A true martial artist is the integration
of the warrior and the sage.
He is a man of peace, but
has the ability to destroy.
Bohdi Sanders
A true martial artist is both a warrior and a sage. He (or she) trains to be able to protect himself and his family, viciously if necessary. He doesn’t care about impressing others; he is more interested in developing the skills he needs to be able to protect himself and his family.
At the same time, he lives by a code, a code of honor which requires him to study and improve himself daily. He studies wisdom, philosophy, and strategies. He understands the importance of knowledge and wisdom in improving his life and helping others.
It is this integration of the warrior and the sage that makes him both a true martial artist and a warrior. Martial arts without character training and wisdom, is merely training someone to hurt others. Without honor, character, integrity, and wisdom, there is no Budo in your art; you are simply going through the motions.
Modern day martial arts seem to have lost its way. Way too many so-called dojos have left Budo out of their instruction. The martial way can never be left out of true martial arts. People can do fancy moves, amazing gymnastic kicks, scream as loud as they can, but without Budo, it is only a different kind of exercise and play, not true martial arts.
I was speaking to my first Shotokan instructor a few days ago, and he was telling me about some of the training he went through in Japan. The Japanese martial artists must look at many of the dojos here in the U.S. and think that they are a joke! They don’t even come close to the kind of training my instructor went through in Japan.
Too many people are only interested in fancy belts, collecting certificates, and taking cool looking photos, instead of hardcore, down and dirty training of their spirit, mind and body. That would be way too much work for most. Why go to that much effort when you can find some hack to give you a cool belt and a big certificate, for just a little money?
I have news for you; you can’t buy your skills, you can’t buy wisdom, you can’t buy honor, and you can’t buy character. The most important parts of the martial arts can’t be bought – they have to be earned! You can’t fake Budo. You can try, but you are only shortchanging yourself.
There are many fraudulent “martial artists” out there who think that they can fake their arts, buy their ranks, and be on the same level of the true warrior. There is even a pathetic hack in Montana who has written a book on how to fake your martial arts credentials, just like he did. That is how ridiculous martial arts have become in the United States.
If you think you can fake your way to becoming a true martial artist, YOU ARE WRONG! You can trick people into thinking you are a warrior, but that doesn’t make you a warrior. You can throw around clichés, but that doesn’t mean you are wise or that you are a sage.
Being a warrior and being a sage are things which you develop over time. You can’t buy them or magically become one over night simply because you think that would be cool. You have to work for them. You have to put in the effort. You have to life the lifestyle – the warrior lifestyle.
