One doesn’t normally think of Buddha in a martial arts manner. Yet, his following quote harmonizes perfectly with the heart of martial arts philosophy, which is ultimately not about beating up other people but conquering oneself.
William Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest dramatist of the English language and the most quoted author of all time. His “This Above All” quotation from Hamlet (Act 1, scene 3, lines 78-82) gives great advice regarding one’s character and wholeness, i.e., being true to one’s self, for if we are true to ourselves we can never be false, fake or phony to anyone. As martial artists, not just people, we must learn to be true to who we are.
Chris Grau Achieves Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Black Belt Chris “Growler” Grau, a 4th Dan Karate Institute of America Black Belt, accomplished another martial arts milestone on Sunday, 4 March 2018, by achieving his 1st Dan Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate Black Belt. Growler (back row, foreground) preparing for a bo kata Growler, the 36th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu, who achieved his 1st Dan KIA ranking on 26 August 1995 at age 18, continued his martial arts journey via the interest of his elder daughter Kaylee when she started studying at age 4.
What in the world does Sun Tzu have to do with an ice hockey Gold Medal? Everything. It was an Olympic Gold Medal ice hockey game for the ages! The USA and archrival Canada squared off and played through a full three periods, an overtime, and then to a shoot out with the winning USA goal scored by Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson who, although she may not know it, demonstrated one of Sun Tzu’s preeminent maxims: All warfare is based on deception.
In any combat situation, the master fighter, the master general, the master tactician, always attempts to manipulate and control his adversary. Its inverse is critical to survival: one must not allow himself to be manipulated by an adversary. This simple truth is echoed in Sun Tzu’s terse but definitive maxim: The wise general cannot be manipulated. In life we seldom face actual physical combat. However, daily we are assaulted by the very exigencies and challenges of life.