What is the "Do" in your art? What did the Founder of it intend it to be?

[Makalakumu]

I've been thinking about this question for a long time, what does the "do" in your art supposed to mean? What did the founder intend it to be? I know a lot of you train in arts with out the "do" in it's name, but if you train in a do-jo perhaps you still have a concept that is similar to the concept of Do in other arts. If so, what is it? And finally, for those of you who do not use the concept, perhaps you have an overarching philosophy that your art is meant to transmit. Perhaps you could share that.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately and I wonder what the similarities and differences among people's perceptions of the Do and what the Founder intended. I also wonder what the similarities and differences are between the various martial arts that use that concept.

 

[Makalakumu]

Personally, I've trained in the following arts that have used Do as part it's name or have practiced in a Do-jo.

Shotokan Karate
Tang Soo Do Moo Do Kwan
Dan Zan Ryu Jujutsu
Judo

Some martial arts that I've trained in that have had an overarching philosophy, but no Do have been the following.

Tai Chi Chuan
Arnis De Mano Baston Batangas
Jeet Kune Do

An example of a martial art that I've trained in that does not include a concept of Do would be the following.

Wrestling
Boxing

 

[Makalakumu]

Funakoshi Gichin was the founder of Shotokan. Funakoshi laid out the Niju Kun in order to describe the philosophy of Shotokan.

Nij? kun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Karate-do begins and ends with bowing.
一、空手道は礼に始まり礼に終る事を忘るな
Hitotsu, karate-do wa rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru koto o wasuru na

There is no first strike in karate.
一、空手に先手なし
Hitotsu, karate ni sente nashi

Karate stands on the side of justice.
一、空手は義の補け
Hitotsu, karate wa, gi no tasuke

First know yourself, then know others.
一、先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ
Hitotsu, mazu onore o shire, shikashite ta o shire

Mentality over technique.
一、技術より心術
Hitotsu, gijitsu yori shinjitsu

The heart must be set free.
一、心は放たん事を要す
Hitotsu, kokoro wa hanatan koto o yosu

Calamity springs from carelessness.
一、禍は懈怠に生ず
Hitotsu, wazawai wa ketai ni seizu

Karate goes beyond the dojo.
一、道場のみの空手と思ふな
Hitotsu, dojo nomino karate to omou na

Karate is a lifelong pursuit.
一、空手の修業は一生である
Hitotsu, karate-do no shugyo wa isssho de aru

Apply the way of karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty.
一、凡ゆるものを空手化せよ其処に妙味あり
Hitotsu, ara yuru mono o karateka seyo; sokoni myomi ari

Karate is like boiling water; without heat, it returns to its tepid state.
一、空手は湯の如し絶えず熱度を与えざれば元の水に還る
Hitotsu, karate Wa Yu No Gotoku Taezu Netsu O Atae Zareba Motono Mizuni Kaeru

Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing.
一、勝つ考は持つな負けぬ考は必要
Hitotsu, katsu kangae wa motsuna; makenu kangae wa hitsuyo

Make adjustments according to your opponent.
一、敵に因って轉化せよ
Hitotsu, tekki ni yotte tenka seyo

The outcome of a battle depends on how one handles emptiness and fullness (weakness and strength).
一、戦は虚実の操縦如何に在り
Hitotsu, tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni ari

Think of hands and feet as swords.
一、人の手足を剣と思へ
Hitotsu, hi to no te-ashi wa ken to omoe

When you step beyond your own gate, you face a million enemies.
一、男子門を出づれば百万の敵あり
Hitotsu, danshi mon o izureba hyakuman no teki ari

Formal stances are for beginners; later, one stands naturally.
一、構は初心者に後は自然体
Hitotsu, kamae wa shoshinsha ni atowa shizentai

Perform prescribed sets of techniques exactly; actual combat is another matter.
一、形は正しく実戦は別物
Hitotsu, kata wa tadashiku, jisen wa betsumono

Do not forget the employment of withdrawal of power, the extension or contraction of the body, the swift or leisurely application of technique.
一、力の強弱体の伸縮技の緩急を忘るな
Hitotsu, chikara no kyojaku tai no shinshuku waza no kankyu

Be constantly mindful, diligent, and resourceful, in your pursuit of the Way.
一、常に思念工夫せよ
Hitotsu, tsune ni shinen ku fu seyo

 

[Makalakumu]

Jigoro Kano was the founder of Judo. Here is what he said of the Do in 1915.

"Judo is the way of the highest or most efficient use of both physical and mental energy. Through training in the attack and defence techniques of judo, the practitioner nurtures their physical and mental strength, and gradually embodies the essence of the Way of Judo. Thus, the ultimate objective of Judo discipline is to be utilized as a means to self-perfection, and thenceforth to make a positive contribution to society."

 

[Makalakumu]

Tang Soo Do philosophy is kind of all over the place, but it loosely follows Shotokan. Hwang Kee incorporated a lot of Daoism into the philosophy of Tang Soo Do.

 

[Makalakumu]

Seishiro Okazaki founded Dan Zan Ryu Jujutsu in Hawaii and he incorporated the philosophy of Kokua into his martial art. Kokua is a Hawaiian term that means to help each other. In Dan Zan Ryu, the overarching philosophy is for it's practitioners to help each other learn the art, to become better people, and to make a better community.

 

[Buka]

I always liked the Boy scouts motto, Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. I know it's old fashion to some, but I don't care. Not a bad way to be. I also love the tenets of Bushido, (whether they actually came from the Samurai or not), Rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor and loyalty. Again, probably old fashioned to most, but important and meaningful to me and mine.

I think that's what you mean by "do". I think social etiquettes are more important in some dojos than others. Especially dojos in a city with a high volume of young people. Lot of lost, tough kids in these kind of dojos, and many don't have a stable home life. If you only teach how to fight, you sometimes end up with kids that have more problems than when they started. And, in my experience, they take to the discipline and philosophy like a duck to water. But it don't mean a rats *** if they aren't being led by example.

I've been in a few BJJ schools. The ones I've been in didn't have any of this. And little or no bowing. Yet, the ones I've been in (just my experience) were some of the nicest, honest and gentlemanly dojos I've ever been in. I think the example the instructors and higher ranks set made this so, I'm not really sure. It just seemed to always be the same way in the ones I was in. Always. Maybe because new students, no matter how tough outside, are suddenly goldfish in a shark farm, I dunno'.

I insist my students be ladies and gentleman. Do I care what they do outside the dojo? Damn right I do. I'll help them all I can, but they have to display the proper attitude and etiquette. Of course there's the flip side of the coin. I know some dojos that have wonderful etiquette and students that seem to love what they have. But if somebody actually got a bloody nose they'd probably panic and call an ambulance.

Then there's DT in Law Enforcement. It's easy with cadets, because they're scared to death of screwing up. They are all spit shine and polish. Different with In Service training. No 20 year street cop really cares what you want to teach, and I can't say I blame them. But guys a few years in are easy to get to buy into "the do". I always start the same way, "What's the number one duty of a police officer?" You get the standard answers, uphold the public trust, help the innocent, blah, blah. I tell them "The number one duty of a police officer is to finish his shift and make it home to his family, alive and in one piece." Because of the limited time with these guys, that's "the do" and it always seems to work.

Then there's the other do. The "dough". Bring plenty if in one of these schools.

 

[K-man]

A number of karate schools have a dojo kun. This is the one passed down from Chojun Miyagi, founder of Goju Ryu, via Eiichi Miyazato.

Dojo Kun

Dojo Kun is a set of guidelines written and passed down from Miyazato Sensei.


These guidelines were based on common advice that Miyagi Sensei would give to his students. These guidelines were designed to help us in our daily lives in and outside the dojo.


This picture hangs on the wall inside the Jundonkan Dojo in Okinawa, Japan. Its image can be found in dojos around the world that follow instructions based on the lineage of Miyazato Sensei, the successor of Miyagi Chojin Sensei. These guidelines continue to be passed down by Teruo Chinen Sensei.




Hitotsu




Be humble and polite,


Train considering your physical strength,


Practice earnestly with creativity,


Be calm and swift,


Take care of your health,


Live a plain life,


Do not be too proud or modest,


Continue your training with patience.


These are the precepts of our style of karate. Rather than explaining each one, the student should contemplate the dojo kun as it applies to his or her life. Each "kun" is stated aloud at the end of the class and begins with the word "Hitotsu" which means "one" or "first". This implies that each kun is separate and not in order of importance, meaning that each Dojo Kun is the most important at that time.
Jundokan International-Lakeshore - Dojo Kun