December 4, 2021

Recently a friend of mine who happens to be a bread maker in San Diego called and expressed some frustration in the pursuit of his craft. He asked if I ever thought of quitting karate and if there were times perhaps that I felt I knew very little about the subject. “Well of course!” I answered. How do you not encounter those moments? I have on many occasions thought what I could do with my life if I did not spend part of my day training, and just a few nights back I was in a creative space with my practice where I felt an almost euphoric freedom of movement and spontaneity that made my prior practice seem almost obsolete. It was deeply humbling.

I suppose on the most fundamental level what we are really studying is how to study something. If I think of my practice in this way, I entertain a completely different internal dialogue, one that focuses on the "quality of engagement" as the essential factor guiding the endeavor. Interestingly, I can then apply that quality of approach to other pursuits and, in fact, all moments of life. When I read Funakoshi Sensei's writing he speaks of "empty hand" as not simply without weapon but more importantly without greed, jealousy, envy etc. — all things that diminish the quality of engagement not just in pursuit of skill but in everyday everything. Getting up in the morning, putting your foot down, advancing forward even on the days of doubt is an exercise in spirit. Maintaining an openness for experiences that offer value lends strength to humility (and probably better karate and bread making).

I know for a fact that on a personal level I would have quit karate a long time ago if I did not see a deeper meaning to my practice. Exercising my imagination to see metaphor in order to extrapolate lessons learned in the dojo (or the bakery) to the larger sphere of life has been a huge component in manifesting meaning and perpetuating enthusiasm. It is this meta-narrative of "quality engagement" that leads to insight, purpose and ultimately "practical" application. If asked, "Have you ever used your karate?" I would answer, “Of course! Every day.”

I had lunch last week with Saotome Sensei. He said as he has said many times before, "Everything is aikido...not technique". At its essence, everything in life is "harmonizing/connecting" your "energy" (ai ki). Whether it is your practice, the opponent, or the yeast, it is life.