The Commencement
“What is Bruce Lee’s favorite drink?” asked Hanshi “I’m not sure” I replied, “Wataaahhhh” he exclaimed. Shorinjiryu Kenryukan Karate, an institution of martial arts initiated centuries ago, was the major turning point in my life. The time spent here was irreplaceable; how quickly the individuals I called “sensei” (instructor) had turned into family was shocking. This was my home. The past 12 years I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this lifestyle; training day after day relentlessly, the thought of becoming the best version of myself continues to pursue my mind. Many individuals believe karate is only kicking and punching, however, that is only 20% of it while the other 80% is mental.
It was a Friday night in the middle of December, the sun had set, and the air smelled of sweat, foot burns, and agony. Our adult green belt and higher class was finished, and all the purple belts were called over for a serious conversation. Hanshi said, “you all will be tested for ni qyu (brown belt) 2 weeks from today.” My jaw dropped. I thought to myself all these recurring Friday night classes were not for nothing, this was planned out. A cold shiver ran down my spine for this was one of the biggest steps in my life, yet I did not feel ready whatsoever. The stress continued to rise as we were told if we genuinely wanted to take the challenge then a resume was to be made; including our point of view on various questions and the inclusion of reading “The Book of Five Rings,” with our take on what we learned from the treatise and which of the 5 elements we correlate most with. I was baffled, for I had never even written a job resume let alone I did not even know the format for this brown belt resume. I stood in the office stunned, 3 high ranking black belts in this system standing right in front of us gave out one of the most difficult tasks to 8 teenagers, ni kyu was two steps before becoming a black belt and I did not even feel myself 100% a san kyu yet (purple belt). It was like turning 18 yet you still feel like you are 16 about to become a full 17-year-old.
“The Book of Five Rings” I read with a confused look on my face. I was confused because I did not know what the title meant, there was no background given whatsoever. Before the reading, we were told that we would understand everything after the book was read. Various entries appeared; “The Gaze in Strategies,” “To Injure the Corners,” “The Five Approaches”- all these entries were strategies in war. Terminology appeared which I never read before, metaphors which did not seem to have meaning swarming through the treatise, and the true meaning of the 5 rings was still anonymous. I was lost, ever since an early age I always had trouble reading simple literature. As a little guy, classmates would always bully me when it came to my reading and writing skills because of how low they were compared to their own. Big words would confuse me, and I would give up easily on reading a book after the first two pages. I hated Reading and it was never my strong suit; having to read a book based on war principles for a hobby which I loved doing seemed like a buttload of work, but I was willing to persevere if it meant taking the next big step in my karate journey.
I was enlightened. After reading the treatise my mind began to think deeper. Although most of the book was about war or battle techniques, all these sayings and practices that Miyamoto Musashi had and put out to his audience applied to the real world and what we do in everyday life. “To Injure the Corners” not only applies to hurting your opponent’s limbs, arms, or shoulders so that they are weakened and eventually collapse on their own. But it also applied to real world situations. In school, for example large assignments like essays or projects cannot be attacked head on but rather you must complete the assignment bit by bit for it to be finalized and obtain all the points you can get properly. It should not be rushed or done with stress on the mind similar to combat. I was stupefied, all the sections in the treatise were related to everyday life and how we should be living it so that we do not fear what comes next but are prepared because tomorrow’s victory is today’s practice.
I thank Musashi for the impact he’s made in my everyday lifestyle. After my first read through of his novel I was still confused. But as I continued to read it, more information was absorbed every time. I thought to myself if this short book has this much information to offer, I wonder how much others do. I read other novels pertaining to my hobby like “Karate-Do: My Way of Life” by Gichin Funakoshi or “Scientific Karatedo” by Masayuki Kukan Hisataka. My writing became more advanced, I began to enjoy reading, and this gateway novel allowed me to begin thinking creatively. Expressions and examples in certain novels which I did not understand prior to “The Book of Five Rings” became simpler to infer too and incorporate in my everyday lifestyle. As corny and repetitive as it sounds, books are knowledge, and everyone needs to pick one up and give it at least a try.
The book had made my outlook on my ni kyu test change completely. I was waiting for that day to arrive sooner because of how ready and calm I had felt. Although I will never be as great as the samurai of olden times; I felt like I was finally understanding and inputting bushido, the way of the warrior, in my life all because of one novel.
