In the game of life, whether pauper, prince or king, the fact remains — To Become Everything We Must First Become Nothing. This is a strange statement, isn’t it: To become everything we must first become nothing? Yet, it is true and possesses great mystic meaning. If martial arts teaches anything substantive, it is to integrate the body, mind and spirit. Nothing will help us with the integrative process more than surrendering our egos to the Great Power that exists, the Power which created and sustains us; which gives us life.

NOW & THEN JASON “J.B.” BROWN KIA Black Belt # 15 (December 15ᵗʰ 1990) Jason “J.B.” Brown & GF Sammy 15 December 1990: Black Belt Coronation Jason “J.B.” Brown, Greg “Maddog” Bendel, Genny “Cougar” Edge A Major Milestone in life—A Kiado-Ryu Black Belt! In the background on the right: Colin “Semi” Lee, Dan “Basai” Asay, Dr. Milt “Super Zedha” Jacobson, Bob “Grinder” Shreck and Steven “Widi” Ho. J.B. executing a kata

Balance is Primary. This we see, but in the struggle of life Concentration Is The very First Key. Concentration is the secret of strength. Ralph Waldo Emerson Balance is primary, no doubt. However, concentration is the first key to success in whatever we do. If we can’t focus our attention directly on the task at hand, there is a pronounced risk of not succeeding at all and more poignantly, a lethal risk if confronted with a life-threatening situation.

Of all life’s skills with which to carry, remember this . . . Balance is Primary! Anyone can teeter-totter but not everyone can balance. — Anonymous Man always travels along precipices. His truest obligation is to keep his balance. — Pope John Paul II The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.

Our Accomplishments Are Not Our Life Our Life Is Our Accomplishment Attainment As we progress and seek success in its full embodied raiment, Accomplishments are not our life, our Life is our Attainment. Possessions will not follow us when we move beyond the grave. Monies will be left behind in the banks where they were saved. Accolades and laurels may, with some history, rest, but none of these material things

Kiado-Ryu Black Belt #46 It is with a sad heart that I share with you the passing of Liz Avram, call sign “Quasar,” on Sunday, 27 October 2024. She died of stage 4 cancer and was 61 years young. Her husband, Dean, was kind enough to pass on the sad and heartbreaking news. It would be appreciated if Kiado-Ryu students could send prayers to the Avram family, especially to Liz’s beloved husband.

In your life journey from breath to death, replete with all its possibility, never forget … this is Your Life, and it most surely is Your Responsibility. Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. Buddha [400 BCE] I blame not another. I blame my own karmas. Guru Nanak [15th/16th Century] You are responsible for yourself. You are not responsible for the world. Saint Charan Singh [20th Century]

Let your hands give wings to your mind, that you may find an ever-greater Power of Life, a Power preserving the sanctity of your soul and illuminating the radiance of your Perfection. If you believe that martial arts training is designed to enable you to beat up on others, I would suggest you look within yourself to assess why you feel a need to impose yourself on others. I would then suggest you look more deeply within yourself to determine the true meaning of martial arts training, that training that guides you upward to the higher ideals of nobility and self-mastery, for in the end the true test of our skill and achievement lies not in our mastery of others, but in mastery of ourselves.

Trixie—she’s cute, loving, fun, petite and, as her name implies, a “Bringer of Joy.” Makes perfect sense. However, if you were a bad guy with bad intentions, you’d think she would be an easy target. Mistake. Huge mistake. Appearances can be deceiving. So can smiles. Trixie is, indeed, a trickster. What is inspiring is that she’s now a Kiado-Ryu Green belt, meaning that she’s half way to achieve the coveted KIA rank of Black Belt, of which only 8 females of the 65 individuals holding that esteemed title out of the 3,300 who have achieved it in the Karate Institute of America’s 45 year history have succeeded.