Hi Everyone,
I still can't believe how quickly a year flies by.
We want to thank people who wish to remain anonymous but has continually supported me personally and Honbu. You all have been struggling with your own definition of what truth is and I really appreciate that you shared them with us, aside from being in separate organizations. That we had the chance to speak, the emails sent to us and as we wrote to you individually, it truly educated us and made us even more aware what is abundant and what is lacking in Kyokushin-Kai today.
Thank you for embracing us while we visit you overseas. I know some had bad experience in the past and it is hard to separate the "sloppy information" or gossip shall I say, to what actually really is.
Thank you for sharing with us all your love and dedication to Kyokushin Karate. Sosai always, always, always, had tremendous sense of gratitude that people trained his Karate, all over the world.
Sometimes, he would sit in his office late at night, just gazing at the 「極真」Kyokushin World Map . He said it was hard to believe that his karate extended beyond, ethnicity, religion and into so many countries!!!! He sometimes chuckled how some belittle him and said he was insane for wanting to publish an English version of his karate text book, thru a publisher in New York City! He said it only took a few who believed in him and most importantly, he believed in himself.
Today I want to share a little about (asteya) non- stealing.
When my father's idea of karate was hardly accepted or acknowledged (after he won the first all japan karate championship in Kyoto after WW2) he did what yogi's refer to as "non-stealing" . (Asteya, non-stealing, is one of the moral codes we practice along with the physical postures).
He educated and learned and self- taught himself by choosing a perfect teacher, Musashi Miyamoto as well living masters of karate and other budo.
He made himself competent by training, learning and self- inquiring. He made his own method and
system of karate and how the class ran within an hour and a half of training. He named it Kyokushin Karate and referred it as the society of "Ultimate Truth" on his Dogi or uniform. He trained his students, picked one's he felt was dedicated enough to share his teachings and expanded with hopes of his karate helping the individuals as well as people around them. He made many mistakes along the way and each time he fell, he brushed off the dust and moved on. He became so competent to handle his teachings that eventually, the word Kyokushin became synonymous with being the
strongest karate. Actually, that was the slogan of his movies based on Kyokushin and it's evolution.
His work exceeded the norm of success and became a brand.
Today, people use the brand but not all are competent. When any teaching is handled wrongly it leaves a ripple effect of negativity with the students. It scars them, scares them and inhibits their growth. Some prostitute the naming, the teaching worse is some do it intentionally. That is their incompetence that is hurting the essence, devaluing what Sosai and his original students had dedicated their life to.
My father's belief is so strong that even after his departure from this world, he is still leaving a strong message and influence.
Let's pray from this Christmas onwards to have his guidance so we may become competent as he
wishleads us to be.
Let's represent his karate in a way that uplifts everyone, for that is what his karate stood for. (Not for selling and buying dans and shopping from group to group. Thank you ) .
