Feb 20, 2013

Elders vs the Juniors.

Recently, I found myself sitting across from men who are already taking on the early bird special.

They reminded me of those old gentlemen on yachts by the.... Where people do those kind of life very world apart from the life my father had lived. World apart from where most of us live!

I say it in a jocular way because the meeting itself was so terrible. I had to look to humor really.

One man in particular, is now living his life high on the position he and they, gave themselves after leaving one particular group. When they learned they meant very little to this "leader", it seems  they threw a tantrum and decided to give  themselves a illusionary importance with, guess what, making a new organization with the name Kyokushin in it. Their theory is, since they trained and worked under  Sosai for 49years (some number that is a lot)  they are entitled to do whatever they liked with my father' s intellectual properties.

Of course, we all do consider them as "somebody's" . I mean, they were part of my fathers history , no matter how small or big their placements were considered. My father had that special ability to make people feel special, which gets misinterpreted as they being special.

Now today I met with the younger generation. They are enthusiastic, forward-thinking and polite. However, they have very little patience for the "older people" who are titled Shihans now who lived the era with my very own parents, and have very little respect or admiration for those who caused "more break up to make money",   as they put it.

They too, have their badge of honor, champion their established tournament résumé and their black belt certificates they received from numerous groups all using some connection to Sosai.


I can't help but wonder. Which came first?

Did the seniors who could have made proper rule and made an example to the juniors, screw up? Or is just the younger one's feeling the connection to Sosai and therefore, can detect the seniors who misrepresent themselves? Are the younger generation more keen to seeing, what is real and what is a foe?






Jan 30, 2013

Why do we fight?

A friend recently said "It seems people think you attack them when you try to correct them".

I thought, "is it an attack?" . The word baffles me, honestly!

So I thought what is the logic behind it and what I can do to make things better. It really is a fight for
"Peace of Mind". No body can fight for you, but yourself.

Donald Trump, a famous NYC developer once said, "My whole life is a big old fight. I fight everyday. I just don't use the brawns, I use up here (pointing to his head)."

For me in Kyokushin there were two things that propelled me to fight. One was the way how my father died and the will was designed. And two, was about my mother.

As I look to the "opposition", not all are despicable.
 I actually  jump to their defense if ill-words are spoken about them. Because I know them since their tournament days or Uchideshi days.  And some reciprocate the same mannerism to me. So it can be looked as a long sibling rivalry perhaps.

But there is also the element of invasiveness. It is a fact most refuse to acknowledge our inherited rights. In which country did it ever occur that third party refuses to respect the legal rights and then, they go and infringe them on the grounds of their own "rationale" ?

So am I attacking. Yes, but only those who dare trespass the respectful line which my father made. There was a clear dileneation. So I think I am defending, more so then attacking.

Coco Chanel, whom I love and respect left a funny but true quote.
"Gentleness doesn't get the work done unless you happen to be a hen laying eggs."

My father never, ever ran his organization without rules. In my opinion he simply did not have to enforce them. No one dared to cross him blatantly, until Steve Arneil betrayed him. Now it is the job of the ones left to stop the fragmentation and convolution. What is happening today can be quite distorting to Kyokushin as a whole in terms of Budo and in terms of societal influence. The one's benefitting from the chaos may not like what I say but I know chaos when I see one.


Jan 26, 2013

Going straight to the Source.

Never deal with underlings. They get in the way of natural process. And usually, they screw things up with their over zealous wish to be recognized as a person of importance.

This happens as they don't receive proper guidance.

They don't adopt a guru. And when one does not have a guru, arrogance and uncertainty takes over more strongly.

We all deal with this internally but what we do with the outward ones? Ones that comes from external factors.

As yoga we need to observe and trace it back to where it came from, yourself.

As business, protection of our boundaries is necessary. Do not let them ride on the coattail of your hard work. The bigger you become three dimensionally, more honest discrimination is necessary.

It is an ever balance-finding-act which requires strong discrimination. In the end everything is just between you and Atman.

-words of my perfect teacher



Jan 12, 2013

Sankalpa.

Hi everyone!

I opened my classes yesterday, January 11th, like SOSAI did!

So I am sharing what we discussed to my fellow yogi's about new year resolution.

Sankalpa, is a state of resolution, where deep practice of mediation takes during Yoga Nidre. (Basically realizing what the source of what we are is, not that I experienced....yet).

When we set out to "finish","accomplish" all the list on out New Year Resolution list, we usually get burned out and feel we let ourselves down. Especially when it is about losing weight or resolution inclined more on the outwardly things.

Sankalpa is about feeling the inside bliss with the will for the resolution.
 San means "together" and kalpa or kalpana means "idea". So it means unified thoughts. Nothing diverting, dividing. Just simply, being whole. It is taking the step, one at a time towards what we want which in already within us.

How wonderful is that????








Failure =Opportunity

It is just less than two weeks into  2013. And I feel BLESSED!  Can you believe it?

I don't know why.

But I recalled this quote by Michael Jordan.  Think it was HBO... I watched his interview one day and said:

"I failed over and over and over in my life, that' s why I succeed."

All obstacles I encountered in my life forced me to make myself more clear with the vision I have. It pops up when necessary! Take it in stride. It is actually a good thing.