How Nietzschian Is Shorinji Kempo?

[Kimpatsu]

A thought occurred to me the other day, so I figured I'd try it out here: Just how Nietzschian is Shorinji Kempo? We are trying to create better minds and bodies through rigorous discipline and training. We climb the mountain only through effort, not by willing ourselves to the top. And our ultimate goal is to build Utopia.
So, how Nietzschian is Shorinji Kempo?

Here is a link to Nietzsche info.



http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/

[Tripitaka of AA]

Many thanks to Robert for providing the link. Interesting stuff for a pseudo-intelligent faker like me.

But Tony, Really!

Surely this is pushing the boat a little too far away from the jetty. How can you expect us to jump on and join your voyage when most of us are wearing blindfolds. At least offer an example sentence of Nietzche's work so that the non-scholars amongst us can have a chance. Who knows, this journey might be as interesting as several other threads lately, where philosophy and debate have risen to fascinating levels. Surely a contrast to most people's perceptions of the Gorilla-armed, Muscle-bound Bruisers who do Martial Arts.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by Tripitaka of AA
Surely this is pushing the boat a little too far away from the jetty. How can you expect us to jump on and join your voyage when most of us are wearing blindfolds.
Use the Force, Luke, use the Force. :)

Originally posted by Tripitaka of AA
At least offer an example sentence of Nietzche's work
OK: "No one gets to the mountain by willing himself to the top." (I.e., it takes hard work and dedication, and a person is changed and improved by the effort.
Nietzsche was a humanist who didn't pin his hopes on a putative afterlife, but on improving the human condition while alive, here and now. It reminds me of Kaiso's teachings that there's no guarantee of an afterlife, so what counts is what we do here.
That should at least start the discussion off.
Kesshu.

[Tripitaka of AA]

I'll see if I can bluff an answer...

Shedding the shackles of the prescriptive doctrines of Christianity, where they demand belief in fundamental concepts which Modern Science has proven to be impossible ("Earth made in Seven Days", etc... let's keep this simple), can allow people to absorb truths that originate in other cultures and go on to form beliefs of their own design. The simple desire to build Utopia through one's own efforts suggests a willingness to live "some for yourself and some for others" (as long as Utopia is not just a one-bedroom-flat, rather a place for many people). So that would suggest that there is some common ground.

If Kaiso had lived in mid 19th Century Europe, it is possible that he might have made a chum of Nietzsche, but would he have shared the love for the music of Wagner? If Nietzsche had been a healthier person, would he have found some enlightenment from the study of Shorinji Kempo? His appreciation of the ability of musicians to convey concepts that were impossible to reduce to mere words might have led to a similar appreciation for the skills of a pair of Kenshi performing an Embu.


How much do we know about Kaiso's academic education? Did it encompass Western Philosophy? Did he ever read Nietzsche?

[Tripitaka of AA]

I thought my toes could just reach the bottom, but I fear I am well out of my depth here....
... time for me to look for another thread. Perhaps I shall start one on What is the best product for treating blisters? ;)

[Kimpatsu]

Kaiso certainly studied philosophy, and given that he lived at a time when Nietzschian philosopy was popular, I think it's fair to assume he certainly read "Thus Spake Zarathustra" and several other of Nietzsche's major works.
Whether he ever re-Kanted though is another tale... :p

[Tripitaka of AA]

Originally posted by Kimpatsu
I think it's fair to assume he certainly read "Thus Spake Zarathustra" and several other of Nietzsche's major works.


OK, putting words in his mouth is one thing, but putting books in his hands!? You'll need to be on a little firmer ground before you make connections like this... after all, he may have had all the ideas himself! We can't assume anything.

I reckon Kaiso's beard looks a bit like Uncle Albert from "Only Fools and Horses", but can I assume that the actor Buster Merryfield copied Kaiso's look?;)

[Kimpatsu]

He had a degree in philosophy, David; which philosophy major doesn't read Nietzsche, Kant, et. al.?

[Tripitaka of AA]

At this point David Noble raises his hand, asks to be excused and quietly leaves the room.

Sometime later, in the hollow echoing quiet of the nearest public toilet, David is heard to mumble "I should know better than to spout out on subjects that I know nothing about". With a thunderous crescendo worthy of a small earthquake, David flushes the WC and after a quick handwash, tiptoes back to the auditorium to catch the rest of the debate (now wearing a large false beard, sunglasses and carrying a foreign newspaper).



;) :cool: :p

[Kimpatsu]

Why a foreign newspaper? Other to use as toilet paper? :D

[tony leith]

I've never been one to let mere ignorance deter me from expressing an opinion. While I have limited familiarity with the works of Nietszche (and the spelling is probably way off as if to confirm my lack of learning), and while I have to note that his later works are probably more of a medical testament than a philosophical one (see what the ravages of tertiary syphillis can do for your prose style), I think he is generally regarded as one of the progenitors of European existentialism, and Kaiso's advocacy of the willed recreation of the self seems to have affinity with that tradition (as well as being roughly contemporary with authors like Sartre) Maybe we're dealing here with a manifestation of that wonderfully wild and wooly concept the zeitgeist - perhaps Kaiso was responding to a similar crisis of identity and meaning as the existentialists. That's my tuppence worth anyway.
We actually have a black belt in Glasgow with a masters in related subjects - I've no idea whether he lurks. Nah, on second thoughts, I doubt that he'd have been able to restrain himself if he was out there..

Tony leith

[Kimpatsu]

Get him to join the board, Tony. New blood is always welcome.
New thought for the day: If Kaiso arrived at notions of existentialism independently of Sartre or Nietzsche, would that constitute Jungian synchronicity? ;)

[Tripitaka of AA]

I like the old threads.

[Omicron]

Oh Kimpatsu...