-handedness. Life as it is, without speculation, without intention.

Emptiness or nothingness means that there is no manipulation and no planning by the you, which is the accumulation of your five senses. Both sides of the struggle: I want to, I don't want to, must be forgotten. So it said, where there is enlightenment, there is no self. Where there is self, there is no enlightenment. Both self and non-self must disappear. When non-self is conceptualized as non-self, then it is not non-self. Many people become attached to the idea of non-self and to the idea of nothingness. But when we are attached to nothingness, this kind of nothingness is not what Buddhism teaches.True nothingness is to be fully aware.

In the fresh, creative life there are no rigid plans. But some people say, "Don't we have to plan for tomorrow, for next year?" Yes, we make plans, but they should only be tentative guidelines. To have "no plan" means that when you actually do something you put your whole life into it, whatever it is. The minute we say, "I must be selfless," then that is fixed, not free. Go at it with your total self. Let life take over. When we really do things the self is transcended. In that kind of life every moment is fresh. Every minute creative. This is what empty-handed means.

*NOTE: Gichin Funakoshi's "Twenty Principles of Karate-do":

#6 - Respond with an unfettered mind.

 BUDDHISM IS EVERYDAY LIFE (pg. 6)
When Nansen, a teacher, was asked, "What is Buddhism?" he answered, "Everyday life." This is one of the many ways to point out the essence of Buddhism. In Buddhism we talk about the "way" or "path". In Chinese it is called "Tao", in Japanese, "Dō". "Dō" is the path or the way we live each day. What is this path? What kind of path do you walk? We make many pretensions, and we represent things as we want them to be. We do not see things as they are. We do not understand life "as it is". Buddhism is the most natural way of life where every little thing we do is the way.

Without pretensions or artificiality, each path is uniquely an individuals own. Each way is different and yet there is the Great Way that everyone walks. It is the same path but different to each individual. It can be difficult to understand that the universal Way is one's own way. This is the difference between the true way and the not-true way. Just as freedom is different from lawlessness, freedom is always one with the law. Freedom exists when law is lived. What this means is that one must find the way deep inside oneself. Yet at the same time the way does exist "out there". Outside and inside become identical. The universal and particular become one. You live your own life and there is no pre-established pattern. Yet your unique pattern forms the same way the universe forms. This is life's path. It is a flower blooming, the wind blowing. You live; I live.

When you live the universal Way, you see life expressing itself everywhere. It is such a tremendous, noble life that you cannot help being inspired. Life is art when lived this way. Art means it is absolute. There is creativity in life; imitation has no value. Art must be original and unique. The art of haiku, Japanese poetry, is the Buddhist life expressed in poetic form. Each moment in life is a poem in itself. When each action is an expression of life itself there is beauty and fulfillment. This is the universal path. It is the way that Nansen pointed to when he said, "Buddhism is everyday life."

*NOTE: Gichin Funakoshi's "Twenty Principles of Karate-do":

#10 - When you learn how karate is related to everyday life, you will have discovered its essence.

...

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até

Imagine a karate dojo...

- That has regular skill sharing classes with other qualified martial arts instructors.

- That has regular cross-training classes with other martial arts students.

- That has regular skill sharing classes with other Okinawan karate teachers inside/outside of your style.

- That has regular cross-training classes with other karate students inside/outside of your style.

- That has regular seminars/presentations with karate historians/practitioners (such as Patrick McCarthy, Charles C. Goodin, Jesse Enkamp, etc).

- That has regular seminars/presentations with professionals in related fields outside of traditional martial arts (such as Rory Miller, Marc MacYoung, etc).

- Where uniforms are not required (but not rejected either).

- Where the belt system does not exist (but maybe like a certification of some kind).

- Where you are tested for your skill and not for your rank.

- Where the kata in your system are analyzed and practiced so as to determine their functional civilian combat applications.

- That regularly brought in qualified teachers (such as Iain Abernethy, Patrick McCarthy, Kris Wilder, etc) and/or held study sessions to aid in deciphering the combat applications of the kata in your system (so as to make it a living civilian combat system).

- That focuses on the students health and fitness just as much as on their fighting skill.

- That focuses on developing conflict de-escalation/people safety/boundary setting skills just as much as on fitness and fighting skill.

- That utilizes scenario-based-stress-training to help prepare the student to respond appropriately (functional spontaneity) to actual unprovoked habitual acts of physical violence.

- That not only incorporated Okinawan kobudo into the curriculum but modern weapons training as well; such as how to safely handle, breakdown and use a firearm, how to use a knife, etc.

- That encouraged the student to be actively involved in some kind of violence prevention group (such as Alternatives to Violence Project) or other similar group that deals with the consequences of inter-personal violence.

- That emphasizes learning and ingraining martial principles over style.

- That maintains style only so much as to provide the student with the necessary historical and cultural context with which to understand and appreciate their karate system.

- That took annual field trips to study and train karate in Okinawa; also took field trips to study and train martial arts in other countries.

- That provides instruction and study in Zen meditation and/or non-denominational, non-sectarian Buddhist history, philosophy and thought.

- Whose vision is to produce karate students that exemplify kisshu fushin (鬼手佛心).

...
Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até