A sensei's wisdom is dispised?

Question

Fools despise wisdom and Instruction and in knowing this I have a few questions for all MMA practitioners:

#1. Which is more glorious, gold in your hand or what is in your own heart?

#2. Does it profit you to gain the world ( riches and fame )?

#3. Why would you stay in a sport that breeds a love of self?

#4. As a MMA practitioner do you honestly live by "The Samurai Creed" or by the "Bushido Code"?

#5. Being that most commericalized MMA pratitioners in the UFC do interviews in which they brag about what they're going to do to the other guy goes completely against the "martial arts", in the first place, how do you justify continuing in the practice of the Mixed Martial Arts?

Please be very detailed in your answers to these questions. Thank you.

Answer 1

first #4

no i do not live by the bushido code!!!! if i did, if someone touched my sword in public i would have to fight him to the death, and if i ever lost in battle i would have to kill myself.

that is not something a modern martial artist would do.

ok, #1

what is in your own heart, by far. that will stick with you forever, and it dictates who you are. gold will go away, and i can't take gold into the next life. I can only take myself, my experiences, and my joy.

#2

the way i see it, I already have the world. i couldn't possibly want more than i have right now. I have loving parents and a loving sister, a house, good food, a good education, and many other things; but most importantly, I have happiness. I would like to have other things, but I won't lose my happiness if i don't get them, and to me happiness is the world.

#3

why wouldn't I love myself? a person cant love others if a person can't love themself. it's possible to be confident without being arrogant, and it's possible to love yourself and others at the same time.

#5

I read an interview of frank shamrock, and it didn't sound like that at all. the champions tend to be hard working, motivated, and humble.

and even if the people who counted did do that, why should I care what they do? I'm not them. I do martial arts because of what it means to me, and I won't let anyone with a bad atittude cheat me out of that for any reason.

Edit:

that is a good idea. that would show that no, we aren't just about beating people's brains in, we're also about betterment of self through diligent training and philosophy.

Answer 2

First of all, Martial Arts is about the ability to fight. Period. All of the esoteric stuff you're building into it is a romanticized notion of fighting that westerners imported from the east. So, just a big FYI but Martial Arts aren't unique to the east. The Greeks and Romans had formalized systems of hand to hand combat just as old as anything in the east.

Confidence in yourself as an athlete and as a person is valuable and important. We currently live in a society that downplays the value of the individual and tries to convince everyone that being the Best is not to be strived for, that "doing your best" is all that matters. MMA is a sport where you can demonstrably be BETTER than someone else. There is no doubt. This helps build a positive value system where striving for excellence AND ACHIEVING IT is rewarded.

People like you who attack Mixed Martial Arts based on some falsified idea of what "Martial Arts" means are disgusting. You're ignoring the actual history of The Art Of War in favor of the one that supports your views.

The second, and more important point, is that the MMA arena is the BEST venue for testing techniques to be sure that they are effective and can be executed against a resisting opponent. Because no matter HOW deadly a technique is, if you can't practice it against a real person who is REALLY trying to stop you from doing it, then it's useless. MMA is the true return to the Martial Way, a way that strives for effectiveness above all else.

If you aren't pressure testing your techniques you aren't practicing Martial Arts.

Answer 3

1. whats in your hear 2 no. if you gain the world but lose your soul.you have nothing.3 stay in the sport to set an example by not doing what the others do.4 i try my best to live up to the code.5 i justifiy it by showing students thats not the way.if all they see is this then they will copy it.

Answer 4

Okay this is me personally as a fighter. I love to fight theres no high better than getting your hand raised. They paycheck at the end helps out. As far as morals go I go to church each Sunday for that. Sorry but Bushido died out a LONG time ago. You have to understand not everyone does martial arts for self improvement. Some of us just want to fight and for us thats the outlet that we get from MMA competitions. Would you rather us beat up people on the street or train, get paid for fighting, and walking away still friends with the guy???

Answer 5

To be part of all these criteria is great but to be truthful to your self is greater.  To be humble is to be wise but to lie and know your lying well that gets your *** kicked!

Answer 6

1) Your own mental state matters more than your physical wealth, but your life is co-dependant on both.

2) Yes, of course it does. A certain degree of richness is the reason why we can have the luxury of a computer, this discussion, our houses, and a stable country in which we live.

3) Because a love of self is dire necessity. There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving yourself. It's best not to confuse a healthy level of self respect and self satisfaction for narcissism or arrogance.

4) No, of course not. I do not live in Feudal Japan, hence there is no logical reason for me to be bound by the customs of that place and time. I'm not a serf, I do not serve a warlord, and I'm not a samurai. No such person exists anymore.

That, however, does not mean that I don't try to live morally and honorably. It just means that I try to uphold my own interpretation of honor and goodness, that may or may not align with some long-dead Japanese people's.

(Though, for the record, there were tons of Samurai who did very dishonorable deeds. There just seems to be this rediculously romanticized notion -- often held by those who haven't done enough legitimate research on the matter -- that they were the pinnacle of honor. They weren't. )

5) Martial Arts are systems of techniques and strategies designed for combat efficiency. That is to say, a martial artist should be able to deal damage or death to an opponent more effectively than flailing his fists or blade. That is the only thing inherent to martial arts.

While instructors will often try to impart some of their beliefs and philosophies on to their students (regarding physical techniques as well as code of conduct), that is separate from the martial art itself. It's more like a disclaimer for a product; "do not put this in your eye," or "you could seriously hurt somebody with these techniques, be responsible." However, that is your teacher speaking, not your martial art.

Karate doesn't have a sense of morality. Karate is not a living, breathing, sentient creature. Karate -- like all other martial arts -- is a system of techniques/strategies designed to effectively defeat or kill an opponent. It is a tool; how it is used is up to the wielder.

Martial Artists are people, first and foremost. Some are good, some are bad. Some are humble, others are arrogant. Many sensei and sifu who appear to be benevolent have turned out to be child molesters. Many others, who may appear gruff or even haughty end up being nice people. You could replace the words "sensei/sifu" with "policeman," "doctor," or "school teacher" and that would remain true.

The notion that martial artists must live up to a certain moral standard or code of conduct is at best naivete, and at worst, s****. elitism. (Ironically, the latter seems to contradict the supposed Martial Arts Code.) To think otherwise insults and discredits the martial arts and martial arts practitioners from, say, European styles of swordsmanship who are not necessarily taught a code of conduct. Though, if you've seen/practiced with such a swordsman, the absurdity of that action would be quite apparent.

So, all in all, Mixed Martial Artists are just people. Each of them acts differently, and how they carry themselves should have no bearing on the legitimacy of their practice. No justification is needed. (not to mention, its a sport/form of entertainment, where hyping fights up is encouraged.)

I've met some very haughty, arrogant doctors out there. Perhaps, we should get rid of doctors -- if we were to follow that line of reasoning.