Bohdi Sanders's Blog, page 28

Is Your Martial Art Balanced?

Martial arts is about

discovering the path between

self-protection and self-perfection.

True martial arts teach both self-defense and self-improvement. Teaching one of these without the other doesn’t produce a complete martial artist or a true warrior. Teaching martial arts skills without instruction in character training and the skills needed to move towards self-perfection, only produces someone who has the skills to be dangerous, but not the character to be a complete martial artist – a true warrior.

On the other hand, teaching someone the ways of self-perfection, without teaching them self-defense, produces a wonderful person, but one who leaves his own personal safety, and the personal welfare of his family, to fate. Again, this is dangerous because it leaves this wonderful person open to being attacked and being unable to defend himself or his family.

Martial arts training is about balance. You have to have a balance between the skills of self-protection and the pursuit of self-perfection. Balance is key in every part of your life. A good martial arts instructor will focus on balancing each part his student’s life – spirit, mind, and body.

There are many people, in the martial arts world, who disagree with the above statement, but ask yourself, “Where would a martial arts student be who has great skills, but doesn’t have the courage to use them when needed?” Or, what about a student who is a fantastic fighter, but who doesn’t have the self-discipline to control his temper? I could give you many more examples, but hopefully you get my point.

What good is your physical training without the wisdom to know when to use it and when to walk away from someone who is pushing you to fight? And, if you do have the wisdom to know when to use your skills, and when to refrain from using your skills, what good is it if you don’t have the courage to use them in the first place? Complete martial arts training gives you the skills, the wisdom to know how and when to use those skills, the courage to use them when you need to, and much more.

There are so many aspects of the martial arts that must work together in order to find the balance between self-protection and self-perfection. True martial arts produce warriors, not fighters. Anyone can be taught how to fight, but that is not what makes a complete martial artist or a true warrior. Martial arts are about more than learning the skills needed to prevail in a fight; they are about pursuing perfection in every area of your life.

You see, all of these areas, spirit, mind, and body, actually work in unison. When they are out of balance, you have a chink in your armor, an opening for those who would come against you. But when spirit, mind and body are trained, balanced and working in perfect unison, they stop being individual parts and merge together to make a complete martial artist – a true warrior.

Bohdi Sanders
Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence

Modern Bushido can be found on

TheWisdomWarrior.com and on Amazon.com

in

PAPERBACK and on KINDLE

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Modern Bushido: Living the Warrior Lifestyle in Today’s World

Modern Bushido

Living the Warrior Lifestyle in Today’s World

The student must become a true warrior

in an age where there are no more warriors.

Kensho Furuya

I have studied martial arts for almost 30 years, and have seen many amazing martial artists do things with their bodies that can simply boggle the mind. I have seen some of the best fighters in the world and have trained with many martial arts instructors and other practitioners. I have also been involved in more physical confrontations than I care to remember, and know what it is like to both pound someone into a pulp, as well as be pounded. In addition, I have been trained in how to use different weapons in self-defense situations.

In short, I have witnessed and experienced a lot when it comes to the physical side of the martial arts, but with all my experience, I have found one subject that seems to always get little or no attention in the world of martial arts – how to live a life of character. Most martial arts classes are completely focused on self-defense, fighting, sport applications, tournaments, and katas. While all of these are important parts of the martial arts, there is something even more important missing from this list – character training.

This is what modern Bushido is all about – how to live the life of the superior man. While this may sound like an elitist statement, it isn’t. Living the life of the superior man is simply a way of saying living a life based on character, honor and integrity. It is living the warrior lifestyle the way it should be lived, according to universal standards and principles which make someone a superior human being. When I say the words “superior human beings,” I am not referring to someone being better or more important than someone else.

The phrase “superior man” was used frequently by Confucius to indicate someone who lives according to high moral standards as opposed to someone who gives little regard to such things. The superior man is not superior because he is richer, more educated, comes from a better family, or anything along those lines. He is superior because he lives his life in a superior way. He lives by higher standards than the average person.

This has always been the ideal behind the philosophy of Bushido. Literature from the 13th through the 16th centuries in Japan had many references to the ideals of Bushido. The actual word “Bushido” was first used in the 17th century, but the ideals of Bushido have been around as long as there has been a warrior class, not just in Japan, but throughout the world.

Bushido did not necessarily start out as a specific set of rules that must be followed, but rather moral principles which were meant to guide the life of the warrior. More frequently than not, the principles of Bushido were simply taught to children of the warrior class from an early age as a way of life that was expected from them.

The philosophy of Bushido evolved over the centuries, but it never lost it primary focus which was living life according to the high standards expected from those of the warrior class. It is a philosophy of how to live your life as a true, complete warrior. The word “Bushido” literally means the way of the warrior. This philosophy did not limit itself to merely martial subjects.

On the contrary, the philosophy of Bushido covered subjects such as how to raise children, how one should dress, how to treat your family and other people, financial issues, as well as how to conduct yourself as an honorable warrior.

Today the Bushido Code is commonly simplified to seven virtues: rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor, and loyalty. But these seven virtues do not cover everything which Bushido entails; there is much more to Bushido than these seven virtues. The teachings of Bushido were meant to cover all areas of the warrior’s life, not just a handful. Limiting Bushido to only these seven virtues is doing a disservice to this noble philosophy.

There are at least 30 important traits, which I discuss in my book, Modern Bushido, that all play an important role in the warrior lifestyle. Each of these traits helps guide you in living a life of excellence. Many may question what this has to do with the life of the warrior or martial arts, but this question assumes that the warrior lifestyle is merely about self-defense or fighting – it isn’t.

Gichin Funakoshi stated that the ultimate goal of karate is the perfection of your character, not the perfection of your martial skills.

Learning character traits, which will guide your actions throughout your life, is an important part of the martial arts, but unfortunately this is also a part that has been neglected over the years, especially in today’s society where it is needed more than ever. Self-defense is merely one part of the warrior lifestyle.

The warrior lifestyle is multifaceted and entails much more than martial arts techniques. It is a complete way of life, not simply a term which encompasses anyone who practices some type of martial art. There is much more to being a true warrior than knowing how to fight. You can teach a dog to fight, but that doesn’t make it a warrior.

On the contrary, the warrior lifestyle is a complete way of life. It is a way of living a life of character, honor, and integrity in every area of your life. It includes martial arts, but it is not defined by martial arts. One of the definitions of the term “warrior” is a person engaged in some struggle or conflict. The word “warrior” is not limited to someone who participates in an actual, physical battle between two armies. Many people disagree with this statement, but it is true nonetheless.

To take this definition even further, the word “war” doesn’t always refer to a conflict between two countries or two groups of people. The term “war” can be defined as a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end. True warriors are not limited to those who have been in the military. Being a true warrior is dependent on how you live your life, not on what you do for a living. The true warrior is the man or woman who endeavors to live the warrior lifestyle and who lives his or her life by the code of the warrior.

And have no doubts about it, they are at war. Their struggle may not be against some opposing army, but rather it is a struggle between the opposing forces of living according to their principles of honor or living without honor. The true warrior, whether in the military or driving a garbage truck, must decide to live a life of honor and integrity according to the principles of warriorship.

What you do for a living is simply what you do for a living; it is not who you are. Everyone decides for themselves whether they will live life as a true warrior or whether they will live their life in some other way.

Being a true warrior is a lifestyle, not a profession. It is not a fraternity where you have to be in the military to be considered a member. A person is a true warrior because of what is in his or her heart, mind and spirit; all the rest simply consists of the tools which the person uses to develop the warrior spirit in order to live the warrior lifestyle.

The concept of Bushido, the way of the warrior, is not some outdated, romantic notion. It is a way of living life to the fullest, with honor and integrity. It is the cornerstone of the warrior lifestyle, and it is just as important today as it ever was.

Do nothing to make you lose respect for yourself,

or to cheapen yourself in your own eyes;

let your own integrity be the standard of rectitude,

and let your own dictates be stricter

than the precepts of any law.

Baltasar Gracian

Bohdi Sanders, PhD
excerpt from
Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence

Modern Bushido is available at: http://thewisdomwarrior.com/books-by-....

It is also available on Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008S26INK

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Dangerous World

Dangerous World

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil,

but because of those who look on and do nothing.

Albert Einstein

I think that this statement by Albert Einstein would be more accurate if he had stated that the world is a dangerous place not only because of those who do evil, but also because of those who look on and do nothing.



There are some very dangerous, evil people in this world. That is just the way it is, and if anyone disputes that, they are living in a fantasy world. Some people are just plain bad and will kill you at the drop of a hat, and then order a Big Mac as if nothing had happened.



As bad as that sounds (and it is pretty bad), Einstein considered those people less of a problem than the people who look on and do nothing. Can you see his point? If everyone took an active role in bringing the evil people to justice, swift and sure justice, the evil doers would become less and less prevalent.



Even though there are a lot of evil men in this world, there are many, many more people who allow them to exist because of their apathy or fear. Those who allow evil, condone evil.



This world is a dangerous place both because of evil men and because of the apathy of others. This is why it is so important that the warrior be prepared to recognize and confront evil. If the warrior is not willing to stand up and do something about the evil in this world, who will? Can you rid this world of evil by protecting those around you? No. Can you make those around you safer, simply because you are there with them? Absolutely!

Bohdi Sanders

excerpt from The Warrior Lifestyle: Making Your Life Extraordinary, pg 20

You can find more teachings, articles, and books

from Bohdi Sanders at http://thewisdomwarrior.com/.

The Warrior Lifestyle is available at http://thewisdomwarrior.com/ or

on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884023

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Prepare for the Worst ~ Hope for the Best

Prepare for the Worst ~ Hope for the Best

Nothing is better or surer than fixing things in such a way that you are safe,

not because your enemy is unwilling, but because he is unable to hurt you.

Francesco Guicciardini

This quote by Francesco Guicciardini, from his great book, Maxims and Reflections, should be taken to heart by every warrior. This is what you are training for in your dojo. This quote should be posted in every dojo throughout the country. The warrior should not depend on the goodwill of some thug; that is madness. You can’t count on the probability that your enemy is really not motivated enough to truly hurt you, whether physically or in some other way.

This careless attitude offers you no security whatsoever, only a naïve faith in the goodness of those who may not be so good. Instead of hoping that your enemy will be unwilling to hurt you, it is much better to take steps to ensure that he can’t hurt you, even if he so desires. Don’t leave things up to chance. Fix things so that your enemy is unable to hurt you, then you will have peace of mind and a degree of security that comes with knowing that you are prepared for whatever your enemy may throw at you.

It seems that the majority of people today are doing just the opposite. They are walking around totally unprepared, mindlessly hoping that their enemy or the thug on the street is simply unwilling to hurt them. They live a life of chance. This is not the way of the warrior. The warrior takes pains to ensure that he is ready for whatever he may encounter.  Structure your life in a way that you know that you are safe, at least as much as you can. Be prepared.

Bohdi Sanders
The Warrior Lifestyle: Making Your Life Extraordinary

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The Warrior Needs to be Alone

Sometimes the warrior needs to be alone, meditate,

and remind himself of who he is, and who he wants to be.

Bohdi Sanders

We all need to slow down, reflect, and see where we are in our journey from time to time. It is very easy to get sidetracked by our busy lives and veer off the path of the warrior without really realizing it. Just like a cross country road trip, we need to stop and make sure we are still on the right road at times.



You can’t just go through life haphazardly. You must understand where you are and where you are going in order to achieve your objective and arrive where you want to be. Reflect and understand who you are at this time, and who you want to be, then keep yourself on the path that leads to that destination.

Bohdi Sanders
MODERN BUSHIDO ~ Living a Life of Excellence

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Be Careful of Your Thoughts!

Be careful of your thoughts;

they are the beginning of your acts.

Lao Tzu

Many people think that their thoughts really don’t matter as long as they don’t act on the negative or inappropriate thoughts, but thoughts have energy. In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu tells us that you need to be careful of your thoughts. Your thoughts are the beginning of your actions.

Keeping your mind clear and calm is part of a warrior’s training. You should strive to keep your thoughts on a level plain because your thoughts can and do affect your emotions. As I have said before, you cannot afford to allow your emotions to control your actions.

You have to be rational. Keep your thoughts rational. Keep your purpose in mind and focus on what will achieve your goals. Will getting angry help you achieve your goal? Will being upset and dwelling on what has just happened change anything? No, that is living in the past. You can only deal with your problems and decide on the right action to take by being rational and focusing your thoughts on rational solutions.

This is one reason why the warrior should study and meditate on the wisdom of the past. By keeping your thoughts on things which focus on honor and integrity, you allow these qualities to filter down to your actions.

When inappropriate thoughts pop into your mind, stop them in their tracks. Don’t give them a chance to develop roots and turn into actions. Controlling your thoughts is one of the hardest challenges you will have in your training, but it is vitally important.

Bohdi Sanders
excerpt from WARRIOR WISDOM

To see more teachings, articles, books by Bohdi Sanders,

or to order Warrior Wisdom or Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence

please visit http://thewisdomwarrior.com/books-by-bohdi-sanders/

or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884066



Both Warrior Wisdom and Modern Bushido are NOW ON KINDLE as well!!

Image from Google Images

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The Warrior’s Courage

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The Warrior’s Courage

Cervantes wrote that, “The man of true valor lies between the extremes of cowardice and rashness.” Cowardice and rashness are indeed the two extremes of courage. Cowardice is a lack of courage. It is allowing fear to overcome you and cause you to falter at the time of action. Rashness, on the other hand, is being reckless, impulsive, and moving forward without giving any thought to the situation.

The one thing that both cowardice and rashness have in common is that when someone acts from either of these extremes, he is letting his emotions control his actions, not rational thought, and definitely not courage. To be courageous, a man has to be thoughtful. Francesco Guicciardini wrote, “Only the wise are brave. Others are either temerarious or foolhardy. Thus, we can say that every brave man is wise, but not that every wise man is brave.”

From this point of view, we can compare courage to honor in that, it is not that easy for an outsider to judge whether or not a man is being courageous, just as it is not obvious whether or not a man is acting out of a sense of honor. If you will recall, some actions may seem dishonorable from an outside point of view, which, if we were privy to the man’s thoughts and intentions, would prove to be very honorable. The same principle can apply to courage.

There are some actions which, when initially seen, may seem like acts of cowardice, but when examined closer, were truly courageous acts. At the same time, there are some actions which seem like very courageous acts, but if we were able to see beyond the obvious, we would understand that the action was not truly an act of courage at all.

Bohdi Sanders
(Excerpt from Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence)

Available in The Wisdom Warrior Bookstore!

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Death of a Warrior

Death of a Warrior

When my time on this earth has expired, I have no desire to be sealed in some over-priced box, by strangers who never knew me, nor cared about me. I have no desire to be displayed in some church, like a dead outlaw, riddled with bullet holes and displayed for all to see, merely so everyone can get one last peak at the body that I once inhabited. Don’t play some outdated church hymn or have some preacher, who didn’t know me, give some rehearsed speech over my lifeless body.

Instead, burn my body like a warrior, under the full moon, in an open air pyre, with a Native American flute playing in the background, knowing that I am no longer there, but watching from above. Honor me not by praying for my soul, which will be safely where it belongs with the Creative Force which created it, but rather by gathering to remember the good that I have done during my short time on this planet.

Watch as my old home burns. Listen to the sounds of nature, accompanied by the soft, spiritual sounds of the flute. Reminisce about my accomplishments and the footprints I left for others to follow. Remember the good I brought to this world, and erase from your memory the things that I did before I found the path of honor – the path of the warrior.

Think of the good, the positive, and the honorable, while watching the fire consume the body that I no longer need. And as the fire burns down, raise a glass in memory of a man who did his best to protect and care for his family, and teach those who had a desire to learn. Toast in honor of a man who lived as he believed to be right, according to his sense of honor and integrity, without feeling the need to conform to society’s norms or accept the beliefs which did not resonate with his spirit. Raise a glass in honor for whatever good I left behind and for the lives that I touched or helped along the way.

May you walk away from the last smoldering embers, not with a feeling of loss and despair, but rather with a feeling of pride and honor that you knew a man such as me. Send me on my way as if I were embarking on a long adventure, knowing that this is not goodbye, but merely goodbye for now. And, don’t cry over my departure, for I promise to see you all again soon.

Bohdi Sanders ~ Modern Bushido

THE WISDOM WARRIOR BOOKSTORE

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Be Decisive!

Be Decisive!
Deliberate often – Decide once.  Latin Proverb

The warrior has to be decisive. He has to spend time meditating on his values and his standards, and he has to know who he is deep down inside. This information gives him a moral compass as to how to live his life and how to make the important decisions that have to be made throughout his journey.

Everyone has important decisions which have to be made in their life. Your choices determine your destiny.

It is vital that you make the correct choices because every choice carries with it a set of consequences. For this reason you have to look at all the possibilities when you are deliberating what you should and should not do. Examine the pros and the cons. Look at the possible consequences for each choice.

Don’t rush your decisions. Take your time when possible, and don’t make a decision until you feel confident on the inside that your decision is correct.

Once you feel that you have made the best decision that you possibly can make, stick with it. The time for debating the issue has passed. You have spent time meditating on your options, you have thought about the different outcomes, and you have made the best decision that you could make.

Have confidence that you have done the best that you could do to make an intelligent decision. Don’t second guess yourself over and over again. This only causes doubt and stress to cloud your mind. Deliberate often – decide once, and then stand firm on your decision.

Bohdi Sanders, PhD
(from his book, WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood, page 146)

You can find WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood and all my other books and teachings at The Wisdom Warrior Bookstore or on Amazon.com. Be sure to check out MODERN BUSHIDO and the WARRIOR WISDOM SERIES – they are great books for guidance on the warrior lifestyle!

Also check out MODERN BUSHIDO: Living a Life of Excellence NOW AVAILABLE on Kindle, and at almost 1/3 of the cover price! You can find it at: MODERN BUSHIDO for KINDLE

for ONLY $5.99!

(Image from Google Images)

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It is Essential to Cultivate the Warrior Spirit.

It is Essential to Cultivate the Warrior Spirit

What is the warrior spirit? This 17th century Confucian scholar’s teachings, as translated by Thomas Cleary in his book Training the Samurai Mind, states that cultivating the “warrior spirit” was an essential part of being a samurai. He taught that even if you have all the strength and training that is needed to be a warrior, they will be of no use if you lack the warrior spirit.

According to Totsudo, it is not the external strength which truly matters, but the internal strength – the strength of the spirit.

The warrior spirit is based on courage. It is the courage to stand up for justice and for what is right, no matter what the odds. You can only develop this deep seated courage if you truly know that you are in the right.

If you have doubts about whether or not you are right, then those doubts will affect you on the inside and you will have doubts concerning the legitimacy of your stand. After all, if you aren’t completely convinced that you are right, how can you stand with conviction against someone who takes the other side of the issue?

Firmness and decisiveness are the legs which courage stands upon. Doubt is the stumbling block which causes courage to falter. Courage is the foundation of the warrior spirit. The traits of firmness, decisiveness, and courage can only be rightly obtained through meditating on what is right and your own personal code of honor.

Once you have determined you will live by your own standards and you are clear about what those standards are, then all that is left is to have the courage to live by those standards.

Bohdi Sanders, PhD


(From WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood, page 155)

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