My focus in these short articles is to share my personal experience and provide a modern interpretation of each of the 20 precepts, both in the dojo and in life in general. In no way do I claim to have "the" insight to what Funakoshi was thinking when he wrote them. Nor do I think my interpretation is applicable for everyone. With this context, I share my thoughts with you humbly and sincerely. I hope you gain or validate your own personal insights in my writing, and explore how they can benefit you in many aspects of your life.
6. The Heart Must Be Set Free
I have not written a Dojo Kun article in a while, so I have attached links to the other articles I wrote sometime ago if you are interested:
Niju Kun Part 1- Karate Goes Beyond The Dojo
Niju Kun Part 2- Karate Begins and Ends With Rei (Bow)
Niju Kun Part 3- There Is No First Strike In Karate
Niju Kun Part 4- First Know Yourself, Then Know Others
Niju Kun Part 5- Mentality Over Technique
One of my favorite tenets of the Dojo Kun. There is an old saying by an Indian yogi Swami Sivananda that also addresses this axiom from Funakoshi in my opinion "Put our heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success".
On the surface this is pretty straightforward and makes sense. Follow your heart. Do what you love. Listen to your gut and so on. We have all heard these "common" sense sayings many times. So if we know this to be true, the ensuing questions become more difficult. What if your heart is not in it? What if you have to do something you don't love, does that mean you will not be successful? Does my heart always have to be "in it"- there are some days it isn't. These are realities we all face everyday. As another saying goes, "common sense is anything but common". Let's address this from an inside and outside the dojo perspective. I do not have all the answers to these questions but I will share my personal thoughts.
Anyone who has been training karate for any length of time knows there are some days you spring into the dojo ready to train for hours and other days you have to drag yourself off the couch to train. Everyone faces this issue at some point. The repetitive nature of kihon and drills, injuries, fatigue, jobs and career, family or school responsibilities and even "dojo politics" can all be a drain on your desire to train just to name a few. In addition, we all face periods where the learning curve is not as steep and even feels at times is regressing. You can become frustrated with yourself and loose the desire you once had. I have seen many people "hit this wall" and stop training eventually. Sticking it out is the exception and not the rule, and is one of the reasons why there are few black belts and even fewer who continue their training after they attain their black belt. Another old saying goes as follows, "A black belt is a white belt that did not give up".
Please do not misunderstand me. If you start training an you discover that karate is not for you, then stop training. One must be intrinsically motivated to be successful in the long term. You have to want to do it for yourself- your own internal desires- your personal insights- what your heart tells you. I have seen people who stay in karate for extrinsic reasons that ultimately are unsustainable. For example the child of a parent who pushes them to get their black belt when it is not something the child really wants to do. Or adults who train to gain rank and the power/influence that may bring over others in a larger karate association. Does this mean they will not be successful at karate and win medals and trophies? No. Does this mean they do not have good technique? No. Does this mean they will eventually quit at some point? Not necessarily. What I am saying is that they will never be personally fulfilled if they focus on extrinsic motivators, and if left unfulfilled, they will never attain the true essence of karate.
Karate is a personal journey like life itself. We share it with others (hopefully the "right" others) but we walk it alone. The real training is inside your heart, mind and soul. For your karate training to be sustainable, like making anything in life sustainable, it must become part of who you are, you have to love it. I am not suggesting that you spend every waking hour of the day devoted to practicing your mai-geri. Karate is more than kicking, punching and blocking..it is a state of being. I have learned much more about myself from karate than I have learned how to fight. It must come from the heart, and it must be freely pursued for it to gain these personal insights. I have written in other posts that I stopped training for a period of almost 10 years. During those years there was always something missing, a part of me that was not complete. I had to return. It was like I felt I had no choice if I wanted to feel "complete" again. It was too much a part of who I was. I felt like I was stagnant and regressing without it.
I would like to discuss another interpretation of this tenet. When anyone begins their training their head is swimming with information. Put your foot here, your hand here, do this, don't do that. This information overload happens to everyone. However at some point, after lots of training, you think less and just do or react more naturally. You loosen the bonds of over-thinking and it just all "clicks". In other words, you set your heart free. When sparring you think less about what you are going to do and just react in the moment to your opponent. Again this is the essence of what I believe he was saying. This occurs after many years of training. After you practice a kata countless numbers of times, you discover the less obvious or hidden movements with it. You also learn new applications of the movements or bunkai. The feeling you get when you come to this realization is more than satisfying, it is personally rewarding.
The heart must be set free is equally important outside the dojo. How many of us are in relationships of convenience or are forced upon us? How many of us work in jobs that do not engage the best of us or are not what we would do if "we had a choice"? How many of us go through the motions of our lives because we are told and conditioned that is what we "must" do? These questions are not easy to address and in reality we all experience them to some extent at some point, or for our entire lifetimes. I do not have the quick fix on this, nor am I necessarily suggesting you leave your life behind today. The dimensions of time and sustainability are important here. How long have you felt that way? Are you just having a bad day or week or is it more than that? More importantly is the impact it has on you personally and the others surrounding you? If your heart is not into it, how does that effect other people, your health and various aspects of your life? Life is about the choices we make and we are solely responsible for those choices. Where is your life taking you and is your heart in it?
I know I have raised more questions than can be easily answered. The Dojo Kun, and karate in general, is much more than just what we see or read at a surface level if we make the time to explore it at a deeper level. I hope this article in a small way can assist you, or reinforce for you what you already know to be true for you, along your journey.
Since 1988, Way Of Life Shotokan Karate has been committed to teaching traditional karate and values for a modern world. Under the leadership of Norman Smith Sensei, Way Of Life Shotokan Karate instructs hundreds of students at our various locations from beginner to advanced levels of all ages that come from across the New York City metro area. Our unique way of combining martial arts training, etiquette and philosophy with the modern concepts of fitness, self-defense and competition is unparalleled. We ensure your training is vigorous, while maintaining a safe and fun learning environment that encourages students to reach their fullest potential.
Way Of Life Shotokan Karate Do martial arts school is now offically open at 501 East Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck NY, 10543 serving the local Westchester County communities of New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Harrison, Rye, Port Chester, Mount Vernon, Scarsdale, White Plains and Yonkers as well as the Bronx and NYC metro area.
