MODERN BUSHIDO Wins FIRST PLACE
in National Indie Excellence Book Awards!

MODERN BUSHIDO: Living a Life of Excellence just WON a FIRST PLACE BOOK AWARD in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards! This is a prestigeous book award and a great honor for me and Modern Bushido! The judges for the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards seemed to like Modern Bushido as much as my readers who have kept Modern Bushido in the top 10 for 21 straight weeks!

I want to thank all of my readers for your continued support, all the kind emails, and wonderful comments! You guys are great!!

Modern Bushido is still ranked in the top 10 on Amazon.com at #10! If you haven’t read it yet, you can get it immediately with no waiting on KINDLE at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008S26INK.

If you prefer a personally signed copy, you can get those too at: http://thewisdomwarrior.com/books-by-bohdi-sanders/. Discount prices are available to all martial arts instructors who order 10 or more copies! Email me for information on bulk discounts if you are interested. ENJOY!

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.

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

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.

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-bohdi-sanders/.

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

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

The Warrior Lifestyle is available at http://thewisdomwarrior.com/ or
on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884023

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.

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

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

Be sure to check out my special book packages one my SALES page!!

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

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!

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

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.

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!

(Image from Google Images)

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)

Great News for My Readers!

My newest book, MODERN BUSHIDO: Living a Life of Excellence, is NOW AVAILABLE for Amazon Kindles!

Many of you have asked for me to have my books formatted as e-books, and now, after a long wait, MODERN BUSHIDO is available for Amazon Kindle and is priced at only $5.99! No more waiting on the mail or paying for shipping! Now you can download your copy of MODERN BUSHIDO and start reading immediately. Here is the link: MODERN BUSHIDO DOWNLOAD.

Enjoy!

Justice, Warriorhood and the Martial Arts

Justice is the virtue of warriorhood, the root of martial arts.
Nakae Toju

Justice is the root of martial arts, and it is also the root of warriorhood. Justice means fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way that you treat other people. Without justice, you are missing an essential part of the warrior lifestyle and an essential part of the character which is necessary to become a true warrior.

If the root is bad, the branches and the leaves will also be bad. This is true for plants and trees, and it is also true for your martial arts and your life as a warrior.

The warrior is dedicated to justice. This is one of the main forces behind his willingness to serve and to protect others. He cannot be indifferent while others around him are forced to endure the injustice of those more powerful. It would be against his nature to take no action when justice is at stake.

Duty requires that the warrior support justice in as much as it is in his power to make a difference. It takes courage to stand against injustice, but courage is a trademark of the warrior.

Martial arts must have at its root the seed of justice or they become self-serving. Once martial arts become self-serving, they become tools for lesser men, men with low character, men who can no longer call themselves warriors.

It is not knowledge of the martial arts which makes a man a warrior, but knowledge of the martial arts which have grown from the roots of justice, honor and character, which lead to the warrior lifestyle. Strive to make sure that the roots of your martial arts and your character are strong.

Bohdi Sanders, PhD

(from the book WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood, page 148)

The Wisdom Warrior Bookstore

Gun Control Kool-Aid

Right on cue, the anti-gun lobbyists are using the tragic shooting in Colorado to try to recharge their efforts to take away YOUR 2nd amendment right to own a firearm and defend yourself and your family. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid they are peddling! In case you are on the fence about this issue, let me throw out some food for thought for you to mull over.

Chicago has the toughest gun laws in America, and they had over 1,000 murders with firearms this year. New York has the 4th toughest gun laws in the country, and they had over 4,000 crimes involving guns this year. Norway has VERY strict gun control laws, yet those laws did nothing to prevent a massacre of over 70 people.

Taking constitutional rights away from law-abiding citizens has no affect on criminals. Guns are inanimate objects; they are not good or bad. No “gun” has EVER killed ANYONE. Other people kill people, not guns. I have a pistol in my desk drawer, and amazingly, it has never attacked me or tried to shoot me (or anyone else)! Guns don’t do bad things, bad people with guns do bad things.

Bad people do bad things, and will continue to do bad things until THEY are stopped. Their actions are not dependent on firearms. If they can’t get a gun, they will look for another way to try to achieve their goals, but THEY will always be able to get a gun. Gun laws only effect LAW-ABIDING citizens; they have no affect on criminals.

Has outlawing marijuana stopped people from getting marijuana or any other illegal drug they want to get? Not hardly. Has gambling laws stopped people from gambling on the Super Bowl? Do speed limits stop people from speeding? Did prohibition stop people from drinking? You don’t legislate morality people!

Doing away with the second amendment only takes guns away from law-abiding citizens, not the criminals and thugs. I have a newsflash for the gun control proponents – criminals don’t obey the law, that is what makes them criminals.

We have laws against driving drunk, but drunk drivers kill 1,000′s of people every year. Should we outlaw cars or alcohol?? Many people are killed by knives each year. Should we outlaw all knives? Many people are killed by people using screwdrivers each year. Maybe we should outlaw sharp tools. Many, many more people die from prescription drugs each year than guns, maybe we should do away with all medicines that have dangerous side affect.

People who want to take our 2nd amendment rights away are nothing more than Kool-Aid drinkers with an agenda.

You don’t like guns, don’t buy a gun, but don’t tell me what I can do or limit my right to defend myself or my family!! If you want to turn hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens, who have never hurt anyone and or no threat to anyone other than armed criminals, into outlaws – outlaw all guns. But either way, my pistol will stay in my desk drawer or under my coat.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Personal Development Interview

If you are interested in the warrior lifestyle, warriorship, martial arts, honor, character, or integrity, you will enjoy this short interview from Monday, July 16 on the Brady Cameron Personal Development Show in Las Vegas.

If you missed the live interview on KLAV in Las Vegas, Monday night, here is the link to the interview.

And, I would very much appreciate hearing your opinions on the interview. Enjoy!

Brady Cameron Interviews Bohdi Sanders in Las Vegas

~ THE WISDOM WARRIOR BOOKSTORE ~

WARRIORSHIP

Protecting yourself is self-defense. Protecting others is warriorship.
Bohdi Sanders

Many people consider themselves to be warriors just because they have spent time training in a dojo and have learned how to fight. They feel that they can protect themselves against almost any attacker. Having developed their skills to the max, they walk around with the self-confidence of a lion, just waiting for some poor soul to make the mistake of harassing them in a bar or on the street.

They feel without a shadow of a doubt that they can protect themselves, but does this really make them a warrior?

Protecting yourself is self-defense by the very definition of the term. Being a warrior means much more than being able to protect yourself. It means being willing and able to protect others as well as yourself. Warriors feel a sense of duty to protect those around them where the ordinary man only feels the need to protect himself and get out of Dodge. There is a big difference in the two.

The warrior is willing to put his well-being on the line for those he loves or for those under his protection. Many times, he puts their well being ahead of his own. He could easily defend himself and leave the danger behind, but he chooses the path of chivalry and warriorship.

He knows there is a difference between self-defense and warriorship, and he also knows that the lifestyle that he has chosen demands that he put his warrior ideals over simple self-interest. Protecting yourself is self-defense; protecting others is warriorship.

Bohdi Sanders

(From the book, WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood, page 83)

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!

Your Greatest Enemies are in Your Mind

The greatest enemies, and the ones we must mainly combat, are within.
Cervantes

Everyone has enemies, even the most jovial, well-liked person has people who would love to see him crash and burn. You have enemies, even if you don’t realize it, but most of your enemies are no threat. Most of them don’t care enough or are not malevolent enough to truly cause you any problems. In fact, you may never have to deal with your enemies at all, at least not your external enemies, but there are enemies which we all have to deal with on a regular basis, and as Cervantes stated, they come from within.

These enemies are the ones that the warrior must conquer in his quest to live the warrior lifestyle. Just like external enemies, these internal enemies are different for each person. Some may take the form of laziness or fear, while others may take the form of anger and temper. Everyone has their own individual enemies to deal with during their journey on the path of the warrior. The important thing is that you do not let your enemies defeat you and prevent you from obtaining your goals.

You know what your own personal enemy is and it is your responsibility to figure out how to defeat this enemy. There are no small, insignificant enemies. Each one has the capacity to do some damage and set you back in your quest. Don’t let your internal enemies slide – crush them and render them powerless. This is an important part of being a true warrior.

Bohdi Sanders
(from the book WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood, page 3)

You can find WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood and all my other books at:
The Wisdom Warrior Bookstore.

Lessons Learned from a Legendary Man

Andy Griffith passed away today at the age of 86. In the 1960′s, he put together a special cast of characters and a television show that will never grow old. The values taught on almost every episode of the Andy Griffith Show were values that every true warrior show aspire to.

The Andy Griffith Show was not only great entertainment, but taught values such as character, honesty, honor, facing your fears, humility, giving, forgiveness, being a true friend, helping those in need, patience, and love. And this was all done with class, humor, and always with a tug on the the heart.

Griffith’s character in the show, Andy Taylor, was a true warrior. No, he didn’t talk tough, nor did he do martial arts. He didn’t carry a gun, although he accessed weapons when he needed them, and we almost never saw him fight. He didn’t take his authority overly seriously or abuse his power, but rather used his position to help as many people as he could.

He always worked to bring common sense to the governmental, bureaucratic politicians, but did so in a friendly way, without being hostile, demeaning or pushy, always thinking about what was right, not was was simply legal.

He kept his ego in check and was always willing to let others take the credit for his own accomplishments in order to build their self-esteem and try to help them better their lives. He kept his pride in check and got pleasure in seeing how he helped others improve their lives.

With Andy, others came first. He was always respectful of other people’s feelings. He used common sense in applying the law instead of using the law as a way to collect as much tax money from people as possible, as so many cops do today. He was truly a lawman that served and protected people, and in return people had respect for him instead of fear.

He was always willing to sit down and explain things to those whose life had veered off the right path. He took insults with a grain of salt, and at the same time looked for the good in all people.

When someone was in need, he was always willing to help when he could. When someone was feeling down, he always worked to make them feel better. When something was wrong, he tried to make it right. When he was wrong, he apologized and made amends.

When a friend was in trouble, he went out of his way to be there for him. When a predator came prowling around the people he loved and cared for, he stepped up to make sure his friends and loved ones remained safe. He never hesitated to put his life on the line and do his duty when it came to that.

He was ever prepared for trouble, but never went looking for it. He was a busy man, but always made time for friends and family. When a word from him would help someone improve their life, he gladly volunteered to help, always thinking of others’ feelings.

Andy Taylor was soft spoken most of the time, but his words were full of wisdom. He was happy, mellow, and laid back, but could get serious and take care of business at the drop of a hat. And, even when he needed to get serious, he could do so without raising his voice. The tone and seriousness of his voice was enough to get his point across.

His priorities were always his family, his friends, his community, and a dedication to what was right. He was sincere and didn’t put on heirs.

He used common sense in his enforcement of the law, instead of being a stickler for the “rules,” something many cops and judges could learn from in today’s society. His focus was on the common good and what was just, not the letter of the laws, written and passed by corrupt politicians. And, he did it all with a friendly, loving smile.

He could fit in by simply being himself, whether he was wearing a coat and tie with the rich and powerful, or a pair of jeans and fishing hat with the local guys.

Taylor earned the respect of those who knew him, but he didn’t let that respect, or his position, go to his head.

Andy Taylor was a true warrior. The lessons taught on that one television show are timeless, and the wisdom packed into that show, for those who are open to it, is truly lessons for life.

If you are too young to remember it, rent the DVD’s or go back and watch the reruns. If you haven’t seen the show in a while, go back and watch it with these values in mind and see what you learn.

I raise a glass to Andy Griffith to honor the life of a quality man and someone who exemplified the qualities of a true warrior and a quality  human being.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Nothing is Impossible
If You are Motivated and Inspired

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Lao Tzu

Many people refuse to try because they think the task is simply too large. For example, there are many who will not continue training to the level of black belt because after a couple of months, their goal just seems so far away that it seems almost unreachable. This is a common feeling no matter what the objective may be.

This wrong thinking stems from looking at the entire objective instead of simply taking it one step at a time. Break it down into smaller goals and have an organized plan for achieving your overall objective. If you are just starting out in the martial arts, don’t focus on being a black belt; focus on small, obtainable goals. Just keep taking one step at a time.

If you were focused on becoming a black belt, and doing it now, then of course that objective would be overwhelming for you.  Most goals take time to achieve; they don’t happen overnight. There are many steps you have to take to reach that goal, just as there are many steps you have to take to reach the top of a mountain.

If you want to hike to the peak of a mountain, and you go to the mountain and look up, thinking about how high it is and how rugged it looks, it can easily discourage you. Instead of being intimidated by the external appearance, just think about the process and begin your journey. Soon you will look back behind you and be amazed at how high you have climbed.

Let’s look at another example. If I gave you a 16 ounce steak and told you to eat it, it might seem like an impossible task if your mind was focused on eating it all in one bite. But if you take your steak knife and start to eat one small piece at a time, you will find that it is not only a very doable task, but a very enjoyable task as well.

Life works in the same way. Don’t worry about how big your objective seems, just start working towards your goal. Once you have taken those first steps, you will be amazed at how things start to fall into place. Soon you will realize that you have achieved more than you ever dreamed; and it all started with that first step.

Nothing is impossible to the person who has the right mindset, motivation, and who is willing to actually take action toward his or her goals. Keep your focus on the journey, not the destination!

Bohdi Sanders

The Wisdom Warrior

Please see The Wisdom Warrior Bookstore for my books and to see more of my teachings.

The Enlightened Warrior and Pure Law

Highly evolved people have their own conscience as pure law. Lao Tzu

This is the point which the true warrior seeks to arrive, a place where your own conscience is so evolved that you know what is right. Once you get to this point, you have no need of any man-made laws to keep you in line – your honor and integrity is your law. Sure, there is more to enlightenment than honor and integrity, but these traits are the beginning.

The key words in Lao Tzu’s statement are “highly evolved.” If people who are not highly evolved try to make their conscience as pure law, there would be chaos and anarchy. Their conscience is flawed because of a lack of honor and integrity. This is why we have to have laws in the first place.

If everyone was highly evolved, we would have little to no need for the corrupt politicians that make laws which, for the most part, are self-serving in some way. These very same lawmakers prove on a daily basis that they are not enlightened nor live by the laws of honor and integrity. But because of people’s refusal to live as they should, we have evolved into a culture which allows these corrupt men to make laws to keep those, who will not discipline themselves, in line.

So what is the answer? Learn to become your own law by becoming highly evolved. Develop your character to such a highly enlightened state that the government’s laws are practically a non-issue for you.

No, I am not suggesting that the enlightened warrior does not have to obey the law, no matter how crooked and underhanded it may be. Doing so would only cause you more problems in your life.

What I am suggesting is that when you develop your character to such a highly evolved state, the laws that these dishonorable politicians pass, will be a non-issue to you because you will already be living by what is right. Your conscience will become more strict than any biased law with personal agendas.

You will be living by the pure law – universal law that you receive directly from the Source which has no agenda except for being right and just. You will find that when you live this way, you will walk in internal peace, and that the politician’s arguments over their all-important laws are basically meaningless to you.

And, the more you develop this highly evolved, enlightened state of mind, the more you will be unaffected by the everyday things which annoy other people. You will become your own pure law, and you will live by your own standards, not the standards set by those void of honor. At the same time, you will be meeting and exceeding their silly laws by living by your own pure law.

Continue to seek to perfect your own character and you will find that you are becoming more highly evolved each day, and that you can count on your own internal voice to guide you, and guide you correctly. As you continue, your conscience will become your own pure law, and you will be on the path of enlightenment.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

You can find my books and more of my teachings at The Wisdom Warrior Book Store .
Be sure to check out Modern Bushido and the Warrior Wisdom Series -
they are great books for guidance on the warrior lifestyle!

Respect and Courtesy

“I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same of them.”
John Wayne in The Shootist.

This statement from John Wayne’s last movie seems like common sense. After all, good people don’t treat other people poorly and they don’t expect to be treated badly by others either. This is one of the basic tenets of decent behavior when interacting with people, but more and more of our citizens are ignoring this out of a selfish, narcissistic attitude which looks at the world as if it revolves solely around them.

The true warrior doesn’t look at this world with that same uncaring attitude.. He doesn’t go around bullying other people. He doesn’t use his skills to intimidate others, belittle others, or become abusive in any way. He doesn’t treat others with disrespect, hate, or a better-than-thou attitude. He refuses to lower his standards to achieve his personal goals or to satisfy his own desires.

All of these things are below him, and at the same time, so is allowing others to treat him in these ways. He treats others with respect, and requires the same of them.

This doesn’t mean that he is constantly in someone’s face for not treating him right, but it does mean that he will require a certain amount of courtesy and respect from those he interacts with in his life. It doesn’t take much to treat others in a respectful manner; in general, people that are rude, go out of their way to be rude.

Courtesy and respect are both important parts of the warrior’s life. These traits are found, or should be found, in every martial arts dojo. It is pretty simple – treating people with courtesy and respect is merely showing that you value that person as a human being. It also demonstrates to the world that you value the traits of warriorhood and character.

Rude behavior toward another, in reality reflects the rude person’s own character. While everyone is free to act and speak as he or she wishes, you, at the same time, have the right to stand up to those who treat you in such a manner. To quote Captain Woodrow Call, from the movie Lonesome Dove, “I won’t tolerate rude behavior.”

The warrior also refuses to tolerate rude behavior. This is not to say that you should get physical or verbally threatening every time someone is rude to you. In today’s social climate, not only would that take up a large block of your time, but it would also land you in jail.

So the question remains, how should the warrior skilled in martial arts deal with inconsiderate, rude behavior? Try dealing with it from an attitude of educating the other person. Many people today have never even been taught how they should act, let alone anything about manners for that matter. Many don’t even realize that they are being completely rude and disrespectful.

You can correct, or bring these actions to their attention, without being confrontational or falling prey to the same type behavior yourself, by simply saying something such as, “Hey, you know, I don’t really appreciate what you just said (did, didn’t do, etc.) to me. Don’t you think that was kind of rude?”

Most people will apologize when approached in this manner, and, at the same time, you will have taught them a valuable lesson, while doing it in a non-confrontational way. By doing this, you have actually cared enough to help this person. Most people simply do not care enough to bother.

Many people tend to just ignore someone’s rude behavior because they are not self-confident enough to stand up for their own decent treatment, really don’t care about the other person or being treated with respect, or don’t value respect or courtesy themselves. Consequently, they just let the rude behavior slide. The problem with this is that it re-enforces this behavior, and these people continue to treat others rudely.

This brings me to another point. Although most times you don’t want to let this kind of behavior slide, you do have to use wisdom and be rational about who you confront, how you confront him, and when and where you confront him.

For example, you would not want to confront a group of gangbangers, hanging out with their buddies, for some minor discourtesy. This would obviously turn into something much more serious. There is a time and a place for everything, including inaction.

In the same way, you don’t want to embarrass someone in front of his kids, etc. There are many examples of times and places which are inappropriate to correct someone’s bad behavior. Use common sense and wisdom when deciding whether or not to correct someone who has been disrespectful or rude to you.

The bottom line is you don’t want to allow others to treat you in a disrespectful, demeaning way, not if you are truly living by the principles of warriorhood. At the same time, there is a right way and a wrong way to require courtesy and respectful treatment.

Way too many martial artists attempt to correct others’ actions in a tough guy, threatening manner. This is not the way of the warrior, but it is unwise and dangerous. Think before you act!

Bohdi Sanders

The Wisdom Warrior

Make sure to check out my new book, Modern Bushido
at The Wisdom Warrior Bookstore!

Take Your Training Seriously

You must be deadly serious in your training. Gichin Funakoshi

If you are not taking your training seriously, you may have a very unpleasant surprise should you ever have to use your training in a real life-or-death situation. There are A LOT of really tough, bad people out there, and trust me, they are not incompetent when it comes to getting physical.

If you doubt me, all you have to do is watch one of the television programs about our prisons. What you see will be eye-opening for you. You won’t see nice, orderly inmates walking single file from one place to the other. You won’t see spindly, frail old men shuffling along, pathetically doing their time. If that is your image of prison, you have a shock coming.

What you will see is thugs, ripped like bodybuilders, training for their next vicious fight. And by training, I don’t mean punching a bag or doing a few pushups. They are as well trained for fighting in the streets as our military is for military duty. These thugs know exactly how to hurt you and disable you. They know exactly how and where to cut you to do the most damage. They are hard, strong, tough, and have basically no sense of mercy.

And, the majority of them are not in prison permanently. That’s right, these thugs will be back on the street, and contrary to popular opinion, they are not being reformed in prison. On top of all this, there are just as many of these people walking free in every part of our country, even as you read this.

If you need motivation to take your training deadly seriously, this should provide it for you. These people are not like you and me. They do not think the same or have the same values. They do  not value life and many have chips on their shoulders, especially the ones who have had to deal with our justice system, which is turning many young men, who were not dangerous thugs, into these dangerous monsters, but that is another topic.

The point is there are very dangerous, warped people out there, and you have to be prepared just in case you cross paths with one of these people.

To the warrior, self-defense and martial arts training is serious. It is not merely a game or good exercise. While there is nothing inherently wrong with either of those, the warrior trains in order to protect himself and others. And, he has to be deadly seriously about his training. He doesn’t want to find himself unprepared on the day of reckoning.

As I said, these people have very little, if any, mercy. While you very well may never have to deal with one of these people, you never know. It happens to people every single day. If it does happen, you may only get one chance to save your life or the lives of your family. Will you be able to do this if you have been merely playing around with your training? Maybe, but you would be very lucky.

It is best to take your training serious. Be prepared. How prepared you are to meet these kinds of challenges depends totally on you and your training. You don’t want to find yourself regretting the fact that you were unprepared. Train hard – train smart!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

For more information on this subject,
and other subjects of the warrior lifestyle,
check out my book…

Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence

Sample Chapter

Here is a sample chapter from Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence. Enjoy!

Modern Bushido Chapter 1

Modern Bushido can be ordered at: http://thewisdomwarrior.com/books-by-bohdi-sanders/

or on Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884066

Enjoy!

Bohdi Sanders

Words, Thoughts and Emotions – Evil or Good?

What you think about expands. Your thoughts, your words, what you watch, and what you listen to, all feed your spirit in one way or another. If you feed your spirit negative, low energy thoughts, you are weakening yourself and your vital energy. If you feed your spirit positive, high energy thoughts, you are strengthening your spirit, mind and body.

A good analogy of this universal truth is found in the body itself. If you feed your body junk food, lots of sugar, overindulge in alcohol, do drugs, smoke, etc., then your body will get weaker, develop disease, and eventually stop working properly.

On the other hand, if you feed your body a diet of good, healthy, nutritious food, your body will function properly, you will have good health, and your energy level will be good. The choice is up to you. Will you develop healthy habits for your body or will you just roll the dice and give it no thought?

Here you may be thinking, “Yeah, but I know Jack, and he is 90 years old, has been drinking and smoking since he was a kid, eats terrible, doesn’t exercise, and doesn’t care.” Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but in general, your body responds to the fuel that you provide it.

Again, you may argue, “Well, I have been eating fast foods, drinking, smoking, and not exercising, and it hasn’t hurt me.” Here you would be wrong. Just because you haven’t seen the affects of your actions yet, doesn’t mean that your actions are not affecting you. Your thoughts, words and emotions work in the same fashion.

You do not instantly see the effects of your thoughts and words, just as you  do not instantly have a heart attack the second you eat some very fatty, artery-clogging food. The effects of your thoughts, words and emotions are accumulative. But have no doubt, they are having an affect on your life. You are feeding your spirit throughout the day, and it is either growing stronger or weaker, depending on what quality thoughts and words you are feeding it, and what emotions you allow to dominate your mind.

Thoughts such as anger, guilt, resentment, revenge, envy, etc., are all low energy thoughts and weaken you. Whereas, thoughts such as love, kindness, peace, joy, hope, compassion, generosity, etc. are high energy thoughts which strengthen and nourish your mind, body and spirit. They will bring happiness to your life, where low energy thoughts will bring you stress and keep you unhappy.

It is actually just as important, if not more so, to feed your spirit good “food” as it is to feed your body good food. Monitor your thoughts and your speech. Don’t leave this part of your life to chance anymore than you leave the health of your body to chance. Both are have their consequences, even if you don’t immediately see them.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior



The Fundamental Wisdom of the Warrior

One who is good at being a warrior does not appear formidable.
Lao Tzu

Although many actions of the warrior may appear the same as the ordinary actions of everyone else, they are as different as night and day. There is purpose behind each and every action that the warrior performs. The warrior does nothing without a reason. Do not mistake his silence for ignorance, his calmness for acceptance, or his kindness for weakness. These misconceptions are all far from the truth.

His silence on a subject does not indicate he is ignorant on that subject, but rather that he he knows it is wiser to listen and gain knowledge than to share his knowledge for no reason. You always learn more from listening silently and observing, than by talking with no specific purpose. Warriors take their words more serious than the average person, thus they are prone to be quieter. They speak when they have something to say and a purpose for saying it.

Likewise, the warrior’s calm disposition should not be mistaken for acceptance of what is being said or what is being done at the moment. His calmness during stressful situations does not signify that he is resigned to allow things to be as they are, but that he knows it is better to stay calm, think rationally, and take action on his own time. Staying calm and thinking rationally are both traits of the warrior, and should not be looked at as acceptance or malaise.

In the same way, his kindness should not be seen as a weakness. His kindness stems from his duty to be benevolent, not some weakness which others may mistakenly imagine. True warriors are by nature kind at heart. It is not the true warrior, but the pretender who uses his skills to intimidate those who may be weaker than him.

There are many other traits of the true warrior which people can confuse at first to be something other than what they truly are. But what should be kept in mind, where the warrior is concerned, is that the warrior lives his life differently from the average person. Thus, the measure which is used to size up the ordinary person is not accurate when applied to the warrior. The warrior holds himself to a much higher standard than the average person, while at the same time not seeking to outwardly impress those around him.

Ordinary is not an adjective which can be used to describe the true warrior; and because of this, the ordinary ways that one may interpret someone’s actions do not apply to the true warrior, at least in most cases.

For example, the warrior may be having a drink at a local pub, side by side with many other people who may be simpletons or average guys numbing themselves because of their unhappy lives. Although to the naked eye, you may not be able to see a difference between the warrior and the guy sitting at the bar next to him, there is a huge difference.

They both may be drinking a beer. They both may be minding there own business or even chatting pleasantly with each other. They both may be dressed in similar fashion. But inside they are as different as night and day. It is the inside character which makes the true warrior stand above the crowd, and this is not automatically evident to those around him.

The true warrior is not the same as the average guy on the street, and it is an error in thinking to misinterpret his external mannerisms to be without purpose. Do not mistake his silence for ignorance, his calmness for acceptance, or his kindness for weakness. Always take into account that every action of the true warrior has a purpose.

Each action of the warrior is performed from a place of fundamental wisdom…
it is completely different from the ordinary behavior of a fool.
Even if it looks the same, it is different on the inside.
Takuan Soho

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Be sure to check out my new book, Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence. It is receiving wonderful reviews across the board and has been called my best book yet. It is available now on Amazon.com and in my BOOKSTORE.

A Special Thank You for All My Friends ~

I receive so many rewarding emails and comments from my readers. They actually help keep me motivated to keep posting and writing, especially on days when I wonder if my writing truly reaches anyone.

I have been thinking about this for a few weeks, and decided to post a special deal for my readers as a way to say “THANK YOU” for all of your support, inspiring comments and emails.

So, I am offering 1st Edition copies of both Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior and Warrior Wisdom: The Heart and Soul of Bushido for ONLY $2.99 per copy + shipping! Here is the link for this deal:

Special Clearance Sale

I only have a very limited supply of these left, so if you are interested, you better order soon. They won’t last at this price!

Thanks again my friends, for all of your support!

With Respect ~

Bohdi Sanders

Five Steps to Discovering Your Purpose in Life

The moment that any life, however good,
stifles you, you may be sure it isn’t your real life.
Arthur Christopher Benson

Everything on this planet has a purpose, although we may not know what that purpose may be. Some things, such as spiders, may seem to be only a creepy annoyance, but that is only because we haven’t discovered their purpose yet. Actually, spiders do have specific purposes, depending on the spider. This life lesson applies to absolutely everything on this planet.

In the garden, spiders prey on the insects which can damage your garden plants. There are studies being done currently which are studying how to use spider webs for different things. There may also be uses for spider venom. Who knows what science will discover about spiders in the future. This is only one example, there are thousands of others.

The point is, absolutely everything on this planet has a purpose, and that includes YOU. Scientists are working hard to discover the hidden purpose for many plants and creatures on this planet. In the same way, you have to discover what your ultimate purpose in life is.

Is your purpose to merely eat, sleep and live a comfortable life or is there a much higher meaning to your life? You are here for a specific reason, one that only you are meant to fulfill. Discover your purpose and follow your heart. No one can fulfill your purpose exactly like you can. You are unique and special!

This brings up the question of how do you discover your purpose in life. Well, there are five steps that can help you discover your purpose in life.

1. List the things you are interested in or like to do.
   You have preferences for a reason. You don’t want to spend your whole life doing things that you hate just in order to get by or make a living. What do you love to do? Answering this question is the first step in deciphering your purpose in life.
   
2. Think about what special talents you have and develop those talents in your life.
   You were given those talents for a purpose, but it is up to you to put them to use. Everyone has something that he or she is good at and which comes naturally for him or her. What is your special gift in life?
   
3. Reflect on how you can use those talents to serve others.
   How can you use your special talents to serve others or to provide for those you love? You weren’t given your talents to hide away in a closet. Figure out how to use your gift for a constructive purpose.
   
4. Meditate on what you want out of life.
   What is it that you want to accomplish in life? What kind of legacy will you leave when you die? What do you want your children and grandchildren to remember about you? Meditating on this will help you find the answers you are looking for concerning your ultimate purpose in life.
   
5. Be willing to take a chance.
   You have to be willing to try. Take a chance. Everyone who has fulfilled their ultimate purpose in life has had to step out of his or her comfort zone and take a chance to be successful. Doing what you love, and fulfilling your purpose in life, demands that you have the courage to risk failure, but it is worth the risk.

You only live life once, make your life the best that it can be! You may think that it is a big risk trying to do what you love in life instead of merely taking the safest job route, but it is a much bigger risk not trying. When you are old and reflect back on your life, you will regret the things that you didn’t do, or didn’t try to do, much more than you will regret the things which you tried unsuccessfully.

Have the courage to at least try to live the kind of life you dream of in your private thoughts. Once thing is for sure, if you don’t try you are guaranteed not to succeed. Take the chance to fulfill your purpose in life and you will find that the Universe will support you.

Live as you will wish to have lived when you are dying.
Christian Furchtegott Gellert

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

The Karma of Thoughts and Intentions

Nothing can exist without a cause.
Voltaire

What if karma was based on our true intentions instead of merely our actions? This would certainly seem to make our thoughts much more important, especially if you believe in the karma, the law of cause and effect. It is commonly believed by many people that our actions, both good and bad, will come back to us in one form or another. But actions can be deceiving. Many actions which appear honorable and good actually have hidden agendas and less than honorable intentions.

With this in mind, let’s examine karma a bit deeper. The law of karma basically means that the present quality of your life is determined by your behavior in the past. For example, if you have been a good person and spent at least some of your time helping others in the past, you may find that people seem to offer you help when you need it today. On the other hand, if you have been mean and nasty to people in the past, you can expect that same attitude to revisit you in the future, in one form or another.

A simple way of looking at karma is whatever you send out in this world will eventually come back to you. If you send out love, kindness, and harmony, then those wonderful traits will eventually manifest in your life in the future. But, as with everything in life, there are two sides to the karmic coin. The law of karma does not discriminate. If you mistreat people, are mean and nasty, cheat people, manipulate people, etc., you can expect those actions to eventually catch up with you too.

It is a pretty simple concept to grasp. Your actions, both good and bad, will come back to you at some time during your life. For every action, there is a reaction. Everything you do carries a consequence of some kind, whether good or bad. Most people who believe in the reality of the law of karma, or as many in the West prefer to call it, the law of cause and effect, accept the belief that our actions have consequences. But what about our intentions and thoughts; are they also susceptible to karma?

There is no act, however trivial, but has its train of consequences.
Samuel Smiles

The field of quantum physics has now proven that our thoughts contain energy. Thoughts are forces. Negative thoughts contain negative, low level energy; and positive thoughts contain positive, high level energy. Every thought that you have, produces some effect, just as every action produces some effect. While it is true that the effect of many of our thoughts is minimal, they do produce an effect nonetheless.

If this is true, and it is, then why would our thoughts and internal intentions be exempt from the law of karma? Are we not just as responsible for the thoughts that we entertain as we are for the actions which we take in our lives? Of course we are. You and you alone, are responsible for your thoughts, at least the thoughts that you allow your mind to dwell on for any length of time. And, you are surely responsible for the intentions behind your actions.

This brings me back to the original question, what if our thoughts and intentions are susceptible to the law of karma, just like our actions are?

There would be no hiding malicious intentions behind the veil of what appears to be honorable actions, at least not from the universal laws of the Universe. The thoughts that we dwell on would produce effects in our life just like our actions do. Our thoughts and intentions would become as important as our actions, at least as far as the building of our future life is concerned.

Do evil thoughts of retaliation injure oneself or one’s enemy?
Nagarjuna

Well, I have some news for you. Karma does apply to your thoughts and intentions. Do you think that the Great Spirit of our Universe cannot see the intentions behind your actions? Are you so clever and cunning that you can con the Universe by hiding your less than admirable intentions behind the veil of your seemly good, but empty actions? Can you manipulate karma like you manipulate naïve, trusting  people who cross your path? I don’t think so!

Karma cannot be conned. What you send out, in any form, will come back to you. It doesn’t matter if it is evil, selfish actions, or malicious, negative thoughts and intentions, you will reap what you sow. Your intentions do matter. It is your intentions behind your actions which make your actions honorable or dishonorable, not the action itself.

Thoughts give birth to intentions, and intentions give birth to honorable or dishonorable actions. This is a package deal. Your thoughts, intentions, and actions cannot be completely separated.

Think of these as parts of a recipe and once you mix them all together, there is no separating them again. They become a part of the whole creation that you alone created, and you alone will be responsible for. You will either reap the benefits of it or the detriments of it. It may not happen overnight, but be assured, eventually you will see the results of your creation.

There is always a cause for everything in your life – both the good and the bad. Your thoughts and intentions are not exempt from the laws of the Universe. Make sure that your thoughts and intentions, as well as your actions, are pure and honorable. You may fool the naïve eyes of man, but God sees behind the veil of your actions.

Now, though I do no wrong, I’m punished by my past. Neither gods nor men can foresee when an evil deed will bear its fruit…When you meet with adversity don’t be upset, because it makes sense…
If we should be blessed by some great reward…it’s the fruit of a see planted by us in the past.
Bodhidharma

Bohdi Sanders

Author of:
Secrets of the Soul, Wisdom of the Elders,
Warrior Wisdom, and Modern Bushido

CLICK HERE TO SEE BOOKS BY BOHDI SANDERS

Managing Jealousy and Maintaining
a Healthy, Happy Mind

Jealousy is a common, and natural, emotion. It is an earnest concern or painful suspicion of the faithfulness of husband, wife, lover, friend, or simply another person’s success or position in life. In short, jealousy refers to negative thoughts of insecurity, fear, and anxiety associated with worry over the loss of something that someone values. It is a natural emotion and has been observed even in infants as young as five months old, as well as in animals.

Considering that jealousy is a natural emotion found in both humans and animals, you may wonder what is wrong with feeling jealous. The answer is nothing is wrong with it; at least nothing is inherently wrong with it. Feelings of jealousy are natural. The problem occurs when jealousy becomes an all-consuming emotion.

At its root, jealousy can be boiled down to either worry or envy. The jealous person is worried about losing something important in his or her life, or is envious over what someone else has. Neither worry nor envy are constructive traits that will add to the enjoyment or positive development of your life.

When jealousy reaches the point of worry or envy, it starts to consume the mind. It is kind of like the snowball effect where the longer you roll a snowball around in the snow, the more snow sticks to it, and the bigger it gets. Jealousy works the same way when one continues to meditate on jealous thoughts of loss or envy.

The more you think about something, the more it expands. Therefore, the more someone gives energy to thoughts of jealousy, the more jealous one gets. The problem with this is when jealousy snowballs, it also creates emotions such as anger, resentment, sadness, and malice.

All of these emotions are negative, low-energy emotions which detract from both your personal growth and the enjoyment of your life. Our thoughts have energy; this is a scientifically proven fact. Some thoughts have negative energy, and some thoughts have positive energy. Jealousy usually leads to thoughts which are associated with negative energy, at least when one’s jealousy is not addressed.

This brings us to the question of what to do about jealousy, especially since it is such a natural emotion. There are several steps that can help one successfully deal with feelings of jealousy.

1)      Work on improving your self-esteem. The lower someone’s self-esteem is, the more that person will have doubts concerning his or her own worth. This leads to doubts about whether your friend, lover, husband, or wife values you enough not to leave you for someone else. Therefore, increasing your self-esteem is the first step in dealing with worrisome thoughts of jealousy. The more you value yourself, the more you will feel that you are special and that others will see you as a special, loving, quality person also. A person with high self-esteem will look at a relationship more in the terms of being mutually beneficial. Whereas, someone with low self-esteem will look at his or her relationship as one in which they have to hold on to the other person because the other person may find someone who is actually more worthy of their love and affection. Understand your worth and how special you are, and know that if someone else doesn’t see this, he or she is not the right person for you.

2)      Acknowledge your feelings of jealousy. Understand that these feelings are natural and not a problem unless you dwell on them and allow them to get out of hand. Some jealousy is natural and actually stems from caring about what is happening in your life. Obsessive feelings of jealousy is where the problem lies, not the emotion itself. When you acknowledge that you feel jealous over a certain situation, then you are dealing with it correctly. Talk to your friend, lover, or spouse about your feelings. Being open and honest, and bringing these thoughts to the surface, will many times put the brakes on jealousy and not allow it to turn into obsessive thoughts of anger and resentment.

3)      Go to the root of the problem. Is there a valid reason for your feelings of jealousy? Are your feelings of jealousy justified instead of merely being a mythical creation of your mind? If so, deal with the problem and don’t simply let it fester in your mind. Feelings of jealous could actually be your intuition trying to tell you that there is something happening that you need to address. Don’t simply worry about it, but address the problem at the root, and either correct the problem or remove the problem from your life.

4)      Focus on positive thoughts and self-improvement. Your mind can play tricks on you and has to be controlled. Do not allow your emotions to control your life. Control your emotions and focus on improving yourself. You are responsible for your actions, not other people’s actions. I will repeat, what you think about expands. If you give enough energy and thought to something you will actually cause it to manifest in your life. Instead of allowing thoughts of jealousy to expand in your mind, occupy your mind with positive thoughts of how you want your life to be. Worry is actually focusing your thoughts on what you don’t want instead of what you do want. This is dangerous, as your mind does not discriminate. It will manifest whatever you continually imagine and focus your thoughts on; so make sure you control your thoughts and emotions. Worry and jealousy also increase your stress, which can stall your self-improvement goals and destroy your health.

Jealousy is a natural emotion, but that does not mean that we have to permit it to dictate our thoughts. You control your mind and your thoughts; therefore you decide whether or not you will allow jealousy to expand in your mind and grow into something more negative. Take the appropriate steps to control your mind and continue on your path. Don’t let jealousy to expand and throw you off track. Be aware of what is going on in your mind before it spirals out of your control.

By continually using the appropriate step to control jealous emotions, you will find that you gradually have less and less feelings of jealousy. Who knows, maybe soon, jealousy will become a non-issue for you completely as your self-esteem grows and you gain the self-confidence to deal with jealousy issues head on instead of merely giving them a home in the back of your mind.

Bohdi Sanders

Author of:
Secrets of the Soul
and
Wisdom of the Elders

CLICK HERE TO SEE BOOKS BY BOHDI SANDERS

Is Honesty the Best Policy?

In whatever position you find yourself determine first your objective.
Marshall Ferdinand Foch

We hear the phrase that honesty is the best policy over and over again throughout our lives. But it is completely true? Is honesty always the best policy? Do we destroy our honor, character, and integrity by telling a lie? Does the true warrior, or the man or woman of character, go against his conscience every time he lies? Is being an honest person a black and white issue, or is there much more to it than always telling the truth, no matter what?

From an early age, most of us have been taught that it is not right to lie, that we should tell the truth. Whenever we were caught in a lie and things fell apart for us, we were told, always remember, honesty is the best policy, as if that was going to make us feel better about the mess that we made for ourselves. We were taught this reverently, and by the same people and culture that taught us about Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny.

Once we got older, we realized that the very same people, who drilled honesty into our conscience mind, lied to us on a frequent basis. Sure, most of these were “little, white lies,” but they obviously weren’t following the, “honesty is the best policy” tenet. There were lies to make us feel better, lies to surprise us, lies about life circumstances, this list could go on and on.

If you think back, you can probably remember many lies which you were told. These were not meant in any sort of malicious way, but were just part of life for most people. But still, we were taught that honesty is the best policy. Either honesty is the best policy or it is not. The question is whether or not honesty is in fact, the best policy. And, the answer is, “it depends.”

I can feel my readers cringe even as I write this. I bet many of you are thinking, “How can Bohdi say that when he writes books on honor, character, integrity, and honesty?” To answer your question, I can say that because it is the truth, and we are trying to be honest here, right?

Honesty is not always the best policy; it depends on your objective. There are times when honesty is not only not the best policy, but when it is also just plain stupid and selfish. Yikes! I can feel another universal shutter of disgust, right through my keyboard! But stay with me for a few minutes.

While I have heard many preachers preach over and over that honesty is always the best policy and there is never any reason for lying, this is really nothing more than a generalization. Even the people who preach this message don’t truly believe what they are saying. Would these very same people not lie to a murderer in order to save their wife or kids? If they wouldn’t, I wouldn’t recommend listening to anything that they say anyway.

To generalize is to be an idiot.
William Blake

Let’s look at an example that will clarify my point. Pretend you were a German living in Nazi Germany during World War II, and that you were hiding a young Jewish girl from the Nazi’s. If a group of Nazi soldiers came to your door and asked you if you had seen or knew of the whereabouts of a young Jewish girl, would it be the best policy to be honest with them? Not if your objective is to save the life of this young girl, it wouldn’t be.

You see, honesty is not always the best policy. That is living by a rigid, black and white rule which leaves no room to make needed adjustments when they are needed to achieve your objectives. No, I am not saying that you should say whatever you please in order to get your way.

I am saying that, as a true warrior, you have to base your actions on what is right and wrong, not on some rigid set of rules. While this may sound like the same thing at first, it isn’t. There is a big difference between basing all of your actions according to what you feel is right and wrong, and basing your decisions on some rigid set of rules that you never break, no matter what.

The true warrior or person of character does not lower his standards simply because he tells a lie. It depends on the circumstances and the intention behind that lie. In the example above, it would obviously be dishonorable for you to tell the truth and hand over the girl to those butchers. You definitely would not have lowered your standards because you were dishonest with those soldiers.

You did what the circumstances required of you to do in order to achieve your noble objective – saving this girl’s life. In this situation, lying is completely honorable, and honesty would definitely not have been the best policy. I can give you many examples that back up this truth, but you get the point.

Honor and integrity do not exist in a nice, neat box. They aren’t composed of specific rules that are carved in stone. They are much more involved and complex than that.  They originate from the heart, the mind, and the intentions behind your actions.

Hard and fast rules are made for people who cannot be depended on to think for themselves and do the right thing. This is why we have laws. If everyone lived their life according to what is right, and with good intentions, there would be no need for laws, but we all know that is not the case.

The true warrior, on the other hand, should live according to what is right. He should continually search his intentions to ensure that his heart, mind, and spirit are right. Honor comes from the inside. If things are not right on the inside, they cannot be right on the outside, no matter how they may appear to those around you. Others may not be able to tell the difference, but you know whether or not you are honorable.

Honesty is only the best policy when it is the best choice to achieve your honorable objectives. The catch is, your objectives must be honorable. Dishonesty is never an acceptable option for achieving selfish, personal goals like closing a business deal or just plain trying to get your own way.

The key is basing all of your actions and your speech on what is right, not what is right for you, but what is right, as in what is just. There is a big difference between what may be best for you personally and what is just. Focus on what is right (just) in every situation, and you will not have to worry about whether or not to lie. Let righteousness be your guide.

Honesty is not always the best policy; right intention combined with right action is always the best policy.

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.
Henry Ward Beecher

Bohdi Sanders

Author of:
Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence
and
The Secrets of Worldly Wisdom: Your Key to Success

CLICK HERE TO SEE BOOKS BY BOHDI SANDERS

Modern Bushido gets a raving review from martial arts legend, Loren W. Christensen!

Bohdi Sanders’ new book, Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence, is receiving great initial reviews!

It has received a glowing review from martial arts legend and hall of fame inductee, Loren W. Christensen. Loren is the author of over 40 books, most on the martial arts, self-defense, and the warrior lifestyle.

The review is posted below:

Another Bohdi Classic

The longer you’re in the martial arts (I’ve been training and teaching since 1965) the more you realize that it’s so much more than simply sparring, kicking a bag, and thrashing about on a mat. While these things are important and critical to your martial arts journey, they are only part of it.

To see more reviews for Modern Bushido, click here to go to the reviews on Amazon.com:
MODERN BUSHIDO REVIEWS

Tale of Two Pebbles

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune
of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender,
who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter. So he
proposed a bargain.

He said he would forgo the farmer’s debt if he could marry his daughter.
Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the
cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the
matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble
into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble
from the bag.

1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her
father’s debt would be forgiven.

2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her
father’s debt would still be forgiven.

3) If she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into
jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer’s field. As
they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he
picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two
black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick
a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have
done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have
told her?

Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should know that there were two black pebbles in the bag and
expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to
save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the
hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and
logical thinking. The girl’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional
logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above
logical answers.

What would you recommend that the girl do?

Well, here is what she did. . .

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble.
Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the
pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

“Oh, how clumsy of me!” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the
bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I
picked.”

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had
picked the white one.

And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl
changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely
advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY?

Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don’t
attempt to think or we confuse worry with constructive thinking.
There is always a way out; you just have to find it.

Have a week filled with positive thoughts and sound decisions.

Bohdi Sanders

CLICK HERE TO SEE BOOKS BY BOHDI SANDERS

Spiritual Power and Human Perception

Ponder all things, and establish high your mind.
Pythagoras

The majority of people tend to be overly sure about how things on this earth are. They are willing to fight over their opinions, even if their opinions are unfounded. They will confidently tell you how the world works, what is possible and impossible, and what should and should not be done, all according to their own personal understanding of the world.

Of course their understanding of the world is based only on what they have seen, heard, experienced, or read. With most people, this is merely a miniscule fraction of the knowledge that mankind has, and the knowledge that mankind actually has is a drop in the bucket compared to what we do not know.

On top of that, each person tends to see things through a set of filters, filters which have many complex layers. Your experiences affect how you perceive things, what you believe, and basically what you think about the world in general.

People should not be so sure of what is and what is not possible, or about how the world really is. The fact is, when it really comes down to it, they do not know. When you base your opinions on only what you personally see, hear or feel, it is easy to feel that you are correct because you believe that you have experienced something personally and therefore “you know.”

But that is not always the case. For example, you have all seen sand. There is probably no one reading this that has not played in sand or walked in sand at one time or another. If I asked you if you know what sand looks like, your answer would be, “Of course I do!” You would say this with complete confidence and no doubts.

But do you really know what sand truly looks like? Probably not. Oh, of course you know what sand looks like to you, but do you know what sand actually looks like in reality?  I mean, what it looks like to God. The link below shows you the reality that you cannot perceive with your physical eyes, at least not without some help.

A CLOSER LOOK AT SAND ~ THIS WILL AMAZE YOU!

Hummmmm… Has your perception of sand changed some, now that you have seen sand from another side? I bet it has. This same reality can be applied to most things in life.

Do you really understand who and what you are? Most people will quickly answer, “Of course I do.” But take a minute and ponder whether you truly know who and what you are. Do you really know who and what you are or do you merely know what you can perceive with your physical senses and the limited ability of your mind?

Maybe there is more to you than meets the eye. Maybe if you could see yourself through the eyes of God, you would see something much more beautiful, exquisite, and powerful than your mind can even imagine.

If an ordinary grain of sand looks so beautiful and amazing when seen as it truly is, imagine how you must look through the eyes of God. What does the part of you, which is unseen to the human eye, truly look like? What could you actually do if you used all of the power available to you?

Imagine the spiritual and mental power that you have, which you are unaware of simply because you have never seen it or used it. Is there much more power available to you than you thought there was? Do you have abilities that you have never even imagined?

Just like there is much more to a “common” grain of sand than meets the eye, there is much more to you than you know. Maybe it is time for you to tap into the unseen and see yourself as you truly are, and start using the power that you truly have to change things in your life and in your world. Don’t sell yourself short. You don’t have to see yourself through ordinary eyes. Be brave enough to take a much closer look and you may find that what you thought you knew, only scratched the surface of reality.

The landscape lies far and fair within, and the deepest thinker is the farthest traveled.
Thoreau

Bohdi Sanders

author of:

Secrets of the Soul: Your Guide to Uncovering Your Hidden Beliefs

and Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence.

Click here to see books by Bohdi Sanders

What Makes A True Warrior?

Warriors are not what you think of as warriors.
The warrior is not someone who fights.
Chief Sitting Bull

There are a group of so-called “experts” (self-proclaimed experts I might add) in the world of martial arts/self-defense who constantly opine that being a warrior is nothing more than being paid to engage in war. This is such an ignorant point of view that one would think no one would take them seriously, but in fact, they have quite a large following. These “experts” publish books which proclaim their “expertise” in everything to do with violence and “real” self-defense. They slam traditional martial arts as outdated and useless on the streets. They mock the fact that honor, character and integrity play a major part in being a true warrior, and instead, insist that being a warrior is nothing more than taking orders on the battlefield.

While everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, no matter how asinine it may be, when someone has young, impressionable people reading and hanging on every word that he writes or speaks, he has a responsibility to the truth. The truth of the matter is that this definition of a warrior is shallow, opinionated, narrow, and, well, simply untrue. I know that this may offend many people, but the unvarnished truth usually does.

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

The truth is that what these people declare to be a warrior is one of three things: a soldier, a mercenary, or just plain a thug. A soldier takes orders and does exactly what he is told. That is his job. This does not make him or her a warrior. Don’t get me wrong, there are many true warriors who are soldiers. The military is packed full of true warriors, but this doesn’t mean that everyone in the military or who has been to war is a true warrior. I can show you of many examples of soldiers, who have gone to war and who are not true warriors.

Mercenaries are involved in war, killing, and battles of many kinds, but that doesn’t make them true warriors. In fact, I would argue that most mercenaries are far from being true warriors. They value money over life, and most will do whatever they are paid to do, as long as the money is right.

Is this the attitude of a true warrior? Not in my book, and not according to many people throughout history who were both involved in war and were also true warriors. Killing someone does not make you a warrior, it simply makes you someone who has killed another human being – period. These people have little if any honor or principles, both which are required to be a true warrior.

The man of principle never forgets what he is, because of what others are.
Baltasar Gracian

There are also many trained thugs out there. Some are on the battlefield, some are in the police departments, some are on the streets robbing people, and some are found in martial arts dojos. Just because someone is trained to fight, to use firearms, or to go to war, doesn’t make them a true warrior.

The people who write and teach the philosophy that a warrior is merely someone who engages in war, merely teach this train of thought because they can’t measure up to the real requirements which make someone a true warrior. Their character falls short, so they downplay the importance of such traits as honor and integrity.

Keep your distance from unvirtuous people.
Takuan Soho

If you study what true warriors have said on this issue throughout history, you will find that the men and women that commanded men and women on battlefields agree, being a true warrior requires much more than simply being involved in war. In fact, the vast majority of them will state that war has nothing to do with being a true warrior.

So what does make someone a true warrior? The answer lies much deeper than any battlefield. At the core of every true warrior you will find the traits of honor, integrity and justice. Yes, I know that the people that I described above will laugh and state that “being a warrior has nothing to do with character or honor.” They will shout that these traits have nothing to do with war or with the warrior, and will do so with the same enthusiasm that you hear in their voices when they pat themselves on the back for being so tough. But, they are wrong – period.

While it is true that the word did originate from the term “war,” and can mean someone who takes part or is experienced in warfare. This definition is not the one that should be used to define the true warrior, and is not an accurate definition for the warrior lifestyle. A better definition for a warrior is, “Somebody who takes part in a struggle or conflict.” No, this is not my definition; it actually comes from Webster’s dictionary.

The true warrior is engaged in a struggle and it is a daily fight. His battle is not necessarily on the battlefield, but rather a personal battle to perfect his character and to become a man of excellence in every area of his life. And, according to those who have “been there and done that,” being on the battlefield doesn’t make one a warrior. For someone to be a true warrior, he has to have honor and character. Without those traits, as well as others, he is simply a trained thug.

The true warrior is not a programmed killing machine, although he has the ability and the knowledge to render lethal applications of his skills if his duty requires such extreme actions. Though he is capable of rendering devastating injury to others, he never desires to do so. He is a man of peace and benevolence.

His training in the martial arts is strictly for defense. The warrior pursues knowledge in the art of self-defense and martial arts in order to keep himself and those around him safe, not for personal egotistical reasons.

Honor is central to warriorship.
Forrest E. Morgan

The great Sioux chief, Sitting Bull, once stated that, “Warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights…” He goes on to explain himself saying, “The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity.”

This is what he was doing at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, fighting for those who needed his protection, and this is also a very good description of the true warrior and the warrior lifestyle. This takes much more than martial arts or military training. This takes character and honor, the exact things which some well-known authors proclaim have nothing to do with warriorship.

Character and honor are only two of the traits which are essential to the true warrior; there are many more. I will not list them all in this short article for the sake of space. The point is, being a true warrior is much more involved than these self-proclaimed experts would have people think.

Don’t believe the macho, “I’m tougher than you” BS that these authors, “experts” and lecturers assault people’s intelligence with on a regular basis. It is not true. Being a true warrior is a lifestyle choice, not a profession.

Hear all sides and you will be enlightened.
Hear one side, and you will be in the dark.
Wei Zheng

Bohdi Sanders
author of: The Warrior Wisdom Series and Modern Bushido

Exciting News!

My new book, MODERN BUSHIDO: Living a Life of Excellence,

has been released and is now available!

To celebrate the release of my new book, I am offering the best package deal I have ever offered.

Be one of the first 100 people to buy a copy of MODERN BUSHIDO and receive a

1st edition, signed copy of my award winning book, Warrior Wisdom ABSOLUTELY FREE!

This package deal is only available on The Wisdom Warrior website and not on Amazon, and is only available for the first 100 orders.

Here is the link to order your copy of MODERN BUSHIDO today and get this special deal:

MODERN BUSHIDO PACKAGE DEAL

I hope you guys enjoy MODERN BUSHIDO and find it useful in your life’s journey!

Bohdi Sanders

BUY NOW!

Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence

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 13^th through the 16^th centuries in Japan had many references to the ideals of Bushido. The actual word “Bushido” was first used in the 17^th 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. That is where Modern Bushido comes into play.

In Modern Bushido, I discuss 30 traits which 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 martial arts are merely about self-defense or fighting – they aren’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 force 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 purpose of Modern Bushido is to help the true warrior by being a guidebook to the tools that the warrior needs in order to develop his or her life on the path of the warrior lifestyle. This is not the final authority of the subject, but merely a guide to help you on your noble path – the path of the true warrior.

Bohdi Sanders, PhD

BUY NOW

Defensive Living: The Other Side of Self-Defense

Defensive Living strays a little from the path of my past books. All of the books in my Warrior Wisdom Series have focused on idealistic wisdom – those special qualities which the true warrior should strive to develop in his life. The Secrets of Worldly Wisdom, on the other hand, looks at the wisdom of living successfully with other people, specifically those who do not live by the same character traits as the man of honor and character. Not everyone lives a life of character and honor. In fact, it is fairly rare to run across someone who takes qualities such as honor, character, integrity, etc. seriously.

In today’s world, it is much more likely that you will encounter people who put their own desires ahead of their character and honor. Therefore, you need to understand how these people think and what makes them tick. You need to realize that they most likely do not live by the same standards as you live by and prepare yourself for what you may encounter when doing business with these people. As Baltasar Gracian wrote many years ago, “It is just as important to have studied men, as to have studied books.”

Although Defensive Living is not an exhaustive study in human nature, it does give some insight into what you should expect when dealing with other people and wise ways to keep yourself from being blindsided by their less than honorable actions. It is always better to be prepared for the worst case scenario and have things turn out much better than you expected, than to be unprepared and totally taken by surprise. There is no such thing as being too prepared. Louis Pasteur stated that, “Chance favors only the prepared mind,” and that is the purpose of this book – to prepare your mind for what you may encounter in a world becoming more and more void of men of character.

Defensive Living focuses on the wisdom of nine of the world’s foremost authorities on human nature: Jean de la Bruyere, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Lord Chesterfield, Niccolo Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Baltasar Gracian, Francesco Guicciardini, Francois duc de La Rochefoucauld, and Han Fei Tzu. You may be familiar with some of these men and others you may find that you have never heard of before, but you will be familiar with each by the time you finish this book.

Likewise, you may find some of these men an odd choice to be included in a book on wisdom, as some of these men are not considered to be bastions of wisdom. But each of these men is included in Defensive Living for their specific insight into human nature. Some are included for their insights in how to deal with leaders and men of power, and others for their wise insights into human nature as a whole. Each has his own perspective, but taken together you can start to see the nature of human beings that has changed little over the centuries.

Also, you may consider many of the views and insights that these men held toward people in general to be a bit negative. I urge you not to focus too much on whether or not their views toward other people are pessimistic, but rather whether or not their views are accurate. Think about whether or not the views that these men of old held toward others still apply to people today? Have people become more honorable over the centuries or more self-serving? Of course, these views will not apply to everyone. If they did, we would all be in big trouble.

They are not meant to be an absolute, faultless picture of human nature, but rather a general observation which applies to the majority of people in which you will encounter. See the wisdom contained in this book as more of a broad-spectrum admonition to consider when dealing with those who you don’t really know well enough to be able to discern their character. Lord Chesterfield put it nicely when he said, “The knowledge of mankind is a very useful knowledge for everybody…You will have to deal with all sorts of characters; you should therefore know them thoroughly, in order to manage them ably.”

It is the aspiration of Defensive Living to leave you with a large portion of the knowledge of mankind, or at least enough knowledge to save you from some of the snares that you will come across during your journey. Defensive Living is not a scientific study or the last word on human nature, everyone is different and unique, but this book can serve as overall indicator of what you can expect from people in general. The wisdom in Defensive Living not only comes from the experience of wise men over the centuries, but also from my own personal experience and worldly wisdom that will enable you to live a prosperous life.

As you read both the quotes and the commentaries, you will no doubt recognize both the behaviors and character of many of the people you have known in your life. Most likely, you will be able to put names and faces to many of the characterizations which are portrayed in this book. The reason for this is that there are actually human characteristics which transcend both time and cultures. People are people, and there will always be honorable people and dishonorable people. You need to understand how to deal with all kinds of people.

While it is true that you learn to deal with people by actually doing so, you can also learn from the wisdom and mistakes of others. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Heed the admonitions of those men who felt strongly enough to write their experience down for you. Use their valuable lessons to avoid costly mistakes. While you should personally strive to live a life of character, honor and integrity, be aware that the majority of people you meet will not live by the same ideals.

I also want to stress that some of the wisdom which Defensive Living contains is not necessarily wisdom that the honorable man seeks to incorporate into his life. For that type of wisdom, you will want to read the Warrior Wisdom Series. There are some morsels of wisdom contained within this book that were included specifically for the purpose of explaining how things are, not how they should be. Please be aware that I am not suggesting that you incorporate all of these observations in your life, but merely making you aware of how things truly are in today’s world.

Always strive to develop excellence in your own life, while at the same time allowing for the fact that others may or may not share your values. Those who strive for excellence share the same character traits. Likewise those who do not strive for excellence share similar character traits with each other. As Charles Caleb Colton wrote, “He that studies books alone will know how things ought to be; and he who studies men will know how they are. Defensive Living seeks to disclose how things are, so you can avoid the trap of believing that people will always act as they should. See things as they are, not as they should be.

Bohdi Sanders, Ph.D.

BUY NOW

Secrets of the Soul:
Your Guide to Uncovering Your Hidden Beliefs

Self-knowledge is the
beginning of self-improvement.
Spanish Proverb

Do you really know what you believe and why you believe it? Are your beliefs and opinions formed by you during time spent in quiet reflection, or do your beliefs originate from the minds of others? Where do your beliefs come from? Do you ever take the time to just sit quietly and think about certain subjects and ideas, or is the only time that these thoughts cross your mind when you are listening to others debate the issues? These are all questions which must be addressed on your journey to self-awareness.

What are your beliefs? This is a simple question, but it is not that easy to answer. The term beliefs is defined as the acceptance by the mind that something is true or real, often underpinned by an emotional or spiritual sense of certainty. A belief is a statement, principle, or doctrine that a person accepts as true. This being said, everyone should know what his or her own beliefs are, after all, your beliefs are your beliefs, right? Well, yes and no. In today’s society, we are bombarded from every side with media and other people trying to influence your thoughts with their beliefs.

You have to spend time in deep thought and meditation in order to ensure that what you believe is in fact, what you believe, and not someone else’s beliefs which you have simply accepted as your own. Too many people just accept the opinions of the media and of those around them for their own beliefs instead of taking the time to ponder specific issues, philosophies, and ideas for themselves. You should never allow others to think for you; think for yourself. Socrates stated it concisely when he said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

If you do not take the time to contemplate your own personal thoughts concerning specific subjects, how can you have any real conviction of the truth of your beliefs? Without considering the evidence, or lack of evidence, for yourself, how can you know that your beliefs are based on truth and rational thought, instead of myth or misinformation? In order to have a firm conviction in your beliefs, you have to spend time in quiet reflection, discerning the evidence and rationality behind your beliefs. You must know why you believe what you believe.

Our society has become one that craves constant media stimulation. The majority of people today are unsatisfied sitting quietly with their thoughts. Instead, they are constantly seeking to entertain their minds with some sort of outside stimuli, and there is always an abundance of outside stimuli eagerly waiting to occupy their minds. Television, movies, radios, computers, books, newspapers, friends, colleagues, and family, the list could go on and on, and all of these things compete for people’s attention during their waking hours. Some people are even providing their minds with stimulation as they sleep, with stimuli such as subliminal CD’s.

Although there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, they do seem to keep most people too busy to take time out for personal reflection. We all need time to be quiet, reflect, and meditate on who we truly are and what we really believe. Quiet time is essential to this process, and it is getting more and more difficult to slow down and find time for yourself in our fast paced society. It takes discipline and determination to resist the barrage of external influences which vie for your time.

The lack of time spent in quiet meditation and reflection has led to many people not really understanding who they are or what they really believe and why. If you were to ask someone what his or her philosophy of life is, there is a very good chance that you would not get a clear, concise, thought out answer. In fact, you would probably receive and answer similar to, “I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it.” Most people simply haven’t taken the time to think about it. This doesn’t just apply to their philosophy of life, but it applies to most of their beliefs. Oh, they will often have strong opinions on different subjects, but when asked why they believe as they do, they will not have a rational reason, they “just do.”

Developing a personal belief should involve forming an educated opinion which is based on evidence and rational thought, not on the politically correct rhetoric of the day. This is what makes you a unique individual. Your personal beliefs determine your individuality. Individuality distinguishes one person from another. If you do not take the time required to form your own opinions, you are not really acting as an individual, but rather just one of the mass of people who has allowed others to mold their thoughts to the agendas of others. By doing this, you have surrendered your individuality.

Developing your personal beliefs, your personal philosophy if you will, is vital in becoming a strong individual. Without developing your own personal beliefs, are you really living and thinking as an individual, or are you going through life mindlessly, your beliefs being influenced, if not controlled, by others? An awareness of your own individuality is called self-awareness. Developing your self-awareness is the goal of this book and will require you to develop your own beliefs, beliefs that come from time spent with your own thoughts.

Quiet contemplation is required to form specific beliefs that you know to be true, based on the evidence that you have personally examined and that you have thought about profoundly. Therefore, taking time for yourself is essential to understanding your beliefs, thus forming an awareness of your own individuality, leading to a true understanding of who you truly are and what you truly believe. This is true self-awareness, and helping you get to this point is the goal of this book.

Secrets of the Soul presents a series of questions that offer you the opportunity to develop a greater sense of self-awareness. It is not meant to be read quickly, but rather to be used as a guide. There are 101 thought-provoking questions which provide you with the foundation to start developing your core beliefs. Each of these questions is followed by a series of follow up queries to help you determine your true beliefs. Spend time pondering each question and form your own personal beliefs concerning the subjects which are presented.

Some of the questions will require more time and consideration than others, but every question will lead you closer to complete self-awareness and an overall understanding of who you are and what you really believe. More importantly, you will begin to understand why you believe what you believe.

You may find some of the questions intriguing, and others you may find embarrassing, but it is essential that you answer each question honestly. This is for your own self-awareness, and it will do you no good if you aren’t honest with yourself during this process. If you aren’t proud of some of the answers, you now have the opportunity to make some changes in your life, but remember to be honest.

The questions are grouped into specific categories, but it is not essential that you follow any certain order when contemplating your thoughts. You can meditate on the questions in any order that you see fit. You may also find that you enjoy discussing some of the questions with your family and friends, but I highly recommend that you develop your own personal beliefs before discussing a subject with others. This ensures that your beliefs are your beliefs, and not someone else’s beliefs. Your goal is to develop a thorough understanding of your individuality, not someone else’s. There is always a possibility of changing your beliefs after hearing someone else’s point of view or discovering different facts, but it is important that you think for yourself.

I have also included quotes with each of the questions. These quotes are not meant to influence your beliefs, but rather to give you more to think about. Also, the quotes are not meant to reflect my beliefs, but are simply words of wisdom which I found interesting and applicable to the subject. I have not included my opinions or beliefs along with the questions; I merely expand each question to give you, the reader, additional things to think about while forming your beliefs. This is about your self-awareness, no one else’s. In the end, it is up to you. What do you believe?

I hope you thoroughly enjoy your journey to self-awareness and truly discover what you believe and why you believe it. Here’s to self-awareness!

Bohdi Sanders, Ph.D.

Bohdi Sanders

Sale Items & Special Deals

**** PLEASE NOTE ****

The first option on the drop down menus is for buyers in the Continental United States. Please make sure to select the correct option from the drop down menus according to your location.

.

.

The Warrior Wisdom Series Bundle

.

The Warrior Wisdom Series has won multiple awards and has been honored by 4 martial arts hall of fame organizations for its contribution to the world of martial arts.

I have bundle together each of the books in the series for a special price of $34.97!

This SAVES YOU OVER 27% off of the retail price!

Don’t miss this GREAT DEAL on these enlightening books!

Order Yours TODAY!

CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

Warrior Wisdom Series Bundle

Continental USA $34.97 USD

CANADA

Warrior Wisdom Series Bundle

CANADA $34.97 USD

Warrior Wisdom Series Bundle

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES $34.97 USD

————————————————————————————————————————–

.

7-PACK DEAL

Get 7 titles bundled all together!

In this bundle, you will get every one of Dr. Sanders’ books (with the exception of Wicked Wisdom)!

Purchased separately, these books would cost over $110, but in this special bundle, you will only pay $89.97!! This is a savings of over 22% of the retail price!

In this bundle you will receive each of the following books:

.

ORDER YOUR 7-PACK TODAY!

.

CONTINENTAL USA

7-PACK Continental USA

Continental USA $89.97 USD

_______________________________________ CANADA

7-PACK CANADA

CANADA $89.97 USD

_______________________________________ ALL OTHER COUNTRIES

7-PACK ALL OTHER COUNTRIES

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES $89.97 USD

————————————————————————————————————————— .

.. .. . . . . . . . . . .

Continental USA

Martial Arts/Warrior/SD Bundle

Continental USA$69.97 USD

___________________________________________________ CANADA

Martial Arts/Warrior/SD Bundle

CANADA$69.97 USD

___________________________________________________ ALL OTHER COUNTRIES

Martial Arts/Warrior/SD Bundle

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES$69.97 USD

_______________________________________________________________________________ .

Mental Enhancement Pack

Get Wisdom of the Elders and Secrets of the Soul together for ONLY $23.97! That’s over 20% OFF the cover price!!

. . . . Continental USA

Mental Enhancement

Continental USA$23.97 USD

__________________________________________________ . CANADA

Mental Enhancement

CANADA$23.97 USD

__________________________________________________ . ALL OTHER COUNTRIES

Mental Enhancement

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES$23.97 USD

Procrastination has Consequences

Procrastination has Consequences

There is no act, however trivial, but has its train of consequences.
Samuel Smiles

Procrastination always has consequences. This is just the way the Universe works. You are only allotted a finite amount of time to live your life and you shouldn’t waste it. Your days will go by much faster than you can imagine. Before you know it, you will be looking back at your life and saying that it seems like only yesterday when you did this or that, when it was actually 20 or 30 years ago. Procrastinating is simply wasting your time, especially when you are procrastinating concerning important things.

Procrastination not only waste your time, but it can cost you important opportunities. There are many times when you have to act, and act quickly, in order to seize the opportunity that the Universe has brought to you. If you procrastinate, as far a taking advantage of that opportunity, that small window of opportunity may well disappear. You have to be prepared to act, and then take action. In many cases, tomorrow is too late.

For opportunity knocks at your door just once, and in many cases you have to decide and to act quickly.
Francesco Guicciardini

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that you should act without first reflecting on everything and looking at all the angles. That would basically be gambling. You should always think about the situation and examine all the possible outcomes. But after you have done your homework, you have to be decisive – one way or another. Not making a decision is simply procrastinating where the decision process is concerned, and this can cause you to lose many good opportunities.

You should examine all the information, do your homework, discuss the situation with those who have the knowledge that you need to make a wise decision, and then make your mind up, one way or the other. So many times people are too afraid of making the wrong decision, so they simply procrastinate when it comes to the decision making process. The fear of making the wrong decision paralyzes them, thus causing them to lose by default. Not taking action due to the fear of making a wrong decision, is in fact, an action in and of itself; and allowing fear to guide your actions is unwise.

The success of very important matters often depends on doing or not doing something that seems trivial. Even in little things, therefore, you must be cautious and thoughtful.
Francesco Guicciardini

Instead of making decisions based on fear, you should make your decisions based on your rational thought process. Look at all the information and make an informed decision. Then stick by your decision, no matter what happens. If you have done your homework, meditated on the situation at hand, and made a rational decision, don’t second guess yourself. You have done the best that you could do. At this point, feel good that you had the courage to step up and believe in yourself, whether the final outcome ends up being positive or negative.

Another important thing to remember is that procrastinating is not the same thing as deciding to be patient and not take any action at this moment. There is a big difference between procrastinating and making a conscience decision to wait. Deciding to wait patiently until a better time, or until you have more information, is making a firm decision to take action. While the action is that of waiting, it is not the same thing as procrastinating. Procrastinating is a form of laziness or an unwillingness to deal with something at this time. Patiently waiting is a strategic action. There is a huge difference in these two actions.

Every action we take, everything we do, is either a victory or defeat in the struggle to become what we want to be.
Anne Byrhhe

Even if you lose out on the great deal because of your decision to patiently wait for more information or strategically wait for a more opportune time to act, you can still feel good about the fact that you made a decision and are willing to stand by it and deal with the consequences. While procrastinating may have had the same outcome in the end, you will not feel good about losing an opportunity because of your unwillingness to address the situation. Do you see the difference? One is a strategic decision and the other is no decision at all.

When you have something that needs to be handled, take care of it. Don’t put it off because you aren’t in the mood to deal with it. Nobody else is going to take care of your business for you; it is completely in your hands. If you wait too long, the consequences of your procrastination could very well be irreversible. It is acceptable to lose because of making a wrong decision when you have done your best; it is not acceptable to lose because of your laziness or lack of self-discipline. Don’t procrastinate. Take care of your business and keep your affairs in order.

Carpe diem!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Balancing the Warrior Ethic with Peace and Love

To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.
George Washington

The true warrior trains in many different areas in his quest to perfect his character. One of these areas obviously is the art of self-defense and martial arts. This of course includes ways to severely injure, and even destroy, the human body. The trained warrior knows how to end a conflict quickly, and permanently, if the situation requires him to do so. And, not only is the true warrior trained and capable of inflicting severe pain and destruction on someone, he is also very willing to do this if he is forced to.

This causes many people to have a false impression of the warrior lifestyle. Many people wrongly see those who train in these ways as violent brutes who live to fight. They have the false impression that the warrior is basically a time bomb just waiting to explode on someone who crosses him. The general public doesn’t understand why anyone would train to obtain skills that would enable him to easily take a life or permanently injure someone else. The very idea that the true warrior is a man of peace and love is so foreign to them that they can’t even wrap their minds around this fact.

Each action of the warrior is performed from a place of fundamental wisdom…it is completely different from the ordinary behavior of a fool. Even if it looks the same, it is different on the inside.
Takuan Soho

How could a man trained in martial arts, self-defense, weapons, and the art of death, be a man of peace and love. This seems like the ultimate paradox. Why would a man of peace and love train to develop skills to hurt or kill another human being? Shouldn’t he be spending his days chanting in a cave or meditating on loving his fellow men? Well, let’s take a look at that theory.

Is the recluse who walks away from society, hides in a sanctuary, and spends all his time maintaining a peaceful spirit, really one who loves his fellow man or his he actually being a bit selfish, only concerning himself with his own well-being and peace? What is he actually doing for his fellow men? Not much. On the other hand, the true warrior serves his fellow men, even at the risk of his own peaceful existence. He is not only trained to handle himself in violent situations, but is willing to step into such situations to help others, even at the risk of his own well-being.

Peace is not the lack of war, but an inner virtue which has its source in the courage of the soul.
Baruch Spinoza

The irony is that the general public sees the reclusive monk as a man of peace, only concerned with love, while they see the warrior as a brute and someone to be feared. After all, the monk trains daily to keep a peaceful mind, while the warrior trains in the art of physical conflict. To the average citizen, the monk is a man of peace and the warrior is a man of war. But this is only partially true.

True warriors are men of peace and love. They do everything in their power to avoid having to fight and hurt another human being. They train to hone their martial art skills because there is a need in this world to protect themselves, their families, and other people against the predators in this world who live to prey on the weak, the unsuspecting, and the helpless. If we didn’t have those willing to stand against such people, the predators would have a field day, taking advantage of their hapless victims. The true warrior is there to ensure this doesn’t happen to his friends, his family, or anyone for which it is in his power to protect.

This bring me back to the question of how the true warrior balances his ability to rip some thug apart, with his peaceful, loving nature. How can one maintain a peaceful spirit full of love, and at the same time, severely injure or kill another human being? The answer boils down to his intention. The warrior doesn’t go out and look for chances to pound some thug into the pavement. He doesn’t want to have to fight. In fact, he does everything in his power to avoid fighting or getting physical with someone. De-escalation techniques are (should be) a major part of his training.

To subdue an enemy without fighting is the greatest of skills.
Sun Tzu

The true warrior should be an expert at the art of de-escalation. He should learn how to end a fight or conflict before it ever gets to the point of becoming physical. Of course, this is not always possible, but he will always exhaust every attempt to settle conflicts peaceably, only resorting to violence if he has no other choice. And, if he is forced to resort to getting physical, this is not something that he is happy or boastful about later; if anything, he will feel sad that he had to hurt someone, no matter how much the other person deserved or brought the pain on himself.

This doesn’t mean that he will regret his actions. Quite the contrary. If he had no other choice, and exhausted all other possibilities, he is at peace with his actions, knowing that he did the best he could to resolve the situation in a peaceful manner, but was forced to do as he did to protect himself and others. There is a big difference between wanting to kick someone’s ass, and being forced to hurt someone because you have no other choice.

We make war that we may live in peace.
Aristotle

It is this intent never to use force, if he can avoid it, that sets the true warrior apart. Of course there are many qualities which sets the true warrior apart from the average person; this is only one of the traits that make him a man of excellence. His spirit remains at peace, even after he has thrashed some thug, because his actions were done with the right intention – to protect, not to attack. While this may seem like a minor detail or simply semantics, it makes all the difference. The warrior’s intention to avoid physical conflicts if he can, but to be willing to step up if he can’t avoid getting physical, helps him maintain peace in his spirit. He knows his actions are just, thus he is at peace with what he does.

The true warrior is a man of peace and love, even if others can’t understand this fact. He maintains the balance between his warrior ideals, his martial arts training, and his spirit of peace and love, by striving to make sure that all of his actions are just. In fact, peace, love, and martial arts are all part of his warrior ideals; they are all a part of the whole. He simply strives to make his actions right.

The superior man seeks what is right.
Confucius

If a man’s actions are right and just, he has no reason to be troubled in his spirit. It doesn’t matter how other people perceive his actions, as far as his own personal peace is concerned. When you know in your heart that your actions are 100% right, you don’t feel guilty over what you do. And, when you don’t feel guilty over your actions, you are able to maintain peace in your mind and spirit.

The Bible points out that no man has greater love than the man who is willing to lay down his life for others. Every time the warrior steps into a physical conflict to protect someone else, he is possibly putting his life on the line. Those who say that the warrior is not a man of peace and love should consider this fact. If the warrior wasn’t a man of love, he wouldn’t risk his life or the possibility of an injury to help someone else. The true warrior never wants to fight. He always wants to settle things peaceably. At the same time, he is willing to do what is necessary to protect himself, his family, his friends, and those around him, if he can.

No one in his right mind would rather go out and get into a fight, risking injury or worse, instead of going about his own business, having fun, and enjoying his free time. Most people won’t step up when a conflict erupts; they timidly slip away, hoping that someone else will step in to help the innocent victim. It takes a special person to intervene to help a stranger or a friend who is in trouble. It takes someone with a heart of love and a sense of responsibility to others. The true warrior is this person. This is why he trains in martial arts and self-defense, and this is why he is able to maintain an attitude of peace and love in the midst of a violent encounter.

Let him who desires peace prepare for war.
Vegetius

In actuality, the true warrior does not have to balance his warrior ethics with the attitude peace and love because peace and love are a part of his warrior ethics. The warrior lifestyle encompasses peace, love, justice, integrity, honor, and martial arts training (and many other traits). The true warrior understands this and is at peace with his decisions as long as he strives to do what is right, in the right way, with the right intention. The attitude of peace and love are as much a part of the true warrior’s lifestyle as is his martial arts training – different parts of the whole. There lies the balance between a heart of love and peace and the physical skills of the warrior.

Everything in life has to do with maintaining balance. There are many parts of the warrior lifestyle, and balance must be maintained between each part. Your life can get unbalanced even when it comes to things such as love and peace. Too much time spent on any one area leaves another area lacking attention. If the warrior refuses to train his physical skills because he is 100% focused on peace, then his life is out of balance and there will come a time when he will regret neglecting that part of his life. The warrior lifestyle is a lifestyle of balance. There are many parts of the warrior’s life which have to be kept in balance. The warrior ethic consists of multiple parts – peace and love being two of them.

Think, feel, and act like a warrior. Set yourself apart from the rest of society by your personal excellence.
Forrest E. Morgan

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

The Man in the Mirror

Who is the man in the mirror? What do you see when you look into the mirror? Are you happy with what and who you see? I’m not simply talking about how you look, but who and what you truly are as a person. Do you see a man or woman of character, integrity and honor, or do you see someone who has compromised where these essential traits are concerned? These are important questions to consider.

There is a Native American tale, which I have written about before, called the Tales of Two Wolves. Essentially it states that inside of each person is two wolves – one good and one bad. These two wolves are at war with each other for control over your mind and your actions. The Cherokee elder explains, in this story, that the wolf that you feed becomes strong, and eventually wins the battle and takes over. This battle is unseen to other people, but you know it is there, and you know which wolf is winning. In the end, it is up to you which wolf wins.

There is an eternal struggle raging in man’s breast
between the powers of darkness and light.
Gandhi

When it comes down to it, you are the only person who can truly determine what lies below the surface – who the person is staring back at you in the mirror. Oh sure, others may have an idea, depending on how you present yourself in public, but ultimately, only you know what truly resides in your inner most core, essentially which wolf is being fed and growing stronger. You can hide who you truly are where others are concerned. You can successfully pull the wool over other people’s eyes and live a life of deception in order to get what you want or to present a specific image to others. Con men do it every day, as do many ordinary people that you run into on the street.

Sincerity is openness of heart. It is found in very few,
and what is usually seen is subtle dissimulation
designed to draw the confidence of others.
La Rochefoucauld

The vast majority of people will display a certain image in public in order to better sell themselves in the eyes of other people. People are gullible and easy to manipulate, but it is much harder to fool yourself. When you look into those eyes staring back at you in the mirror, you know whether or not you are really who and what you seem to be to be. They may not know what’s going on inside you, but I can assure you, you will know without a doubt which wolf is winning the war.

When you look into the mirror, do you see a sincere person who is living up to the principles that you espouse, or do you see someone merely pretending to be a person of character and honor? Be honest! There is never any advantage to deceiving to yourself. The true warrior has to honestly evaluate himself daily to make sure that he is living according to the principles by which he has decided to live his life. This internal battle between good and evil is not a battle which you watch passively to see who wins; you are the deciding factor in who wins this battle.

To every man there opens a high way and a low way,
and every man decides the way his soul will go.
John Oxenham

Making a decision to live your life in a specific manner is only the first step; that is the easy part. The hard part is making sure that you actually live according your principles and don’t compromise who you truly are. Every little compromise, where your principles are concerned, allows the evil wolf, residing inside of you, more power, and weakens to good wolf. Being able to compromise is a good thing, but not when it comes to your principles and core beliefs.

This battle is a major part of the warrior lifestyle. Living according the the character traits of the warrior lifestyle is not an easy thing to do, but it pays big dividends to those who consistently mold their life according to the principles of honor and character. Those who give attention to this internal battle, and who consistently feed the good wolf, and starve the evil wolf, will see more and more results, until the war is eventually won. While the forces of the evil wolf may never be completely annihilated, they will be subjugated to a point where they are no longer a powerful enemy.

Look deeply at the man in the mirror until you see into your soul, into the battle ground between the two wolves, and determine how the battle is going. Gaze into your heart and into your spirit, and honestly answer the question, “Who is the man in the mirror.” Then, if you find that you don’t like the answer, take steps to change what you see. Actively get involved in that internal battle, instead of simply standing by passively. In the end, who wins the battle is up to you. If you stand by like a neutral observer, the evil wolf will take control and eventually dominate your decisions and your actions. You have to stand on the side of right and be willing to step into the battle and fight the evil wolf, not sit on the sideline and hope the good wolf somehow wins.

Unless the seed of evil is destroyed it will grow up to destroy us.
Aesop

Take some time to do some soul searching and determine which wolf you have been feeding. Determine which wolf appears to be the strongest at the present moment. This is not a battle you can afford to stay out of; no one can stay out of this battle and walk away unscathed. You will either be an active warrior in this conflict or a voluntary slave to the evil wolf. The choice is yours. What do you see when you look into the mirror? Think about it…

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmond Burke

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Warrior Wisdom Rakes in Multiple Awards

The WARRIOR WISDOM SERIES has won multiple awards over the last several months. In the past year, Warrior Wisdom has won five national/international awards from several different organizations. Warrior Wisdom was first awarded a 1st Place award from the National Indie Excellence Awards in 2010. Since March, Bohdi Sanders has been award the following awards for his Warrior Wisdom Series:

• Best Martial Arts Books of the Year from the International Independent Martial Artist Association Hall of Fame
  
• 2011 Martial Arts Literary Man of the Year from the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• 2011 Inspiration of the Year from the United States Martial Artist Association Hall of Fame
  
• Martial Arts Author of the Year from the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame

This has been a banner year so far for Warrior Wisdom! I am honored and flattered by all the positive recognition for my writing and my books.

On a separate note, the Wisdom Warrior Newsletter will be coming out soon. It is currently in the works and will be finished soon. Look for it in your email in the next month!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee Chief told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.

The old Cherokee Chief simply replied, ‘The one you feed.

The soul like the body accepts by practice
whatever habit one wishes it to contract.
Socrates

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

International Independent Martial Artists Association Hall of Fame Honors
for Bohdi Sanders and Warrior Wisdom!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Saturday, March 19th, Dr. Bohdi Sanders was inducted into the International Independent Martial Artists Association Hall of Fame. His  book series, WARRIOR WISDOM, was named the Best Martial Arts Books of the Year. This was quite an honor for the acclaimed author and for his writing.

The WARRIOR WISDOM SERIES includes three separate books, Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior, Warrior Wisdom: The Heart and Soul of Bushido, and Warrior Wisdom: The Warrior’s Path. Each of these books have received exceptional reviews, and Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior won a 1st place award in the Indie Excellence Book Awards for 2010.

Warrior Wisdom is endorsed my many of the top martial artists and martial arts authors and is due to be translated into additional languages in Europe and South Africa this year. These books are available from the author’s website, The Wisdom Warrior as well as on Amazon.com.

New Wicked Wisdom Video Promo

Check out the new Wicked Wisdom: Explorations into the Dark Side video promo. It gives you a glimpse of what to expect from my new book.

Click here to watch the new Wicked Wisdom video promo

Wicked Wisdom: Explorations into the Dark Side

is available now on both:

The Wisdom Warrior

and on Amazon.com.

Wicked Wisdom is already getting rave reviews and promises to both send chills down your spine and make you feel more prepared and more confident when it comes to your own personal safety and the safety of your family.

Hope you like it!

Bohdi Sanders

The Journey to Black Belt

by Kevin Brett

Kevin Brett’s book is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in getting into the martial arts or getting their children started in the martial arts. The Journey to Black Belt covers everything that a potential student needs to know in order to make an informed decision when it comes to selecting the right martial arts style, school, and instructor. He explains the difference in the individual martial arts, as well as guides the reader concerning what he or she should look for when trying to decide on the right instructor. Mr. Brett even covers things such as discovering your true goals and how to achieve your goals.

The book is organized much like an outline with short topic sections throughout. I personally find books which are formatted in this style, especially guide books or resource books, much easier to read and follow. The format and style of this book is perfect.

This is, without a doubt, the most complete book of its kind on the market. I really can’t think of anything that a potential martial arts student would need to know that The Journey to Black Belt leaves out. It is simply that complete! The Journey to Black Belt is divided into six main units, each packed with useful information. These units are as follows:

1)      Succeeding in the Martial Arts

2)      Transforming Children’s Character with Martial Arts

3)      Self-Defense and Combat Situations

4)      Key Martial Arts Training Concepts

5)      Martial Arts History and Styles

6)      Shopping for a School and Style

Mr. Brett has also included several very useful appendix sections which list a great deal of very useful information such as listings of martial arts organizations, martial arts school directories, a dictionary of common martial arts terms, martial arts resources, and even a goal completion worksheet. I found the resources in the back of the book to be a wonderful addition to the book as a whole.

In short, if you are thinking of getting involved in the martial arts or getting your children involved in the martial arts, don’t sign any contract or enter into any training agreement until you have read this book. The Journey to Black Belt will help you avoid the many pitfalls that one can easily step into when it comes to choosing the right martial art school, martial art style, and martial arts instructor. If you want to make an informed decision as opposed to just trusting someone’s sales pitch, you need to get this book! 5 Stars!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Lock On: Joint Lock Essentials

By Alain Burrese

Lock On: Joint Lock Essentials is an excellent DVD series. I have reviewed volume 2 and volume 3 and I found them both to be very professional and top quality. These DVD’s are 90 minutes long and are taught by martial arts expert Alain Burrese.

Volume 2 covers arms bars and elbow locks. Unlike many martial arts DVD’s, Burrese teaches the principles behind the techniques. Essentially, he teaches you the why and not merely the how. This is very important, not just in joint locks, but in everything that you do. You must understand the underlying principles in order to under-stand why you are doing what you are doing. Burrese does a great job of explaining the anatomy of the elbow and why these locks work the way they do.

Volume 3 covers shoulder locks. Just like the second volume, this DVD covers many different techniques and discusses why each technique works. The mechanics behind the techniques taught in both of these DVD’s to easy to understand and are shown in both slow motion and faster speed. Each technique is clearly explained and very detailed.

I found both of these volumes to be very clear and easy to follow. The audio is great and both DVD’s are professionally filmed. The techniques are shown from different angles and Burrese also teaches different variations of both the shoulder lock and the elbow lock. Also, unlike many martial arts DVD’s, Burrese does not repeat the same technique over and over again. This allows him to cover more techniques instead of wasting precious time on the same technique.

Each DVD covers anatomy, underlying principles, mechanics, and different variations of the techniques. Burrese also covers speed, accuracy, and the element of surprise. These are great DVD’s for both the beginning martial artist and the experienced martial artist. Alain Burrese obviously knows what he is talking about when it comes to joint locks. As with other Aiki Productions DVD’s, the Lock On DVD’s are top quality and well worth your time and investment. No matter what martial art you study, I believe that you will find these DVD’s will help you improve your self-defense skills. I highly recommend both of these DVD’s!  5 Stars!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Training the Samurai Mind
A Bushido Sourcebook

by Thomas Cleary

Training the Samurai Mind is a collection of teachings from samurai, Confucian teachers, and Taoist teachers from 1349-1865. I found the teachings in this book to be full of useful wisdom for those who are seeking to live the warrior lifestyle. Of course some of the teachings are more useful than others, but overall I really enjoyed this book. Thomas Cleary seems to have a knack for finding interesting writings and translating them so those of us in the West can benefit from the wisdom that we would otherwise not be privy to.

The subtitle on this book is “A Bushido Source Book” and could just as easily be called The Bushido Chronicles as it chronicles writing pertaining to the warrior lifestyle over 500 years. This book combined with the writings of Sun Tzu, Lao Ztu, and Cleary’s translation of the Code of the Samurai, will give the warrior a clear picture of what the Asian warrior was all about, as well as give the warrior a guide to how to live a life of character, honor and integrity.

I highly recommend this book to every martial artist, every military man, and everyone who may be interested in the ways of Asian wisdom. I honestly don’t see how you could read this and not get some benefit from the wisdom that it contains. Highly recommended!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Code of the Warrior

by Shannon E. French

I found The Code of the Warrior to be a good background summary of some of the origins of the warrior ideals that have been accepted and followed by true warriors over the centuries. Ms. French does a good job at summarizing several warrior cultures, giving history and vital background information which help the reader understand the origins of the different warrior characteristics. This is not a “Pollyanna” look at the traits of the warrior. This book does not simply glorify specific warrior cultures as so many others do. Instead, Ms French delves into both the positives and negatives of each of the eight different cultures that she chose to include in her book. This is done in a very straight-forward and balanced way, as you would expect from an educator.

Personally, I found this book very well written and extremely interesting. The author recommends, and I concur, that the person who has a goal of living life as a true warrior, take what is good from each of these warrior “codes” and leave what is no longer useful for the warrior of today. All of the warrior cultures from the past had both good traits and some which are less than useful for the modern warrior. This book presents both so that you can determine what to accept as part of your personal code and what you would probably be better off leaving to the cultures in question. Besides the discussions of individual warrior cultures, the author also provides the reader with a good bit of history about each of these cultures, which I also found very interesting.

The one area that I wished that the author would have included was an overall summary/combination of the traits from each of these cultures that should make up the code of the warrior for the true warrior of today. It would have been nice if she had taken the best of each of these societies and combined them into a simple summary of traits that should be part of the code of the warrior today, but instead she leaves that up to the reader to decide. This is probably best because, in the end, the code of the true warrior is something that he or she needs to decide on and be dedicated to from a deeply personal dedication. The bottom line is that I highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it and found it both thought provoking and entertaining. 5 Stars!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Achieving Kicking Excellence DVD’s

by Shawn Kovacich

I have a pretty large collection of martial arts videos and DVD’s. I have seen instructional DVD’s that range from detailed kata instruction to the “secret” techniques sold from full page ads in the martial arts magazines, and I can say without reservation, that Shawn Kovacich is one of the best instructors that I have seen in my many, many hours spent viewing martial arts training. These DVD’s are exceptional!

This three volume DVD set begins with the basics, then progress to offensive applications and defensive applications. Each volume contains two high quality DVD’s and a massive amount of useful information. Most martial arts DVD’s contain a huge amount of information, but the difference between these DVD’s and many of the others, is that Kovacich’s DVD’s contain information which is practical and useful whether it is applied in a sports setting or in the streets in a life-or-death situation.

Shawn Kovacich instructs from a real-life point of view, which I believe is very important. The majority of the techniques are performed in street clothes and footwear, which is how you will be dressed if you ever need to use this information on the streets. And not only does Kovacich teach from a practical standpoint, but he is an expert at explaining things in a very straightforward, understandable way. His examples and tips are excellent, and cover everything imaginable from types of footwear and how they affect your kicks, to clothing and the fine points of each technique.

Each kick and technique is shown both in full-speed and in slow motion which enables the viewer to completely comprehend exactly what this master instructor is trying to convey. I could go on and on about these DVD’s, but for the sake of space, I will simply state that if you want to improve your kicking knowledge and ability, there is only one DVD series that I would recommend – The Achieving Kicking Excellence Series! This is easily the most impressive and complete DVD set available as far as martial arts kicks and their applications is concerned, and I think that they are very reasonably priced. I highly recommend each of these volumes! You will not be disappointed. You may also want to check out the 10 book Achieving Kicking Excellence book series. They are a perfect companion set to these DVD’s. 5 Stars!!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

The Little Black Book of Violence

by Lawrence Kane

The Little Black Book of Violence is another complete book from Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder, two writers from whom I have come to expect no less. As with all of their books, these two martial arts authors cover their subject completely. This book should be required reading for young martial artists, as it could save them a lot of heart break and pain. This book does a great job explaining the dangers involved anytime a situation turns violent. It also delves into the mindset of the predator and how predators “size” you up as a possible victim. Great information! This is information that is useful for everyone, not just the martial artist. Other topics include weapons, the law, how to respond to different situations, and even things such as first aid…and much more.

The Little Black Book of Violence (actually it is not so little…over 300 pages) is well organized into three sections, with each section being further organized into smaller sub-sections. Each sub-section starts off with two quotes, one from Sun Tzu and the other from Musashi. If you know anything about me, you know I love quotes, so this was a bonus as far as I am concerned! Also, each section is followed by a complete summary of the section, another nice addition. The appendix has several excellent pieces which should not be overlooked as well. I especially liked the “How far am I willing to go” checklist…this was a great addition.

Overall, this book was well written, well organized, and informative. Although I could do without some of the more graphic pictures, they do drive home the point which Wilder and Kane are trying to get across to the reader. Simply put, this is another winner from Kane and Wilder, and I highly recommend it, not just for the martial artist, but for anyone who wants to be safe in a dangerous world. Impressive, complete, informative, and possibly life-saving. Read it!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

National Geographic Complete Survival Manual

by Michael S. Sweeney

Complete Survival Manual definitely covers a wide variety of survival situations and topics. I will start with the positive things about this book. First, it covers a large array of different survival terrain. It begins with two chapters on basic survival information. These first two chapters includes basic things such as building fire, edible plants, shelters, safe drinking water, etc.The first two chapter are split into:

Mind and body survival basics
Environment survival basics

Then the chapters progress into survival techniques for different terrains. The other chapters include survival techniques for:

Temperate forests
Swamps and rain forest
High mountains
Desert
Th poles and subpolar regions
Survival on the water
Home survival information
Storms and Disasters

This book also contains a very useful appendix which includes a packing check list, CPR instructions, a first aid list for injuries/illnesses, a guide to tying knots, a signal guide, a list of edible plants (with photographs, although, very small photographs), and various maps. There is also a useful index included which makes finding what you are looking for much easier. This book is also a nice size for carrying in your backpack which is s plus. On top of that, the cover is made of water-resistant material so that the book can withstand being hauled around and used in the outdoors. This is a very nice addition also. Complete Survival Manual also included an essential packing guide for each different kinds of terrain.

Now for the negatives. The information in the book is a little too general in many instances. While it covers a lot of information, it doesn’t go into a lot of detail in any one of the subjects. Also, the illustrations are very small and not high quality. Many are to the point that it is difficult to see exactly what the authors are trying to demonstrate. Being a National Geographic book, I expected the illustrations to maybe be photographs or at least of a higher quality. In all fairness, it probably has more to do with the size than the quality of the drawings though. And I do understand that this book is meant to be carried with you are the trail, so it has to be kept to a smaller size, thus the illustrations have to be smaller…but this was a bit of a drawback for me. Also, it seems very pricey at $29.95, but I am sure that has to do with the water-resistant properties of the book.

So in summary, this is a good survival book for carrying with you on the trail. This may not be the only book that you want to use to learn survival techniques, as there are other books with better illustrations, but those other books are not meant to be carried along with you. I would recommend checking out multiple books on survival, learning good survival techniques, and then have this be the book that you carry along with you for a reference guide. After all, very few of us can remember all of the information that we need to know on the trail. This is a good book and will only add to your knowledge of survival, which is never a bad thing.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Martial Virtues: Lessons in Wisdom, Courage. and Compassion from the World’s Greatest Warriors

by Charles H. Hackney

Martial Virtues is a comprehensive look into the universal character traits of the true warrior. Dr. Hackney obviously believes, as do I, that there is much more involved in being a true warrior than simply learning specific martial arts techniques. In this book, Dr. Hackney takes an academic approach to proving his beliefs that being a true warrior involves specific character traits. As you would expect from a psychology professor, Dr. Hackney delves into specific theories from both the Western world and Eastern traditions in order to come to his conclusion that there has to be universal warrior virtues which make the true warrior who he or she truly is. He discusses theories from Plato to the Enlightenment philosophers, and from the samurai and ninja masters to Alasdair MacIntyer. His research is very impressive to say the least.

Dr. Hackney approaches the subject in the manner that a scientist would approach his science experiment. He researched the different warrior cultures from both the Western world and the Eastern world and systematically listed the martial virtues from the different warrior cultures, after which he cross-referenced his findings to see exactly which virtues these cultures had in common. In the third chapter, he list these virtues by philosophy or specific culture. You will find these lists extremely interesting if you are like me and love to explore the wisdom and character traits which compose the true warrior. As those who have read my books already know, I have argued many times that someone is not a true warrior if he or she lack the necessary character traits which truly make one a superior human being. Martial Virtues proves that warrior cultures throughout the ages have shared my belief and he proves it in a systematic way with many primary sources. Dr. Hackney’s book provides example after example which shows that throughout the ages, different warrior cultures have valued virtuous behavior and have seen this as part of the makeup of the true warrior.

Dr. Hackney list these virtues by philosophy and/or warrior culture. The lists include specific virtues from:

Greco-Roman Epic Heroism
Chivalry
Fiore Dei Liberti
American Heroism
Confucianism
Buddhism
Taoism
Yu-Hsia
Shaolin
Hwarang
Bushido
Ninpo

He then combined the overlapping virtues into six sub-categories,(Qualities of Effectiveness, Courage, Justice, Temperance, Wisdom, and Benevolence) and proceeds to expand in detail, each of these throughout the book. He also covers the importance of courtesy. This book is not easy, light reading, but rather an in-dept study on the subject, with many examples and stories which emphasizes his point that character counts. Martial Virtues contains a wonderful index which is helpful in finding specific topics or in locating one of the many insightful quotes which is included in this book. Those of you who know me or who have read my books, know that this book is right up my alley. It is well written, well organized, and a great addition to any martial arts library. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is a great book and I highly recommend it to all martial artists, police officers, and military personnel. You will not be disappointed with this book if you fall into any of those categories. Dr. Hackney is definitely someone that I would love to chat with over a cup of tea some day. His knowledge of the warrior virtues and history is very comprehensive and enlightening. 5 Stars!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Death of a True Warrior

I just found out that my good friend, world class martial artist, and true warrior, Dr. Charlie Ward, passed away on Dec. 8. I called Charlie to see why I hadn’t heard from him in a while and to see how his new book was coming along, and his mother informed me that Charlie had passed away unexpectedly. Charlie was 41 years old, and during his time on this earth he accomplished much and touched the lives of many people.Charlie was a true warrior in every sense of the word. He was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the Bare-knuckle Freestyle NHB World Champion. He was also the head of the U.S. Muay Thai Association in AZ, as well as a professor in martial science at Arizona State University, where he developed the first accredited course in martial arts.

Known as the MMA Professor, he was a great martial artist, a good friend who I thought very highly of, and one of the rare human beings who lived by a true code of honor. Charlie lived the life of the warrior in every part of his life. At the time of his untimely death, he was working on a couple of writing projects which were guaranteed to be the kind of martial arts books that true martial artists would have benefited from reading.

I first met Charlie when he contacted me after reading my first book. He told me that it was one of the best martial arts books that he had ever read and over the next couple of years Charlie
and I become close friends and he loved and endorsed my books. One of his endorsements is actually printed in
Warrior Wisdom: The Warrior’s Path. In that endorsement, Charlie wrote:

“I am honored to call Dr. Sanders my friend, and I am very proud to have him as a professional colleague and fellow warrior….Dr. Sanders’ writings provide his readers with an accurate understanding and appreciation of the true Martial Spirit, and the art of “Right Living” as a warrior.”

The same could be said of Charlie’s life. He taught many people the true meaning of the martial spirit and the art of right living as a true warrior! Charlie was inducted in the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2009 and invited me to travel with him to Los Angeles for the presentation. I could not attend because of personal issues that were going on at the time; a decision that I now greatly regret.

Charlie lived life to the fullest. For Charlie, there was no “off-season” as one of his article discussed; he lived his life right up until the end. At the time of his death, he was writing his soon to be published book. He put his laptop down to take a short nap, and never woke up again in this world. The Celtic warrior died peaceably in his sleep. Please join me this week in raising a glass in the honor of Charlie Ward, the MMA Professor. His passing is a loss, not only to the world of martial arts, but to those who know the true meaning of the warrior lifestyle.Before his death, Charlie informed me that he had nominated me for the Martial Arts Hall of Fame for my literary contributions to the martial arts. I was informed three weeks after his death that I was selected to be inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in March 2011. Charlie’s picture will be framed on my wall in the same frame as my Hall of Fame certificate. Charlie, you will be missed my friend.Charlie wrote many articles over the years. You can check out links to his articles and find out more about Charlie’s life by visiting his websites. Here is the link to his My Space site:

Bohdi Sanders
Warrior Wisdom

Click on the below link to read the Nov-Dec Wisdom Warrior Newsletter

The Wisdom Warrior Newsletter Nov-Dec

Breaking News from the USA Book News:

USA BOOK NEWS ANNOUNCES the
WINNERS AND FINALISTS OF
THE “BEST BOOKS 2010” AWARDS

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Mainstream and Independent Titles Score Top Honors
in the 7th Annual “Best Books” Awards. Among the winners
is Bohdi Sanders’ book, Wisdom of the Elders, which won a
1st Place Award. This is the second book award that Bohdi
Sanders has won this year.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Sanders’ first award was for his highly acclaimed book,
Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior,
which also won a 1st Place Award from the National Indie
Excellence Book Awards.

Both of these books, as well as Sanders’ other books, are
available through Dr. Sanders’ website, TheWisdomWarrior.com
and through Amazon.com.

Click on the link below for the Sept/Oct Wisdom Warrior Newsletter

2010 Sept-Oct Wisdom Warrior Newsletter

The Nine Noble Virtues are derived from the ancient Norse teachings and the Asatru religion, which was the religious views of the Vikings. The main book that these virtues are taken from is called the Havamal, which I have written about in a previous blog many months ago. You may also enjoy going back in my archive and reading some of the quotes from this short but enlightening book. The Havamal contains a lot of wisdom and also gives insight into the culture and values of the Vikings.

The Nine Noble Virtues fit perfectly into the warrior lifestyle, as one would expect since they originated from a warrior culture. These virtues coincide with the virtues of warrior cultures throughout the world, and once again proves that true character and honor is universal. Now, let’s delve into the virtues of the Vikings…

The Nine Noble Virtues start with courage. This is very appropriate because without courage, you cannot live up to your code of honor for very long. The word “courage” comes from the Latin word “heart.” It takes courage to stand for your beliefs and live according to your own code of ethics. The Vikings were known for their courage and bravery in battle, but courage applies to more than simply being brave in battle.

Courage actually applies to every part of your life. It take courage to do what you know is right, especially when those around you disagree with your point of view. In our politically correct society, courage is more important than ever. Your personal values may be challenged on a daily basis. Standing for what you believe can take a lot of courage.

You must have enough conviction in your beliefs to stand for what you believe and live your life by your own code. This does not mean that you act in rash and tactless ways. There is a difference in being courageous and in being stupid. Have the courage to live by your own code of honor, but do so with wisdom and discretion.

You should have enough confidence in your beliefs and your actions to be truthful. Truth is simply being honest about what you believe or know to be true and right. Simply put – don’t lie. This sounds very straightforward, but lying has become so commonplace that it is almost expected in today’s world. It shouldn’t be this way for the true warrior.

Lying, in most cases, is an act of cowardice. Live according to what you believe in your heart to be right and you will have no reason to lie about your actions. If you do not think an action is right – don’t do it. If something is not true – don’t say it. Whenever I write or teach this concept, I inevitably have people argue that no one truly knows the truth, or that the truth depends on someone’s point of view.

While it is true that different people see things differently, and thus perceive the truth in different ways, that should not affect you. You live by your truth as best you can. Respect other people’s right to believe what they want, but you live according to the truth as you perceive it in your life. The main thing to consider where truth is concerned, is to always be truthful with yourself. Do not deceive yourself anymore than you would deceive someone else.

The true warrior must make truth a part of his or her life, but as with courage, it is important to remember that you must do so in the right way. There is a right way and wrong way to do everything. Sometimes lying is the right thing to do. The Vikings permitted lying if you were being lied to. The true warrior understands that honor is not black and white. Every action must be evaluated by whether or not it is right and it originates from pure intentions.

Without honor, there can be no true warrior, or true human being as far as that goes. As I just said, honor is not a black and white character trait. It is hard to define. One could define honor as your internal integrity or dignity. Many people wrongfully think that their honor simply has to do with their reputation, but that is not true. It is the warrior who determines his or her honor; your reputation is determined by other people’s thoughts, for the most part.

You determine your own honor, or lack of honor, by staying true to your own beliefs and living according to your own code of honor. Your personal honor is determined internally by your own commitment to live up to your predetermined ethics. It is your intentions and your actions which determine your honor, not what someone else thinks. The true warrior, who lives by a code of honor, will have very few regrets in life because he will know that he has done the best that he can to live a life of honor with truth and purity of intention.

The word fidelity simply means being faithful. There are many things that you can be faithful to, not all of them of honorable. Fidelity as used in the Nine Noble Virtues refers to being faithful or loyal to God, to yourself and your beliefs, to your family, and to your friends. The warrior will defend his family and friends no matter what the cost, because of his dedication to this virtue.

Being loyal and faithful to those that the warrior loves is non-negotiable. The Vikings knew this. If someone murdered a Viking’s family, he or she would have an obligation to seek vengeance and puts things right. This is not the same thing as seeking revenge. There is a difference in revenge and in fulfilling an obligation to your loved ones.

Only those with honor can be true friends because it takes loyalty, faithfulness and honor to be a true friend. All others are mere acquaintances. The true warrior is also a true friend once that bond has been entered into. He will take his fidelity to his friends and family seriously, as he does his spiritual relationship with his God.

Discipline, as referred to in the Nine Noble Virtues, mostly means self-discipline. These virtues or qualities are not perfected overnight. It takes discipline to live according to your own personal code of ethics. The true warrior lives according to his own code, rather than according to what corrupt politicians or cultural standards dictate. This means that he must exercise a great deal of self-discipline.

If the warrior is going to live by his own standards, he must be willing to control his own actions. Many things that are legal go against the warrior’s own code of honor, and many things that governments declare illegal may be permitted by the warrior’s personal standards. In order for the warrior to stay true to his own principles and virtues, he must develop self-discipline.

Hospitality is definitely a warrior trait. The warrior is expected to treat others with respect and dignity. You must see other people as people who deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy. The Vikings believed that sometimes the gods would visit people in human form and that in being disrespectful to strangers they could also be disrespecting the gods. The Bible also states a similar belief, stating that many people have entertained angels unknowingly when they have entertained strangers.

Whether or not angels or gods visit people in the form of strangers is irrelevant. What matters is that you treat everyone with respect and courtesy. The warrior does this because it is a part of his own code of ethics. You should treat others with hospitality not because they deserve it, but because that is how you behave towards other people. It has to do with your own principles; what others deserve has nothing to do with it.

Industriousness simply means the willingness to work hard at whatever you do. If something is worth doing, do it well. Do it with pride and do it to the best of your ability. The Vikings looked down on those who were lazy and felt that their gods looked down on those who were lazy also. The warrior has to work hard and smart to take care of his family.

This doesn’t just apply to your vocation, but to everything you do – your entire way of life. The true warrior is a person of excellence. He or she will do everything with care and detail. Mediocre acts are not acceptable. Warriors set high expectations for themselves in everything that they do, and they refuse to lower their standards in their work or their personal beliefs.

Warriors are by nature independent beings. This doesn’t mean that the warrior doesn’t like other people or enjoy being around other people, but rather that he strives to ensure that he doesn’t have to depend on others for his survival. The warrior is responsible for taking care of himself and his family; this is his first and foremost duty in life. He is never comfortable if his family’s welfare depends on something outside of his own control.

Being dependent on someone else for your own needs puts you in a dangerous position. Such a position can make it very hard on the warrior as he may be put into a position to choose between his standards and principles or his job. For this reason, it is best to strive to be as independent of outside influences as possible. This is hard to do in today’s world. Being frugal and financially stable is an important part of being self-reliant. Do your best not to have to depend on other people for your welfare.

Without perseverance you will not be successful in applying the Nine Noble Virtues in your life. No one is perfect and you will make mistakes. In order to live the warrior lifestyle, you cannot simply give up and quit when you fall short of your mark. You must persevere. You must not give up.

The warrior’s code of honor is too important for him to give up or give in when the going gets tough. The warrior lifestyle is a lifelong way of living. Being a true warrior is not something you try; it is something you are. It is a way of living, a way of being. You don’t try to be a warrior – you either are a warrior or you are not a warrior. You either have honor and integrity or you don’t. For the true warrior, falling short doesn’t not mean failing, it means learning and being determined to do better next time. Perseverance is essential to live the warrior lifestyle.

These were the ideals that the Vikings lived by and the principles that they taught their children. The Nine Noble Virtues are still wonderful ideals to teach children today. If you will integrate these virtues into your everyday life, you will find that you are living a much more noble life. Think about these traits and develop your own standards or code of honor. Live with honor!

Pick You Battles

If a battle cannot be won, do not fight it.
Sun Tzu

You have to pick your battles wisely. Not every conflict is worth turning
into a major battle. There are certain battles which simply cannot be won no
matter how much effort you put into them or what strategies you use. They
are simply losing causes and fighting such battles does little to help you
accomplish your ultimate objectives. The wise man will not let his pride get
in the way of obtaining his goals, and fighting a battle which cannot be won
is a prime example of allowing your pride to cloud your thinking.

What lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.
Aristotle

It is important to keep in mind that retreating from an individual battle
does not mean that you are surrendering or declaring defeat in the war. A
battle is no more than that – one battle. To continue with the battlefield/war
analogy, a battle is simply one skirmish; your ultimate objective is to win the
war. Many a pawn has to be sacrificed in a chess match in order to capture
your opponent’s king, which is ultimately all that matters in the overall scheme
of things.

Always keep your ultimate objective in mind. Don’t let your pride or anger
interfere with your overall victory. I know that this is easier said than done at
times, but it is a very important part of the game, and one that takes some
self-discipline and practice to perfect. Have an overall plan for victory. Be
willing to sacrifice a battle here and there in order to win the war in the end,
and don’t expend energy fighting a battle which cannot be won at any cost.
Be rational and deliberate.

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.
Montaigne

Many people feel the need to fight a losing battle just to prove to themselves or
others that they are committed to their cause. This is not someone who is
ultimately concerned with their final objective, but rather someone who is
concerned with impressing those around them. This kind of action has more to
do with pride than it does with strategy or common sense. Don’t get wrapped up
in what other people think about your actions. Stay focused on your ultimate
objective.

The secret of success is before attempting anything, be very clear about why you
are doing it.
Guan Yin Tzu

There is wisdom behind Sun Tzu’s teaching. Fighting a battle that cannot be won
is simply wasting your time, energy and resources. It is not the act of staying
busy that makes you successful; it is what you are busy doing that matters in the
end. Don’t do something merely for the sake of doing something. Have a purpose
and strategy behind everything that you do. Sometimes it is wiser to do nothing,
at least what looks like nothing to the outside world, than it is to do something
just because you think you need to be active.

The act of waiting for the ideal moment or simply patiently mulling over the
situation, is not the same thing as doing nothing. What may seem like doing
nothing to other people, may actually be good strategy on your part. Do not
act because of your concern about what other people may think; their thoughts
should not influence your actions. Take time to meditate on each situation and
you will know what you have to do.

You must carefully consider the merits of any action.
Takuan Soho

Don’t fight losing battles. Move with wisdom, not emotion. Let strategy guide
your actions, not pride or anger. Always focus on your ultimate goal. Pick your
battles wisely and strategically in order to accomplish your end goal. It is not
the battle that counts, but rather winning the war. Always think rationally. If
you will do this, you will not fight the battles that you cannot win; instead you
will carefully select your battles to accomplish your ultimate goal.

In whatever position you find yourself, determine first your objective.
Marshall Ferdinand Foch

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no familyor friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the Kentucky back country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played Amazing Grace, the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

Apparently I’m still lost… it’s a man thing. (author unknown)

Yeah, it’s a funny story, but as with most things, you can find a deeper meaning in it if you look closer. You never know what will touch someone’s heart if your intentions are honest and honorable. Acting with integrity and determination to do the right thing will many times touch someone’s heart, even in the strangest situations.

The musician’s actions probably caused these workers to do some soul searching and some deep introspection. Whereas, if the musician would have walked up, asked about the burial, found out that he was in the wrong place, and cursed and whined about having to play for a homeless man’s funeral, these workers would have gone home with a totally different mindset.

You never know how your actions will affect someone else. You never know when the smallest act of kindness or honor will set into motion a series of thoughts or events that will eventually change someone’s life for the better. When you consider this, you should realize how important it is for you to live with honor, and include the warrior traits of benevolence, respect, and empathy in your life. Do what’s in your heart, with sincerity of intention, and expect God to take care of the ripples.

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Do You Miss What You Never Knew?

Do you miss what you never knew? This may sound like a strange question. After all, how can anyone miss something that they have never known or never experienced? At first this seems impossible because if you have no firsthand knowledge or experience with something, you can’t miss that thing, right? This does make sense. It is only rational that a person cannot miss something which he or she has never experienced, but sometimes people are not rational.

Many people in fact do miss what they never knew, and they do this on a daily basis. Not only is this irrational, but living life in this way, carries with it many unpleasant consequences. How does someone miss what he or she never knew? The answer is simple. When someone is not satisfied with what is, and is constantly dreaming or wishing for other things, things which he may have no experience of, but which are constantly preying on his mind, then he finds himself missing what he has never known.

Allowing your thoughts to dwell on all the nice things which you don’t have, but wish you did have, brings you to this point. For example, you may have an average car which runs fine, but is not flashy or modern. If, instead of being thankful for the car you have, you allow your mind to constantly dwell on the fact that you wish you had a Porsche, you will find that you are unhappy with your car and that you feel unsatisfied with your average run-of-the-mill car. In effect, you find that you are missing that Porsche, even though you may have never before even sat behind the steering wheel of a Porsche.

This kind of thinking leads to discontentment. You will find that you are constantly unsatisfied with your present state, and wishing that your life was different. This is not productive thinking. To be content, you must accept things as they are. Accepting things as they are does not mean that you don’t want to improve your life. It does not mean that you have no goals or that you are not motivated to strive for the things that you want out of life. It simply means that your happiness is not dependent on external things. The content man is happy whether he is driving an old truck or an expensive sports car.

The happiness of your life depends
on the quality of your thoughts;
therefore, guard accordingly.
Marcus Aurelius

Happiness doesn’t depend upon
who you are or what you have;
it depends solely upon what you think.
Dale Carnegie

Being content does not mean that you don’t strive to be better. It merely means that you are content with what is, right now in this present moment. Contentment does not mean that you settle for less than the best that you can be or for less than you want out of life. You should always seek to improve yourself. Being content does not mean that you rest on your laurels, feeling that your life is perfect as is. It means that you accept things as they are now, in this moment, but at the same time, you are working to make the next moment, day, month, or year, even better. Being content does not mean that you don’t strive to be better; you should always be working to perfect your character. Always move forward, but at the same time do not let what you don’t have spoil your enjoyment of what you do have.

Every person on this planet is in danger of missing what they never knew if they do not learn to control their mind and learn to be content with what is, in the present moment. This irrational thinking does not plague only the poor man who has very little as far as material things go; it also plagues the rich. This is because happiness is not dependent on material things. Happiness comes from the inside. While it is perfectly normal for people to desire nice things, it is counterproductive to allow these desires to constantly plague your mind; doing so will lead to nothing but unhappiness and inability to enjoy life.

The essence of philosophy is that a man
should so live that his happiness shall depend
as little as possible on external things.
Epictetus

Life is much too short to not enjoy each and every day. You can’t afford to waste days, months, or years of your life wishing for things to be different. Enjoy what is, right now, this very moment. Live every day. Find joy in the simple things, while at the same time working to improve your life in the future. This is a concept that all of the sages throughout the ages have taught. You must find contentment within yourself. Don’t allow your happiness to be dependent on anything outside of yourself – not material things, and not other people.

To live happily is an inward power of the soul.
Marcus Aurelius

A happy life consists in tranquility of mind.
Cicero

Happiness depends on ourselves.
Aristotle

There is only one thing that you have total control over, and that is your mind and your actions. You do not control what other people do or say, but you do have control over how you respond to other peoples’ actions or words. You do not have total control over your circumstances, but you do have total control over your responses to your circumstances. Contentment resides in the mind, therefore it is something that you have control over. It is up to you to decide whether or not you will live a life of contentment or whether you will live a life of discontent where you continually miss the things that you never knew.

Don’t postpone living until sometime later, when everything is perfect – LIVE NOW. Things may never be perfect, but that will only affect your contentment if you allow it to. You have to learn to live above the petty annoyances that everyone has to live with in this life. Learn to accept life as it is and enjoy it no matter what comes. It is perfectly fine to want more out of life as long as you are enjoying each step of your journey. Where people go wrong is when their desire for a better life prevents them from enjoying their present life. Don’t miss what you never knew; enjoy what you presently have and work towards what you ultimately want.

The short bloom of our brief and narrow life flies fast away.
While we are calling for flowers and wine and women,
old age is upon us.
Juvenal

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Click on the link below to read the 2010 July-Aug Newsletter. It is good stuff!

2010 July-Aug The Wisdom Warrior Newsletter

Be sure to sign up for your FREE copy of upcoming newsletters… It’s easy and it’s FREE!

Bohdi

The WISDOM WARRIOR NEWSLETTER

The first edition of the new Wisdom Warrior Newsletter will be going out this week!

This has been a long time in coming, but I think that my readers will enjoy it very much. This edition will feature articles by Dr. Charlie Ward and author Cherokee Parks, as well as a couple of articles from Bohdi Sanders, and lots of wisdom for your journey.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, now is the time. You can subscribe on the main page of the Wisdom Warrior website…and it’s FREE!! Don’t miss this chance to read the very first edition of The Wisdom Warrior Newsletter – it’s going to be good!!

Live with Honor!

Are you a good person? When you get right down to it, this is the most important question in life. If you are not a good person, it does not matter how many degrees you have, it does not matter how great your martial arts skills are, it does not matter how much money you make. In the end, the bottom line is, are you a good person.

What is a good person? A good person is someone who helps others, who goes out of his way to do nice things for others, who shares both his life and resources with those around him. A good person tries his best to protect those who he can protect. He tries to be positive and encourage others who are having a hard time. Without helping others, it really is impossible to be a completely good person.

You may argue that a monk who isolates himself in the wilderness is a really good person. He doesn’t wrong others, focuses on strengthening his spirit, prays, and in general, does harm to none. But is this really being a good person? Sure the isolated monk is not harming anyone, is focused on improving himself spiritually, and is devoted to developing a relationship with the Creator, but is this enough to be considered a really good person? If you look at the monk’s action from another point of view, he could be considered very selfish and narcissistic.

None of the sages, prophets, or great teachers live a life of isolation. Oh, they may have spent periods of time in isolation, as should we all, but their main focus was on helping and enlightening others, not simply improving themselves. This is an important consideration for the true warrior. While it is true that the true warrior is focused on self-improvement and making his life a life of excellence, it should not be focused on merely selfish ends.

If the warrior is not truly a good person inside, he is merely another narcissistic, ego driven person who is doing all that he is doing simply to make himself feel better about who he is. Without service to others, he is not a true warrior. Being a good person is truly the cornerstone of being a true warrior. If you aren’t a good person, nothing else really matters when you get right down to it; you are simply another self-centered person who has martial arts as a hobby instead of knitting or woodworking.

Don’t get so caught up in your work, your training, your meditation, or anything else, that you neglect to do what you can to make other people’s lives better. You may think that you can’t really do anything to help others because you are barely scraping by yourself. After all, how can you help anyone else if you can’t even help yourself? While it is true that you can’t share what you don’t have, it is also true that we all have enough to make someone else’s life a little better.

It cost nothing to give someone a compliment or give someone a warm smile. It cost nothing to help an elderly lady with her bags. It cost nothing to listen to someone who needs someone to vent to or a shoulder to cry on. I go for early morning walks, and one of my neighbors is in her 90′s. During my walk, I take just a few seconds to take her newspaper from the street and put it at her doorstep. Mind you, this is a small act, but it does enable her to get her newspaper without having to walk down 5-6 steps and out to the street. She has no idea of who is doing this, and that doesn’t matter. It is just a simple thing that is nice to do.

You may think that this is really not “helping” her or that it is just me trying to make myself feel good, and that there is really no good coming from this act, but you never know. This simple act may prevent her from falling one morning. The smallest acts of kindness can have ripples that you could never imagine. You simply don’t know what all of the consequences of your actions may be, both the bad actions and the good actions. Don’t be concerned with the consequences or getting recognition; just do your best to help make others’ lives better as you go through your day.

There may in fact be no consequences to the example that I gave you about my neighbor’s newspapers besides making it easier for her to get her morning paper, but that is enough. But then again, who knows; the law of karma is always at work. Maybe when I am an old man, my daily newspapers may mysteriously appear at my front door step instead of under my car, in the middle of my flowers, or out in the street (the usual places for me to pick up my papers). The bottom line is, you should do acts such as this simply because it is the nice thing to do.

A warrior who only thinks of himself is not a true warrior, I don’t care how skilled he may be in the martial arts. Being a truly good person is the basis for being a true warrior. I will not let another day go by that I don’t do something nice for as many people as I can. Life is too short and too hard; do what you can to make the lives of those who cross your path just a little better, even if all you can do is give them a smile and treat them with respect.

Are you a good person?

What have you done for someone else today?

Joe Bad Ass:
The Psychology of Intimidation

The psychology of intimidation can be a tricky thing. I have friends who are ex-lawmen or long-time martial artists who have asked me about the fact that people they meet seem to be intimidated by them, and I have experienced the same thing when I meet someone new or at the beginning of school when I have all new students who do not know me. Students seem to think that I am a mean, no-nonsense kind of guy, even before I open my mouth for the first time. What is it about certain people that intimidates others?

One of my favorite authors, Forrest Morgan addresses this in his book, Living the Martial Way. Morgan states, and I paraphrase, that after a certain amount of time training in the martial way, warriors develop a certain energy that other people can sense. This energy, you can call it chi or ki or whatever you like, emits a certain feeling that other people can sense. They really do not know exactly what it is that they are feeling or sensing, but they just get the feeling that you are someone that should not be crossed.

The warrior is not consciously trying to intimidate those around him at all. In fact, it can be quite frustrating to give off this energy which seems to intimidate those around you instead of endearing them to you, as those of you who have experienced this can attest to. Mind you, this unseen energy is very useful when dealing with some thug or predator, but most of us prefer not to be seen as intimidating to our everyday acquaintances or the people whom we meet at our friends’ parties.

This unseen energy develops naturally as you continue to hone your skills in martial arts or self-defense. Some sense it as a strong self-confidence and other can sense it as simply someone who is standoffish or dangerous, but I can assure you that people can sense something different about true warriors. Many of you reading this know exactly what I am talking about – there is just something different about the warrior and people can sense it.

Although the true warrior appears to be intimidating to many people, it is truly not his intention (unless he is controlling and directing this energy intentionally in a dangerous situation). Predators and ruffians, on the other hand, intentionally use intimidation as a tool to achieve their dishonorable goals. The tools that they use to breed fear and intimidation can range from how they dress and look, to how they speak and present themselves. For example, take a look at the following group of photographs…

Imagine that you are walking down a dark street on your way home from having a couple of drinks with your co-workers. Which of these guys would you find the most intimidating? Which would you find not intimidating at all? Why? As you have probably already figured out, all of these photographs are of the same person, David Beckham, but even knowing this fact, some of these shots appear much more intimidating than others. Why is that? What makes him appear much tougher or more dangerous at one time than he does at some other time?

Is it the scowl on his face in some pictures? What about the tattoos or the hair style? Maybe it is the clothes he is wearing. Is someone more dangerous or deadly because he is unshaven and wearing jeans and a torn tee-shirt, than he is if he is wearing a polo shirt or a suit and tie? Under all of his different hair styles, tattoos, scowls, and poses, he is the same man. None of the external appearances make him any tougher or more dangerous. So why do we find different appearances to be so intimidating?

This is something that every true warrior needs to think about. You cannot allow your mind to dwell on the external appearance of your enemy (by enemy, I mean anyone who is a danger to you or your loved ones). Intimidation has to do with your mind, not the other person. Whether or not someone intimidates you is totally up to you. You have to realize that all of those external appearances mean very little. If things degenerate into a physical confrontation, you will not be fighting his weird hair, the ink spots on his body, or his raggedy looking clothes; you will be fighting a human being (I use the term loosely in this case).

Your path may cross with some tough
looking thug covered from head to toe with tattoos, with long, greasy
hair, and the meanest face you have ever seen, but does any of this make
this guy tougher or more of a threat than the clean cut guy you see at
the movie theater? All humans have pretty much the same anatomy – the same joints, ligaments, tendons, etc. No matter how scary some thug may look, his joints and bones can be attacked and destroyed just like the average Joe in the corner office, and just like your own.

Speech and threats are other forms of intimidation. It can be very intimidating when someone is yelling in your face or making overt threats to your well-being. This can make anyone uncomfortable, but remember, just as the tattoos, mean looking face, and rough exterior are not a sign of physical strength, neither is loud, boisterous speech. Many times yelling and threatening signify someone who is not capable of following through with his threats, but is merely trying to bluff and intimidate you into getting his way. It is the silent predator, who acts with no warning that is the most dangerous.

Do not allow someone to intimidate you by the way he looks or the way he talks. The intimidation factor is merely another weapon in his arsenal; it is his crude form of mental warfare. Protecting yourself from being intimidated in high-stress situations involves training for such a situation in advance. This is one of the purposes of realistic scenario training. Being confident in the face of an imposing, intimidating threat is something that you have to develop. It does not come naturally for most people.

If you lose the battle in your mind, your body will also fall to defeat. You have to develop your mind as well as your body. Self-defense involves much, much more than learning physical fighting techniques. Allowing fear and intimidation to cloud your mind puts you at a severe disadvantage. This fact has been well-known for centuries, thus the reason that even ancient war strategies included intimidation techniques. There can be no holes in your self-defense. This means that you have to keep your best weapon, your mind, prepared to defend against the intimidation factor.

As you may or may not know, the comedians Penn and Teller have a series on Showtime entitled Bullshit. This series supposedly debunks myths or falsehoods on different subjects by exposing them as bullshit, thus the name of their program. On June 24 the duo’s program covered martial arts with their main premise being that martial arts dojos are a rip off and a waste of time and money. Of course, being comedians, this show mainly consisted of little more than these two finding a handful of quacks to make fun of and thus show how all martial arts are a joke.

They had a lady on the show, who appeared to being a few cards short of a complete deck, showing her “version” of chi gong, a practice of working with the body’s energy. This practice is not only real, but has been scientifically proven…but on this show, they did not bother to find someone legitimate to demonstrate or talk about this art; instead they found a complete nut-case and made the art look like activity hour at the mental institution. It was funny for sure, but it had nothing to do with chi gong.

The foul-mouthed Penn continues his evaluation of the martial arts by critiquing a martial arts dojo in Florida where the instruction apparently did not understand what this show was all about or that he was being made the butt of the comedians’ jokes. They also looked at a more “realistic” martial arts dojo which was focused on real-life techniques which are more straight fighting than art or sport based…they made this guy look like a complete psycho, especially when he stated that if one of his students killed someone, he would be proud of them.

The comedians also pointed out that maybe it would be cheaper to just give criminals your wallet or buy a pistol than to spend your time and money on martial arts classes. Well, I guess it would also be cheaper just to cut a stick off of the oak tree in the back yard and carry it around with you too, but maybe a better way to save money would be not to pay for Showtime. Not only would this save you some money, but I don’t think you would miss much either, at least not during the Penn and Teller time slot.

This ridiculously, skewed presentation of the martial arts, complete with loads of un-needed foul language and topless dancing girls should be a red flag to anyone who is looking for serious information on the martial arts, martial arts rip-offs, real training, etc. Of course the show was entertaining, which is all Penn and Teller care about, remember these two only want viewers so they can keep the money rolling in, they aren’t concerned about the accuracy of their show any more than any other comedian.

The only part of the show that was not
part of the duo’s joke was the interview clips with Marc MacYoung, who
incidentally wrote the forward to my first book, Warrior Wisdom. Marc
added some common sense comments to the show, but his comments seemed to
support the comedians’ premise that martial arts classes are a rip off.
You may wonder how this could be. Well, the answer is that many
martial arts classes are a rip off – its as simple as that. Marc also has a good blog that discusses this. You may like to check it out also on his My Space page.

There are incompetent, dishonest people in the field of martial arts,
just as their are incompetent, dishonest people in any other field that
you can name. Anytime money is involved, you will find a huge number of
people who are ready, willing and able to cheat or con people out of
their hard earned money. I discuss this throughout my Warrior Wisdom
books. The vast majority of dojos scattered throughout this country are
mainly concerned with one thing – making money.

The truth is that it is very hard to find a dojo that will actually prepare you to defend yourself on the street. Most are concerned with sport martial arts, winning tournaments, practicing katas, etc., none of which prepare you for defending your life on the street, should you ever have to do so. Most of the instructors in these schools have never been in a real fight or if they have, it has been so long ago that they barely remember it.

To truly be prepared to defend yourself on the street, you need to find a dojo that can train you in real-life, scenario-based self-defense, de-escalation techniques, modern weapons (not many people walk around carrying kamas, tonfas, or nunchuks), awareness, and realistic techniques that can end a fight in seconds. There is a big difference in sport martial arts and true martial arts.

There are many reasons that people enroll in a martial arts school, and not all of them have to do with self-defense. Many people are simply looking for fun, a different way to get their exercise, or merely to check off another goal on their “bucket list.” Choosing a martial arts school depends on what you are looking for, but if you are looking to prepare yourself to be able to meet an unexpected assault on the street, you need to choose carefully.

The premise presented on this show that martial arts are a worthless con is completely false. If this were true, the military, police force, and special forces would not waste time training their personnel in martial arts. What is true is that not all martial arts training is equal. As with everything else in life, it is up to you to do your homework. Don’t be naive enough to think that going to a martial arts class twice a week and practice a few punches, kicks, and katas is going to prepare you for a ruthless street-fighter – it won’t.

This should have been the premise of this show, instead these guys dropped the ball, but hey, this is not a serious television show, so we shouldn’t expect anything different from these two. After all, it is much more entertaining for the average viewer to see a little comedy, some topless girls, and some unsuspecting people being made the butt of a joke, and a bunch of half-truths, than to see the real truth, but comedians/magicians never present their audience with the whole truth – that would spoil the show.

Here’s the link to the show if you care to see it for yourself. You may have to cut and paste this link for it to work. Beware that this show is not kid friendly.

Adapt or Die

The wise man adapts himself to the circumstances.
Confucius

The warrior lives by a certain set of
standards, a code of honor if you will. There are certain things that he will
not do because those things go against his beliefs and the standards which he
has set for himself. Many of his principles are not open to compromise; they
are set in stone and he refuses to bend where they are concerned, but this does
not mean that he is inflexible. Although the warrior is not willing to bend
where his principles are concerned, he must be flexible in his strategy.

First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do.
Epictetus

Warriors have to be able to adapt to the
changing circumstances. The willow bends and adapts during the storm and is not
broken, where the mighty oak does not bend and will break during the storm. The
warrior must be able to change tactics as the
situation changes. He will adapt his methods to that which the present circumstance requires. Not to do so would be foolish and costly.

This is not to say that the warrior should
lower his standards or set aside his ethics as he sees fit.
There is a difference in changing your strategy to fit the circumstances and in
changing your ethics to suit the situation. This is where
time spent meditating on your code of ethics and honor comes into play. You
must be clear about what you believe and why you hold those beliefs. Change
your methods to accomplish your goal; don’t compromise your ethics to serve
your methods. This may seem like a subtle distinction,
but it is an important one, especially for the warrior.

The secret of success is before attempting anything,
be very clear about why you are doing it.
Guan Yin Tzu

In today’s society, our culture is changing rapidly. This means that the warrior will have to adapt his strategies and methods to be successful in today’s political climate. While being straight forward is to be commended, you do have to carefully consider both your actions and your words, especially in a politically correct, litigation crazy culture. Trying to handle situations the same way as warriors might have even 50 years ago can get you into big trouble.

For example, 50 years ago, if some jerk was using file language or being crude and obnoxious at a public gathering, in front of ladies, chances are there would be a man there who would shut his mouth for him, and not in a peaceful way. On top of that, those around him who have most likely been appreciative of his actions, and if by chance law enforcement was called, they would have probably hauled the obnoxious jerk off to jail instead of the guy who punched this bum in the mouth. Times have changed…

Today, if the same thing happened, it is pretty much considered commonplace. Everyone would basically go about their own business and the jerk would not be called out concerning his behavior. And, if by chance someone did address his behavior and punched him in the mouth, guess who will end up going to the jail house? Not the file-mouthed jerk, oh no, he was innocently assaulted by some macho brute. This is just one example, but you get the point.

Do that which will not afflict you afterward,
nor oblige you to repent.
Pythagoras

The warrior has to adapt and change his strategies for handling situations like the one described above. Not to do so is simply unwise. This doesn’t mean that you have to allow things such as I described above go unaddressed; it simply mean that you have to be smart and determine a better (more acceptable) way of addressing inappropriate behavior.

Emerson stated, “If one method fails, try another, and suit your methods to the characters you have to deal with.” Today’s warrior has to deal with a totally different breed of characters. It is to your advantage to adapt your methods and strategies to fit the culture and the people that you have to deal with in today’s society. Adhere to the virtues of old, but make sure that you adapt your actions to the times. Change your strategies and methods – not your standards or your ethics.

Each is responsible for his own actions.
H. L. Hunt

(Edited from Warrior Wisdom: The Warrior’s Path)

Bohdi

Warrior Wisdom

We live in a politically correct environment, like it or not, that’s simply the way that it is in our current society. Be this as it may, the fact that we are living in less than ideal times, is no excuse for compromising your warrior ideals. The ideals of the warrior lifestyle should be a part of who you are, not things that you use or set aside as you please or when you find them personally convenient. Living according to your ideals or code of ethics, while definitely important, is not the only concern of the warrior, especially warriors who have family members who depend on him.

It is one thing to make a bold stand against wrong when you are the only person who has to deal with the consequences; but the terrain gets a bit trickier when the consequences of your actions affect your loved ones. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that this is a justification for not living up to your code of honor. What I am suggesting is there is more than one way to take care of business, as is evidenced in the following example.

I will use a comparative example of the way the Samurai achieved their goals versus the way the Ninja accomplished their objectives. Both of these cultures successfully met their objectives, but used completely different means to do so. The Samurai addressed wrongs openly, no matter what the consequences may have been. They considered it a dishonorable act to work in stealth instead of righting a wrong immediately, face-to-face, with all cards on the table.

The Ninja, on the other hand, believed that it was better to achieve their goals through stealth, with as little problems as possible. To the Ninja, working in stealth and manipulating outcomes from the shadows was not only a smart strategy, but one which both accomplished their objectives and kept their family safe. In fact, there are many records of Samurai employing the Ninja to accomplish their goals in this way because the Samurai’s code of honor would not permit him to work from a position of stealth without “losing his honor,” even if the stealth option was the best way to proceed.

This brings me back to today’s politically correct climate. The true warrior today still must adhere to his code of honor; this should be a given. What today’s warrior must decide is how he will maintain his honor, constantly do what’s right, and address the many wrongs that he or she is forced to deal with in daily life. There is the Samurai way, which is up front, abrasive and “in your face,” and there is the Ninja way, which is more subtle and thought out. When the warrior is a “lone-wolf” (single) the decision is purely one which he or she makes depending on the situation and one’s willingness to deal with the consequences.

For example, your boss may be a complete snake who is involved in dirty deals and who misuses his staff. If he approaches you to do something that is dishonorable and goes against your code of ethics, the warrior has two options (going along with his request is not an option for the true warrior.) One option is going ballistic on him and letting him know how you feel about him and telling him where he can shove his job. The other option would be to explain to him that you do not feel comfortable with what he has asked of you and working behind the scenes to have this man replaced by someone more deserving.

These two actions have will most likely have very different consequences for the warrior, but both serve to keep your honor intact. In both cases the warrior has refused to lower his or her standards and has addressed the issue. One results in the warrior giving up his income, moving on, and the boss continuing to do as he has always done, with one less obstacle. The other, results in the warrior continuing to provide for his or her family, while at the same time working to set things right.

Some may see the second option as the coward’s way out, but that point of view is not accurate. The warrior has not compromised his honor, and he has not acted selfishly by considering only what he feels like doing at the time instead of what is wise and best for his family. The first option may be a viable option if the warrior is single and has no one else who depends on him, but things change a bit when one has a family to consider. The warrior’s first and foremost duty is to his family, and when considering how to respond to different problems, he must take into consideration how his decisions will affect his family.

Now, there may be times when honor requires that the warrior make a move that will temporarily put his family in a position where their lifestyle is not as cushy as it has been. Sometimes one’s code of honor will require sacrifices, but to do so when things could be handled just as well without putting ones family out, is simply acting out of selfishness. Sure we would all like to put our boss in his place and tell him what he can do with his job, when he is out of line, but that temporary feeling of power and satisfaction is a selfish act if it affects someone other than the individual warrior.

In today’s politically correct climate, you should always think before you speak or act. Freedom of speech is nonexistent. If you don’t believe me, try making some openly offensive remarks concerning religion, sexual orientation, or similar subjects in your workplace and see what happens. If we actually had freedom of speech, there would be no consequences (with the exception of someone maybe shutting your mouth for you). Today’s climate creates a slippery slope for the warrior; you have to watch what you say(you should always do this anyway, but today it is vital to your well-being).

It is dangerous to swim against the current when you are caught in a rip tide. It is also dangerous to swim with the current; doing so would take you out to sea. Either way, there is a good chance that you will end up drowning. The wise man will swim parallel to the current until he reaches a safe position. Just as it is dangerous to swim against the current or with the current, it is dangerous to the warrior to openly go against the current of political correctness or with the current of political correctness. Swim parallel until you are out of the current and can safely return home.

This does not mean that you condone what is happening or that you are afraid to address the idiocy of political correctness; it means that you are wise enough to know that there is a right place and a right way to attack your enemy. Every action of the warrior must be calculated and thought out. Strategies should be carefully considered with rational thought, not made rashly from an overly emotional mind. Your emotions have a way of setting you up for a fall.

This takes self-discipline, especially for the warrior who would love nothing better than to go against the ridiculous flow of things and set everything right, but strong rip tides can drown even the strongest swimmers. Use your mind and respond from a place of rational thought instead of allowing your emotions to take the lead. Consider the consequences, maintain your standards, think rationally, and then respond as the sage warrior. Rash actions rarely benefit you, whereas rational thought and listening to your spirit will always give you the best options.

Misguided Youth -
Warrior Vision Quest

Native American warriors were responsible for the protection of their people and also had the responsibility for providing the basic material needs of their people such as food. There were no grocery stores for them to go to when the pantry was bare, nor any refrigerator or freezer to preserve meat over long periods of time; this was an ongoing responsibility and one which fell directly on the shoulders of the warrior. If the warrior did not or could not provide these needs, his family did without or depended on the charity of others. This lifestyle was one which defines self-sufficiency and was an awesome responsibility.

Native American youths had to learn the skills to provide for their wives and children; they could not afford to grow up as the vast majority of our young men do today – aimless, self-centered, selfish, and immature. Native Americans knew this. They knew that their youth were their future. There were no government supplying guaranteed health care. There were no insurance policies for their old age; their sons and daughters were their insurance and were expected to provide for them as they reached the point where their bodies could no longer meet the demands of this self-sufficient lifestyle. Educating their children as to their filial duties and to respect their elders was a major part of the Native American life-cycle.

The Native American tribal leaders understood something that people today neither understand or seem to care about. I am referring to the important role of a meaningful rite of passage into adulthood – the vision quest. In today’s society, most teenagers seem to connect the transition from youth to adulthood as a certain chronological age or the time when they are simply able to drink legally. Now there’s a great rite of passage, “I’m now an adult…Let’s celebrate and get totally wasted!” What a wonderful way to step into the role of adulthood. It is not the youth’s character or accomplishments which determine whether or not they have become an adult, but rather our all-knowing government’s determination that the youth has turned 18 and is now anointed “an adult” or now he is 21 and can legally drink his life away.

To the Native Americans, becoming “an adult” had more to do with an individual’s character and accomplishments than with his chronological age. The focus was on the internal character of the person; the vision quest had more to do with spiritual strength and proving oneself worthy of respect and admiration, than the mere fact that one’s parents kept him alive for a certain amount of time. The purpose of the vision quest was to allow the youth to transform himself spiritually and mentally into a responsible adult, and eventually a warrior.

The young boy would go away on his own for as long as needed, a period of days, to survive on his own and to acquire this spiritual knowledge and seek guidance for his life and his future. He would not be trusted with any adult responsibilities until he had proven himself spiritually fit to be an adult. During the vision quest, the young man would meditate and pray for guidance for his life. It was expected that he would meet his spirit guide, usually in the form of some animal which would for that point on, be sacred to him. This animal spirit guide would clarify God’s expectations for this young man and help guide him throughout his life.

The spirit guide was not randomly assigned, but rather came to the boy during his prayers and meditations while he was focused on finding his life-path. This spirit guide became a part of the warrior’s identity. When the boy returned from a successful vision quest, he would first visit with the tribe’s medicine man or religious leader, who would discuss his dreams and meditations with him. He would further help to direct his path. Then their would be a celebration for this boy indicating that he was no longer a child, but now a respected adult on his way to becoming a warrior, and he was expected to conduct himself accordingly. This was a crucial rite of passage and one which was taken seriously by all involved.

The vision quest focused the boy’s mind on becoming a man – on no longer being a child. During this adventure, he learned to rely on himself, he developed self-confidence, self-esteem, and courage. He learned to rely on God to both provide for him and to give him guidance through spiritual means. This was not merely his tribe celebrating his birthday, but this was rather a total transformation of the boy into the man, or at least the beginning of this transformation.

After the vision quest, the boy was then deemed ready to ride with the warriors and count coup to demonstrate his courage, another milestone in his transformation in this warrior culture. In short, the transformation from youth to adulthood was a serious matter and not something to be taken lightly. This was a transformation of a boy on his way to become a warrior.

This is quite a contrast from today’s youth which considers the transformation to adulthood simply a time to party, get wasted, and continue to do so for weeks, months, or years, enabled by parents who proudly declare, “You’re only young once. Live it up while you can!” Is it any wonder that our society is seeing such a decline in both morals and attitudes among our people? This party attitude has been dominant for several decades and we are now starting to see the results. We have missed the mark with our youth when it comes to educating them and guiding them into adulthood. We have taught our youth to be self-centered, selfish, arrogant, and shallow.

Parenting should be taken seriously – very seriously. And, although this will surprise many of you, I do agree with the African proverb which our corrupt politicians have twisted into a political barb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The meaning of this was known to the Native Americans, but has been lost on our society. The true meaning is that every responsible adult should help guide our youth in the right direction when he or she sees a young person acting inappropriately. It has nothing to do with the government controlling families or individuals.

Care enough to attempt to help guide a young person if you see that he or she is headed in the wrong direction. You never know, you may just be the only guidance that the young person in question has available to him or her. Don’t just mumble something about, “young jerks” under your breath and keep going about your business – make a difference, or at least attempt to make a difference. Your words may not make any difference at all, but then again, they may completely change someone’s life.

This lack of guidance and quality parenting is the cause of many of the problems in our country today, and it has a domino effect. Maybe it is time to reconsider the vision quest or something equivalent, to give our youth a vision of how their lives should be lived. Nobody just happens to live a lifestyle of excellence by accident; it is something that has to be fostered and taught. The warrior lifestyle requires effort. It requires someone to teach the benefits and reasons behind taking the road less traveled. It is not the easy, party road, but rather to steep road where life is lived a little more seriously and with purpose and character.

Letting children determine their own path without any guidance is equivalent to not caring; if you care about their future or yours, you should take the time and effort to provide wise guidance for tomorrow’s adults. One way or another, you will be held responsible for you choice where this responsibility is concerned – the choice is yours.

Men of Honor?

I have written many times about the difference in being a true warrior as apposed to merely being someone who is trained to fight or skilled at fighting. There is a difference in being a soldier and in truly being a warrior. This is not to say that soldiers are not warriors, but the fact that someone is enlisted in the military and receives a paycheck from the government does not automatically make this person a warrior. It may make him (or her) a fighter, but that is simply a fighter; it takes much more than martial skills to be a true warrior.

Think, feel, and act like a warrior.
Set yourself apart from the rest of
society by your personal excellence.
Forrest E. Morgan

If we examine history, we can find many good examples which illustrate what I mean. Let’s look at Hector and Achilles from the Trojan War. Most people consider both of these men great warriors, but were they really? There is a great difference between these two. While it is obviously true that both of these men were skilled in the art of war and were proficient in their martial arts skills, they were very different men. If you were to see them both on the battlefield, you may be inclined to argue that there was no difference in them; they were both able to bring a world of hurt down on their enemy.

So what made them different? The answer lies internally. The difference in the two men is what sets the true warrior apart from the mere fighter. Think about what motivated each of these men. Let’s examine Achilles’ motivation first.

Achilles was motivated by fame and fortune. He trained and fought for his own personal gain. The reason that he and his men participated in the Trojan War was to preserve his name as a “great warrior” throughout history. This was not necessarily out of the normal for men during this time period; many men desired to obtain fame and fortune by their exploits on the field of battle. Achilles was no different. He greatly desired to be known as a larger-than-life figure, and he achieved his goal, as you well know. But fame and fortune were not the only factors which drove Achilles to use his martial skills.

The superior man seeks what is right;
the inferior one, what is profitable.
Confucius

Achilles also was moved by his emotions. After his cousin fell in battle, the enraged Achilles took his anger out on Hector. This was purely an emotional action, void of any rational thought. He simply did not care about the facts, about whether or not his cousin’s death was just, or the circumstances surrounding his death. All he cared about was his own feelings, feelings which led him to act out of selfishness and revenge, not rational thought.

Remember to preserve a calm soul amid difficulties.
Horace

To summarize the factors which motivated Achilles’ actions:

1) He was motivated by fame and fortune
2) He was motivated by his emotions
3) He was motivated by revenge

The common denominator in these three factors can be boiled down to one word – selfishness. Achilles was narcissistic. He cared little about anything other than his own desires. He wanted glory. He reveled in being thought of as the greatest warrior of his time. He spoke of honor, but his view of honor was warped. It is indisputable that he was a skilled fighter, but are these the characteristics of a true warrior?

Now let’s take a look at Hector. Hector acted from rational thought in all of his actions. He was not motivated by what was best for himself, but was concerned about what was best for his country and his people. He scolded his brother for putting his own desires ahead of everything else, thus putting his countrymen at risk, and ultimately destroying them. Even in battle, Hector never lost sight of true honor, allowing his enemy to take care of their dead and injured.

The superior man does not give up good conduct
because the inferior man rails against him.
Hsun-Tzu

When Hector’s brother was about to be killed, he intervened and did what was right, instead of what was expected from the protocol of the day. When Achilles sought Hector out for his revenge, with one command, Hector could have had Achilles killed without risking his life, but he met the situation with honor. Even in the face of insults and threats from Achilles, Hector kept a rational head and tried to make a pact of honor for the victor to respect his fallen opponent, a noble act that Achilles blatantly refused, ultimately disgracing himself in his tactless display of Hector’s body.

The man of principle never forgets what he is,
because of what others are.
Baltasar Gracian

The differences between these two men demonstrate the differences between a true warrior and the mere fighter. It is the internal differences which matter in the end. The difference between Hector and Achilles boils down to honor and intention. Hector had true honor and acted with integrity and pure intention, whereas Achilles acted from a place of selfishness, rage and unbridled emotion. Before his death, Achilles seem to see the error in his ways, but we really don’t know if he was acting from a place of honor when he saved Hector’s cousin or if he was acting from a place of selfish desire.

For when moral value is considered,
the concern is not the actions,
which are seen, but rather with
their inner principles, which are not seen.
Kant

It is the character that makes someone a true warrior, not simply his martial arts skills. Martial arts/fighting skills are merely one component of the warrior lifestyle, not the be-all end-all. The true warrior acts from a place of wisdom, honor and integrity. He rationally thinks about this words and actions, before he speaks or acts. He control his emotions, instead of allowing his emotions to control him.

While Achilles saw the error in his ways, it wasn’t until after his rage had subsided and he had taken the life of an honorable man that he saw his error. He allowed his anger and emotions to control his actions instead of his rational mind. His actions were not concerned with what was right, but only with what he desired during the present moment.

Although Achilles bested Hector in one on one combat, Hector was the better man and the true warrior. There is a difference in a fighter and a warrior. There is a difference in doing what’s right and in doing whatever you feel like doing. There is a difference in real honor and in perceived honor. The difference originates from within the human spirit and is a conscious decision. Achilles was a great fighter; Hector was a true warrior.

The glory of great men must always be measured
against the means they have used to acquire it.
La Rochefoucauld

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Warrior Wisdom Wins Prestigeous Book Award

Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior, the first book in the Warrior Wisdom Series, has won the 1st Place award in its category in the 2010 National Indie Excellence Book Awards! This is the first book award that the highly acclaimed Warrior Wisdom Series has won. These books have been highly reviewed and praised for their wisdom by people from martial artists to military personnel, and from teachers to housewives. It is a wonderful honor to also be recognized by the professional literary community.

If you haven’t read Warrior Wisdom yet, now is the time to find out what all of the buzz is about. Warrior Wisdom is not for martial artists only – the wisdom it contains is for everyone who wants to live a life of excellence. The excitement about Warrior Wisdom seems to be gaining more and more momentum and evidenced by this wonderful honor. To read the many reviews on Warrior Wisdom, click on this link: Warrior Wisdom Reviews.

Who is Bohdi Sanders?

Dr. Bohdi Sanders is a lifelong student of wisdom literature and the martial arts. He is a multi-award winning author of seven books, most which focus on integrating universal wisdom, honor, and integrity into one’s personal life. Dr. Sanders has studied martial arts for over 25 years and is a 3-time martial arts hall of fame inductee. He holds a black belt in Shotokan Karate, and has also studied Ninjutsu, Jujitsu, and Krav Maga. Dr. Sanders has also had extensive training in holistic arts, earning degrees in both Natural Health and Naturopathy, along with degrees in Sociology and English as a Second Language. He is also a Reiki Master and Master of Acupressure. In addition, he is a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, Certified Specialist in Martial Arts Conditioning, and has extensive training in the fields of survival arts, meditation, herbology, and bodywork.

All of Dr. Sanders’ training has been integrated into a holistic way of life which he calls the Warrior Lifestyle. The Warrior Lifestyle goes much further than the basic martial arts lifestyle, encompassing spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of living life to the fullest. He is  known for his innovative way of integrating worldly wisdom from throughout the ages with the martial arts and living life to the fullest. This lifestyle focuses on the perfection of character, honor, and integrity, as well as defensive living and various spiritual aspects.

He has worked with students as a martial arts instructor, coach, and teacher for over 20 years, and currently is a teacher in Colorado where he teaches online classes and continues his writing. In addition to his books, he is also a prolific writer on the internet and has written over 100 articles on subjects of interest to people who are interested in living life to the fullest – The Warrior Lifestyle. Among Dr. Sanders’ major accomplishments are:

• 2010 Indie Excellence Book Awards 1st Place Winner for
  Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior
• USA Book News Best Books of 2010 1st Place Award for
  Wisdom of the Elders
• The International Independent Martial Artist Association Hall of Fame -
  Best Martial Arts Books of the Year – 2011
• U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame -
  Martial Arts Literary Man of the Year – 2011
• The United States Martial Artist Association Hall of Fame -
  Inspiration of the Year – 2011
• United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame –
  Martial Arts Author of the Year – 2011
  
• Ph.D. in Natural Health
• Doctorate in Naturopathy
• Usui-Tibetan Reiki Master
• Master in G-Jo Acupressure
• Certified Specialist in Martial Arts Conditioning

Dr. Sanders may be contacted by
email at: WarriorWisdom@comcast.net

The Noble Eightfold Path of the Warrior

1 – Right Understanding

Right understanding is essential to the warrior. It is not good enough to just memorize your martial arts techniques or to memorize some wise sayings. You have to go past rote memorization and get to the point of having a thorough understanding of the underlying principles behind your art and your values. Simply scratching the surface doesn’t cut it. In whatever you do, pursue understanding…correct understanding.

Knowledge without wisdom is a load of books on the back of an ass.
Japanese Proverb

2 – Right Thought

Science has proven that our thoughts are actually energy and have an effect on exterior things. No, I’m not just talking about the information such as the theories contained in the book The Secret. Our thoughts have a powerful influence on both our emotions and our body chemistry. Sad/depressed thoughts will cause the body to produce different hormones, enzymes, etc. than happy/excited thoughts do. This can even be measured in the composition of someone’s tears. Tears of joy have a different chemical make-up than tears of pain or tears of sadness.

In addition, your thoughts control your emotions and it is very important, especially for the warrior, to keep your emotions in check. If you doubt that your thoughts control your emotions, sit and meditate on something very sad for a while and see what affect it has on you, or put on some great music that you love and see if your thought pattern and your emotions don’t get a boost. Thoughts matter…

It is the mind which makes a man, or mares him.
Sai Baba

3 – Right Speech

This is a biggie! The person walking the path of the warrior has to watch his speech. It is so easy to say the wrong thing, especially if you are out of sorts. Be even more careful to watch what you say if you are angry or upset with someone. You can say something in a split second, which will cost you dearly for days, months, or even years to come. Right speech is a form of self-discipline. Simply put, it is self-control. Control your emotions and your speech, instead of letting your emotions control you or your speech. If you want the respect of others, watch what you say.

Don’t talk too much – your ignorance exceeds your knowledge.
Spanish Proverb

4 – Right Action

A man’s action is evidence of his creed. Every action that you take, everything you think, say or do, either brings you closer to your goals, or takes you further away from your goals, on the journey through the warrior lifestyle. Your actions matter. Make your actions right. Listen to your spirit and follow your intuition. Let your personal code of ethics and honor guide your every decision. Do the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way.

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard
than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.
Henry Ward Beecher

5 – Right Livelihood

There is nothing more draining for a warrior than going to a thankless job, which he absolutely hates, every single day. This sucks the life from your spirit, the energy from muscles, and the vitality from your mind. Nevertheless, the warrior will continue to do his job to the best of his abilities until the right livelihood comes along. Finding the right livelihood makes life so much better, especially if it is one in which the warrior can feel he is fulfilling a higher purpose with his life. When you do find the right livelihood you will know it because work will no longer be work, but rather a passion for you.

The talent of success is nothing more than doing
what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

6 – Right Effort

Buddha said that whatever you do, you should put your whole heart into your task, being diligent and energetic. Put forth your best effort. If it is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well. If the task is only worthy of a partial effort, why even bother with it. The warrior aims for excellence in all that he does; there is no room for half-hearted effort in the warrior’s world. If the mind and heart are right, the effort will be right.

Put your heart, mind, intellect, and soul even to your smallest acts.
This is the secret to success.
Swami Sivananda

7 – Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness is very close to right thought. Right mindfulness is what you keep your mind focused on throughout the day. Are you focusing on your goals, your training, and becoming the best person that you can be, or are you simply daydreaming your time away? It is important to keep your mind focused in the now. If you continue to focus on what is happening at this very moment, you will not find yourself regretting the past or worrying about the future. Stay in the moment.

It is the mind that leads a man to power, not strength of body.
Crow Maxim

8 – Right Concentration

According to Hsun Tzu, the superior man is committed to focus. Learn to concentrate on what you are doing, and do only one thing at a time. Today, we are all too prone to multi-tasking, doing several things at once. The sages taught that to do two things at once is to do neither. In order to perform at our best, we have to give our total attention to the task at hand. Take care of one thing and then move on to the next. Concentrate all your thoughts on the work at hand. Concentration is key to proper martial arts techniques. Without concentration your technique will lack energy.

A concentrated mind will pierce a rock.
Japanese Proverb

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

The Warrior Lifestyle & Warrior Wisdom

What does it mean to live life to the fullest?

What does it mean to live a life of character, honor and integrity?

What does it mean to live life in your own way, by your own code of honor?

What does it mean to live a life of excellence?

These are just a few of the things that you will learn from The Wisdom Warrior website and the innovative writings of the award winning author, Bohdi Sanders, Ph.D.

Isn’t it time that you started living your life to the fullest?

The sands of time stop for no one and you have so many mountains still to climb. Today’s the day to start living the WARRIOR LIFESTYLE! You won’t be disappointed!

Join the 1,000′s of others who have already discovered the power behind the warrior lifestyle.

Please feel free to explore the dozens of enlightening articles and thought provoking insights on THE WISDOM WARRIOR site.

Also, check out Dr. Sanders enlightening Award Winning Books which guide you on your journey through the warrior
lifestyle to ultimate self-knowledge
and  purpose in life.

The side bar offers many useful tools to find what you need:

• A search box to find specific subjects
  
• A sign up link for our FREE NEWSLETTER
  
• A list of the most recent posts
• Categories to find specific articles
• An archive list to find articles by date
• A page directory for easy navigation
  
• Subject tags for easy reference

Enjoy exploring the site. You never know when you will find that special jewel of wisdom that will change your life! And check back regularly. Interesting articles, photographs, information, shared information from other sites, and more will be added weekly!

And don’t forget to sign up to get your  FREE NEWSLETTER!

____________________________________________________________________

Endorsements for the Wisdom of the Warrior Lifestyle

It’s rare to find a book so rich and thought provoking that you can read it again and again and get something a little different out of it each time. Indeed, there isn’t a quotation and discussion in here that doesn’t pertain to each of us… I highly recommend Warrior Wisdom…Read this book, and then read it again and again and again.

Loren Christensen, author of Warrior Mindset

It is a thinking person’s guide to development as a martial artist, warrior, and human being. And, it’s something worth reading more than once.

Lawrence Kane, author of: The Way to Black Belt

Dr. Bohdi Sanders has rendered society a great service with Warrior Wisdom. Buy it, read it, live it and see the improvements in your own life. Pass this on to your children – the next generation. They’re going to need it!

Kevin Brett, author of: The Way of the Martial Artist

A MUST READ BOOK for anyone who wants to delve into the philosophical aspects of being a moral and honorable warrior. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Shawn Kovacich, author of: The Achieving Kicking Excellence Series

I encourage anyone to read this text and focus on the character and self-discipline lessons Sanders shares. Incorporating even some of the advice into your daily living will make a difference. If you are a warrior, or desire to live as one, read Warrior Wisdom.

Alain Burrese, author of: Hard-Won Wisdom from the School of Hard Knocks

I think for many people when they read this work, they will realize a new and functional insight they did not previously enjoy…You must endeavor to truly understand this reality in order to follow your truest and best path. Warrior Wisdom is a fine tool to help you find that understanding in all its depth too…”Buy it, read it, live it .”

Peyton Quinn, author of: Freedom from Fear

_________________________________________________________________

Overall, the list of of martial artists and authors who have endorsed the Warrior Wisdom Series speaks for itself. These are books that have the power to change your life for the better, and have actually been called life-changing by many. Living the warrior lifestyle is not about fighting or being macho. The warrior lifestyle is about living your life to the fullest – living a life of excellence.
_________________________________________________________________

MODERN BUSHIDO: Living a Life of Excellence

.

.

This is the NEW BOOK from Dr. Bohdi Sanders. Modern Bushido explores the 30 essential traits of the warrior lifestyle. This is a MUST READ for anyone who wants to live a life of excellence, full of honor and integrity. The warrior lifestyle is not simply for martial artists or those in the military; it is for anyone who strives to live his or her life by the highest standards! That is what Modern Bushido is all about – living a lifestyle of principles and character. If you want to improve your life and live by a higher standard than the average person, this book is for you!  Introduction by Dr. David Nelson, the author of Black Belt Healing.  248 pages.  $16.97

CONTINENTAL USA

Modern Bushido USA

Continental USA $16.97 USD

________________________________________

CANADA

Modern Bushido CANADA

CANADA $16.97 USD

________________________________________

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES

Modern Bushido ALL OTHER COUNTRIES

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES $16.97 USD

________________________________________

BUY NOW!

Wisdom of the Elders

I have always enjoyed reading good quote books. Even as a youngster, I
found that I enjoyed reading quote books that my parents or grandparents
had in the house. As a teenager, I would read books such as Apples of Gold
over and over again, meditating on the wisdom that they held for those who
were willing to spend the time and effort to actually assimilate the wisdom
that these books provided. Goethe put it this way, “It is delightful to transport
one’s self into the spirit of the past to see how a wise man has thought before
us.” In my opinion, this is what a good quote book does for the reader.

Over the years my interest in quote books remained just as strong as it had
been as a teenager and my personal collection of quote books grew and grew.
I literally bought every one that I ran across and quickly devoured each one
that I brought home. Some of these books were good and some were filled
with mostly quotes that could best be described as nothing but filler material
– void of any real wisdom and only meant to entertain those who care little
about true wisdom.

Of course there is a place for humorous quote books or quote books filled
with quotes from celebrities or sports figures whose words are only included
because of their name and not because of the actual content, but those were
not the type of books that I found interesting. I was only interested in reading
quotes which contained wisdom and something which could be of value in
my life, not fluff. I have never really been as impressed by what the current
celebrities thought about life, as I have been by what the sages believed and
taught.

This attitude has led to many a disappointed hour reading what I had
hoped would be a book full of wisdom and sage advise, only to find that it
was a book full of celebrities and well known people trying to be witty, with
a few morsels of wisdom scattered throughout like pieces of gold in a river
bed of worthless pebbles. This was a bit frustrating to say the least. It seemed
that most of the quote books that I ran across had a handful of great quotes
which were useful in guiding people in ways to improve their lives and tons
of quotes which were utterly useless for anything more than a quick moment
of entertainment.

Although this was a bit wearisome, it led to a specific habit which has
served me well over the years – highlighting. I began to highlight every book
that I read, marking only those quotes or passages which I considered worthy
of reading again or going back and meditating on at a later date. All of my
books were highlighted and some even color coded with different colors for
different categories so I could quickly go back and find exactly what I wanted
to study.

My frustration in finding the wisdom that I wanted in quote books also led
me to go straight to the source to find the wisdom that the sages had to offer
instead of hoping to find the wisdom that I was looking for bundled up in a
nice, neat package for quick and easy access. I began to study the religious
texts from throughout the ages and across the world. I read the original works
of men which time had proven to be men of great wisdom and insight. I began
to study paremiology, the study of proverbs, and research the origins of many
of the wise sayings that we all recognize.

In short, I searched the world of literature for all of the wisdom that I
could find, and not simply wisdom, but universal wisdom – wisdom which
holds true throughout time and in various locations. What I found through
this exercise is that there is indeed such a thing as universal wisdom. There
are values and principles which hold true for people throughout the world. I
discovered that the same proverb that was found in America could also be
found in Asia or Europe, although it may be phrased a little differently in
each place. The same thing applied to the universal principles of wisdom.

The same wisdom that has been taught for centuries in our country can
also be found in other countries and other time periods. Specific principles
concerning specific actions have been taught throughout the centuries in all
different cultures and locations. Human beings have certain traits that appear
to be universal and because of this they can be counted on to behave in a
certain predictable manner; this has held true throughout the ages. Therefore
certain wisdom pertaining to human behavior generally holds true regardless
of the time period or geographic location.

One example to illustrate my point is people’s tendency to talk too much
and say things that they may later regret. I have found proverbs and writings
from virtually every culture which warn people of the danger of speaking too
much or speaking without first thinking of what you should and should not
say. This is a good example of a universal human trait, and it is also a good
example of universal wisdom which is good advice for people throughout the
world, regardless of their culture or other factors. True wisdom does not grow
old or become outdated.

As you might imagine, my library quickly grew to require a sizable number
of bookshelves to hold all of the books which I had purchased over years of
researching wisdom (the library takes a dim view of highlighting their books).
My collection of wisdom literature quickly grew to monstrous proportions,
with each book being completely covered in a spectrum of colors from my
highlighting what I considered to be the important parts. I had an open mind
where wisdom was concerned. My philosophy was (and is) that you can learn
wisdom from anyone or any source. You simply have to use what is useful
and disregard what is not useful.

I found wisdom in the ancient texts of Egypt, China, and India, and I also
found wisdom from the Vikings and the Native Americans. The source did
not matter. What mattered was that the wisdom rang true in my spirit. I
devoured text after text, highlighting each as I went for future reference, but
found one small problem – when I wanted to refer back to the wisdom which
I had highlighted, it was scattered throughout many, many different books.
This was a bit of a inconvenience to say the least. I wanted all of this wisdom
easily located in one central book for easy reference and study, so I began to
put all of my highlighted wisdom into a single computer data base.

I wanted this wisdom to be convenient and to the point, spelled out in
short anecdotes and maxims for easy reference in order to keep it fresh in my
mind. What I wanted was the kind of quote book that I had spent years hoping
to find in the bookstores – a quote book filled with wisdom, minus the fluff.
This was where Wisdom of the Elders was conceived. I wanted to compile
the best quote book on wisdom available. Notice that I said that I wanted
Wisdom of the Elders to be the best quote book available, not the most
exhaustive quote book available. As Christian Bovee stated, “A book should
be luminous, not voluminous.”

There are many reference books available which contain hundreds of pages
of quotes from various sources and pertaining to various subjects. This is not
what Wisdom of the Elders is, nor its goal. Wisdom of the Elders is not an
exhaustive reference book or an encyclopedia-size book full of various quotes.
It contains quotes specifically dedicated to wisdom and living a life of
excellence. As Francis Bacon stated, “Some books are to be tasted, other to
be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Wisdom of the
Elders is to be chewed and digested, then applied to your life.

Goethe said that a collection of anecdotes and maxims is the greatest
treasure for a man of the world. Wisdom of the Elders contains over 5,100
anecdotes, proverbs, maxims, and insights from the sages and some of the
wisest men and women the world has known. It is divided into 59 different
categories, each addressing either specific character traits or subjects designed
to give the reader insight and help the reader improve his or her life in order
to live a life of excellence. As with anything that you read, you should meditate
on how these wise sayings apply to your life, take what you find useful, and
disregard what doesn’t “feel” right to you.

None of the wise words included in this book will be of any use in your
life if you don’t take the time to meditate on them and actively apply them.
You can have all the money in the world at your disposal, but it will not do
you any good until you actually put that money to use. Wisdom of the Elders
gives you access to an abundance of wisdom, how it affects your life is
completely up to you. Elizabeth Drew stated that the test of literature is whether
we ourselves live more intensely for the reading of it. Hopefully Wisdom of
the Elders will pass the test and you will live more intensely after reading it
and applying it to your own life.

Bohdi Sanders, Ph.D.
The Wisdom Warrior

The Warrior Lifestyle

What is the warrior lifestyle? The true warrior is a rare person in today’s world. He lives life with a different set of values compared with the rest of society. Even those who do share the same values, rarely live a lifestyle which adheres to those values to the extent that the warrior does. To most people, ethics are situational. They make decisions according to what is best for them, instead of what is right. This is not the case with the warrior. The warrior values honor, integrity, justice, and his sense of what is right, above all else. His ethics are not situational; they are his way of life.

The warrior lifestyle revolves around a code of ethics which is non-negotiable. The warrior’s code of ethics, or code of honor, is taken very seriously. To the warrior, distinguishing between right and wrong is of the utmost importance. He sees right and wrong in terms of black and white. He knows that an action is either honorable or dishonorable. This is not meant to imply that honor is black and white; honor is not that simple.

Those who live the lifestyle of the warrior know that whether or not an action is honorable, is determined by both one’s intentions and the situation at hand. This is not to be confused with situational ethics. The warrior’s ethics do not change according to the situation. His actions will change as needed, but his ethics remain set in stone. There is a big difference between ethics and actions. Ethics determine actions; actions do not determine ethics.

The warrior lifestyle is concerned with what is right and what is honorable. A warrior’s ethics revolve around these two issues. Justice and honor are foremost on his mind. His thoughts are centered on “what is right,” not on other people’s opinions of what is right. He realizes that many people profess a belief in absolutes which they neither live by, nor truly believe in, when push comes to shove.

The only absolute that the warrior lives by is that of what is right and wrong. If it is not right, he doesn’t do it. He determines what is right and wrong by his strict code of ethics, not some arbitrary laws or the politically correct standards of the day. The warrior doesn’t appear to be honorable; he is honorable. Sincerity is ingrained in this lifestyle. This is a lifestyle that is meant to be lived, not fantasized about or merely discussed.

This lifestyle consist of much more than being trained in the art of war or the art of self-defense, although these are an important part of the life of the warrior. It also consists of the challenge to perfect one’s character. This is a process much like the Japanese concept of kaizen. Kaizen can be translated as constant, never-ending improvement. True warriors try to apply this concept to every area of their life. They seek to balance and improve each area – spirit, mind and body, on a daily basis.

Each area of your life is important and should be kept in balance. Training men in the art of war or in the art of martial arts, without regard to character, only produces a dangerous man; it does not produce a warrior. In years past, the martial arts masters would not train someone fully until they felt assured of that person’s character. Today most schools will train anyone who can pay, regardless of their character or lack of character. This is dangerous information to give to just any and everyone who comes along. In my opinion, character should be a prerequisite, not only for martial arts training, but for many of the privileges which we enjoy in this country.

I am asked often whether or not I believe that the term “warrior” should apply only to military men and women who have been in war or to trained and experienced fighters. Although I realize this is the literal definition of a warrior, I do not believe that this is the correct definition, not according to the many accounts from past warriors anyway. This literal definition of a warrior is not the definition that is used for our discussion of the warrior lifestyle in Warrior Wisdom . An ape can be trained to throw punches and kick, a dog can be trained to fight, but that doesn’t make either of them warriors. Being a warrior involves more than being trained to fight or being in the military; it involves character training as well. Character training is the true goal of Bushido, the way of the warrior.

Please don’t misunderstand me; I have great respect for our military men and women. But I believe that anyone who has ever served in the military will agree that not every soldier lives by the character traits which are necessary for the warrior lifestyle, anymore than every martial artist or every person in general lives by these standards. I’m not taking anything away from those who serve our country. Every person who serves our country deserves our respect and gratitude, but service doesn’t necessarily indicate that a person is concerned with perfecting his or her character. It is rare to find people who take their ethics seriously today. It is common to find people who claim to take their ethics seriously, but I am referring to people who walk to the walk, not just “talk the talk.”

Yes, the warrior is concerned with physical training and the martial arts, but he also knows that character training is the cornerstone of the warrior lifestyle. The true warrior should be trained in martial arts. His ethics require that he be ready to defend his family, friends, or himself in certain situations. In today’s world, you never know when you may have to use your martial arts skills. It is essential that you have this training to be as self-reliant and as safe as possible, but without a code of ethics, which is based on a deep understanding of right and wrong, there is no warrior; there is only someone trained to fight. There is a difference. Without the character traits of honor, integrity and justice, there is no warrior lifestyle.

In short, the warrior lifestyle is for anyone who want to live a life of excellence; a life which adheres to a strict code of ethics. You must be willing to live your life based on honor, preparedness and what is right. This lifestyle requires that you put your ethics before your comfort, and that you put what is right before what is profitable. It requires filial duty, dedication to family and friends, and a willingness to help those in need. It requires independence in thought and action. This lifestyle is a decision, not a profession.

This is just a brief introduction to the lifestyle of the warrior. Each of these points can be greatly expanded and I understand that not everyone will agree with my assessment. Even if you disagree with my definition of a warrior or the characteristics of the warrior lifestyle, you will still find the wisdom in this book to be very useful. Warrior Wisdom seeks to provide the reader with wisdom from throughout the ages that will help him live the warrior lifestyle. This lifestyle is not a goal to be achieved, but rather a road to be traveled. May you travel this road with honor.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

BUY NOW!

Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior is a book for those who truly want to live the warrior lifestyle…those who want to live a life of honor, character, and virtue. Warrior Wisdom is packed full of wisdom from every corner of the earth and from across the centuries, all geared toward living the lifestyle of the true warrior.

True warriors know what it means to live a life that is guided by a strict code…the code of the warrior. Throughout the centuries this code has been called by many names: Bushido, The Way of the Warrior, Chivalry, The Knights’ Code of Honor, Code of Ethics, The Samurai Code, etc. All of these essentially have the same goal, to provide the true warrior with standards to live by in order to perfect his character. The warrior must hold himself responsible to a higher standard than anyone else expects of him.

“The superior man is watchful over himself even when alone.”
Chung Yung

The true warrior takes his code of honor seriously. This is not some mental fantasy that he plays around with until reality sets in. His code of honor is a set of standards which are as much a part of his life as his name. The code has to do with the warrior’s integrity, honor, character, virtue, self-control, self-respect, and overall principles. It is truly his life. These qualities take discipline to refine. Nobody is born with all of these character traits. They have to be developed and perfected over time. Just as Confucius stated,

“I was not born knowing what I teach you.
Being fond of the past, I sought it through diligence.”
Confucius

These character traits are what makes the warrior standout in a world where these traits are becoming more and more rare. For the true warrior, these traits are essential. Without them, he is nothing more than a thug with fighting skills. Warrior Wisdom is a guide for the modern day warrior.

“No compromises; to live resolutely in integrity…”
Goethe

Warrior Wisdom also covers the art of war, not necessarily on the battle field, but more of the art of war for the streets. The sage may have all of the quality traits listed above, but he is not a warrior. The warrior has to be skilled in martial arts, as well as have the courage to live by the standards that he has set for himself. It takes more than courage to be the defender of the weak and needy. It takes strength and ability. It takes training. It takes knowledge and skill. It takes a warrior.

“Victory is not gained through idleness.”
German Proverb

All of these topics and more are also covered in Warrior Wisdom. If you are interested in living a life of character and honor, then you will want to check out Warrior Wisdom:Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior.

For updated discussions on the issues which are important to the modern day warrior, be sure to take a look at the Warrior Wisdom category on The Wisdom Warrior site. We will continue to cover the wisdom passed down through the ages for the warrior.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

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

BUY NOW!

The Warrior Lifestyle
Making Your Life Extraordinary

The Warrior Lifestyle: Making Your Life Extraordinary is the third book in the Warrior
Wisdom series, and continues to offer the reader insight into the warrior lifestyle.
The warrior lifestyle is not what most people seem to think it is; it is a
lifestyle based on the perfection of character, and not based on violence. To
many people, the mental image that they visualize when they think of a warrior
is that of a brute programmed for war. They picture a killing machine
whose only concern is war – Rambo with no personal compass.

This is a common misconception where the true warrior is concerned. While
the main definition of the warrior found in most dictionaries is, “Somebody
who takes part in or has experience in warfare.” This definition is not the one
that should be used to define the true warrior, and is not an accurate definition
for the warrior lifestyle. A better definition for a warrior is, “Somebody
who takes part in a struggle or conflict.” The true warrior is engaged in a
struggle and it is a daily fight. His battle is not necessarily on the battlefield,
but rather a personal battle to perfect his character and to become a man of
excellence in every area of his life.

The relentless enemy that he must face is that of his base nature. He battles
this enemy daily, constantly repelling the temptation to lower his personal
standards which he has decided to make an integral part of his life. His standards,
or his code of honor if you will, demand that he live a life of excellence.
Because his code of honor involves much more than his martial skills,
he realizes that there is much more to the warrior lifestyle than simply being
experienced in the art of war or self-defense. He is engaged in a battle to
conquer himself; the greatest victory is victory over one’s self.

While it is true that martial arts training is a vital part of warriorship, it is
not the sole component of a true warrior. There are many people who are
trained fighters who are not true warriors. The world is full of killers, gang
members, and people of low character who are well-versed in weapons and
how to take a human life, but is this the singular requirement for being a
warrior? Are these people true warriors or simply trained thugs? Anyone can
learn to pull a trigger or destroy the human body. Does this knowledge make
them a true warrior, or is there more to the warrior than the ability to fight?

Throughout the centuries, there have been both men of low character and
men of exceptional character engaged in warfare. Although they both have
been trained in the art of war, there is a significant difference in these two
types of men. The true warrior is a man of character. There is more to him
than his fighting skills. He is a man of wisdom and honor. His presence makes
those around him safer. His code of honor requires that he protect those around
him and only use his martial skills for defense and never for personal gain or
selfish reasons.

The true warrior is not a programmed killing machine, although he has
the ability and the knowledge to render lethal applications of his skills if his
duty requires such extreme actions. Though he is capable of rendering devastating
injury to others, he never desires to do so. He is a man of peace and
benevolence. His training in the martial arts is strictly for defense. The warrior
pursues knowledge in the art of war in order to keep himself and those
around him safe, not for personal egotistical reasons.

Warriors have an independent spirit. The warrior is a man who thinks for
himself and thinks rationally. I have had many people question me concerning
some of the people who I quote in my writing. They question whether or
not this man or that man is appropriate as a source of wisdom for the warrior
because of his reputation or something that he did in his lifetime. My response
is there are no perfect people. I believe that the warrior should use
wisdom wherever he finds it. Wisdom can come from various and unpredictable
sources. Whether it is a five year old child or a wino on a street corner,
anyone can have a profound and insightful thought.

True wisdom is universal. Should we discard an enlightened thought simply
because we are not impressed with the person who is used to communicate
that thought to us? The true warrior knows that the purpose of wisdom is
to improve his life and his character. Even if that wisdom comes from a five
year old child or an old wino, he is not too proud to take what is said and
meditate on it and apply it in his life. He thinks for himself and is not influenced
by political correctness or the mind games that many people play.

Our currency all comes from government sanctioned mints and has value
no matter whose pocket it happens to be at any given moment. In the same
way, universal wisdom all comes from One Source and is useful in guiding
the warrior on the warrior’s path. It does not matter who the carrier of that
wisdom may be, universal wisdom does not lose its value. The warrior knows
this and uses his spirit as a guide to the truthfulness and validity of the thoughts
of others. He uses what he finds useful and discards what strikes him as, “not
quite right.”

There are many sides to the warrior. True warriors not only develop their
physical skills, but they also focus on perfecting their mental, emotional, and
spiritual sides. They seek to find balance in their life and to bring every part
of their life into alignment with that of the warrior ideals. The ideals of the
warrior focus on principles which lead to personal fulfillment in every area of
his life. Warriors seek to perfect each part of their life, not only their martial
art skills.

The warrior lifestyle is one of taking one’s life seriously, especially where
honor, character, and integrity are concerned. It requires patience and self-discipline.
It requires dedication and hard work. The true warrior is not willing
to go through life as so many others do, passing each day as if they are on
auto-pilot, in a semi-hypnotic state. He prefers to live life to the fullest, and to
live by his own standards. He prefers to be totally awake and live in the
present moment.

The warrior’s path is a path of excellence, discipline, service, honor, and
character. It is a path that not many are willing to walk, but one which benefits
all who dare to travel its steep terrain. Everyone has a decision to make
concerning which life-path he will choose. Most choose the path of least resistance.
Only a select few choose the path of the warrior, but those who do,
find it worth the struggle. The warrior’s path is a conduit of excellence. It is
the path of the true human being – the warrior.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

BUY NOW!

WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood

The great Sioux chief, Sitting Bull, once stated that, “Warriors are not
what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights…” At
first this statement seems strange and contrary to what most people think
when they hear the term “warrior.” How is it that the warrior is not someone
who fights? Could it be that Sitting Bull didn’t really know what he was
talking about? Was he really “qualified” to explain what being a real warrior
means? Oh, wait, wasn’t he one of the warriors who defeated General Custer
in the Battle of the Little Big Horn, known to the Sioux people as the Fight at
Greasy Grass Creek?

Sitting Bull was one of the great warriors in one of the most well known
battles fought on American soil; he must know something about warriorship.
He was definitely not opposed to fighting for what he believed to be right,
especially when left with no honorable alternatives. He was obviously a brave
man who had the courage to meet his enemy face to face on the battlefield, as
opposed to being a man who claimed that there is “never any reason for violence,”
or that “violence never solved anything.” So what did this great warrior
mean when he stated that, “Warriors are not what you think of as warriors.
The warrior is not someone who fights…?”

Basically, what Sitting Bull is saying is that fighting is not the only component
or even the most important part of being a warrior. He goes on to
explain himself saying, “The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for
the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those
who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of
humanity.” This is what he was doing at the Battle of the Little Big Horn,
fighting for those who needed his protection, and this is also a very good
description of the true warrior and the warrior lifestyle.

The warrior lifestyle involves much more than the ability to fight and
defend yourself and those you love. It involves developing your character,
living a life of honor and integrity, defending those who can’t defend themselves,
taking care of the elderly and your family; in short, it involves service
to others along with perfecting your character. Many people seem to get hung
up on the literal definition of the term “warrior.” The literal definition, which
can be found in most dictionaries, defines the term “warrior” as someone
who is trained or experienced in warfare.

As far as the warrior lifestyle is concerned, this definition falls far short of
being complete. Throughout history, when the term “warrior” has been used,
it has carried with it a deeper meaning than simply “someone experienced in
warfare.” Warriors have been revered for their character as much as their
martial arts skills. The warrior was seen as a man of character, integrity and
honor, not simply someone who knew how to fight, or who was experienced
in fighting. It is true that the warrior should be skilled in the art of war or in
the martial arts, but this is only a small part of being a true warrior.

Gichin Funakoshi stated that the ultimate goal of karate is the perfection
of human character, not the perfection of one’s martial arts skills; this is basically
the same thing that Sitting Bull was trying to teach us. Being a true
warrior involves balance. The warrior strives for excellence in every part of
his life, not only in developing his martial arts skills, but also in his everyday
life. The warrior has to endeavor to perfect himself spiritually and mentally,
as well as physically. While it is true that the martial arts play an important
part in the life of the true warrior, the martial arts are only a part of the
warrior’s life.

There are many other parts of the warrior’s life which must also be addressed
if he is serious about living the warrior lifestyle. Character training is
definitely an important part of being a warrior. Without character training,
so-called “warriors” are nothing more than thugs, trained to fight, but with
no knowledge of what is worth fighting for. To educate someone in the martial
arts without regard to their character, is simply training a menace to society.
The ancient martial arts masters knew this and refused to train those who
they felt lacked the character and integrity needed to be given these dangerous
skills.

Character was important to the masters of old and was taken into account
before someone was trained. Today, the martial arts have become big business
and anyone with enough money can obtain as much training as they
want, no matter how poor their character may be. Are these people warriors
simply because they have purchased years of training and know how to fight?
Are gang members who know how to fight warriors? Well, if you go by the
literal definition, your answer would have to be yes, but if you go by the
definition that I use for the true warrior, the answer is definitely no.

My definition of a true warrior is someone who has the ability and will to
fight to protect himself, his friends, his family, and his ideals, and at the same
time, seeks the perfection of his own character through a life lived with honor,
integrity, and an unflinching dedication to what is right according to his own
code of ethics. The ability to fight is only a small part of this definition. The
true warrior has to develop more than his martial arts skills. The qualities of
the true warrior go much deeper than that.

Warriors should exhibit the best qualities among men. The true warrior
makes a firm decision to try to perfect his character and to live by a strict
code of ethics. His word is his honor. His duty stays fresh on his mind. He
lives life a little more seriously than most, but at the same time lives life to its
fullest. He sees through the veil of appearances covering most parts of this
world, but does so without looking down on those who are less perceptive.

Family and friends are important to him, and they know that they can
always count on him for protection and help in their times of need. He bases
his decisions on his code of ethics, and he instinctively knows right from
wrong, and chooses right. He knows that, at times there is a difference bexviii
tween what is right and what is legal, and what is wrong and what is illegal.
As Lao Tzu taught, “Highly evolved people have their own conscience as
pure law.”

The true warrior is able to hold his head high with honor because he knows
that he lives his life to the best of his ability, with honor and integrity. His
code is ingrained in his spirit and is a part of his being. Warriors walk alone
much of the time, as they prefer solitude to the company of lesser men. The
warrior is a man who shoots for excellence in everything he does. These are
the things which make someone a true warrior and the development of these
traits leads to the warrior lifestyle.

Warrior: The way of Warriorhood is a journey through
the wisdom and character of the warrior lifestyle. Bushido literally means,
“the way of the warrior,” and that is what Warrior is all about – the way of the
warrior. This book looks at the many aspects of the life of the warrior, from
character training to physical training, and everything in between, and hopefully
will serve as an interesting guide for you on your journey towards your ultimate goal – warriorhood.

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

The Warrior’s Path

The path of the warrior is lifelong, and
mastery is often simply staying on the path.
Richard Strozzi Heckler