Most traditional schools have a set of precepts that are used to guide it practitioners. Though it is not my intention to create a new martial art, I have decided to create a new set of precepts to guide our students. We have become an independent school due to actions beyond our control and rather than mold the precepts of the several schools we teach into a huge and unwieldy list, I felt it best to distill them down into an easily remembered few for the general students. The traditional lists will be taught to the Black Belt level practitioners that continue their study of the traditional systems.
This list is the result of much thought into the qualities that I would want to see in someone who represents themselves as a practitioner of the arts I teach at this school. It is presented in a similar method to Ueshiba sensei's Seven tenants of Budo/seven pleats of the hakama speech. This is not a traditional list, but is inspired by tradition and the commentary is primarily based on the dictionary definitions of the chosen principles. I decided to keep the number at seven because seven is generally seen throughout the world as a lucky or holy number. In Christianity/Judaism seven is the number of God. The world was created in seven days, there are seven deadly sins and seven heavenly virtues. The rainbow has seven colors, there are seven seas, and seven wonders of the ancient world. Dice has the lucky number seven and in folklore the 7th son of a 7th son was supposed to be gifted.
In Japanese folklore they have the Seven Gods of Fortune ( 七福神 Shichi-fuku-jin ) and it is believed to be lucky to eat nanakusagayu 七草粥 (seven herb rice porridge) on the 7th of January. They celebrate the seventh day after a babies birth and mourn on the seventh day after a loved ones passing and again on the 49th day (7 x 7). Some Buddhists believe in seven reincarnations and there are seven factors of enlightenment.
Here then are the Seven Qualities of a Martial Artist as taught in our dojo:
Courage 勇気 Yuki - Courage is the quality shown by someone who decides to do something that is hard or difficult, or may be dangerous, even though they may be afraid. If you have the courage of your convictions, you have the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve.
Perseverance 根気 Konki - Perseverance is the quality of continuing with something even though it is difficult. It is best expressed in the dojo by the phrase "Nana Korobi Ya Oki" 七転び八起き - meaning "Seven times fall down, Eight times get up".
Loyalty 信義 Shingi - Loyalty is the quality of staying firm in your friendship or support for someone or something. Loyalty does not mean remaining in a situation that has become unhealthy, but it does entail not unfairly disparaging the other party/parties when the time comes to move on.
Courtesy 礼儀 Reigi - Courtesy is politeness, respect, and consideration for others. Treating others the way you would want to be treated is a form of courtesy.
Every culture since time immemorial has taught a version of the Golden Rule and this is the basis of most religions. This courtesy extends to family, friends and strangers. It then extends to nature and your environment. Remember true respect begins with self-respect.
Humility 謙虚 Kenkyo - Someone who has humility has self-respect for their accomplishments, but gives credit where credit is due and does not unfairly glorify one's own self. They are not boastful or arrogant and do not believe they have more rights than other people.
This humility is not the self-abasement of typical western style philosophies, but the humility of a Shakyamuni Gautama, a Martin Luther King Jr., or a Mohandas Gandhi, one who sets about doing great things for the benefit of others, and though they may achieve great fame in the process, the goal is still the same and the fame is used solely to further the goal, not for self-aggrandizement.
Honesty 誠 Makoto – Honesty is the presence of positive attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating,or theft. Honesty is the value of speaking the truth and creating trust in the minds of others. It is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do, even when there is no one around to see if you do not.
Benevolence 仁 Jin - A benevolent person helps other people to become better by using the fruits of their own success. They seek to do good things in the world through their compassion for others. When seeking to do good works remember the wisdom of the Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life "
All goals can be attained through the use of the first two principles, but can only be maintained by the application of the other five principles.
This list is the result of much thought into the qualities that I would want to see in someone who represents themselves as a practitioner of the arts I teach at this school. It is presented in a similar method to Ueshiba sensei's Seven tenants of Budo/seven pleats of the hakama speech. This is not a traditional list, but is inspired by tradition and the commentary is primarily based on the dictionary definitions of the chosen principles. I decided to keep the number at seven because seven is generally seen throughout the world as a lucky or holy number. In Christianity/Judaism seven is the number of God. The world was created in seven days, there are seven deadly sins and seven heavenly virtues. The rainbow has seven colors, there are seven seas, and seven wonders of the ancient world. Dice has the lucky number seven and in folklore the 7th son of a 7th son was supposed to be gifted.
In Japanese folklore they have the Seven Gods of Fortune ( 七福神 Shichi-fuku-jin ) and it is believed to be lucky to eat nanakusagayu 七草粥 (seven herb rice porridge) on the 7th of January. They celebrate the seventh day after a babies birth and mourn on the seventh day after a loved ones passing and again on the 49th day (7 x 7). Some Buddhists believe in seven reincarnations and there are seven factors of enlightenment.
Here then are the Seven Qualities of a Martial Artist as taught in our dojo:
Courage 勇気 Yuki - Courage is the quality shown by someone who decides to do something that is hard or difficult, or may be dangerous, even though they may be afraid. If you have the courage of your convictions, you have the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve.
Perseverance 根気 Konki - Perseverance is the quality of continuing with something even though it is difficult. It is best expressed in the dojo by the phrase "Nana Korobi Ya Oki" 七転び八起き - meaning "Seven times fall down, Eight times get up".
Loyalty 信義 Shingi - Loyalty is the quality of staying firm in your friendship or support for someone or something. Loyalty does not mean remaining in a situation that has become unhealthy, but it does entail not unfairly disparaging the other party/parties when the time comes to move on.
Courtesy 礼儀 Reigi - Courtesy is politeness, respect, and consideration for others. Treating others the way you would want to be treated is a form of courtesy.
Every culture since time immemorial has taught a version of the Golden Rule and this is the basis of most religions. This courtesy extends to family, friends and strangers. It then extends to nature and your environment. Remember true respect begins with self-respect.
Humility 謙虚 Kenkyo - Someone who has humility has self-respect for their accomplishments, but gives credit where credit is due and does not unfairly glorify one's own self. They are not boastful or arrogant and do not believe they have more rights than other people.
This humility is not the self-abasement of typical western style philosophies, but the humility of a Shakyamuni Gautama, a Martin Luther King Jr., or a Mohandas Gandhi, one who sets about doing great things for the benefit of others, and though they may achieve great fame in the process, the goal is still the same and the fame is used solely to further the goal, not for self-aggrandizement.
Honesty 誠 Makoto – Honesty is the presence of positive attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating,or theft. Honesty is the value of speaking the truth and creating trust in the minds of others. It is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do, even when there is no one around to see if you do not.
Benevolence 仁 Jin - A benevolent person helps other people to become better by using the fruits of their own success. They seek to do good things in the world through their compassion for others. When seeking to do good works remember the wisdom of the Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life "
All goals can be attained through the use of the first two principles, but can only be maintained by the application of the other five principles.
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