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

Beloved Community and Okinawan Karate

Hahaha. You ever heard those two words go together? Maybe. I haven't. But that's what I been thinkin' about recently.

I just got an email update from a friend in Detroit. She told me about the housing cooperative they are building on Field St. in East Detroit. It is exciting stuff and it is the reason I went to Detroit in the first place. My friend also gave a speech recently (read it on her blog here), quoting from Grace Lee Boggs:

“And unless we want to live in terror for the rest of our lives [think of the fear that drove George Zimmerman], we need to change our view about acquiring things.” The antidote to consumption is creation. The antidote to violence is interconnection. The antidote to fear is community. “Beloved community,” Grace says, “is the essence of the next American revolution.”

My thoughts exactly. And I'm thinking about Personal Safety. I'm thinking about in the meantime. I'm thinking about the people who don't give a f--- about "beloved community" and would rather make a quick deal on the street. I'm thinking about the ones who have a mean streak. Who got no respect for the boundaries of other human beings and who use their weapons to scare others into submission. I believe that there are hella more good people in this world than bad, but who then will respond to the bad? Who will respond to the violence? We need a new kind of "police officer". Not even like the old kind. I went to a documentary screening about the Zapatistas in Mexico the other day and found out that there are like community "police" in their communities. That they are proficient in hand-to-hand combat. That they carry machetes. I think about my upcoming work with Kid Power. I think about my hoped for volunteering and participation with the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP). I think about my jujutsu training with Sensei Mike at the dojo. I'm thinking about all of that and I'm thinking, "how can I be of service to this beloved community?" And I see those things as being like getting qualified in that, you know? Not that I need a name tag or a certificate or a title to qualify me. But that I need training in those things in order to know how they work and how they can be implemented into whatever particular situation. This is me dreaming big now. Maybe it's not right to associate the karate of my ancestors with Beloved Community, but I think they go together like peanut butter and jelly. Okinawan karate should be (I agree with Sensei Nagamine) an art of peace. Therefore, I think, how do we practice it as such? How do we manifest it as such?  This is the real, honest reason I got involved with karate in the first place 6 years ago; I wanted to acquire a real skill that I could use in defense of some vague notion of "community" (that's such an abused term).

In retrospect, I realize that I may not have really been ready to receive such skill (demon's hand). And I'm only just now beginning to get a better understanding of what that community looks like and how my training connects with that.

Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até

Clarification of the Vision

I need to know what I'm doing. I need to know why I'm training. I need to know what purpose my training can serve. That purpose to me has to be something larger than myself. I need to know what my art is for or what I want it to effect. It may not effect like how I want it to affect but that's okay. I just need to know what I'm going for. Without a strategy, all the tactics in the world can't save you. Without a strategy, how can a team attempt to win the game? You might have the best talent in the world. But no strategy? Then you're just relying on your luck.

I'm trying to figure my life out here in Oakland. Not being able to train for a month sucks. But it's good cause it allows me time to evaluate my VISION. This is something I've been struggling with since I left for Detroit. I see it as a necessary step in my life right now.

Something is off right now though. I'm not sure what it is. A thought came to me the other day that maybe I'm in the wrong movie? That was kind of a scary thought.

I need to push ahead with honesty, humility and integrity.

Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até

Out of Order

This past Sunday after my morning Wing Chun class, I did like I sometimes do and stayed a bit longer at the dojo to do some stretching. Perhaps my body was not warmed up enough, perhaps it was poor conditioning, and/or perhaps I overworked my body doing certain drills in class, whatever the case, I ended up with a minor (very slight) soreness in my right hip after doing my usual hip-flexor stretch:

There were no other complications the rest of that day or night despite that minor soreness.

The next day I had my Monday evening jujutsu class. We didn't do anything unusual that night; some falling, lifting, rolling, etc. Nothing I hadn't done before. Throughout the class though I did feel the soreness in my right hip a little more acutely but nothing that alarmed me.

I went to bed that night at my usual time. I remember not sleeping very well. My right hip area felt cramped and I couldn't lay my leg flat. I was sorta in and out of sleep the whole night. Things went from a minor soreness to a swelling pain overnight.

When I woke up the next morning I realized I could barely move. It wasn't like a sharp pain or anything, it just felt like a really bad bruise or an extreme cramp. I texted my friend telling him that I had to cancel our plans to hang out that day because I couldn't get up. Fortunately since we live in the same apartment complex, he came up to my room and helped me out. It wasn't until the evening of that day that my friend finally convinced me to go to the hospital. I didn't think it was that serious to go despite the fact that it felt as though my ability to move had become much more difficult since that morning. He drove me to the ER and to make a long story short, we stayed there for about 5 hours.They took some x-rays, drained some blood, got my urine, did an ultrasound to look at my bones, etc. What the physicians on duty figured out was that I had torn my muscle and there was some internal bleeding which is what was contributing to the pain. They gave me crutches, a prescription for some Vicadin and advised me to stay away from the dojo for about a month or longer to fully recover.

It's been a couple days since that trip to the ER and I'm feeling much better. I can even walk around my room without my crutches, albeit with a hobble in my step. I'm kinda surprised at how I feel actually. I'm certainly not going to risk going back to training any sooner than necessary. But it's just funny how I went from being basically helpless a couple days ago to now being able to make my own meals. And don't even get me started on how difficult it was to sit on the toilet! WHEW! That was a mini-ordeal.

This is the first time in my life that I've done any serious injury to my body. I hope it's the last (or at least a rare future occurrence). All I could remember thinking as I lay there in the ER hospital bed waiting for the physician to check on me was the words of my Sensei:

All you have is your health.

That may sound pretty obvious to some people, but for lots of reasons it's not always apparent. People wanna learn how to fight, how to hurt, how to maim, how to injure or how to kill. Guys especially wanna be the one who is toughest, who hits hardest, who stays in the fight longest. What's so hilarious and serious to me is how fragile we are as human beings. Hilarious because we think our training makes us tough and yet the smallest paper cut, the slightest speck in your eye, the littlest splinter in your foot can make you irritated with pain. Knowing how to hurt someone, but also how to heal someone, including yourself (whether physically, mentally, or spiritually) seems to me the necessary paradoxical task of the authentic martial artist. IMHO.

Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até

To Chun or not to Chun? That is the question!

So for the past few weeks I have been contemplating what the best martial path for me to take is. Because I have not found any qualified "practical karate" teachers in the Bay Area, I have been considering whether or not to continue my Wing Chun training or Danzan-ryu jujutsu. I am giving myself this month of July to figure these things out. I have spoken with both of my instructors on this matter and have received different answers. The only thing that has become clear through all of this inquiry is that the kind of training I am looking for must be created by me. I'm not talking about having my own school; I'm talking about the specific way and methods in which I train. I'm also not saying there's not someone out there that doesn't offer what I want and need, it's just that they may not be local or accessible.

Although it isn't the end of the month yet, I can say that I am leaning towards focusing on Danzan-ryu jujutsu with Sensei Mike Esmailzadeh. This is sort of an unexpected decision for me in that I initially wanted to begin training in Wing Chun because I thought it might help me to better understand practical karate and that's the first thing I sought out after arriving in Oakland. Ironically enough, the Wing Chun classes were being held at the Suigetsukan Dojo which is where Sensei Mike teaches. On a whim and out of curiosity I decided to check out the jujutsu classes because I saw that as being something integral to my understanding of karate. Although the same disappointment arose in me with regards to the fact that the attention of the classes focused more on skill/etiquette/culture without any attention paid to fitness, I saw that I had a good connection with Sensei Mike as a person. And I think that's been an important consideration for me as a student; whether or not I am able to connect to the teacher/the school/and the students, let alone the art itself. What is interesting about the art of Danzan-ryu, historically speaking, is that its founder (Sensei Seishiro "Henry" Okazaki) incorporated elements of Okinawan karate into his system. And when Okazaki sensei initially moved from Japan to Hawaii in his childhood, they settled in Hilo, which is where my grandparents used to live. And funny enough too, the name "Danzan" is Chinese in origin and translates to "Sandalwood Mountain", which is what the Chinese used to call Hawaii; Sensei Okazaki used this term as a way to honor one of his teachers who was Chinese. The other hilarious thing too (is that just me?) is that I took up judo for five months while still doing karate in the hopes of finding an art that complimented the 1/4th of my Japanese ancestry (my dad, uncles and cousin all did/do judo so I thought it was the perfect art to connect with). Well, perhaps I've finally found my own way of connecting to that part of me.

So my point with highlighting all of this is just to say that, not only do I have a connection with the teacher (which is important), there is also a connection with the art itself, its founder and even the name. This is gonna sound silly but because my partner is Chinese I saw Wing Chun as being the perfect complement to that. But this 'Chinese connection' is still maintained in the fact that the name is Chinese in origin. That sounds almost silly but it helps to give me some meaning. It's like those little road signs along the way that let you know you're in the right general direction. And fitting too in that the signs you're reading don't always point in the direction you think.

Whatever the case may be, this is the current martial path I am about to step on. Where it leads me I'm not sure. The thing about Wing Chun is, I really like it. It not only looks cool, but at a high level of skill the Chun is just wicked man. Its methods are brutally practical, simple, and direct (much like how karate once was practiced). There's no beating around the bush; the strategy of Wing Chun and its tactics are clear (hit the head or neck; and if blocked, remove obstructions to keep hitting the head/neck). But I have to accept the fact that I'm obviously not in this to look cool. What's important is whether or not that martial path can lead me to accomplishing my goals. Looking "cool" is just a side effect....hahaha.

 Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até

The Ox

Yesterday in class Sifu Greg quoted something that his teacher, Sifu Gary Lam told him:

"An ox works hard all day, but at the end of the day it's still an ox."

What Sifu Greg explained was that gongfu is not only about working hard to develop the skill, it is about knowing what you need to work hard on. That is to say, knowing what you are training for and how to train for that. Otherwise, like that ox, you can be working hard all day and still not be progressing in your training. This of course seems like common sense, but especially with martial arts, oftentimes the student (like me) has no clear idea about why they are training and what exactly they are training for. Again, the goal, the strategy, needs to be clearly defined. Or defined enough perhaps so that you know the general direction you want to go. My Sensei has of course said the same thing, albeit without the animal analogy. It seems to me that anyone who has ever worked hard and achieved a certain skill level in their life tends to understand this. I'm just gettin' started here...

Elbow SMASH!

- Hiji Até