Most modern Budō are taught in a very commercial environment and are stripped almost entirely of any martial philosophy. It has become almost common, due to the lack of philosophical/spiritual training, to see many Budō stylists that have big egos and bad attitudes. However, Bujutsu training at the Kochō Dōjō develops and strengthening the spirit through a philosophy/’way of life’ called Ninpō. This method emphasizes developing the strength of spirit that enables one to see through the fears and illusions of life and understand the natural workings of the universe, so that natural wisdom results and leads to peace of mind and genuine joy. We take the insights gained through mastering the arts of Bujutsu and apply them to our own unique lives, resulting in countless benefits. No sport trophies can even compare to that.
A weak spirit can lead one astray, but a strong spirit will not only help one walk a just path in life, it is also a key part of surviving life and death scenarios. One can read quotes from philosophers in books and recognize the wisdom of their words, but reading words of wisdom does not make one wise, nor does it strengthen one’s spirit. It requires a strong spirit to make wise choices in life. How does one gain the ability to perceive wisdom from within?
The spirit is strengthened by enduring hardship with a calm mind and a peaceful heart. The approach to this by religions is through prayer and charitable works. The warrior’s path involves enduring the hardships of training to develop a strong spirit. During training we calmly endure painful techniques from our teachers and training partners without anger or resentment, getting up every time we are knocked down with no animosity, ready for more.
It is not a philosophy that is written down in books and memorized, but rather is a method of strengthening the spirit through the physical training in order to gain the ability to perceive the things which a weak spirit cannot grasp. The hardships and difficulties encountered in warrior training help to strengthen the spirit, giving the practitioner the ability to see through the illusions that create limiting fears in the heart and mind. The result is that as confidence in combat increases, all other aspects of life are put into a new focus, and do not seem so daunting. The illusions created by fear and anger fade away and allow one to see more clearly, unclouded by the restraints of misunderstanding.
Using this method to strengthen the spirit, a student of warrior traditions of Japanese Bujutsu can attain the strength of spirit to act in a just and moral manner. Weak people can too easily give in to fear and anger and do the wrong things in life. A warrior, using the power of his spirit to see through the fears and illusions that would coerce lesser people into doing unjust and immoral things, can realize the harmonious playing out of the forces of the universe and act accordingly.
Philosophy of the Samurai
There have been many books about the samurai, and most of them refer to the philosophy of the samurai as ‘bushido’. ‘Bushi’ means warrior and ‘do’ means way, resulting in the word “way of the warrior.” However, Bushido is actually an Edo era creation, influenced heavily by Zen and Confucianism, and is not accurately the philosophy of the active samurai warriors.
The ideals of the samurai evolved over time, and it is not possible to put the ‘way of the warrior’ down on paper with some absolute finality. It really is a complex subject that is intertwined with a complex history. The samurai of the Heian era are much different in many ways than the samurai of the Sengoku era, and many people consider the codification of Bushido in the Edo era to be the product of idle samurai who changed the spirit of their forefathers to fit their own times.
There are some points in common with the samurai ethics of all eras. Loyalty to the lord they served is one of the most important ideals. The common goals of warriors can not be achieved if they cannot weld their intention together for the greater good of all. The feudal lord needed absolute loyalty from his warriors. The height of expressing a samurai’s utmost loyalty was the willingness of the samurai to lay down his life in the service of his lord. This selfless loyalty was very admirable in a warrior society, and samurai strove to live up to such a high standard.
Honor is another very important ideal and it was a strong influence upon samurai society. Every act of a warrior reflected upon his family, clan, and the lord your family served, and it was extremely shameful to bring dishonor upon any of these. If a family’s reputation is damaged it could adversely affect the family for generations. So a samurai sought to avoid anything that would bring disgrace, and if he seemed to be imminently facing disgrace, a samurai would commit seppuku, ritual suicide, to allow his family to escape the dishonor and redeem his honor as a warrior. This ‘honor system’ was one of the driving forces that urged all members of society to make the choices that would be for the better good of all.
High ideals such as these commanded that bravery and control over one’s fears be expected at all times. The stoic samurai is typically calm in the face of certain death upon the battlefield. In fact, samurai were admonished to come to peace every morning with the imminent possibility of their own death. Such a mentality seems extremely harsh by modern standards, but in actuality it taught the samurai valuable lessons on the value of life. Thinking each day their last, the samurai would live to their fullest ability, taking nothing for granted, and developing a heightened appreciation of even the smallest details.
It is a different world today, but the ideals of the samurai offer many valuable insights that can help us all achieve higher principles in our own lives. Keeping such aims as loyalty to one’s nation and family, acting bravely and without fear, and avoiding those things that would bring dishonor while appreciating every moment in life will surely bring many rewards.
Religion
The Kochō Dōjō does not teach religion. We do have a rich philosophy and training methods for strengthening the spirit, but these are different than what we think of as religion in the West. Religions are generally considered to be focused on worshipping a deity and the correct manner of living to gain a better existence in the after life, usually gaining admittance into heaven. While our warrior traditions do have spiritual aspects that are very similar to Eastern ‘religious’ philosophies such as Buddhism, we are focused on developing ourselves spiritually, and not in worshipping a deity or getting into heaven. Those activities are left up to the individual to pursue.
The philosophical aspects of warrior training seek to develop the mind and spirit of warriors, so that they can become what is referred to as “a complete human being.” A person who does not act out of petty fear and anger, but who has a controlled calm nature and can see through the illusions of life that blinds lesser people. The constant pursuit of enlightening insight is what prevents Bujutsu from ever becoming a cult as well. We do not blindly follow a ‘religious leader’, but strive to strengthen ourselves to gain the power to see through those that would mislead us.
The philosophical aspects of Bujutsu were created in Japan, and it shares over a thousand years of history with other spiritual systems including Buddhism, Zen, Shintoism, Confucianism, and even Christianity. So the warrior traditions have been influenced to a small degree by the wisdom of these other systems, but yet exists apart from any of these systems. For example the methods of meditation we use were developed in Buddhism, but we do not practice Buddhism nor put any stock in the Buddhist sutras. And despite the writings of a well-known western author, Mikkyō Buddhism is not a part of the way of the Bushi. It is a separate method. Some warriors practiced this form of Buddhism, while many did not.
Among the Bushi, religion was left up to the individual. Many practiced Shintoism and various branches of Buddhism, but some also became Christians after the European missionaries came to Japan. Today, we continue the same approach. Religion is left up to individuals to pursue on their own.
Do not mistake the spiritual aspects of training in the warrior arts with religion. Religion is something separate, although often times there may be some common goals and seemingly similar methods. As with the stated goals of most religions, the Kochō Dōjō is trying to develop high-quality people who walk a just path in life. The spiritual aspects of our warrior traditions can seem similar to religion, but it is important to understand that we are not advocating for or against any particular religion.
If you have specific questions about the relationship between our philosophy and religion, please contact us.
Words of Wisdom
The following writings are examples of some of the insights attained by previous masters of our arts, but the goal is to gain the ability to have such insight oneself, and for such gems of wisdom to come naturally from the sub-conscious.
- Know the wisdom of being patient during times of inactivity.
- Choose the course of justice as the path for your life.
- Do not allow your heart to be controlled by the demands of desire, pleasure, or dependence.
- Sorrow, pain, and resentment are natural qualities to be found in life. Therefore, work to cultivate an immovable spirit.
- Hold in your heart the importance of family loyalty, and pursue the literary and martial arts with balanced determination.
-Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu
- Remove anger to preserve personality. Much effort is required to be patient instead of angry. So one must foster one’s personality and humility.
- Remove too much thinking to preserve the nerves. Don’t spend too much time thinking about trivia because you will become irresolute. So think less and develop strong nerves.
- Remove too much speech to preserve the spirit. Refrain from chattering too much and instead store up the power of your spirit.
- Remove desire to preserve the heart. The problems of the mind are like this: I want this or I want that, or I want to be rich and in high society, etc. So every effort must be taken to remove these desires and in turn cultivate a good mind and heart.
– Takamatsu Toshitsugu