from the May, 2013 issue of Kiai!

Pearls from Promotion Essays

 

Yondan, April 7, 2013

Sensei Tom West
I value that my yondan “test” is not a goal that I set out to achieve; I see it only as a milepost along the way. I value that I can just do my karate, in class and in individual practice, with the sole goal of improving through practice and repetition. This view was supported in the Chinese story “Journey to the West,” in which the Emperor of China sends a monk to the Buddha and to bring back lessons that can guide China in learning Buddhism. The monk travels for many years and every time he stops and asks the locals, “How much further?” He is always told that he has 10,000 miles to go. Finally, Quan Yin asks him why he is always striving so hard. So the monk stops focusing so single-mindedly on getting to the Buddha, and he finds that he is at his destination. I use this story to remind me to relax, not to focus on achieving, and to just do.

Sensei Rebecca Angevine
I would take meditation class religiously. I would sit and let the thoughts come and beat myself with negativity. Slowly, I learned I could look at a thought and let it go. After all, don't we study an empty hand art? Isn't empty hand really about emptying ourselves and not holding on to things? I learned to use my breath to calm my mind and bring myself back to class and to start again with the meditation. Some classes I had mild success, others I had no success, but this too is a work in progress.

Shodan, April 13, 2013

Senpai Dan Applebaum
Karate later gave me the tools to take ownership for my own emotions and not allow myself to react disproportionately and irrationally when another person acts in a rude or dangerous manner. These tools were instilled largely through sparring, where my smaller stature meant that many of my sparring partners are larger and could appear threatening. Under the pressure of sparring with an intimidating person, I learned to largely remain detached and calm while under the apparent threat. In sparring, taking revenge for an accidentally misplaced or excessively hard strike was simply unacceptable. Instead the training involved how to pause the round and engage in a positive, humble yet assertive discussion of how to make the remainder of the sparring round safe for both partners. On the road, I am now better able to step back from an offensive incident and let the affront pass quickly.

Senpai Barry Moltz
In over 10 years at Thousand Waves, I have realized that as Kaicho teaches, my real opponent is myself. When I realized that I was not competing against anyone else or racing to beat someone to advance to another belt, it was a big relief for me. As I approach my Shodan test, I do it to test myself, not to show others what I have learned, but rather how I face this challenge today in this moment. I hope I am able to practice “OSU” Striving with Patience. Finally, what I look forward to after the Shodan test, is to become a beginner once again.

Senpai Carolyn Master
The physical changes of aging are not easy to accept, maybe even more so for karateka. I think all of us are familiar with training with injuries. We modify our training until we get back to normal. But how do we accept the limitations associated with aging? … Will there come a time when I can no longer do karate? I can't even imagine. Until that time comes, I will continue to train to the best of my ability. Aging presents new obstacles daily and I can only face one at a time and hope to figure out a solution. Even with the psychological and physical challenges I am dealing with, it is worth it to continue having karate in my life.

Senpai Laura Hayden, from Sun Dragon dojo in Austin, TX
We work on the self defense curriculum...and assisting the self defense instructors [helps me].  Every student that learns that they have the power to keep themselves safe, or that they should keep telling about situations that made them uncomfortable until someone listens, heals my inner ten year old a little more. Each time we work on boundary setting I get a little more confident in my abilities at work and at home to say what I need to say. I truly believe the work we do at Sun Dragon on boundary setting and vocalizing our needs has made me a better life partner, daughter, sister, and co-worker.

Senpai Gabby Afable
I started to analyze the [Karateka] Code of Ethics further. ... Previously, I examined each of the five – love, respect, non-quitting spirit, courage and responsibility – in isolation. I incorrectly interpreted non-quitting spirit as “keep going at all costs,” … I had to consider the role of responsibility along with non-quitting spirit. … Continuing to recklessly push my limits on an injury expressed an evident lack of responsibility. I needed to focus on my responsibility to myself – to stay healthy.

Senpai Mattie Greenblatt
Have you ever come to karate on a bad day? How long have you stayed upset once you got there? I have this tendency when I'm really down in the dumps to just try and stay there, and boy, is that the exact wrong way to take care of myself. On those days, when I come to karate, I can't do that. I can't, because I'm surrounded by people who have this beautiful familial bond to each other. We push each other to be great without forcing anyone over. When I feel that, I feel safe, and accepted, and there's nowhere I would rather be.

Senpai Todd Scales
There is rarely a promotion exam that doesn't include heart-felt comments from those testing and even from those observing) that Thousand Waves has a tremendous sense of community. Here, my spirituality has found firm grounding and room to grow. Now – I will admit there is some irony in the fact that in each karate class, I am told when to kick, how to punch, when to do pushups, etc. But somehow, that works beautifully! I don't feel like I'm being told what to think or believe—quite the contrary; it feels more like I am being gently guided on a path of self-discovery, to look deeper within. Though we all come from different backgrounds, we all yearn to be better human beings. That forms the basis of our spiritual bond – it is the heart of our community.