Ryukenkan Dojo - Tauranga New Zealand
"Karate in Paradise" - It's a rough task, but someone has to do it!
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Ryukenkan Dojo - Tauranga New Zealand "Karate in Paradise" - It's a rough task, but someone has to do it!
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Guiding Principle 2 "Be polite and obedient to the Master and other superiors. Be courteous among fellow students and followers. You must strive to develop humbleness" Firstly, understand that the words "Master" and "superiors" are commonly misunderstood and misused in the Martial Arts today. It is all too easy to buy rank and to call oneself a Master. The use of the word "Master" is a translation of the Japanese word used for a Senior Instructor. The word "superiors" refers to those people in our organisation who hold a rank higher than your own. We believe that no man is another man's master. There are very few true Masters in the world today, and it would seem that the true Masters are the ones who don't call themselves "master". The first sentence of Guiding Principle 2 asks us simply to be polite to the people who have walked the path before us, and are offering their insight and instruction to assist us in our development. When viewed in this light, this principle (like Guiding Principle 1) applies to all areas of daily life. Obedience in Martial Arts classes is essential for ensuring safety of students. When working with techniques or weapons designed to cause bodily harm, a failure to correctly follow instructions can leave people injured and unable, or unwilling, to continue their training. "Be courteous among fellow students and followers." Politeness is a virtue sorely lacking in many parts of our lives today. If we can learn to be courteous to our fellow students and others who follow the path of Ryukyu Kempo, hopefully we can learn to continue this into the rest of our lives. Politeness and courteousness includes proper language, proper dress and polite conduct. It also extends to how we treat people from other cultures. Being an international organisation means we interact with other cultures, religions and beliefs. We must accept other people and their ways politely and courteously - "When in Rome..." as the saying goes. Others will show us respect and politeness when they visit our country, we must do the same for them. "You must strive to develop humbleness." As with politeness, humbleness is sorely lacking most peoples lives today. Popular music and culture tells us that we should have "attitude", however the attitudes intended are not always conducive to politeness and humility. Be proud of your achievements, but balance that pride with humility. The higher you climb, the further you have to fall. Be humble, treat others with respect and they will do the same to you.
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