My sensei (先生) sought to live a karate man’s life in much the same way that the founder of the Matsubayashi-Ryū tradition did—using the practice to strengthen the mind and the body to experience a true sense of victory in battle without the need to fight others.
This echoes the message from verse 103 of the Dhammapada:
“Though one may conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle, yet he indeed is the noblest victor who conquers himself.”
Matsubayashi-Ryū was influenced by Rinzai Zen Buddhism, and the most obvious example of this influence is the traditional practice of zazen during each formal class.
Zazen was my first experience of meditation in my life.
I don’t remember being given many instructions from my sensei; he was always careful to guard against intellectualizing the practice of karate.
However, I definitely experienced an unusual quietude that I had never experienced before from merely being in the present moment.
When I began my exploration of the Thai forest tradition of Buddhism, the stories of Thai ajahns who instructed their students to just focus on the meditation word “buddho” definitely resonated with me.
I gradually learned over time that you can progress surprisingly well in karate practice by steadfastly staying with the object of focus—not only with zazen, but also with kata and kumite.
You also learn about the dangers of a lack of mindfulness and concentration.
I’ve injured my hands from striking walls because I didn’t properly measure my distance from objects, and I’ve been cleanly hit in the face by my sparring partner because I let my guard down.
From my experiences living at monastery and being around Buddhist monastics, I’ve learned similar lessons about the value of developing mindful attention in every aspect of daily life.
These subtle teachings are what you learn when you practice Matsubayashi-Ryū with a genuine respect for the tradition.
I believe that I would never have come to appreciate these insights if all I intended to do is fight someone.
Fighting myself was enough of a challenge.
