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^chapter _{1 Philosophy of Karatedo}

1. Spiritual Development of the Individuality in Mind and Body

Spiritual development of the individuality in mind and body is the motto of Kenkokan Karatedo and expresses its philosophy. Karatedo, as initially developed, was a method of fighting to dispose of an adversary in the most efficient and acute way. It has evolved through the centuries and has been imbued with the Zen philosophy to become a way of life, where the goal is to further the development of the mind, the body and the spirit. From its origin, karatedo has kept the efficiency in techniques and the maximum concentration of physical and mental power that can only be possible when one's life is the issue of the fight. Zen has brought karatedo into the realm of religion. Man understood that his art, limited to destroying other men, could not liberate him from his most fundamental fear, the fear of death. The object of his fight changed from others to himself: if he could not surmount the fear of death by killing, he would do it, possibly, by living and applying the same methods against himself that he had used against others. Techniques would be a means of perfecting the body which would respond at once, and with determination. In the process of this absolute concentration of mental and physical activity, the mind would be freed from the material constraints created by the most fundamental issues of life and finally overcome the fear of death. The original goal of killing has become one of living.

In modern karatedo, where violence is tightly controlled, techniques are still to be executed as if it were a matter of life or death. The body is thus taught to react with all of its power at once under the complete control of the mind. In order to reach this stage of complete harmonious discipline of mind and body, techniques must be practiced thousands of times under all kinds of circumstances. The body will by then have gained an automatism which will free the mind of the task of controlling the execution of the technique. That is why it is said in karatedo that the ki should not be put entirely into one's technique because, absorbed with this, the mind will not see the opportunity for the attack. Neither should the ki be applied entirely to the opponent, because the technique will then be improperly executed. Instead the ki should be exercised everywhere, in oneself, in one's technique, against the opponent, in his technique, etc. This also means that the ki is nowhere in particular because the ki is 'being at one' and is located everywhere at the same time. This may appear as a contradiction to the dualistic logic of Cartesian thought, in which something is either here or not here, black or white, right or wrong. The oriental, however, reconciles this apparent contradiction with a more intuitive approach which says that a mind empty of thoughts is not necessarily in a state of nothingness. On the contrary, it is in a state of acute awareness but without goals. It can thus perceive everything at once but without concentrating on anything in particular; thus not being given the opportunity to be unaware of that which is seemingly less relevant. In this state of total awareness, the mind is at peace with itself and in harmony with its environment. Karatedo is one of the ways to reach the higher mental state described by most religions of the world; be it Buddhism, Islam, or Christianity, they all preach different methods for man to transcend into a superior state of grace. In the Nirvana or paradise, man is integrated with the universe or with god.

The road to this state of complete harmony with the universe is certainly a long one, but in this quest for the absolute, man can build a strong and healthy body; he can learn to know and control himself though the physical and mental exertion required by karatedo training; by confronting his will against others in kumite and shiai he will develop fortitude, humility, and respect for his fellowmen; he will not be afraid to stand for what is right. All these qualities will make him a better man and he will be able to transpose them into all aspects of everyday life, helping him to fulfill his commitments to himself and to society. The Kenkokan school of karatedo stresses the positive development of mind and body. The student must develop himself according to his own physical and mental characteristics. He must first possess a good technical knowledge of karatedo and learn to know himself, his weaknesses, and his strong points. Then he must improve himself, correcting his weaknesses but basing his development primarily on his strong points. There is no standard way of reaching the highest state of mental and physical development. Each individual must find his own way by himself after he has come to know himself and mastered the techniques of karatedo well enough. From this point on, his physical and mental strong points must spearhead his development. For example, in competition (and the same reasoning is applicable to every other aspect of life) the student must possess a set of favorite techniques or combinations of techniques in which he will have developed the highest skill. This skill will give him great confidence in himself and will allow his mind to be intense and at the same time calm. Furthermore, if he knows himself well, his strength in techniques can easily cover his weak points.

The individual can progress faster with this positive attitude than by conforming to a rigid norm not necessarily suited to his personality. In this way everyone can benefit from the practice of karatedo. A person not physically gifted can develop a strong spirit to compensate for his lack of speed or strength. This kind of attitude, transposed into everyday life, can induce the individual to search for fulfillment whatever his qualities or failings, by correcting the latter but relying on the former to achieve his goals.

The student of karatedo must always try to perfect himself. He should never become complacent, as there will always be something to improve. Whatever his rank, he should consider himself a novice who always has something else to learn. He must realize that hard training is the only way to better himself in every aspect of life, and that whatever the difficulties, he must never give up but fight to win over himself in an endless search for truth. Shiai and kumite provide the student with direct contact with others so that he can compare himself and improve. This is the true test of proficiency in karatedo. It does not necessarily mean that only the winners are understanding and progressing in the way of karatedo. The essential thing is to participate with dedication, always trying to better oneself, always trying to win. But winning should remain secondary because winning itself is not the goal, only an indication that the individual is on the right path toward reaching his goal. If winning were to become the goal, then the path would be lost for the losing student, who would get discouraged and stop his search for self-perfection. On the other hand, the one who wins would be content, having reached his goal, and again the true spirit of karatedo would be lost. To use a now famous Zen illustration, "One should not mistake the finger pointing to the moon for the moon itself." Winning is the finger pointing to the moon, and the moon is at the end of the long but supremely fascinating journey with oneself amidst the immensity of the universe.

2. The Secrets of Karatedo

The remarkable feats demonstrated by karatedo masters have led many people to believe that these masters possess some mysterious secrets, or some source of extraordinary power. This is not the case. There is no formula which, when properly utilized, allows someone to perform supernatural acts. The secret is karatedo itself. When a man has mastered the techniques to perfection, when his mind has reached a state of intense serenity and plenitude, and when his mind and body are united into a single entity, then he is able to perform things that an untrained person cannot do under ordinary circumstances. But, under the stress of an intense emotion, even an ordinary person can accomplish unthinkable exploits. A mother can lift up a truck forty times the weight that she can normally lift, if her baby is pinned under it. A father can jump in the lion's den and attack it with his bare hands to save his son. Examples of this sort only sometimes make the headlines of the newspapers but, in fact, they abound. How can someone perform such remarkable deeds? Where does this extraordinary force come from? In a split second an intense excitation suddenly unleashes the inner power of these individuals which in normal circumstances remains hidden and even unsuspected.

Karatedo strives to liberate these forces consciously at the price of constant and assiduous training. But there is no secret to it. The method is not reserved for a chosen few and anyone can reach this stage if, and only if, he is willing to strive to do it. All people have an equal chance; there is no age or sex barrier. Training with a strong will to always progress and perfect oneself is the only secret of karatedo. The secret behind the extraordinary power of techniques demonstrated in tameshi wari, some of the best expressions of technical proficiency performed with hard objects such as boards, tiles, stones, etc., rests in years of practice in karatedo. Again, there is no secret. It requires strong concentration, will power, and correct technical execution with speed and accuracy. It is only a means of testing the technique and mental concentration of the student, however astonishing some performances are. It is against the spirit of karatedo to present them as a show, because people will see in it only the destructive power of karatedo techniques. Tameshi wari is, on the contrary, a positive way for the individual to test his power and develop his confidence.

While in the old days tameshi wari was the only way to test the efficiency of the techniques, in modern karatedo the use of protective equipment allows students to truly test their techniques on moving targets. The closest thing to a secret in karatedo is undoubtably breathing. Breathing plays an essential part in the union of the mind and body and in producing the inner power; it frees the mind by bringing it peace and serenity. Breathing brings harmony between the mind and the universe. During the retention of each breath, the body is full of ki and the mind is clear, free, and full of nothingness (mushin) which is equated to ku or kara, the emptiness. In this state the mind is at one with the universe, located everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It is this third stage of the respiration process—retention—which is the most important in generating power and in realizing the union of mind and body, the ultimate goal of man.