How much of budo is enough?

[StanLee]

The purpose of this question is basically asking us all to think about, at what amount of budo we allow into our daily lives and routine is considered safe (not injuries).

Do you find yourself as the invincible warrior challenging all those who walk in your path, cower behind your wife / girlfriend / little sister or are torn between actions that are socially acceptable and budo morals?

Just something I thought up in the bog...

But all insights are welcomed!

[kage110]

I try and make budo my daily life. I approach almost every aspect of my life from the perspective of 'how can I make my budo knowledge fit this situation' and 'how can I make this situation enhance my budo knowledge'. I don't view budo simply as the training of techniques in a dojo a couple of times a week.

[Budd]

At this point in my life I have to say that budo is basically a hobby. A hobby to which I devote a significant amount of time and make many sacrifices for, but still a hobby. I also think that if you have a well-rounded life outside of budo practice, you can bring many worthwhile things back into your training.

Now as far as how this affects my approach to life and interpersonal relationships, I wouldn't really have an honest answer. I'd like to think that it contributes to my self-discipline, work ethic and ability to navigate emotional and physical engagements. I also like to think that I move with more confidence because I have confidence in what my body is physically capable of . . . and I can see, sort of, where budo has contributed, but to think that it makes me some sort of invincible warrior . . . or . . . that it makes me somehow inherently better than the next person that comes along, is erroneous thinking, in my opinion.

I train in budo because I enjoy the activity and the people I train with . . . I do it to try and develop myself because I find that the activity has inherent worth and value . . I don't spend a lot of time trying to measure up to other people. I think that trying to decide between socially acceptable actions and budo morals need not be an all or nothing proposition. In the best traditions, I find that the two are not mutually exclusive.

[David T Anderson]

Originally posted by StanLee

Do you find yourself as the invincible warrior challenging all those who walk in your path, cower behind your wife / girlfriend / little sister or are torn between actions that are socially acceptable and budo morals?


Well, Aikido is a 'do' art...the insights you gain in actual practice are _supposed_ to inform your thoughts and actions in all of life. Does it work? Hmmm...I think it does, for me at least. I find myself much less liable to get angry or impatient these days, and I find myself taking a much broader view of my fellow man...I was always tolerant as a matter of principle, but I'm a lot less hard-edged about it now. Of course,

Aikido training is the opposite of the hard-assed stuff prevalent in a great many martial arts. When you get used to thinking about how to protect your training partners [never 'enemies'] in conflict, while preventing them from harming you, a very different mindset develops.

Or this could be the result of advancing middle age. I don't thinks so, tho'.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by Budd
At this point in my life I have to say that budo is basically a hobby.
To be a total pedant, budo by definition cannot be a hobby. The "do" in the word "budo" implies a lifestyle commitment. Bujutsu, however, can be a hobby, as can bugei and kakutogi.

[bruceb]

Originally posted by Kimpatsu
To be a total pedant, budo by definition cannot be a hobby. The "do" in the word "budo" implies a lifestyle commitment. Bujutsu, however, can be a hobby, as can bugei and kakutogi.

Maybe it is .... that is why so many people mistake the training for the commitment, but in the end, the commitment is the integration of training into your life, not your life into the training.

Some people forget this in an attempt to put absolutes up as a representation of budo, but even budo is not an absolute. It is the description of a lifestyle that is integrated into ones daily life.

It doesn't happen over days, weeks, or months, but over a period of years until it simply is. When that happens, the practitioner is only aware that everything is as it should be.

How much is enough?

When you finally have your training as a backup for your actions, and your actions are determined by your training, enough is just what it takes to deal with the situation. No thinking about it, no worrying about it, no bravado, just doing what needs to be done.

I don't know exactly when it happens, but one day, you simply don't give a damn about worrying , and there it is ... it is part of you.