NATIVE AMERICAN CODE OF ETHICS

1. RISE WITH THE SUN TO PRAY, PRAY ALONE, PRAY OFTEN. THE GREAT SPIRIT WILL LISTEN IF YOU WILL ONLY SPEAK.

2. BE TOLERANT OF THOSE THAT ARE LOST ON THEIR PATHS. IGNORANCE, CONCEIT, ANGER, JEALOUSY, AND GREED STEM FROM LOST SOULS. PRAY THAT THEY WILL FIND GUIDANCE.

3. SEARCH FOR YOURSELF BY YOURSELF, DO NOT ALLOW OTHERS TO MAKE YOUR PATH FOR YOU. IT IS YOUR ROAD AND YOURS ALONE. OTHERS MAY WALK IT WITH YOU, BUT NO ONE CAN WALK IT FOR YOU.

4. TREAT THE GUEST IN YOUR HOME WITH MUCH CONSIDERATION. SERVE THEM THE BEST FOOD, GIVE THEM THE BEST BEDS, AND TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT AND HONOR.

5. DO NOT TAKE WHAT IS NOT YOURS,WHETHER FROM A PERSON, A COMMUNITY, THE WILDERNESS, OR FROM A CULTURE. IT WAS NOT EARNED NOR GIVEN. IT IS NOT YOURS.

6. RESPECT ALL THINGS THAT ARE PLACED UPON THIS EARTH, WHETHER PEOPLE, ANIMAL, OR PLANT. HONOR THE SPIRIT IN ALL THINGS.

7. HONOR OTHER PEOPLES THOUGHTS, WISHES, AND WORDS. NEVER INTERRUPT ANOTHER, MOCK OR RUDELY MIMIC THEM. ALLOW EACH PERSON THE RIGHT TO PERSONAL EXPRESSION.

8. NEVER SPEAK OF OTHERS IN A BAD WAY. THE NEGATIVE ENERGY THAT YOU PUT OUT INTO THE UNIVERSE WILL MULTIPLY WHEN IT RETURNS TO YOU. ALL PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES, AND ALL MISTAKES CAN BE FORGIVEN. BAD THOUGHTS CAUSE ILLNESS OF THE MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT. PRACTICE OPTIMISIM.

9. NATURE IS NOT FOR US, IT IS A PART OF US. NATURE IS PART OF YOUR WORLDLY FAMILY.

10. CHILDREN ARE THE SEEDS OF OUR FUTURE. PLANT LOVE IN THEIR HEARTS AND WATER THEM WITH WISDOM AND LIFE’S LESSONS. WHEN THEY ARE GROWN, GIVE THEM SPACE TO GROW.

11. AVOID HURTING THE HEARTS OF OTHERS. THE POISON OF YOUR PAIN WILL RETURN TO YOU.

12. BE TRUTHFUL AT ALL TIMES. HONESTY IS THE TEST OF ONE’S WILL WITHIN THIS UNIVERSE.

13. KEEP YOURSELF BALANCED. YOUR MENTAL SELF, SPIRITUAL SELF, EMOTIONAL SELF, AND PHYSICAL SELF ALL NEED TO BE STRONG, PURE, AND HEALTHY. WORK OUT THE BODY TO STRENGTHEN THE MIND. GROW RICK IN SPIRIT TO CURE EMOTIONAL AILS.

14. MAKE CONSCIOUS DECISIONS AS TO WHO YOU WILL BE AND HOW YOU WILL REACT. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS.

15. RESPECT THE PRIVACY AND PERSONAL SPACE OF OTHERS. DO NOT TOUCH THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF OTHRS, ESPECIALLY SACRED AND RELIGIOUS OBJECTS-THIS IS FORBIDDEN.

16. BE TRUE TO YOURSELF. YOU CANNOT NURTURE AND HELP OTHERS IF YOU CANNOT NURTURE AND HELP YOURSELF FIRST.

17. RESPECT OTHERS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. DO NOT FORCE YOUR BELIEFS UPON OTHERS.

18. SHARE YOUR GOOD FORTUNE WITH OTHERS. PARTICIPATE IN CHARITY. BE WILLING TO GIVE BACK TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THE PEOPLE WILL LIVE.

AHO!
(Reprinted with permission of my friend Jim Standing Bear)

Bohdi Sanders

The Wisdom Warrior

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Live the Lifestyle, Not the Fantasy

Being a warrior is an ongoing lifestyle. It is not a goal that once you achieve the status of a warrior, you can then relax because you now have all the weapons and training that you could ever need. You don’t all of a sudden achieve the perfection of character that you have been struggling to attain, and now you can kick back and relax.

Some people believe that they have made it to that point, after all, they have a black belt that they earned (15 years ago when they were actively training), how could anybody ever stand up to them in hand to hand combat? They’re a BLACK BELT! Don’t you know that this means they have “made it?” Once a black belt, always a black belt… Nobody in their right mind would ever attempt to attack someone who has obtained such a level of mastery, right?

Too many people believe that they are prepared to defend themselves or others because of their past training. Martial arts training is like paddling your boat up a river; as soon as you stop paddling, you began to go float backwards. The longer you sit there without paddling, the further you float backwards. The longer you neglect your training, the more your skills began to fade, the less flexible you become, and the more muscle strength you lose. Don’t believe it, stop stretching for several months and see what happens. This is especially true if you are in the position that I am in, where your son describes you as “old.”

The way is in training.
Miyamoto Musashi

Victory is not gained through idleness.
German Proverb

If you have ever developed your martial arts skills to a level where you felt you could easily defend yourself, it is hard to imagine that your skills have dissipated and you are no longer at the same level. If you stop lifting weights for several months, you will find that when you start back you can’t lift the same amount as you were lifting when you quit. But when it comes to self-defense, people seem to think that they can still match up with the toughest of the tough, even if they haven’t been active for quite some time. In your mind you still see yourself as a force to be reckoned with, even if it has been years since you actually practiced your art.

Your mind still knows what to do and how you should react to certain situations, but it doesn’t mean your body is still up to the task if you haven’t kept up your training. I once was a very good football player, and my mind still knows what should be done on the football field. But I would hate to know that I would have to strap on the pads now. Don’t confuse where you used to be with where you are not. A black belt who is no longer active has a nice souvenir, but I wouldn’t want to stake my life on his fighting skills.

Tomorrow’s battle is won during today’s practice.
Samurai Maxim

He who is an ass and takes himself to be a stag,
finds his mistake when he comes to leap the ditch.
Italian Proverb

It is foolish to try to survive on your past experiences and accomplishments. This can be a very dangerous illusion. See things as they really are, not as you want them to be. Be realistic. Don’t let yourself or others down…continue to train and stay in shape. It is your duty, as a warrior, to be able to defend yourself and others. Don’t neglect your training. Live the lifestyle, not the fantasy.

It is a very dangerous, if not fate habit,
to judge ourselves to be safe because of
something that we felt or did twenty years ago.
Charles Spurgeon

Bohdi Sanders

Warrior Wisdom

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The Biggest, The Best, The Strongest…They All Go Down

No one is undefeatable. Everyone is human, and as a human being, everyone has the same vulnerable targets. Even the biggest, strongest, toughest thug that you can imagine running into on the street has his weaknesses. David killed Goliath, not by being in better shape or by being better trained, but by keeping his cool and using his mind. Sure he was proficient with his slingshot, but had he panicked at the sight of this giant warrior, he probably would not have had the accuracy needed to defeat his enemy. We are talking about a young boy, killing a seasoned warrior who was supposed to be undefeatable.

In any physical confrontation there are many variables which can totally alter the outcome of the fight. There are an unlimited number of mistakes that can be made, many of which could end the confrontation if the warrior keeps his cool and is able to see the opening. The trick is to always maintain a calm, rational mind-set. Let your training and your spirit guide you. Don’t think too much.

Anyone, at any given time,
given the right set of circumstances,
can defeat anyone else.
Shawn Kovacich

Essentially, allow yourself to enter what is known as mushin. Mushin literally means mind-no-mind. You mind is calm and sharp, but at the same time you are not actively “thinking” about what you should do or what you should not do; your spirit is in control, not your mind. In mushin, all of the training and techniques that you have worked on day after day will flow automatically. The warrior can’t allow himself to be psyched-out by the illusion that his opponent is indestructible. Nobody is undefeatable.

From Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior
by Bohdi Sanders, PhD

The Wisdom Warrior

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Right is Right…Wrong is Wrong

The warrior does what is right. He does what is just. Justice is foremost on his mind. It doesn’t matter if no one else stands for justice or not. If no one else stands for justice, the warrior is willing to stand alone. He is not influenced or swayed by the majority’s opinion of right and wrong. The warrior knows in his spirit what is right and what is wrong, and it is his own standards that he follows, not the morals of the day.

This is one of the main things that sets the warrior apart from the rest of society. He lives by his own code of honor, not society’s politically correct idea of right and wrong. He sees things as they really are, and is able to look past the façade. A warrior must be clear about the code that he lives by. He must know what he believes and why he believes it, in order to have the conviction that it takes to stand alone for justice.

Right is right, even if nobody does it.
Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong about it.
G. K. Chesterson

How can you be motivated enough to stand alone against injustice if you aren’t 100% sure about what is right and what is wrong? You must be able to recognize injustice when you see it in order to stand for justice. Always do what is right, even if nobody else does. You will find that it will give you much more satisfaction than you could ever get by following the crowd. Be independent of everyone else and make your own decisions. Many times the warrior has to walk alone.

From Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior
by Bohdi Sanders, PhD

The Wisdom Warrior

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What is a Real Warrior?

What makes someone a warrior? Is it the job that he has? Is someone automatically a warrior because he works as a policeman or is in the military? Is someone less of a warrior if they are a school teacher, rather than a policeman? These are all questions which should be considered. We hear a lot about the warrior professions and about how this group or that group are true warriors, but being a warrior has nothing to do with with your profession or which group you may or may not belong to. It has to do with who you really are as a person.

You can be a policeman or be part of the military and not be a warrior. There are countless examples which testify to this fact, many of which have been in the news lately. A person can work as a cop or make a career of the military without ever coming close to being a real warrior. This has always been the case and probably always will be the case. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not bashing cops or the military. These are both honorable professions. But there are many honorable professions in this world.

Often man is preoccupied with human rules and forgets the inner law.
Antoine the Healer

There always have been and always will be warriors who have nothing to do with the “warrior professions.” Was Bruce Lee less of a warrior because he was a teacher and an actor? Or was Ginchin Funokoshi less of a warrior because he chose to be a teacher instead of a policeman? Is the crooked cop a warrior just because he happens to be a cop? I don’t think so. Warriors can be found throughout our society, in different positions and at different levels. You don’t become a warrior just because you get a certain job.

Honor cannot be bought.
Philippine Proverb

Being a warrior goes much, much deeper than how you happen to make your living. It goes to the core of who you are. Being a warrior is a lifestyle, not a profession. I know some cops who are truly warriors and I also know some cops who are as much of a criminal as the people who they arrest. Your profession doesn’t matter, as long as it is not dishonorable. What matters is what is in your spirit. Are you really a warrior or do you merely want to be thought of as a warrior?

One must make the warrior walk his everyday walk.
Miyamoto Musashi

The definition of a warrior is someone who takes part in war or who is experienced in warfare, but I think that the true definition of a warrior goes much deeper than that. A real warrior is more than someone who takes part in warfare. He is someone who lives by a set of principles or a code of ethics. There are many people around the world who have taken part in warfare, to some degree, who I doubt anyone would consider a real warrior. The real warrior is concerned with character, integrity and honor, as well as martial arts skills and training. He takes the lifestyle of the warrior seriously. He has respect for others and for life. He is not a pretender, but the real deal.

The master warrior is a man of character, a man of wisdom and insight.
Forrest E. Morgan

The best book that I have read pertaining to the lifestyle of the warrior is Living the Martial Way by Forrest E. Morgan. If you haven’t read this book, you should get a copy. It is great. There are some other good books on the subject, but this is my favorite. Whether you are a police officer, a martial artist, a teacher, a lawyer, or in the military, you should do your best to live the lifestyle of the real warrior. It is not something that you do, it is something that you are. The lifestyle of the warrior is not something that everyone can live up to, this is why the true warrior is an uncommon find in today’s society. Strive to be different. Strive to be a real warrior.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

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Kajukenbo – Training the Warrior Way

Is the point of martial arts training to learn everything about your particular style of martial art or is it to provide you with the best skills possible to survive an encounter, whatever those skills may be? There are different many different goals associated with martial arts training, but for the warrior the goal is to hone his survival skills and to keep them as sharp as possible. He is concerned with obtaining the skills necessary to survive a violent encounter. The warrior is not as interested in the “art” aspect of the martial arts, as he is the down and dirty techniques which he can add to his arsenal. This isn’t to say that he may not be interested in the “art” aspect, but first and foremost, he knows he has to have the skills he needs to perform his duty as a warrior when the time comes.

This is where Kajukenbo comes into play. Kajukenbo was developed by five martial artists in the 1940’s as a perfect martial arts system for survival in any streetfight situation. It is a highly effective combat system which derives its name from the first letters of the different style which it comes from. Kajukenbo is derived from karate, judo/jujiotsu, kenpo, and Chinese boxing/kung fu. Basically, it took the best, most useful parts of these arts and combined them into what many call “the perfected art of dirty street fighting.” This term though is not really accurate. There is no such thing as dirty street fighting. Street fighting is street fighting…anything goes in a real life-or-death street fight. There is no such thing as a fair fight; there is only survival.

The first law of war is to preserve ourselves and destroy the enemy.
Mao Tse-Tung

The philosophy of Kajukenpo is tow part: to survive in a real street fight situtation, and to take whatever is useful from any martial art and make it your own. This martial art combines the best, most useful of all the arts…the parts which really work when you need them to. Kajukenpo combines these techniques with the knowledge of vital striking targets, how to attack these targets with concentrated power, and the proper mental attitude needed to survive a street fight. With Kajukenbo, whatever techniques work and keep you safe, are an acceptable part of the art. There is no debating over whether this or that technique is part of Kajukenbo; if it works, it is assimilated. This is what the warrior needs instead of an art which requires that you have to learn all its techniques, whether they are useful or not.

In a street fight or a life-or-death situation, the warrior should take the fighter’s axiom to heart: “Take the opponent out, and go home.” The warrior’s objective in a street fight is to survive, to protect those who need his protection, and to destroy his enemy to the point that they can no longer harm the warrior or those around him. In a street fight, anything goes; there is no such thing as a fair fight. You do what it takes to win, and use what you have to use to get the job done. Strike hard and fast and end the threat as soon as possible.

Focus on your one purpose.
Japanese Maxim

Don’t underestimate your opponent in the street. Many thugs street fight on a weekly basis and are experts at their trade. Remember, they will not play by any rules except to beat you. You better play the same way. Use surprise to your advantage. Target the most vulnerable targets first and get this thing over with fast. Go for the eyes, the throat, the joints, the groin; break bones and take out the knees. This sounds brutal, but street fighting is brutal. If it is not serious enough to target these spots, then you have no business fighting. Either it is deadly serious and you have no other choice, or you should find another way to deal with the problem.

In cases of defense tis best to weigh the enemy more mighty than he seems.
Shakespeare

He is victorious who knows when and when not to fight.
Sun Tzu

Kajukenbo uses what works in the street. It is made for real life situations, not for sparring and points. This is a martial art for the real warrior, not the sports enthusiasts. If you want to learn the art of survival, check this art out for yourself. Use what works and keep yourself and those who depend on you safe. And, as always, train with deadly seriousness.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

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Beware of the Crocodiles

The majority of people today live a fairly peaceful life. Most of us do not have to defend our lives weekly, monthly, or even yearly. With the exception of law enforcement officers and military men and women, most of us do not have to deal with dangerous criminals or life threatening situations on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of people today will live their entire life without ever encountering a kill-or-be-killed situation. This being the case, you may ask why you should train to be a warrior when the odds are that you will never have to use the skills that you are working so hard to obtain. The answer is found in this Malaysian proverb:

Do not be tricked into thinking that there are
no crocodiles just because the water is still.
Malaysian Proverb

If you have ever watched one of the wildlife shows on television, you have probably seen how crocodiles attack. An unsuspecting animal, going about his business, stops at a peaceful waterhole for a drink, and out of nowhere the crocodile explodes from the water and ambushes the unsuspecting animal taking his life. There is no mercy. There are no regrets…simply cold, calculating, vicious, and merciless death for the unsuspecting, unprepared victim.

Don’t become complacent with your life or your training. Just because your life seems to be normal and peaceful, doesn’t mean that the bad guys are not out there. Don’t make the mistake of believing that “those kinds of things never happen to me.” The very minute you let your guard down, is the opportunity that the crocodile has been waiting for all day.

From Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior
by Bohdi Sanders, PhD

The Wisdom Warrior

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