It is tragic to witness what is happening in Ukraine. Regardless of the
outcome, which we pray is positive for the Ukrainian people, i.e. keeping
their independence and sovereignty, there are many lessons this needless and
brutal attempted Russian takeover can teach us. Following are just a few.
Reality
This world is truly a cauldron of evil.
How lovely would it be to think this world is a beautiful place? It is not. If
it were a beautiful place, peace would reign universally, which it obviously
doesn’t. The world is not “Barbie Doll Land.” It is, as Mirabai clearly
states, “a cauldron of evil.” One must therefore be cognizant of this reality
and act accordingly.
Valentines Day, 14 February 2022, was a sweetheart moment in time for Shaw
Shahriari, aka “Wind.” Why? Because he received his Kiado-Ryu Purple Belt
ranking! So … a well-deserved CONGRATULATIONS to you, Wind!
Shaw “Wind” Shahriari: Purple Belt Test—14 February 2022.
Shaw loves kata. He’s very good and if there were open (all comers) karate
tournaments today his precise form would have won him many championships at
the Orange and Purple Belt levels. He’s very powerful and meticulous in his
execution. Wind heralds from another martial art system which has helped him
in his rapid ascent up the KIA ladder.
From The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master.
Perfect Masters throughout time,
in all of their addresses,
state that in pursuit of truth Concentration Coalesces
If you don’t concentrate, you’ll end up on your rear.
To be able to concentrate for a considerable time is essential to difficult
achievement.
The stages of the Noble Path are: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech,
Right Behavior, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right
Concentration.
From The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts Master.
Humility is the highest form of strength;
Arrogance the highest form of weakness.
As a silo sits vacant of fodder, A Black Belt Without Humility Is Like A Well Without Water.
We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.
Without a doubt, the current global pandemic and its manifestations—physical,
mental, financial, familial, educational, social and tyrannical have, sadly,
spawned depression in a large swath of the world’s population. Understandable.
The question arises, “How can people manage this pandemic without depression?”
Martial Arts training, especially that of the Karate Institute of America™
(KIA) and the Kiado-Ryu™ system of martial arts, offers the following
thoughts.
The first chapter of The Black Belt Book of Life: Secrets of a Martial Arts
Master is entitled, “Martial Arts Is Life.” In other words, there is nothing
in life that cannot be addressed that is not an aspect of martial arts, even
pandemics.
It was another great day for Tristan “Raptor” Ligtvoet, the 64th Black Belt of
the Karate Institute of America, as he ascended to the rank of 4th Dan, an
accomplishment few have achieved in the forty-two year history of the
Kiado-Ryu.
Raptor joins Dan “Basai” Asay (KIA Black Belt #8) and Chris “Growler” Grau
(KIA Black Belt #36) as the only other two KIA 4th Dan Black Belts—a
remarkable feat considering that over thirty-three hundred individuals have
studied at the KIA since its inception in 1979. Raptor, at age 23, is the
youngest person ever in Kiado-Ryu history to rise to such an esteemed rank.
Totally awesome!
