Budo "ala carte"

When is Budo not Budo?

This is a tough question!

All the web forums I have read over the past few years seem to be constantly discussing or disecting Martial arts and what is most important about them. Some will stress the technical skills, the self defense applications, still others the phsyical conditioning, or the pyschological/mental aspects, or the spiritual aspects.

Mixed Martial Arts guys will scoff at the so-called purist for acting "pseudo japanese" wearing hakama, bowing, talking about KI, etc.

The so-called "purist" will scoff at the MMA guys as knuckle dragging barbarians wearing tatoos and beach shorts and skin tight lycra shirts, and Multi-colored GIs covered in patches.

So who is right, which one has the corner on budo? Both and Neither!

The right answer is it depends! It depends on your goals and objectives.

No one art or training methodolgy can hold the keys to nirvana or success.

Our society today is an ala carte society. We are accustomed to choice and tailored made options. While Budo may be about the perfection of total self, that is, the body, mind and soul, that does not mean that a budoka, or warrior on the path, must obtain this all in one place. A person may go to church for spiritual growth, they may go to the gym for fitness, to a dietician for health, and group therapy to improve their mind.

It is okay to mix it up and tailor make your path to self improvement and refinement. What is important is that you understand clearly why you are doing what you are doing and to approach your practice everyday with this in mind. It is easy to lose site of this in training and focus on the wrong things and be distracted.

One concern I have is how do you synthesize all this stuff and tie it all back together into the complete package that is you? How do you ensure that you have the "right mixed" and balance out things to be a well rounded, and happy individual?

What is Budo?

The word Budo is commonly used to in conjunction with the study of martial arts. It is a Japanese word that is formed by the two Kanji Characters, 武道, or "BU" which means "war, or warrior. And "DO" which means "way". So literally you have the word "Warrior Way".

So, what exactly does the "warrior way" have to do with anything?

Specifically it is related to the study of Japanese martial arts. It seems that sometime ago, depending on what you read, or which martial arts tradition you follow, that samurai out of work following the societal over turn during the Meiji Restoration in the Mid 1850's and 60's decided to apply what they knew to their everyday lives now that they were effectively out of a job.

Fast forwarding to modern times, there were a few notable guys, Jigaro Kano, 1860-1938 (father of Judo), Morihei Ueshiba, 1883-1969 (father of Aikido), and Gichin Funakoshi, 1868-1957 (father of Karatedo) that applied what they had learned from the great masters into the modern arts that many of us know today.

All three of them, Kano, Ueshiba, and Funakoshi developed essentially developed systems of empty handed methodologies that they felt were applicable to every day life and to convey the ideals, ethics, and philosophies that they believed in.

Thanks to World War II and the American Occupation that followed, we saw a poliferation and spread of martial arts around the western world as GIs returned to the states and to Europe. This should not be construed as that Eastern Martial Arts did not exist in the west prior to WWII, as Jigaro Kano had visited both the U.S. and Europe prior to 1938 and Judo was established in the west, but not to the degree that happened after WWII.

So, in short "Bu-do" is the "way of the warrior" which has the goal of perfection of self.

Other post will further dissect what I believe to be is meant by "perfection of self" and will explore the basic underlying philosophies, deals, and ethics of Budo and how they relate to the perfection of self.