Growth and Maturity

My teacher once told me a story about a man who was looking to enroll his two sons at our dojo. They had earned black belts in another art (a striking art) after about 2 years. The father wanted the black belts to carry over. Sensei told him that it did not work that way, and we never saw them again. (Sensei, I apologize if I got any of the details wrong).

There was a mind of gain at work in that father, but it was not a unique one. In the martial arts, people often view a black belt as an end. Get there, and you're done. Even those who hang around a while can become more concerned with rank than with the art itself.

At other dojos I have seen people pushed ahead because they "put in their time". People rush forward as though they need to get somewhere. Maybe they need to get to Shodan so they can have a black belt. Maybe they want to get to Sandan so they can promote people to Shodan. Maybe they just want to get to rank "X" so that they will be more senior than 'so-and-so'.

When I was in Tae Kwon Do in my youth, I really did not care about rank. Training was fun and I got a lot out of it. When I tried to get back into martial arts through karate as an adult, I had a need to gain rank, and regain what I had once achieved. It poisoned the experience and my interest died.

When I found Aikido, I just really liked Aikido. I had a sense of wanting to get to Shodan, since I had stopped just shy of my black belt in Tae Kwon Do. When I was granted my Shodan, I spent a few months of not knowing what to do next.  Having reached my goal, I was left wondering what to "do" next.  My training had been lightly coated with the same mind of gain and loss that had tainted my experience in karate.

I was fortunate to have good teachers in my life, so rather than being discouraged, my mind was redirected to what made Aikido so wonderful in the first place. Training. There is no one to beat, and no one to be beaten by. There is no one to pass, and no one to be passed by. The only opponent that can possibly arise is me.

The mental work that needs to be done with the fear of a jumping breakfall when receiving kotegaeshi is no different than the mental work that needs to be done with that feeling of needing to be a higher rank than 'so and so'.

There is no rank that can make you a worthwhile person. There is no title that will suddenly make you 'count' as a human being. You already do and you already are. It has always been thus.

Next month, if all things go well, my friend David will become the 10th person to earn the rank of Shodan at the Seikokan. It has been a well tred path for David. He is quiet, focussed and attentive to detail. He grasps the concept of spirit and expresses it in a sincere and humble manner. I am certain it will be a good test.

On that same day, Sensei's most senior students will be testing for Yondan. When I began training they were about to test for Ikkyu. I have watched their technique ripen and mature over time. This, ultimately is what we are cultivating in Budo. We refine technique, distance, balance, timing and spirit, the only way they can be: over time.