Category Archives: greatness

greatness, ideas, karate, life, martial arts, philosophy, thoughts, tradition, zen

Our Dojo Kun

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After a brief hiatus (the month of August and September, we had a spectacular summer program!), I was eager to get back to this blog, especially at the prodding of the many people who faithfully read these pages. I wanted to spend some time on our dojo kun.

So the most obvious question is what is a Kun (pronounced coon)? According to Wikipedia Dojo kun is a Japanese martial artsterm literally meaning dojo rules. They are generally posted at the entrance to training halls or at the “front” of the dojo; and outline behavior expected and disallowed. In some styles of martial arts they are recited at the end of a class.

A better definition for me would be the code of conduct that governs a school or training hall. It means that it governs behavior inside and outside of the school. For each student it is the guiding principle of their practice. Do I think it’s important? Absolutely. When a school lacks a kun, written or otherwise its very much like a large ship without a rudder, large, powerful and directionless. New students can look to the kun and see if the seniors embody it. Seniors can look to it and see if they are upholding its ideals, using it as a mirror. When schools lack a code of conduct, it means that any behavior is hypothetically acceptable. It gives room to ego and behavior inappropriate to a dojo.

As schools are made up of people, and people are flawed, it underscores the importance of the code of conduct. We all make mistakes, but when we do rather than try and save face or overcompensate for being embarrassed, we can allow our code of conduct to dictate our response. It allows us to maintain grace under pressure, to push ourselves when we would rather give up. It calls us to be supportive and selfless rather egocentric. Can this occur without a kun in place? I would like to think that it can, but I also know that our default way of being can be rather unpleasant.

A dojo is not a gym or a social club it is a special place where we go to train, grow and confront our flaws and shortcomings. As such it requires that we behave in a manner reflective of the vulnerability this entails. This is what a dojo kun enables. It sets the parameters for the behavior that is appropriate to the dojo. The next time your school recites the kun, really listen to the words and reflect if you are living the ideals it is stating.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body
Sensei Orlando
coaching, goals, greatness, ideas, karate, martial arts, pain, philosophy, thoughts, zen

Training with pain

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The first thing I discovered when I started training in a martial art is that knuckle push ups hurt. I distinctly remember the hardwood floor, forming two fists and trying to place my body weight on those very tender knuckles. That was my first introduction to pain in the martial arts. Surprisingly its not part of what is shared when a prospective student walks in the door (probably for fear of scaring the student away). You will hear that you will become stronger, develop discipline, attain focus and flexibility.

You will not hear that you will experience pain on many different levels. The truth is you WILL experience physical pain if you are practicing a hard style, its just something to come to terms with. Somewhere along the path you will sprain, twist, bruise or break something. You will not be told this when you begin, because frankly it would deter most of us from training. Could you imagine walking into a school and being told “Sure you will get stronger, but don’t forget you will also feel lots of pain!” Most of us would turn around right there and head for the nearest exit.

You will experience emotional discomfort and in some cases pain, as you are confronted by yourself, your limitations and aspirations and the gap between the two.

So how do you deal with pain? Most of us flee from pain, if it hurts we want no part of it. When it comes to a devoted practice and a mindset of training, you accept certain pain as part of the equation. Now I’m not advocating training with broken bones or in excruciating, mind numbing pain. That would be detrimental to your training and would put your sanity in question. If you need to rest by all means do so, likewise with injuries, give them time to heal. However, there are some situations when it is acceptable and even expected to continue even when in pain. Think about how our society glorifies the hero who is injured but doesn’t give up. The one who despite the pain he/she is feeling digs deep, finds a reserve of inner strength and fortitude and manages to overcome whatever obstacle lies before them. We all seek to emulate that model or at the very least admire it.
It is usually the case that what many of us consider pain is actually moderate discomfort. The problem surfaces when we must leave our comfort zone. Push ups, to use an earlier example, are not what I would consider a comfortable exercise, they tax your body to a considerable degree, but I do them until it ” hurts” because the benefits outweigh my discomfort. We each hit out threshold for pain at different points, the question is not if but when. What do you do when you hit the place where whatever you are doing is no longer comfortable and just downright hurts. Do you quit? Do you rationalize that it wasn’t really for you anyway? Do you create an elaborate story to reconcile the fact you couldn’t face the discomfort and more importantly, yourself? The alternative is to accept the presence of pain, adapt and get stronger.
I have always believed that if you quit in your head, your body just follows suit. you have to learn to train with pain. My first hand experience of this was taking a promotion with a broken hand. A concerned sensei pointed out my condition to the head instructor and I was informed that I had another hand with which to strike. Again this is an extreme example and I don’t suggest training with broken limbs, but I have seen individuals whose practice is as important as breathing to them, these people let very little stop them from training, including pain.
The dynamic of pain is an interesting topic which I wont explore in its entirety here. Suffice to say we each experience pain differently. How this impacts your training rests with the reaction you have to the pain you will experience. You can embrace it, realizing that its a facet of the training, something else to overcome. You can reject it and the training making it something to avoid at all costs.
Even though I belong to school of thought that pain is part of the process, I don’t advocate pain for pains sake. Pain is always a byproduct of pushing ourselves harder and longer, making our bodies and minds stronger, each and every day.
You will get stronger, you will be more focused, you will improve your flexibility, you will develop discipline and you will feel pain.
What will you do when that moment arrives?
strong spirit-strong mind-strong body
Sensei Orlando
creating, greatness, ideas, karate, life, martial arts, philosophy, thoughts, tradition, zen

Being Connected

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I recently was walking down the street when I observed a small group of teenagers. As they walked down the street they each had their handheld devices and were actively texting-each other. It drove home how reliant we have become on technology for communication and connection. For example, we no longer hand write letters we just text or send emails. Even though I was born before the invention of both the cell phone and Internet, I am by no means a Luddite. In many cases I have been an early adopter of technology that makes our lives easier. And while the world has grown considerably smaller and we can now remain connected globally, it seems we are remaining connected in an age of disconnected interaction.

This highlights the importance of practicing martial arts in such an age even though it may seem anachronistic. It is important to be in a tech free environment like a dojo, on a regular basis. Its important to have actual interactions,where social skills and the art of conversation and dialogue are required. Its important to connect to others on differing levels as you train together. Practicing a martial art also puts you in touch with history. In many cases, the art you are practicing is decades if not centuries old. It is transformative to be a living part of history. It makes me realize that I am part of a group of people who felt that the art I am practicing was worth preserving. That there were many before me and if I am diligent in the transmitting of what I have learned, there will be many after me.

This is what it means to be truly connected, to be part of something that is larger than you. To be the catalyst of transformation for others, one at a time. There are many times we don’t see the scale of what we are doing and how many people we have impacted until way after the fact. In many cases we may not see the entire scope because it can transcend our lifetime. However, it is important for us, in our quest to be connected that we not lose sight of daring to take on those endeavors that are larger than us, than any one person. Immersed this way we can always remain connected.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

Sensei Orlando

coaching, greatness, ideas, jackson heights, karate, life, philosophy, thoughts, zen

Reverting to Simplicity

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I was walking down the sidewalk with my youngest son when he taught me a wonderful lesson. I was occupied in getting to our destination when he stopped. It was fall and the sidewalk was inundated with fallen leaves. He looked down at the multitude of leaves surrounding him, bent down and picked up two. One for me and one for his mommy. I asked him why he didn’t pick one for himself, and he showed me his pocket, which contained an assortment of leaves, acorns and other assorted “treasures”. Evidently he was much wealthier than I in the leaf department. What I learned from this seemingly innocent exchange is that I (like many of us) can get caught up in all the “extras” of life and overlook the simple treasures that surround us.

Some of the greatest pleasures in life are the simplest, a good book vs. one thousand channels. Water over the next super powered drink. Taking a walk as opposed to driving everywhere. The list is quite extensive. We have managed to surround ourselves with so much that we can literally be in a cocoon from life. How many of us have sat down next to our spouses or partners, watched a movie, but not actually speak with each other? In the larger scheme of things which would you weigh as more important, the movie or a great conversation with the person you have chosen to spend your life with.

Yet each day we are constantly rushing and moving towards, always towards something. So much so that we lose the moment we are in. In our training we have to, by nature of the training embrace the simple. Initially we learn the basics and it seems like a daunting task. After the basics are learned, the more advanced techniques are taught, what students learn is that the advanced techniques are built upon the basic simple ones. You must always revert to simplicity.

In our lives this is a worthwhile pursuit, instead of making our lives about the attainment of material things; let’s pare down what exists so we can appreciate the intangibles.

It is now winter, and there are no leaves on the sidewalk, but I still appreciate the one my son stopped to collect so that I can have a reminder to do the same- stop every so often and let loose my sense of wonder.

Live simply.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

Sensei Orlando

class, greatness, ideas, jackson heights, life, martial arts, philosophy, thoughts, tradition, zen

Why wear a gi?

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A few months ago I was a teaching a children’s class when a comment was made to me. The context for the comment was regarding the expediency of getting the children dressed quickly to maximize their training time. The comment went something like “They don’t really need to dress in their uniforms, I mean I know it looks cool, but it’s taking long and it’s not about looks.” I’m paraphrasing and recalling to the best of my ability. At the time, I didn’t lend the statement much weight (I was trying to get a large class in limited time), but the comment stayed with me for some reason. I started to go over why we wear Dogi or Gi for short.

I researched the history of the gi and found that it had originated with judo founder Jigoro Kano, in addition to a multitude of facts. Everything I found still didn’t answer the fundamental question as to why we wear these items of clothing. Was it tradition? What about all the arts that now sport many different colored gi? Are they somehow inferior because they have opted to wear a different color? To this day, I have not found the ability of any martial art practitioner to be contained in the gi, white or otherwise.

So why wear it?
Part of it is tradition; I enjoy wearing a simple white gi. Notwithstanding all the symbolism about white being a color of purity, I have always preferred a white gi. In practical terms, it’s not actually the best color if you are engaged in hard training that involves blood and sweat. It requires another level of diligence on the part of the student in terms of your training – hygiene (no one enjoys training next to an unwashed gi for long).

The other part is that it is unpretentious and I really prefer simplicity. It took some time, but I came to an answer that satisfied my question. As I observed classes filled with students wearing their gi, I found that on the dojo floor we are all the same. When we don a gi we are leaving the outside world, outside. In a very real sense, it’s a ritual we perform when we put on our gi. We are preparing to face ourselves, our shortcomings, insecurities, faults and strengths. It is a physical act that prepares us for a mental shift. I have witnessed the transformation that occurs when a beginner dons a uniform. They may feel uncertain and unsure initially, but they are dressed the same way everyone else is with no difference, and over a short time are comfortable with the multitude of techniques they are being exposed to. The actual word dogi means “way clothes” and it’s what we wear on the path to self perfection.

In regards to the variety of colors and hues now available for gi, I have always felt that changing the uniform severs our links to the time and culture in which our arts were founded. From what I have seen and what has been shared with me, the norm in most Japanese dojos is austere and simple. You don’t see walls covered in trophies, flags, posters or other distractions. I personally find the gi with the flash and multitude of patches to be garish and uncalled for. Let your techniques and bearing speak for you, not your gi.

The gi we wear is a symbol of unity. On the dojo floor, there is no status – only rank. We all train together, sweat together and grow together, irrespective of how much or how little we make, what we do or do not own, or what position we may have in our jobs or careers. On the dojo floor we all share the common trait of the pursuit of self perfection. One of my senior students shared a profound insight with me recently – The dojo is one of the only places where you can just be. Much of that freedom is provided by wearing a garment that initially, appears to suppress your individuality. What you discover over time, is that free from the constraints of external expression you are capable of a deeper form of expression that is not dependent on what you are wearing.

Now when I’m asked by a prospective student “Do I have to train in a uniform?” My simple answer is-yes, you do.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

Sensei Orlando

greatness, karate, life, martial arts, mind, philosophy, thoughts, tradition, zen

The Commonality of Training

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When I first started training, many years ago, the first belt I wore was a white belt.

It signified that I was a beginner, that I had just started my journey. Now many years later and still on the path of my own training and now responsible for the training of others, I can see the factors that tie us all together.

One of the things I learned early on was not to focus on belts or rank. This did not mean you did not respect those higher ranked than you, but rather that ranks were not the goal, nor should they be. I can’t say I fully understood the words of wisdom that were being shared with me at the time by several black belts. I, like so many others had gotten caught up in rank fever.

It’s a condition usually prevalent in the beginning ranks and children who train. What occurs is that the journey is lost and the student becomes fixated on what rank they are and how rapidly they can advance to the next rank. Left unchecked, the student loses sight that training is not about rank and more about the journey itself.

After a few years of this I finally came to the realization that it is not about the rank or belt or stripe, but rather being the best rank I was at the moment. Let me pause here for a moment. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to reach the higher ranks, what it means is being fully present right where you are, the advancement, belts, stripes etc. will come of their own accord if you are diligent and practice being present right where you are.

So what are the commonalities? We all start as beginners. All of us have at one point, been beginners. More importantly, those of us with a few years under our belts would do well to keep the beginner mindset to prevent the onset of ego. After all, what does a belt mean anyway? All it means is that you have been training for X amount of time and that you should know Y material. That is all it means, at its essence. Character or level of maturity is not indicated by the belt around your waist, for those to be seen or experienced you must go beyond the belt to the person wearing the belt.

There are no extraordinary powers conferred upon you when you don a black belt much to the surprise of the many students who achieve shodan (Shodan literally means “beginning degree” and is the subject for another post) each year. What you do discover upon reaching black belt or any of the senior ranks is that now you have a responsibility towards those who are on the path after you. Rather than lord it over your juniors, your purpose is to serve them in any way that you can, not the other way around. Unfortunately there are training halls where this relationship is skewed and the meaning lost. In a school devoid of ego this will never be cause for concern, since the seniors will remember that they too were white belts or beginners and empathize with what the white belts are going through.

The other major commonality is that we are all human beneath our gi. We may have some differences in the way we train, but we all sweat, train, and bleed on the dojo floor together. We all have setbacks and successes on our path of training. The important thing to remember is that we are not the first to go through this, and more importantly that we are not the last.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body
Sensei Orlando

coaching, community, greatness, ideas, karate, life, martial arts, thoughts, zen

The Power of Sharing

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Space, the final frontier…even for those of us that are not Star Trek fans will recognize those words. Back in 1966 there was a show that was ahead of its time. Many of us were children and even more of us were not even born. This show despite its themes, developed a following. When it was threatened with cancellation in its second season (it only had three seasons), it was the power of sharing (through a massive letter writing campaign, today it would be through blogs and email) that brought it back for a third. Had it not been for this power of sharing we may never have heard of this show that has become a part of our culture and has generated numerous spin offs and several feature films, cementing for all time the original cast members in the annals of television history. So why am I sharing this with you? There are many times that we fail to realize the power we possess when we share. Those of us who have worked with sales or in sales realize the power of referral, but what does it mean really, the referral? Isn’t it just another form of sharing? You were pleased with a product or service that you just had to tell your friends or family, in essence you had to share. We have all been to a fantastic restaurant, the service was amazing, the ambiance perfect, the meals succulent. Our experience was so incredible that we rave about it to our friends, family, and even strangers that may ask us about a good place to eat.
On a deeper level we share ourselves with our families, children, and spouses. By sharing ourselves we impart those people in our lives a glimpse of who we really are. We make ourselves vulnerable, but we also form strong bonds, we become a community.
When we decided to start a martial art school, it wasn’t on a whim. The reason was because I had and have Sensei who have shared themselves with me. With that sharing came a responsibility to pass on the knowledge that was given to me. Within their sharing was an implicit message: “To keep what I am sharing with you, to yourself, is being stingy and selfish. Find a way to share what I am sharing with you.”
Amazingly, we have a habit of being stingy and selfish, especially with ourselves. We don’t celebrate our accomplishments with those closest to us, we don’t let others acknowledge us, many times we don’t accept that we have transformed, in many cases drastically and positively.
So what should we do? If you have something positive and good in your life, share it with others.
I recently had a parent tell me about how great their children are doing in the school, naturally I was pleased. In fact in many cases I’m just as pleased as the parents because, like I tell all the parents, once your children join our school, they are my children too. In my discussion with these parents an interesting comment was made. They were so excited about our school they told me they were “preaching” to everyone about us. After giving it some thought, I realized this is what we do when we have something good (or bad) in our life, we preach to others about our experiences. In other words we share.
I also realized something else, almost everyone in our school has done the same, shared about us to someone else. It’s a telling indicator, that when we have something positive in our life and we are not sharing it with others, then we are veering into being selfish. You will find that if you are being selfish in one area of your life, it impacts other areas. At its core this selfishness creates an state of scarcity that can influence every aspect of your life.
So how to correct this state? Share. Share of yourself, share those things that are positive in your life. Share with everyone, those close to you and strangers as well. When you share this way you will find that people will be just as willing to share and give of themselves to you.
strong spirit-strong mind-strong body
Sensei Orlando
coaching, goals, greatness, ideas, jackson heights, karate, mind, philosophy, power, zen

Be Like Bamboo- Flexible in the midst of stress

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I have taken up running as of late. This is not to say that I didn’t run before, but unlike my running in the past, the running I am now undertaking has a certain sense of purpose to it. Inevitably at some point in my running, I encounter the moment that I feel every runner has faced. The moment when you hear that voice that says, maybe you should stop now, this is too difficult, why are you doing this? More on this later.

In our classes which, thanks to a very hot summer have an added challenge since several of the senior students don’t endorse running the air conditioner (much to the dismay of the junior adult students) it can be very easy to give up. It gets very hot very quickly and we train hard. What to do? Aside from the expected ( hydrating and stretching) what we need to do is be flexible and adapt, like the bamboo we can bend but not snap. There are many occasions in our lives when we are faced with situations that threaten to push us to the snapping point. What we must strive to do is bend with these situations, while keeping our centers and our senses of humor.
If we are to be like bamboo, we must be versatile. We must learn to adapt quickly and thrive in any type of situation. Bamboo is capable of growing 24 inches in one day depending on soil and climate. This makes it one of the fastest, if not the fastest growing woody plant. In terms of versatility, bamboo is a food source, used in construction, has medicinal properties, and is used in the textile industry. Musical instruments are made from it, and water can be desalinated with it.

We are taught in martial arts that force meeting force is not the ideal situation, but rather blending or creating an opening is what we should aim for. Being like bamboo is very much like this. When a stronger opposing force presses down on the plant it yields, and in so doing preserves its integrity. By bending with the wind or the storm it can weather these rough moments, to emerge whole and stronger afterwards. We would do well to take this lesson from bamboo, when a stronger force confronts us, do not meet it headlong, find a way to bend and overcome. By so doing you to will emerge whole and stronger.

Getting back to the running and that little voice that says you should quit. Barring any real injury ( I dont think performing any activity while injured is healthy), you need to evaluate where that voice is coming from and why. Is it an attachment we are dealing with? A perspective that is skewed? When you can ascertain why, then you can deal with the source of the voice or attitude that threatens to undermine you. Once the source is dealt with you can truly be like that plant that can weather typhoons and hurricanes and still remain standing.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

Sensei Orlando

business, goals, greatness, karate, martial arts, mind, pain, philosophy, power, thoughts, zen

The Power of Thought Part II

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Today I want to discuss procrastination. The death knell of many hopes and dreams can be described by this one word. I understand that this is human nature and that we have all put things off. What I want you to consider is that the future you are living into is taking place right this moment. One of the more grounded analogies that comes to mind is the author. He imagines a story and a written and published work. Unless he sits down to write, that book will remain just that, a thought. I have found that we do this in every aspect of our lives.

We put things off because they are difficult or we want to avoid confrontation, or simply because we just feel lazy that day or given moment. Whatever the reason, when you procrastinate you set in motion a way of being that has the potential to be ineffective, frustrated, unhappy, stressed and generally dissatisfied. We all know the adage about not putting things off for tomorrow that can be done today. How many of us actually practice it? If our thoughts have the ability and power to become manifest, what does it mean when we procrastinate? Thought must be coupled with action, it isn’t enough just to have great thoughts. The thoughts must be given wings, and yes, we must dream and desire.

The second part of the process requires taking the actions that will set those dreams in motion. It is not enough to dream of being a great author, if fail to write down any words, the dream will remain a dream. Use the power of thought but don’t get caught up only in the thinking phase, structure it so that the thoughts give you impetus to take action. Make the time you need to get what needs to get done, done.

Remember:

Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin. ~Victor Kiam

strong spirit strong mind strong body

Sensei Orlando

business, coaching, goals, greatness, ideas, life, mind, philosophy, thoughts

The Power of Thought- Part I

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Consider for a moment that everything that is around you(that is man-made), started out as an idea. Give it a moment. The chair you are sitting in, the car you may drive, the clothes that you are wearing, even the monitor which you are using to view this blog, all of them started out as a thought, as an idea. Now consider for a moment that you can shape what you call “reality” by taking control of your thoughts.

I know this sounds radical but let me give you a very simplified example. You wake up in the morning, dreading the day. You say to yourself I think I’m coming down with a cold. Very shortly afterwards, the symptoms of the cold have fully manifested in your body. Here is the other side to that scenario, you wake up feeling achy, but rather than succumb to the feeling, you tell yourself, “there is no way I’m getting sick”. I have too much to do or I have a deadline to meet. Amazingly the “cold” that was coming on disappears.

What I want to share with you is that our thoughts have real power. If you gave the opening paragraph some consideration, you have realized by now that we live in a world of manifested ideas and thoughts.

So, in your own life, if you desire to have the life of your dreams, you must learn to shape your thoughts and way of being so that you are that which you want to eventually become, right now. If you eventually want to become, for example, the CEO of a successful company, you must right now begin to present yourself to the world as if you already were the CEO of a successful company, in terms of your overall self-presentation to the world of dress, speech, and manner.

Projecting your future into the present through utilizing your thoughts, will have the effect of the world responding to you as that which you are projecting, and before you know it, “the future” will merge into your present reality. To make it simple, think of reverse-engineering your life. Picture the life you want to achieve, say being a successful (fill in the blank). Now imagine what it would require for you to live that life. Think about it everyday, and just as important as the thought, take the actions necessary to bring those thoughts to reality.

You will find that your greatest obstacle in this process will be procrastination. Putting things off until its “just right” or until the planets align or until you are completely ready are just a few of the excuses we create to spin our wheels and get nothing done. Remember thought is power, and action manifests those thoughts.

More on procrastination in Part II.

Think powerful positive thoughts everyday, and act on them.

strong spirit-strong mind-strong body

Sensei Orlando