Confidence

One of the greatest benefits of regular martial arts practice is that it develops confidence. Many of my fellow instructors emphasize that martial arts develop self-confidence. I don't completely disagree, but I believe that the development of self-confidence alone leaves a person seriously deficient.

Self-confidence is but one aspect of confidence. And in my opinion, it's the least important. Each of us has limitations. No matter how skillful we become, there is a practical and finite limit to what we can accomplish ourselves. And self-confidence alone will not even allow us to reach this limit. In order to make a technique work, I must not only have self-confidence -- confidence in my ability to execute that technique correctly -- I must also have confidence in the technique itself.

Confidence in the technique requires confidence in its underlying principles and mechanics, as well as confidence in those who created it and taught it to me. If the technique has a fundamental design flaw, or it was taught to me incorrectly, then my own ability to execute it correctly will be inadequate to make it work -- and my self-confidence will have been misplaced.

Similarly, my confidence in the use of a weapon, such as a katana, is based upon confidence in myself, the technique being employed, and the weapon itself. If the weapon is flawed or damaged or inappropriate for the use I am making of it, then no amount of self-confidence will bring a successful outcome.

Thus, to be a complete martial artist, one must develop confidence in things outside oneself.

That confidence extends from technique to weapons to our training partners to our sempai to our sensei and all who have preceeded us in the martial arts in which we train ... to the forces of nature under which we operate, the science by which we understand those forces, and the philosophical principles that guide our application of that science. We must have full confidence in all of these or the foundation of our technique will be no more stable than a house of cards.

Confidence is a byproduct of repeated experience. It is the foundation of the scientific method of analysis. If an action can be repeated with an identical outcome each time, then we develop confidence in it -- in science, in martial arts, in human relationships, and every other facet of life. If we repeat an action with a different outcome each time, we will lose confidence in it. Yet, ironically, if we lack confidence we will act hesitantly or alter our technique in some way to make up for our lack of confidence in it, and -- as a direct result of our lack of confidence -- fail to produce a consistent outcome and lose confidence. So, in another of those wonderful paradoxes we so frequently encounter in martial arts, one must have confidence in order to gain confidence!

And the majority of that confidence is in things outside yourself! This is another reason we devoted a chapter of Katsujinken: Living Karate to developing a more robust spiritual life. Our most fundamental beliefs are the source of our greatest confidence. If we believe in a deity, then we place our utmost confidence in that deity. If we believe in nothing outside the physical universe, then we place our utmost confidence in the forces of the physical universe.

It is therefore vital that every martial artist devote a considerable part of his or her training to their spiritual development. At the very least, martial artists must ensure that their training is consistent with their religious beliefs. Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Rastafarian, or Atheist, if your martial arts practice is not consistent with the principles and ideals of your faith, then you will not be able to develop sufficient confidence to master the techniques of your art.

Danketsu Shin (Unity)

In Flashing Steel, Shimabukuro Hanshi and I discuss the importance and power of danketsu shin, or "cooperative spirit". We present the concept of danketsu shin from the perspective of its power and importance, using the example of a pencil. One pencil can easily be broken, but a dozen pencils in a bundle are nearly impossible to break. Danketsu (団結) means "unity" or "cooperation", and it is extremely powerful, as in the example of the the bundle of pencils or the recent triumph of the Venezuelan people over President Chavez' attempt to install himself as "President for Life". But danketsu cannot exist without something even more important -- a factor that has been in significant decline in Western civilization for many years: danketsu shin ... cooperative spirit.

I'm concerned that people no longer appreciate the importance of this. Unity and cooperation are wonderful, powerful things. I think we would all agree with that. But, like the idea of "peace on earth, goodwill to men" at the Christmas season we are currently in, too many of us now think of it as an inachievably high ideal. I hope and pray that's not the case!

But danketsu certainly can't exist unless people have danketsu shin -- the spirit of cooperation. It's a spirit begins with the desire and the willingness to cooperate. And that is a desire and willingness that many people seem to have forsaken in their drivenness to achieve their personal, often selfish, ambitions. Cooperation is not easy, because it requires a willingness to compromise, or to set the accomplishment of another person's or group's goals as a higher priority than one's own goals. And this is contrary to what most people seem to think is the way to "get ahead" in life.

Western culture now seems to depict cooperation as the way unsuccessful people function. We are told that successful people don't cooperate with others; they get others to cooperate with them. We shouldn't subordinate our ambitions to the goals of others, but persuade others to subordinate their goals to ours. My barometer of Western culture is television. And on nearly every channel I hear pundits proclaiming daily that life is about getting people to help you achieve your goals; not about helping other people achieve their goals, or about working together to achieve common goals. I hear almost no one advocating "give and take"; only take and take.

When I observe people, I notice that they basically fall into two broad categories: givers and takers. Givers are people who devote most of their effort to meeting the needs of others. They are rare. Takers are people who devote most of their effort to meeting their own needs. Takers are like locusts. They devour everything in their path and there is no shortage of them. Takers often try to camouflage themselves as givers. They donate huge amounts of money that they have taken from others, but they make sure they receive recognition for their donations. That's how I can tell they are actually takers. They seldom "give" unless they receive something in return -- like headlines, accolades, or their name on the new hospital wing. True givers give with no expectation of reward and no strings attached. They give purely because it is needed.

Danketsu shin is also the spirit of giving. That's why it is an appropriate topic for the Christmas season. Christmas is supposed to be about giving. In fact, it's about the greatest gift ever given: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, ..." (John 3:16). The greatest gift you can give this Christmas won't cost you a nickel. Instead, it will cost you something far more valuable than money: a part of your own ambitions -- a part of your self! Because the greatest gift you can give this Christmas or any other time is danketsu shin -- a spirit of cooperation, a willingness to set aside your own desires, goals, and ambitions in order to help someone else achieve theirs.

Does Evil Really Exist?

We hear a lot of talk about evil. Reagan used to speak of the "Evil Empire" and Bush now refers frequently to the "Axis of Evil." In martial arts we speak of seiken ("righteous fist" or "righteous sword") and jaken ("evil fist" or "evil sword"), so as martial artists we need to come to grips with the concept of evil.

Is "evil" just a word we use to describe something we don't like? Is evil only a matter of perspective? Or does some absolute standard of evil exist? This is more than just an interesting rhetorical question. If you're a martial artist, then whether or not evil really exists is fundamental to your understanding and practice of martial arts. If there is no evil, then jaken and seiken are meaningless terms. If evil is relative, then they are relative terms, and you need to understand how you can know when you are practicing seiken and when you are practicing jaken. And, if there is some absolute standard of good and evil, I would think you would want to know what that standard is.

I'm not going to answer the question for you. Finding the answer has to be part of your personal journey as a martial artist. Instead, I'm going to throw some questions at you to make you think. Hopefully, as you grapple with the answers it will help you form an opinion on the matter that takes you to a deeper level of understanding as a martial artist.

If there is an absolute standard of good and evil, then who established that standard? Does that person have the right and authority to decide what good and evil is? I'm sure you see the implications of this question.

If good and evil are relative terms, if they depend on the situation or circumstances, then how can you ever be certain that you are practicing good rather than evil? Wouldn't that make good and evil nothing more than personal opinion? Or, if not a personal opinion, then a social construct or a democratic process? The implications of these should also be obvious.

Your opinion -- or, if you prefer, your ideology or beliefs -- on the subject of good and evil ultimately boil down to a matter of religion, don't they? If you believe in a deity, then you probably believe only that deity is qualified to establish what is good and evil. If you don't believe in a deity, then you must first decide if the terms "good" and "evil" have any meaning at all, or if they are just an artifice devised by the weak to try to hold those stronger in check. And if you decide that they do, then you must wrestle with the concept of who determines what is right and wrong.

If you haven't already done so by this stage of your life, I hope you will take some time to reflect on the existence of good and evil. Then apply your conclusions to your training and your values as a martial artist. Then extend it from the microcosm of martial arts to the meaning and role of good and evil in the world. I hope some of you will share your thoughts and conclusions here in the Satori blog.

Welcome!

This blog has been establish to provide Pellman Sensei with an opportunity to express opinions and beliefs he has developed through a lifetime of training in classical Japanese martial arts. We hope you will find this blog helpful and illuminating, whether or not you are a practicing martial artist, and that you will return and visit often.