Two of our junior shodans taught our last two Zoom karate classes, and each of them were quite challenging. Senpai K started off class normal enough, with stretches, kihon conducted at a good pace, followed by a water break. He had us review pinan sono yon a few times.
Next, a devious idea came to Senpai’s mind: he asked the monitor to set a timer, and had us run part of the kata, then freeze and hold that stance as long as we could. The first pose was a zenkutsu dachi, and the entire class held this for five minutes. Senpai K then had us stop.
Kiba Pain
Senpai K had us go into kiba dachi, or “horse stance.” Kiba is a thigh-burner and more of a challenge than zenkutsu dachi. Senpai K let us sail right past that five minute mark. I thought he said we would stop at six minutes, but I misunderstood. When the monitor called six minutes, my legs were already shaking. I came up to shake them out, but I was the only one!
Everyone else, including Senpai K, continued to hold the kiba stance. After a minute or so break, I went back into the stance and held it with the group. In total, everyone, except for me, held that kiba stance for ten minutes! Some of the students, like our newest green belt and one of our brown belts, kept their arms out in fists the whole time, while others, Sensei T among them, practiced punching or other strikes to keep it interesting.
Kata Challenge Saturday
Senpai N, my son’s good friend, taught class yesterday morning. First, she started with a vigorous kihon of ten exercises, but went “straight through.” This means that she calls the stance and the first exercise, but we move straight through all the exercises done in that particular stance. For example, when she calls “migi sanchin dachi,” this is the stance we get into during kihon for punches. So once we get into that stance, we understand that we should run all the punches: seiken chudan tsuki, jodan tsuki, ago uki, uraken shomen uchi, etc. She led kihon at a fast clip, except when a rat pulled her attention away a time or two. She was instructing with a computer setup in her own back yard and had a wild visitor or two.
Kihon Improvements
Sensei T reminded us to watch our hikate hands, the side you keep “in guard” while the other hand does the technique. He also spoke some about how you may keep your guard differently depending on your situation. During a street fight, for example, you will want to keep your face guarded, so you may keep your hands higher than you would in normal kihon for some techniques.
Speaking of kihon, I often do a quick google search to check my spelling of the Japanese terms, etc. While doing so, I found a couple very cool videos. So first, a video about the first and most basic block we learn: chudan uke. This video is created by One Minute Bunkai:
I love the fact that he begins with the most straight-forward demonstration of the technique and its use, then develops it to show a wide variety of uses. Note that it can be an attack as well as a block.
Next, I found this: it’s a video showing demonstrations of many basic Kyokushin moves for kihon. Several of the folks in the videos are well-known karateka in Kyokushin:
Shared on Youtube by ovodilen
Kata Recall
Senpai N wanted us to complete kihon quickly so we could have plenty of time for the next item on her agenda: kata. Before the water break, she asked class members to come up with a kata to do. We should choose the kata we feel we know best. My son and I brainstormed, and I felt I should be able to do any of the kata I’ve learned, with the exception of Kanku. I really need to practice that. We landed on Tensho, and decided to do it together. We did fine, but I realized I needed to work on some of the finer parts. And speaking of Tensho, check this out. This video is shared by Kasımpaşa Budokai-Do:
Mas Oyama performing Tensho as part of a performance in Brazil
Yes! That is Sosai Masutatsu Oyama himself, our style’s founder. Watching him, I know my son and I have more practicing to do. I also love the smoke on the stage–Oyama was such a showman on top of being an incredible karate teacher.
So at the beginning of February, I was thinking about how karate had helped me with my professional life. Of course, it’s fun to have a cool hobby to discuss with your coworkers. Karate certainly fits that bill.
However, on a philosophical level, my karate practice has aided me in more fundamental ways. I work in visual effects. As an industry, visual effects is basically the intersection between the technology sector and the film industry. Neither of these have a reputation for being easy for women to navigate. In fact, during my twenty year career, I’ve never worked for a female visual effects supervisor. They exist: I’ve seen or met three. Of the three, only one worked on a large projects with lots of 3d animation. The other two worked primarily on smaller, indie films with less computer graphics.
Seeing the success of others similar to ourselves reminds us of what is possible to achieve. My cat and his inspiration.
Once, at Dreamworks, I worked on a film with a female director. The vibe with a female at the head of the picture was a bit different, but not terribly different. For those of us for whom it is rare to see a woman in a position of leadership, she was an inspiration. She was also an Asian woman–so for persons of color, particularly Asian women, it was cool to see her at the helm. When we see ourselves in another who has achieved a great success, it reminds us of what is possible. She did a great job, too!
Work Life is Competitive
Fitting In and Standing Out
Not a Wallflower: flower photo made during a trip to Colorado in 2018
Male friends have told me it’s not easy for them to succeed, either. At least as a minority, you stand out. People remember you because you are a rarity. My male friends feel like wall flowers. Our industry also employs folks from all over the world. Coworkers from other countries experience difficulties, too. Often English is not their first language; this adds communication and cultural barriers for them. Many of us have reasons to feel like we don’t fit at work. Gender, race, nationality, religious expression, sexual orientation or identity, heritage, age, physical or mental abilities, education level and emotional challenges–this is not a complete list. Often, the things that make us unique can also make us stick out, for better or worse. The inverse is also true: fitting in too well can make us feel invisible.
Relocating, Long Hours: Understanding Your Problems Aren’t Unique
Moreover, visual effects is highly competitive. We often work long hours. More recently, folks were expected to relocate for jobs, sometimes to different countries. This has the effect of reducing the number of older people in the industry: once you’ve bought a house or had children, moving to another state or country is much more complicated. Interestingly enough, with the pandemic making it possible for more of us to work from home, that may changed. I certainly hope it will.
Visual effects, however, is not unique. Many industries ask employees to relocate, and feel competitive for workers. I was surprised, but not really, to read about how much pressure workers experience in warehouses run by Amazon. Not long ago, the LA Times ran an article about how shoppers and drivers for services like Instacart feel squeezed by both employers and the customers utilizing those services. My sister is a child therapist. About a year ago, her company converted her and others to contractors. During any given week, she doesn’t know if she will work forty hours or less. She and others like her have lost their benefits, like health insurance or paid vacation.
Working for a living, for the majority of us, is not easy.
How Can Karate Help?
How can karate help? Certainly, it provides exercise. It emphasizes both strength training and cardiovascular fitness. Keeping your body fit is a major advantage, and a fit body helps promote a healthy brain with balanced emotions. That said, I find karate’s philosophical underpinnings helpful, too. Here are lessons I learned from karate which help me in the workplace.
1. Remember to Kiai!
What is the most important part of the kiai? That it be heard! When we practice kihon, break boards or perform some particularly difficult feat, we kiai. Kiais have a twofold purpose: to focus your attention, and bring the attention of others to what you are doing.
First, a kiai is a “spirit call.” You can use it to focus your energy towards the task at hand. You give a shout, channeling your all into what you are doing at that moment. We are trained to kiai the second our hands or feet slice through objects. This forceful shout gives us a singular focus and helps us channel all of our mental and physical energy into a particular goal, be it a blow to a brick or a punch to a formidable opponent.
When you reach a milestone, let others know! Photo taken during trip to Colorado. I’m sure this goat’s buddies knew of its accomplishments.
The kiai also teaches us to claim our space and make our voices heard. This is particularly important for white belts. Newer students are often shy. They try not to bring attention to themselves. The kiai quickly teaches them to let this shyness go. The kiai announces to the rest of the dojo that these students are here, making a focused effort, and pay attention to them!
This is helpful in the workplace, too. Speak up about what you do. Claim your space at work; tell others what you are working on. Certainly let them know when you’ve accomplished a feat or reached a milestone. Let your voice be heard! This, too, is a kiai.
2. Follow Truth
For Kyokushin, “truth” is in the name of our style. In the dojo, we seek to find that truth: the truth of our own strengths and limitations, the truth that these are not fixed points, but rather marks influenced by diligent effort.
In order to improve ourselves, we must also be honest with ourselves, and each other, about where we are right now. The entire kyu-rank structure helps us mark progress by setting attainable goals. In order to advance to the next level, you learn certain kata and syllabus, do a fixed number of exercises and fight a certain number of rounds. Each kyu rank increases in difficulty, but the student, too, becomes stronger, tougher and more capable.
Part of the pursuit of truth, then, is being honest regarding your own capabilities and progress. You do this by performing tests, and submitting your skills to the assessment of others. As an advanced student, you may help judge others. You must also practice on your own, and assess your own skills. How many push-ups can I do on my toes and fists? Am I maintaining what I need for my rank? If I want to advance, how many do I need to do for my next rank? The goal of these assessments, both those we give to ourselves and to others, is this: help individuals improve.
Objectivity and Benchmarks
Note what is happening here: we agree upon objective benchmarks. For example, performing five of the pinans and yantsu correctly, sparring for six two-minute rounds, and doing sixty push-ups, sit-ups and squats, along with learning the fourth kyu syllabus are the requirements for a green belt in our style. When we hold a promotion, candidates know the requirements. They perform these as tests in the presence of others. During promotions, we demonstrate whether or not we can meet the benchmark for a particular rank. In short, we attempt to find objective measurements for progress.
You can do this in the workplace, too. Push for clearly defined, attainable goals. Encourage coworkers to do the same. Offer objective assessments couched in encouragement to others. Make self-improvement your goal and help others to improve themselves, too!
3. Defend Yourself
We hope that, most of the time, the workplace is a friendly, encouraging space where everyone is able to do their best. Often, though, this isn’t the case. Self-defense is one of the pillars of karate. Since truth is important to us, we recognize that the world can be a dangerous place. Sometimes others are intent on doing harm.
“Self-defense… begins with the belief that you are worth defending.” Our karate club’s publicity wonk texted this quote from the Jiu-jitsu master Rorian Gracie just last week along the link to a Zoom karate class. This sense of self-worth is fundamental to karate: your own life, health, well-being and improvement must be of great importance to you–or there might not be a you!
Sensei R. often tells us this: when you are attacked, the first thing you must recognize is that you in a fight. At that moment, the fight is your current reality and you need to deal with it appropriately. Often, people will not see the evidence before their own eyes and will choose to pretend everything is okay when it is not. Sometimes they mistakenly believe that if they simply act normal, life will go back to normal. This is denial, and it’s dangerous. Karate teaches us not to seek conflict, but it does gives us tools for dealing with conflict when it finds us. If you’re in a fight, fight back with everything you have: your skills, smarts, strength and spirit: kiai, kick and punch!
Appropriate Defense at Work
In the workplace, I hope, a physical altercation would be less likely. If you feel you are under attack, first assess the nature of the attack. If you are engaged in a fair battle of ideas, defend your ideas! Also listen to the defense of others’ ideas. Relax: sparring over the best approach or the best solution to a problem is a good thing, and can make you stronger regardless of who actually wins. Look for benchmarks or objective criteria in order to find the truth. Let objectivity bring you and your coworkers to the best solution. Enjoy the kumite match!
Work can feel rugged; put on your hiking boots! Defend your ideas, but listen to others. Try to keep perspective. Photo of Utah from 2019.
If you feel a coworker is questioning your judgement, state clearly your beliefs and list evidence for them. Also state your qualifications for making those judgements. Sometimes your coworkers may not be aware of your background and qualifications. They may not know why you made certain decisions. So tell them clearly. If you hear your work being scrutinized, listen to criticism, but analyze what is actually being said. What benchmarks or objective criteria are at play? Did you know about these criteria beforehand? If not, point this out. Do any of the criticisms have merit? If so, you have an opportunity to make improvements. Own these. If not, propose objective criteria.
In short, answer criticisms. Engage your critics. Defend your work. Do not let fear interfere with your self-confidence. Finally, remember we all have room for improvement.
4. Own Your Rank
Karate teaches us to own our rank. As white belts, we listen, observe and imitate. White belts bring enthusiasm to karate. Likewise junior employees or interns in a company offer enthusiasm and a fresh perspective, but they are also expected to listen and learn. Advanced karate students will ask the Sensei about finer details of karate; they help instruct less advanced students. If you are a senior employee or someone with a lot of experience, that’s your job: mentor those younger and less experienced coworkers, pay attention to the finer points that you know to look for, and point these out. Accept the responsibility that comes with your level of experience.
Time is Money: Respect it
As a woman working in an area with fewer women, I often find myself in a situation in which people assume that I know less than I do, or that I have less experience than I do. I’m short, too, and sometimes people unconsciously associate being young (inexperienced) with being small. Before I studied karate, I would listen politely in my desire to be considerate, convinced the other person is simply trying to be helpful. I might let someone explain a procedure to me that I actually understood well. After studying karate, I do not do this. I recognize reality: the company’s money is at stake. Survival for a company depends upon judicious use of money. My time is the company’s money. His time is, too. I politely interrupt now.
In a dojo, it’s easy to own your rank. We don our belts and line up by rank. It’s clear who is a shodan and who is a mu-kyu. At the office, it isn’t clear. You may have to tell someone what your position is. It doesn’t make you a jerk. On the contrary, it means you respect that other person’s time as well as your own.
Life is Short
My son’s drawing of Buddha for a school project
Karate encourages us to live in the here and now. Meditation, breathing exercises, kumite: all of these teach us to be present in the moment. Take that awareness to work with you, then bring it back home. Recognize that, if you are fortunate, you will live long enough to see changes at work, at home, in yourself and in others. Some of these changes will be good ones and others will not. Be patient with others and yourself. Empathize. When you are home, let go of work and be at home. Seek peace.
Today we celebrate my daughter’s sixteenth birthday, and it will be like no previous birthday celebration. Obviously the pandemic has changed how we observe all sorts of events. However, last night, I put together a collage of photos for today’s family birthday Zoom.
While looking through the pictures, few of her birthdays, I realized, were alike. One year, she invited thirty kids from different friend groups and wanted them all to sleep over. We told her that was way too many kids. She insisted, because she’d already told them all they were invited. I negotiated with the grandparents (remember they live in our home, too). We landed on a solution: a two night birthday event. She divided her friends into two groups of fifteen. On Friday night, several came and celebrated. Some slept over but many (mainly the boys) went home. By Saturday evening, the first shift had cleared out and the second arrived.
Another year, she wanted a beach birthday party. It was too cold to swim in the ocean in January, so we had a family celebration then, and her actual friend birthday party took place on the beach, in June. We managed to pack a Porto’s cake into a freezer bag, and had cake with her on the beach. Keeping the candles lit was a feat. A friend kindly provided a tent for the party.
Ceremony and Change
For every birthday, some things were consistent: candles, a cake, gifts. Other things shifted: family and friends celebrating together, or separately, or the place and even the time. We try to be flexible. As she grew, what she needed and wanted changed, too. As a baby, mom and dad could be sufficient. Later, toys, books and sweets mattered to her, and the presence of friends grew in importance. As a teenager, time with friends became paramount. Last night, she had a Zoom movie night with a close friend. Next weekend, she’ll Zoom with the teen group. Today, we’ll have a separate family group.
Likewise, as your skills grow in karate and in life, what you need and want from it will change. Some things will remain the same: karate can remain a stabilizing force in your life, helping to keep your focus on health and well-being. As a child, you may care about trophies, contests and tournaments. When you are a young adult, a sensei might require you to compete in tournaments and ask you to demonstrate your breaking skills for the dojo during holiday events. As you age, however, you may be more drawn to the spiritual aspects of karate: meditation, teaching, perfecting your techniques. Karate provides space for and places importance on all of these things.
What is Karate Outside the Dojo?
During the pandemic, we’ve had to alter our methods for teaching and how we perform promotions. When California first went into lockdown last spring, we took a hiatus while figuring out our next step. We scrambled to keep our community together when financial disaster struck our dojo. Like the schools, we shifted to instruction primarily over Zoom. Promotions, however, were still held outdoors, in parks, along with occasional in-person classes as permitted by the county. We could not make attendance at any in-person event mandatory, since that might penalize members with elderly parents or persons with health conditions at home. Sensei R. researched the effects of the virus and its spread; he encouraged us to purchase sports masks. During workouts, he required thirty feet between participants, and substituted hard cardio work-outs for kumite matches. He found a way for promotions to take place.
Most promotions we performed, in order to avoid attention, required participants to wear work-out clothing. We only wore belts to signify rank. As the pandemic worsened in our area, we had to reduce attendance at promotions to just the persons promoting and the judges.
Right now, our promotions do not look like those we held in the dojo. Gone are the gis, sparring matches, fellow students shouting encouragement, sharing food afterwards and big parties to celebrate our accomplishments. Here’s what’s remained: beginning and ending meditation, perfecting one’s kihon, performing rank-related kata, syllabus and exercise requirements (push-ups, sit-ups and squats), hard physical and mental exertion, the ceremony of presenting an earned belt, both praise and correction from one’s senseis and senpais.
What is Karate Without Kumite?
Kumite, long considered part of the core of Kyokushin, is a shadow of what it was in our current practice. We miss it. However, we would miss lost friends and family members, and peace of mind much more, if we permitted it, and one of our members or their families contracted the virus with devastating consequences as a result.
Water as Spiritual Strength
ocean wave, taken on the California coast
Karate teaches us that life is change. When our dojo joined the IFK, we adopted the wave as our symbol and sewed it into our gis. According to the IFK’s USA site:
The International Federation of Karate logo, worn at the top of the right sleeve of the Gi, has as its central symbol a rising wave, which is taken from Saiha Kata. This wave symbolizes the fact that no matter how great an obstacle or problem you may encounter, with patience, determination and perseverance (Osu 押忍) you can rise above and overcome it.
My daughter, by the way, loves water. When we took her to the beach as a toddler, she charged right into the surf. My husband or I needed to be right behind her to insure she did not go to deep. She loved the ocean and had no fear of it. In elementary school, she decided she would eat no fish because she, herself, must be part fish.
She still loves water and still applies its lessons of perseverance to all she does: learning and teaching karate, programming, academics and her new job as Dungeon Master.
Water as an Ancient and Enduring Symbol
Standley Lake in Colorado
Water is necessary for all life; many cultures use it to symbolize purification, renewal, wisdom, or even the flow or time or life itself; its symbolic nature is unparalleled.
The quote, “Still waters run deep” appears in Shakespeare and, according to Wikipedia, was a Latin proverb. Even the Biblical 23rd Psalm of David refers to deep water: “he leads me beside still waters” (paraphrased.)
Confucius said, “Balance is the perfect state of still water. Let that be our model. It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface.”
Water is also an important symbol for Daoism, the grandfather of Buddhism, including Zen, and karate. It is used to show how the soft (water) can overcome the hard (rock). In the words of Lao Tsu:
“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”
Since water adapts, changing its shape to fill any container that holds it, it refers to both adaptation and consistency. It takes the shape of any vessel, but remains water. Its essence is not in its shape. When heat or freezing temperatures are applied, it may vaporize or freeze. However, when temperatures are not extreme, it remains in a liquid state. In short, water changes but remains what it essentially is.
Kumite as Challenge
During our last promotion, I repeated something to my kohai that I’d hear Sensei R. say to me and many others: “On this day, you fought yourself. You had to face your own exhaustion, limitations and fear. You fought those and overcame them.”
While we do miss the ability to spar with each other, we do not find obstacles in short supply during this pandemic. The spirit of kumite: the desire to overcome any obstacle, like that ocean wave invoked by the IFK, remains with us.
In karate, and in life, we want to be like water: adapting to what we must, but holding fast to our essential nature.
After events in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, I needed to grapple with current events.
Our institutions and our world, are like a dojo. Treat them with respect.
After events in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, I felt I needed to write something grappling with current events, even though this is mostly a karate blog with oblique references to my profession.
Personal Interest in Spirituality and Truth
I am an American. I grew up in the South. One of the most influential persons in my life was an evangelical Christian and Southern Baptist. However, I fell in love with a man of Jewish heritage who considered himself an atheist until he found Buddhism. I converted to Judaism and chose to raise my children as Jews.
But right now, I’m reading the Koran. As a student in Germany, a graduate student in physics named Nadia befriended me. Her family raised her as a Christian, but she chose to convert to Islam. Her intelligence, kindness and thoughtfulness left a deep impression on me. I have a sister who converted to Islam as well. Hence, my interest in the Koran. As student in Germany, I read the Bhagavad Gita, as well as some autobiographical writings of Mahatma Ghandi. On this blog, I’ve talked about Buddhist texts, particularly ones on Zen, which influence karate. Sometimes I make references to Lao Tsu, whose writings I discovered later in life.
My aunt instilled a deep interest in spirituality and truth in me. Reading Bible stories with her sparked my childish imagination. She instilled in me a desire to live up to her lofty values. And what were those values? Be a good person. Tell the truth. Have compassion. In short, she’d say, to the best of your ability, be like Jesus.
Oyama, too, instructed his karateka: be a good person, a strong family member and serve your community. My aunt would approve.
“One living daily in the Way carries their head low and their eyes high; reserved in speech and possessing a kind heart, they steadfastly continue in their training efforts.”
I tell you these things so you can evaluate where I come from. Each of us has implicit biases, based in our familial, cultural, religious and national heritages. This is, to a degree, part of our nature as humans. Each of us chooses to embrace and reject parts of our upbringing and heritage. As teenagers and young adults, we seek to answer the question, “Who am I? What do I believe? What do I stand for?”
That said, each of us has blind spots. We can only overcome those blind spots if we acknowledge they exist. One way to overcome them is to befriend honest, trusted people who are not like us, then listen closely to them. Those differences can be based in heritage, religion, political beliefs, age, profession, physical appearance, build and perceived abnormalities, material affluence, nation or region of origin, physical or mental diversity and abilities or lack thereof, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socially-constructed race. In short, we need friends different from us. They can help us become better people, if we are willing to hear what they say.
Just as we have senpais (older siblings) when we practice in the dojo, a person with different life experiences from you can be like a senpai. How do we treat senpais in a dojo? We observe them, listen, and try to imitate what they do well. The world can be like a dojo if we enter it respectfully, willing to observe carefully, listen, and learn from those around us.
House of the Search for Absolute Reality
Hike in the Olympic National Forest
So again, what does karate have to do with recent political events? The style of karate that I and my martial arts compatriots practice is called Kyokushin, and it was established by a Japanese man of Korean heritage, Masutatsu Oyama. Kyokushin literally means “absolute truth” in Japanese, and the Kyokushin kai, the symbol many of us wear on our gis, means “House of Absolute Truth.” However, “truth” can also be interpreted as “reality.” From the Wikipedia entry on Kyokushin, here’s a good explanation, breaking down the parts of Kyokushin Kai:
Oyama chose the kanji of Kyokushinkai (極真会) to resemble the samurai sword safely placed in its sheath. Translated, kyoku means “ultimate”, shin means “truth” or “reality” and kai means “to join” or “to associate.” Kyokushinkai, roughly translated, means “Association for Ultimate Truth”.[“What is Kyokushin? Mas-Oyama.com. Retrieved April 23, 2013] This concept has less to do with the Western meaning of truth; rather it is more in keeping with the bushido concept of discovering the nature of one’s true character when tried.[ Groenwold, A. M. (2002) Karate the Japanese Way Canada: Trafford Publishing.] One of the goals of kyokushin is to strengthen and improve character by challenging one’s self through rigorous training.{“What is Kyokushin?” Mas-oyama.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013]
My Sensei would often refer to that nuance: truth versus reality. He also added his own wisdom: none of us should presume to own the truth, or reality, in its entirety. Our narrow experiences and knowledge limits us. We seek to improve ourselves precisely because we know we need it. Therefore, Sensei R liked to say, we are the “house of the search for absolute reality.”
Searching for Reality: Our Senses
So, how do we know what is true and real? Where do we start? Certainly our own experiences are a great start. If a brick feels hard when you strike it, you can say it’s hard.
Our physical experience in the world: what we see, hear, smell, taste and feel, is our primary evidence for what reality is.
Sometimes personal experience isn’t enough. I wasn’t in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021. How do I know what actually transpired there?
Reality Testing: When Not To Trust your Senses
But let’s take a step back for a moment. I just asserted that we should be able to trust our own experiences as mediated by our own senses. Is that always true?
My mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was fourteen. She often told me about her visions. She heard voices, too. Sometimes she was aware that she could see and hear things no one else could see or hear. At other times, she was surprised to find that others had not experienced what she’d experienced.
Once she told me about a vision she’d had. She’d dated a particular man then broken off the relationship. Shortly afterwards, someone slashed her car tires. She believed he did it, because before the tire incident, she’d had a “vision.” She characterized it as such since it was in black and white, not color. However, the man in in her vision had yellow teeth. This detail stood out to her because it was the only element of color in an otherwise black and white experience. That detail revealed the man’s identity to her. She’d made note of his yellow teeth when they had been together in the past.
In this case, she knew her vision was outside of normal reality because it was in black and white, rather than color. She understood no one else but she had had this experience. She knew it was not “real” in the sense that you reading this blog right now is real. Nevertheless, it held meaning for her.
She told me about another experience quite unlike that one. As a temp office worker for Kelly Services, she’d struck up a friendship with one of the men at the office. One day, she realized he was not there.
Seeking out the judgement of others
According to my mother, her friend was there, until she realized he was not. So what does that mean? I puzzled over this for a long time. One of these two situations had occurred in reality: either my mother imagined this man, and interacted with an invisible person at the office (Scenario A), or my mother concluded that a real man, whom she’d previously interacted with, did not really exist (Scenario B). She knew enough to know that her hold on reality, at times, was tenuous.
But what was real? What actually happened with my mother in that office? How can you know, if you knew that you could not always trust your own senses? From my mother’s point of view, here’s how you might discover the truth: talk to the other people in the office. If they notice you were talking to thin air or frequently talking to yourself, then assume Scenario A, he does not exist, is likely true. However, if they note that you had made a friend, then strangely started ignoring him, Scenario B is more likely true, that he does exist.
Overcoming limitations
I learned from my mother, and her disease, that personal experiences are limited and possibly flawed. This is in line with studies conducted on implicit bias. We have each internalized the biases of our own families, communities and cultures. This is true regardless of mental abilities. However, just like a mental disability, biases limit our understanding of reality. They color what we see, or rather, remove color from what we see. Sometimes we have awareness of our biases, like my mother’s black and white vision. Other times, these biases are truly unconscious and we need honest feedback from others to bring us into reality.
In addition, there are our obvious limitations: determining what really happened at a time and place when you weren’t there. What do you do? You turn to the experiences of others to overcome your limitations.
Wednesday’s Events
On Wednesday, as events unfolded, my husband was glued to Twitter. He also followed the live reports of various reporters in the Capitol. That evening at 6pm, I tuned into the Senate debate, broadcast live by the New York Times. They debated an objection raised to certify Arizona’s electoral votes. Correspondents wrote comments in the margins of the page as different senators spoke from the floor.
Also, I paid special attention to Republican senators. Many condemned the violence exhibited that day. One in particular said she would change her vote based on the prior events, though she continued to question the validity of the election’s results. In the end, six senators voted in favor of the objection while ninety three voted against it. I didn’t stick around for the House debate.
If you lived in a small town in a rural area, and everyone you knew had voted like you, I can understand how you might assume your vote represents a majority; it may be in line with the majority in your community. However, if you have friends or relatives in metropolitan areas, you can find out how their opinions might differ from yours with a phone call. You can read the local papers from other communities in faraway places. Unless you live in a place with limited service or without freedom of media, you also can read online press releases from other countries as well as those from within your own country. This is reality-checking.
What’s True and Real
In the United States, we have a series of checks and balances set up to help prevent corruption. The balance of powers between the three branches of government is one. No one branch is permitted to hold absolute power.
The president asserts the election was stolen from him. Who stole it and how? His followers, who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, intended to defend him. Did they defend him? What is reality?
The Courts
The American court system offers redress to people who believe they have been wronged and those accused of wrong-doing. President Trump’s legal team filed multiple lawsuits on his behalf regarding election fraud. Most of them were rejected. The few that prevailed were not significant enough to move the needle of election results in any state.
In addition, the Supreme Court declined to hear those cases on appeal and rejected one case outright. There are at least six conservative judges, three of whom were appointed under Trump’s administration in the Supreme Court. It is not likely that the Supreme Court is biased against the current president.
In our court system, the burden of proof rests with the accuser and not the accused. It was not sufficient for the Trump Administration to claim voter fraud in various counties and states. To prevail, they had to offer enough proof to convince a judge and possibly a jury.
The Congress
Congress met to ratify the votes of the electors from the states. A handful of representatives raised objections to the votes of some states; Congress debated those. As mentioned earlier, the Senate voted 6 to 93 against the objection to Arizona’s votes. The House rejected the same objection 303 to 121. Objections were similarly raised to Pennsylvania’s vote, and were rejected, in both houses, by similar margins. Vice President Pence, a loyal supporter of the current president, presided over these proceedings. Recall, too, that the current president’s party held a slim majority in the Senate. Many Senators are loyal to the Republican Party and to the current president. It is not likely that the Senate was biased against President Trump. Senator after senator, Republican and Democrat, speaking from the floor, spoke passionately about doing their jobs.
More Republican Representatives in the Democrat-controlled House voted as the President hoped, but the majority still voted in favor of certifying the states’ votes.
The courts and the Congress, then, have stymied the current president’s ambitions to stay in power. One might argue they’re simply against him. However, our government was designed with the idea that the three branches of government would keep the power of each in check. This is the more likely scenario.
For those of us who were not at the Capitol last Wednesday, we have the accounts of eye-witnesses, including first-hand accounts from senators and representatives belonging to both parties, the police, members of the press, protestors and even the accounts of rioters.
Trust the Process
When I first began my karate journey, I felt intimidated. I watched the black, brown and green belts perform katas, fight, and do kihon. They knew the Japanese terminology. I was impressed with their knowledge, fierceness and grace. At times, I wasn’t sure I’d last long enough in my studies to attain a high rank. As an older, petite woman and a white belt, I wondered if I’d ever be able to hold my own in a kumite match with any of my fellow karateka.
Once in a while, I’d give voice to those apprehensions, and one of my senpais would answer, “Trust the process.” Sensei R. would also tell the class, “Trust your training.”
Now, nearly eight years later, I know the Japanese terminology. I know kihon and many katas. I’ve broken bricks with my hands. Over the holiday break, I was even able to get through Kanku, one of our longest, advanced kata. But it took years of practice–including many days in which I made a lot of mistakes–to get there. But I trusted the process. I trained. I am not perfect, but I am much improved over where I was when I started.
Democracy is messy, but it has a process
Yes, our democracy is far from perfect. Every voter precinct has volunteers, some paid and others not, helping to run the elections. Civil servants at all levels are people. Many have significant experience while others, fresh-faced, volunteered for the first time during this past election. Do they make mistakes? Of course! But luckily, there are multiple persons present while voting, and vote counting, occurs. They have training and a responsibility to report errors if they see them.
Our process, during both the 2016 and the 2020 elections, has received significant scrutiny, and we’ve made corrections. Investigations noted irregularities, foreign influence and misinformation in the 2016 election. These did influence that election. However, despite the fact that the 2016 election had been a close one, with the popular vote going to one candidate and the electoral college going to another, those tasked with investigating these problems still concluded that President Trump had won fairly in 2016. Of course many people did not like to hear that, but this was the consensus.
Checking Reality
Our elected officials did discuss and take measures to help protect against interference in our elections in the future. The 2020 elections, as well as voters, benefitted from some of these. However, by the time the 2020 elections arrived, our country had to work around a world-wide pandemic in addition. The voting public, however, has more awareness of issues like misinformation and foreign interference.
The results of the 2020 election were not close. However, Biden’s edge in the popular vote, according to the Pew Research Center, was about 4.45% of votes cast. The Electoral College cast 306 votes in favor of Biden and 232 in favor of Trump. According to Pew, Biden’s lead over Trump in the popular vote is about seven million. Pew notes Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump in the Electoral College looks like Trump’s victory over Clinton in 2016.
Nevertheless, the current president filed legal challenges, and those challenges went to the courts. This is the appropriate place for such challenges. If the challenges fail, then the losing party needs to regroup and learn from their losses.
In politics, as in karate, we learn more from our failures than from our victories.
Violence is Not the Way Forward
Given the emphasis that karate practitioners place on kumite (sparring) and tameshiwari (breaking stuff), it may sound counter-intuitive for me to write this, but karateka seek to be masters of violence in order to avoid it.
First, we learn self-control. During kumite, advanced students know how to take and give blows without letting their emotions run away from them. We control our breath, our muscles and our minds during sparring. Often, a karate teacher pairs advanced students with less experienced ones precisely because they will both challenge and teach the less experienced students. However, senpais remain in control of themselves, so they will not injure or discourage their kohais.
When we learn self-defense, the lesson is always to keep the fight as short as possible and get to safety. The goal is not to hurt others, but rather to defend ourselves and keep ourselves safe.
Mayhem is not protected political speech
While there were many peaceful protestors on Wednesday, some engaged in vandalism. Some participated in the chaos and expressed their anger, while others acted out in mob violence. Still others had more deadly intensions: they carried weapons into the capitol, or planted pipe bombs in the headquarters of both parties. Rioters beat a police officer with a fire extinguisher. He died. In total, five people died. Rioters threatened the vice president’s life: they erected a gallows, a white supremacist symbol, and chanted “Hang Mike Pence!”
Mayhem, threats and violence are the tools of thugs, extremists and dictators. It takes no skill or courage to pull a gun’s trigger or set off a bomb.
“Personal greed and egoism are things that cause human beings to forget respect for others and to violate rules that have been established for the sake of peace and friendship.”
Do the right thing. Advocate change, but do not violate others in the process.
This nation, our institutions, and our world, are like a dojo. Treat them as such: with reverence and respect. Enter and leave them with humility, head bowed but eyes raised.
On Saturday, Senpai DT led class. Though it was a small class due to the holiday weekend, it was challenging. She focused on both stretching and balance.
For balance, she had us do a series of kicks on first the right, then the left. During the kicks, you are not to put your kicking foot down but go straight from one to the next. Also, we completed each kick, so you could tell one kick from another. We also focused on foot position.
For example, for the first exercise, we did a kin geri (low groin kick, with toes pointed), followed by a mae geri (front kick using the ball of the foot), yoko geri (side kick using the “knife-edge,” or side of the foot with the big toe pulled back), followed by an ushiro geri (back kick, using the heel.) She also had participants name kicks, then had us do a new series of kicks, on both sides, based on the order that we named. Over Zoom, she spotlighted each student and gave each person a chance to demonstrate their mastery of the techniques.
Balance in a Narrow Space
I found that exercise particularly challenging–definitely good for balance, strength and precision. It did not help that I was trying to perform the kicks in a narrow area of our dining room, sandwiched in between the dining table and a shelving unit full of kitchen equipment!
Normally we do karate outdoors. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, it was cooler than usual. We also had a packed schedule. Short on time, I started the Zoom class on a computer normally used for monitoring. That computer has a larger screen, but the space where it is located is not ideal for a workout. That day, I had a number of activities and errands planned. I was just happy to be able to squeeze a few minutes out of my day for karate.
Balancing Health Against Other Obligations
Readers may have noticed I missed a weekend updating this blog. If you are a weekly visitor, I apologize. Last week, I experienced the return of an old nemesis: tendonitis. As a digital artist, I spend considerable time on the computer, even when I am not housebound and forced to do everything over Zoom. My work-life is spent in front of a monitor, using a mouse to perform fine-motor motions. When we’re refining moving geometry for a shot in a television show or film, we will often need to select and change the positions of small components, or vertices. Using these, artists refine the shapes seen on screen over time. Unfortunately, doing this work without taking appropriate breaks, for too long, can lead to tendonitis.
Three weeks ago, I started a new job. The company, itself, requires employees to take appropriate breaks and even puts those breaks into the company calendar. During the lunch hour, for example, you are not to contact a fellow employee through chat, email or phone calls. (Since we all work from home right now, walking over to someone else in the kitchen, at a desk or in a common area is not an option.) The company wants to avoid burn-out and injury, and has implemented appropriate measures for this.
Consequences for Lacking Balance
At my last job, I’d slowly transitioned from doing less artist work to more coding. At this new job, I was getting to do shots–so back to primarily artist work. However, I feared I was rusty at the work and too slow. So, I ignored required breaks. Anxious to get the work done both well and quickly, I worked through lunch. I took fewer breaks. Since I’m working from home, on the honor system, there was no one to chastise me or remind me to take those needed breaks. No one, but me, knew I was not taking those breaks. The result? Within a week, my tendonitis was back.
I paid a price for letting fear and insecurity get the best of me: pain. The tendons at the base of my right hand, close to my wrist, swelled visibly. They are larger than those of my left. I sometimes experienced twinges while getting dressed, or doing the dishes. During the week of Thanksgiving, I switched to doing anything I could with my left hand. I even did my ten minute writes using my left hand. For mousing on the computer, I used my left hand.
Years ago, when I had a lot of issues with tendonitis, I habitually switched between my left and right hands, so this is not the feat that it sounds. I even spent time trying to figure out the optimal time to spend using a particular hand, and landed on a week. Once the swelling in my right hand disappears, I will return to this.
Karate Emphasizes Balance
Photo taken on camper trip, July 2019
In karate, we normally do exercises on both sides. We want to improve strength on our weak side, and flexibility on both sides. Alternating the left and right sides is simply part of kihon. Many katas also require the karateka to perform a series of motions on both sides. During ren raku or syllabus, we also coordinate punches on the same side as a kick or the “leading” leg (the leg forward), but will also practice coordinating punches on the opposite side of a kick or leading leg. Balance in strength and dexterity is built into the study of karate.
House of the Search For Ultimate Reality: A Kyokushin Dojo
I feel a bit ashamed that I needed to re-learn the lesson of balance through the pain of an avoidable injury. As an imperfect human, however, with plenty of room for enlightenment, I also need patience with myself. When fear comes, I need to ground those fears in reality.
One defines Kyokushin as “ultimate truth.” In our dojo under Sensei R., we prefer the more Buddhist-based translation of “ultimate reality.” The idea is simply that we want to understand reality, or truth as reality. We assume that reality, because of the tricks of an individual’s mind, or habits or culture (including unconscious bias), is not obvious. Seeing what is real takes time, thought and effort.
Putting Karate’s Teachings to Work
How does this apply to me and my work situation? Well, obviously by having prescribed breaks, along with frank discussions about burn-out at work, the particular group of people I work with now are concerned about balance. On the day before Thanksgiving, our supervisor asked at a meeting, “How are you feeling? Who is burned out? Please be honest with me. I care about each of you.” Each of us answered that question. I punted, pointing out I was still in the “honeymoon phase” and hadn’t been with the company long enough to feel burned out. This was true, but of course I didn’t mention the tendonitis. Of course, this company wants employees to work hard and be focused. However, they do not want to over-work anyone and certainly do not want anyone injured or burned out. That is clear to me now.
I was not seeing that reality. Instead, I saw my past: I remembered people who, over the years, had said I needed to “pay my dues,” or who’d told me I had no business trying to work in visual effects while raising children. The schedules simply didn’t permit you to be a good parent, according to one friend. So, instead of hearing what was actually said, I heard ghosts, along with my own fears.
Last Tuesday, Sensei R discussed and demonstrated kanku kata over Zoom. He also shared the following video:
Kanku is one of the longest kata, but also beautiful and a go-to kata for shodans and high rank karateka seeking a good competition kata
As you will see if you watch the kata, and as Sensei R pointed out, this kata contains over 70 different moves. According to Sensei R, some karate practitioners believe that the Pinan katas were basically pieces of this kata. Early karate instructors, then, had separated it into pieces. While there is no proof that this origin story for the Pinans is true, said Sensei R, Kanku certainly contains many moves from the Pinans.
In fact, many of the more difficult from the Pinans, such as the kick-punch combination as well as the forehead block with strike in Pinan Sono Yon, or the Osai-uke followed by a stab in Pinan Ni, are found in Kanku. Luckily, many of the moves are repeated and mirrored on the other side of the body. However, the kata is still a bear to learn.
I was “monitoring,” or basically doing “tech” for the Zoom session, during that class, so I didn’t really follow along. When others weren’t following, I let Sensei R know or controlled the spotlighting.
The Night Before All Hallows Eve: partying and practicing
Luckily for me, Sensei T covered that kata again on Friday night. We had a very small adult class. It was Sensei T, Senpai DJ and me.
The Youth Counsel planned a Halloween bash/movie night over Zoom. Most of the kids, including a couple who showed up on the regular karate class Zoom, went to the party once they found out about it. This was expected and encouraged. Given trick-or-treating has been discouraged in our area due to the pandemic, these parties have taken on much greater importance. They are a poor substitute for kids getting together in costume and haunting their neighbors, granted. Nevertheless, these events serve as an important way for kids to celebrate and spend time together.
The kids had maybe fourteen separate households attend their Zoom. They played games, gossiped, showed off their costumes and their pets, and watched movies.
Sensei T asked DJ about her last promotion kata, so we reviewed those, then he basically taught me a good portion of Kanku. Given the complexity of that kata, it was great to have that training. Learning it, and I’m sure teaching it, over Zoom was a challenge. Sensei T was careful to demonstrate the turns from different views, so DJ and I were able to understand them. I have enough trouble keeping track of left versus right without having to interpret these through video. However, Sensei T watched carefully and really helped us. I learned so much from that class!
It’s funny: I had considered suggesting we cancel the class, since we knew that the youth party would greatly reduce our attendance. I’m so glad we didn’t. Personally, I really benefitted from that class.
Saturday in the Park: learning Kanku
We met in a local park in Burbank for our Saturday morning class. We’ve been meeting outdoors roughly once a month, and it’s great to practice in person. I admit, though, it’s easy for each of us to forget to social distance, particularly given how excited we feel to be together again. We do our best. When we forget ourselves, usually someone will remember, caution the group, and then we’ll spread out again. During the actual exercise portion, we make an effort to keep our groups more spread out than usual.
Sensei T had me lead warm-ups, and I got us to run in a wide circle as Sensei R had often done with us, do side-shuffles, high-knees, butt-kickers and just generally jog to get the blood flowing. Then, of course, we moved on to my nemesis, stretches, and ended with the shuto ukes, which I love.
I just looked up shuto mawachi uke, and this brought up a video of the Kyokushin warm-up for a Japanese dojo, and the teacher leading it is our style’s founder, Mas Oyama!
Sensei T then assigned students to lead sections of kihon, and we did a vigorous “speed kihon,” in which we just run through the techniques without needing to name them. We did twenties, so we were out of breath at the end.
He then covered Kanku, affording us the opportunity in person to practice what we’d been learning over Zoom. That was a different experience for sure. Sensei T demonstrated the kata for us, too, and his moves are elegant and powerful at once. He is such an insightful and sensitive teacher, too: he gives both praise and correction in a kind, straightforward manner.
A moment in Time: remembering Kanku at the dojo
While driving to attend the class in the park, my mind went to the first time I’d seen this kata performed. One of our instructors in the dojo had been a kata champion, and she’d both demonstrated and taught that kata. As a low-ranking student, I was in awe of her and her beautiful execution of it. Kanku also appeared to me, at that time, as one of those near-unattainable goals. It was so complex, powerful and elegant. How could someone like me learn to do that? I could but watch and dream.
However, this week, I was actually learning it!. Given my mastery of previous kata and approximately seven or eight years of practice, I feel I understand much of it. Now don’t get me wrong: learning it will still be challenging, and I’m sure I won’t be doing flying jumps. While watching Sensei T perform it in the park and on Zoom, I recognized so much of it from our previous studies.
I have a karate New Year’s resolution ready to go: learn Kanku. What do I plan to give myself for the holidays? Knowledge of Kanku!
Halloween Gifts
Mysterious Boo Bag!
While the gift of Kanku knowledge, courtesy of Senseis T and R, was perhaps my favorite Halloween gift, our family also received a wonderful “boo bag,” for perhaps the second or third year in a row. We do not know who gave us this thoughtful gift: a friend, a neighbor? We’re not even sure if these gifts came from the same person or persons who “booed” us last year or the year before. This year, two pairs of Halloween-themed socks, along with baked goodies and candy corns, were included. We are guessing our friendly ghost knows two children reside in our household. The bag contained two or more of everything.
The first time we received a “boo” gift, it came with instructions, including a sign to hang on your door, indicating you’d been “booed.” This year, there was simply a card announcing “You’ve been booed!” We made our own “we’ve been booed” sign to put on our door.
S and I also purchased and delivered a “boo” gift to neighbors up the street with three children. I confess we reused the cute “boo” card from our gift, but the fresh baked goods from our local cupcake shop were no re-gift, unless our neighbors dislike cookies! S took them to the door, rang the bell and ran to my car. I hesitated just long enough to see the door start to open, then drove away. S giggled the whole time, sputtering “Hurry Mom! Drive away!” between giggles. I hope they enjoyed their boo gift as much as we enjoyed ours!
Vote! Then find peace with your decision and those of others
And it is November 1st, so go vote! For practitioners of karate of our style, remember Oyama’s three points on why we practice karate:
to be a better person (more fit, healthy but also more at peace)
to be a better family member
to be a better member of society
Karateka strive to be better members of our societies. In a democracy, this includes our civic responsibility to vote. Please vote!
Recognize both your power and your limitations
Also, given all the stressors coming with this particular election during this particular pandemic, I’d like to remind folks of two things.
First, recognize that your vote counts and this is a very important election. Do not underestimate the importance of your vote. Our American leaders, for both better and for worse, have significant influence over world politics. As an American, your decision can influence not only American lives for the next four years, but it can influence people across the globe.
Lake in Colorado; do your best, then do your best to let go
Second, recognize that American politics has its limits. Do not overestimate the importance of our decisions. No president or other elected official is going to single-handedly cure COVID-19 in a day, though they may help or hinder our human group efforts towards a cure. Presidents and other elected leaders are not gods or goddesses. Also, despite what we decide, the sun will rise and set. The earth will rotate and follow its course around the sun. The moon waxes and wanes, regardless of our decisions. Find peace in knowing, whether or not your chosen politician wins the day, and whether or not you are in step with the rest of your nation’s other voters, that these changes are temporary.
As an American karateka, if you have carefully considered your decisions and cast your ballot, you have done your part. The rest is up to everyone else. Let it go now.
The passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, one week ago today, saddened my family. She served her country well, was a leader of the highest moral caliber. She set a high bar for the rest of us to follow, as a person of education, determination and ethics.
I want to recount Wednesday morning’s entry. Sensei taught for us Tuesday evening, and I found his treatment of tensho enlightening.
Wednesday September 23rd, 2020
It was inspirational to do another class with Sensei. He taught tensho the Goju-ryu way. We keep the lower body: legs and abdomen, rigid, while the rest of the body remains flexible and relaxed. Here is the way he explained it: everything below your belt-knot is “the mountain,” your solid foundation. Everything above your belt-knot is “the clouds:” fluid, relaxed, but also fast, capable of “lightning” speed for effective strikes. Sensei said this metaphor of the body, a mountain with clouds above, comes from Tai Chi, which, like the Goju-ryu version of tensho, play with slow movements and fast ones, strength and fluidity. And, similar to Oyama’s overall descriptions of circles, points and straight lines in karate, Sensei pointed out that this kata, too, plays with circles and straight lines. It is a kata of contrasts, seeking balance.
He showed a video that went over the bunkai for tensho. The elderly gentleman who demonstrated the bunkai for the kata often followed up a block or grab with two fast strikes. While listening to Sensei’s explanations and watching the video, I realized that the circular move in the kata, following the up-ward, shotei block, was really a shuto hizo uchi strike. Now when I practice tensho, I try to make that move an actual strike, rather than merely quickly moving down for the lower shotei block. The upper shotei, then, is the block. Once that is executed, both the shuto hizo uchi and the gedan shotei are strikes.
Contrasts in kata: rhythm, balance, circular motion versus straight lines
I can’t find the specific video Sensei showed us. When he sends it to us, I’ll post it here. However, while looking for a good example of tensho different from my favorite one posted previously, I came across this excellent karate demonstration from the WFK World Karate Championship of 2012. These women are excellent karateka. While you watch the video, think about speed versus slowness. They are masters of rhythm. Notice when they are fluid and when they are rigid. I love the fact that they mix in bunkai with karate moves. Yes, as you would expect in such a competition, they are excellent showmen. Look for circular motion punctuated with straight lines.
I’d like to think that Ruth Bader Ginsberg would have enjoyed watching this performance of skilled, strong young women.
Two Kyokushin Tensho demonstrations
Since this entry is about tensho, I’ll end with an excellent IFK rendition of tensho that I used while practicing for my black belt test.
I am grateful to Oishi of Cape Town and his dojo for posting this kata:
Oishi of Cape Town
If you are learning this kata, he makes it easy to follow along. Also, his karate is simply beautiful.
Finally, Masutatsu Oyama loved tensho, so I have to include this:
He certainly demonstrates the mountain and clouds, circles, points, straight lines, slowness and speed.
As of late, my karate-related reading has raised questions in my mind about both karate and Zen. I’m now in the section of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones that translates Chinese classic from the thirteenth century, the Gateless Gate. Perhaps its older, Chinese origins and ideas present more of a barrier for me.
Maha-Kashapa is enlightened when Buddha twirls a flower in another koan; also note the flower is a circle around a point.
The first tale is short: a monk asks Joshu the master if a dog has Buddha-nature. From there, the stories grow increasingly strange: a former Zen master, unable to correctly answer a student’s question, is transformed into a fox for five hundred rebirths; Master Gutei chops off the finger of a boy imitating him; Kyogen’s fatalistic image of a man hanging by his teeth from a tree over a precipice. Yes, the fingerless boy finds enlightenment. The fox-master gains enlightenment and release through listening to another teacher. Kyogen’s caution against words, while acknowledging our human predicament of needing words to transmit Zen teachings, encourages us to engage koans at the level of experience rather than thought or language.
However, to me these stories feel less accessible than those within 101 Zen Stories. 101 Zen Stories includes anecdotes by Nyogen Senzaki, who lived much later, and helped bring Zen Buddhism to the U.S. So maybe the issue is really my lack of understanding and familiarity with Zen’s Chinese roots.
Karate’s Kempo Roots
Nature is full of circles around points; it appears in animals as well as plants
Oyama, at the end of This is Karate, considers karate’s debts to Zen and Chinese kempo. In fact, Oyama states of his day’s karate trends: “the tendency is to use the straight line and the sharp angle rather than the point and the circle” (pg. 329). Kempo’s use of point and circle, to his mind, is more effective. He writes, “Though it may appear weaker, the point and circle method is actually the more powerful of the two, and it has more advantages when you shift from one technique to another” (327). Accordingly, he introduced several kempo hand and fist positions, as well as tensho, into his students’ karate practice.
Oyama goes on to support his assertion of the strength of the point and circle methods. While in Japanese karate, the karateka blocks and stops an enemy’s blow, says Oyama, the Chinese kempo artist blocks and repels the enemy’s blow (327). According to Oyama, the point and circle survive through many effective karate techniques. He wrote, “…in all karate moves for the hands, feet, or for the entire body, the motion is centered on a point around which we make a gentle arcing move.”
Certainly all of my Kyokushin karate instructors emphasized using your whole body for strikes and blocks. From Sensei to the black belts who led class, they all agreed on this point. When you use your hips, you use your whole body to support a move. For advanced students, we emphasize the “hikite,” or opposite hand, as much as we do the the striking hand. Every strike is stronger with an opposite “draw back.” The draw back winds up for a strike or block. With every move, we engage the whole body. The whole body is a circle revolving around a point, focusing our energy to support punches, kicks, blocks or strikes.
Chinese Koans and Karate
Even the rainbow is a circle in progress. What is its point?
This brings me back to the Chinese koans, which are just as much the basis of Japanese Zen Buddhism as kempo is to Kyokushin karate. They are intended to be hard and strange, in order to break the mind open for enlightenment. The author, reputedly Mumon, will often, in his commentaries, apparently contradict the point of the original koan. His ending poems, however, offer humor and a fig leaf back to the koan, and the reader. They circle about a point, like kempo, but the reader might need to use his or her hips, rather than head, for understanding.
Karate, like nature, may combine angles and straight lines to form circles about points.
Tomorrow is the big day! Today I am not doing exercises, unless we do some during the karate Zoom class tonight. Sensei said our belts will not have IFK markings, but will have something to distinguish them as his style. So that’s interesting.
Karate as a sport started relatively recently. Masutatsu Ōyama founded his own dojo around 1956. He formally named his style Kyokushin in a ceremony in 1957. American football, in contrast, morphed from rugby around 1875, according to the History Channel’s on-line article on football. Shotokan’s founder, credited to Funakoshi by Wikipedia, lived from 1868 to 1957, to contrast with Oyama. For the first time this year, the Olympics included karate. Due to the pandemic, the Games have been rescheduled to the summer of 2021. While karate’s roots may be ancient, karate as a sport is relatively new. Kyokushin, itself, is as young as its founder.
Now that F and I are approaching our shodan tests, I see how fluid, and non-standardized these institutions are. Karate organizations are people, their approaches and interpretations of history. Even Oyama, in his book, sometimes argues with invisible colleagues over the merits of callouses or the practicality of certain skills. He occasionally laments the loss of more rare skills. He saw karate as changing, and changed it, himself.
So karate is international, with a long, illustrious history. Like Zen, small groups of individuals teach others one on one. Instructors and senpais transmit knowledge in a personal way, tailored to kohai. Yes there are standards, but these are subject to constant interpretation, evaluation, re-interpretation, re-discovery and refinements. There are tug-o-wars over authenticity, alongside both useful, and not-so-useful, innovations. Like any living art, it changes, growing up and out from where it started, but it still remains rooted in fertile soil.
I have been lax in writing in this blog, but not with exercises. I did rest on Sunday, but since Monday, I have managed to get in my usual 60 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats in, as well as the additional 40 push-ups on my knees. Tuesday night, I was the Zoom monitor for karate class, so I did not participate in the actual class. Instead, I gave feedback to students practicing karate, or changed the Zoom spotlight as needed. Today, during our 3:30pm session, I also substituted for my son S while he finished up a Zoom D&D game.
Today and Monday, I went back to the jump rope intervals for cardio. Also on Monday, I reviewed Saifa kata, Tsuki No kata and Bo Sono Ichi. For Saifa, I found a great video:
This video was put up by a Kyokushin dojo in Cape Town, from the look of the poster. This gentleman is great because you can really observe his hand motions. For the life of me, I could not remember how this kata began. It has been over six months, possibly longer, since I practiced it. I felt I needed to re-learn it.
Still reading “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones,” though the stories are a bit odd. I understand there’s a moral, in a way, but the past couple do not necessarily deal with enlightenment, but rather its opposite: a nun has a golden Buddha; she’s so jealous of other statues receiving her incense that she devises a funnel to send her burning incense directly to her statue, and it turns the Buddha’s nose black. In another, a tea master is very particular about the hanging of a basket, and his astute observational skills are tested by a craftsman.
