martial scholar?

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[Matt Banks]

Hi there everyone,

How does one become an ''official'' martial scholar or a zen scholar. I heard there are degree courses one can take, is this true. If it is, could anybody tell me, where and when etc. A kendo teacher I trained with, I believe talked about a guy who was doing a martial scholar degree in tokyo, but I wasnt sure.

any information would be greatly appreciated.


Matt Banks

[Nick]

Sure-- train, train, and train some more... though I'm rather uneducated on the subject, I'd be weary of anywhere offering to make you be a "true" Zen or budo scholar. This seems at ends with Zen, where an academic cloass would let you know more things about it, when the aim is to "not know" and not-think... as the Buddha said, "The No-mind no-thinks no-thoughts about no-things." Hehe... interesting, neh?

Nick

[PeterR]

Well yes and no.

Yes - spend some time in a zen monestary. Reading koens and nodding vigourasly everytime you think one makes sense is not going to get your there - you have to walk the walk.

No - Take a degree in comparative religion and speciallize in the Far East. Peter Boylan from the Aikido-l mailing list has done just that.

A good case can be made that any meditative practice done in Aikido is not zen. Filling the mind rather than emptying it. M. Ueshiba was neo-shintoist and his earlier exposure to Bhuddism was Shingon I believe. However, different forms of Bhuddism have influenced different martial artists and what ever turns your crank. A very good friend of mine and teacher (Yondan, Shodokan Aikido Honbu) regularily goes to a Zen monestary for week long sessions. I personally have stayed and participated in monestaries of the Shingon sect on Koya-san. I don't know where you are located but retreats are available just about everywhere.



Nick wrote:
Sure-- train, train, and train some more... though I'm rather uneducated on the subject, I'd be weary of anywhere offering to make you be a "true" Zen or budo scholar. This seems at ends with Zen, where an academic cloass would let you know more things about it, when the aim is to "not know" and not-think... as the Buddha said, "The No-mind no-thinks no-thoughts about no-things." Hehe... interesting, neh?

Nick

[Kami]

Matt Banks wrote:
Hi there everyone,
How does one become an ''official'' martial scholar or a zen scholar.
Matt Banks

KAMI : I do not like the term "official". It gives me a taste of bureaucracy, but...
I heard somewhere that there is a "Budo University" in Tokyo. Also, we should remember that Ueshiba Kaiso studied philosophy and religion besides Aikido. BUN BU RYO DO : Martial art and Culture, the same thing. If you study Aikido and also philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, phisiology or compared religions, you get a better understanding of Aikido. To just repeat 10.000 Ikkyo won't take you to illumination. To practice is essencial but practice without theory will take you just so far.
IMHO

[PeterR]

Hi Ubaldo (we meet in the strangest places);

The Budo University is Kokushikan University. One of my teachers from Shodokan Honbu now teaches Aikido there and the head of my style studied there for his law degree. Basically it is a regular University but there is also top level Budo training.

I don't know about Kokushikan University but at Waseda University Shishida Shihan (also one of Tomiki's students) is a Professor of Budo history and therefore I assume it is possible to get a degree along those lines.

[Dan Hover]

or....
you can go without the titles, and just study, study, history, culture, philosophy, art...all these things have influenced the development of Martial arts over the ages, and each area is sooo broad too. I in all my studies, specialize in Japanese ways. Even though philosophically and artistically they "imported" a LOT from china. But that is the route I went, Japanese culture and Language in College. Plus read a lot of Draeger, the Kojiki, D.T. Suziki, Robert Smith, The Skosses, and be prepared to find out a lot of things that might shatter popular views and often mistranslations. Bottom line, it is nearly impossible to learn everything you want to know, so develop an idea of where you want to go with your studies. And follow that angle and see where it takes you.

[Lisa Tomoleoni]

PeterR wrote:
Hi Ubaldo (we meet in the strangest places);

The Budo University is Kokushikan University. One of my teachers from Shodokan Honbu now teaches Aikido there and the head of my style studied there for his law degree. Basically it is a regular University but there is also top level Budo training.

I don't know about Kokushikan University but at Waseda University Shishida Shihan (also one of Tomiki's students) is a Professor of Budo history and therefore I assume it is possible to get a degree along those lines.

Actually, there is a place in Katsuura, Chiba, called Budo University, where one can "major" in various budo.

[Kami]

Lisa Tomoleoni wrote:
Actually, there is a place in Katsuura, Chiba, called Budo University, where one can "major" in various budo.
[/B]

KAMI : Hello, Lisa San!
Long time no hear from you! Could you tell me more about this Budo University?
Best regards
Ubaldo (a.k.a.Kami)

[PeterR]

Hi Lisa - I'll second that. I came across the Budo University you mentioned on the web once but no little about it.

[PeterR]

Best I could come up with on the web was http://www.budo-u.ac.jp. Nothing in English.

[Chris P.]

PeterR wrote:
Best I could come up with on the web was http://www.budo-u.ac.jp. Nothing in English.

See http://world.altavista.com/ for free real-time translations.

[Kami]

Chris P. wrote:
PeterR wrote:
Best I could come up with on the web was http://www.budo-u.ac.jp. Nothing in English.

See http://world.altavista.com/ for free real-time translations.

KAMI : My God! Did anyone see the curriculum for a martial arts degree?!?!? :eek:
I guess it would take 4 or 5 years to get that degree
Best

[Maputosimon]

Kami wrote:
Lisa Tomoleoni wrote:
Actually, there is a place in Katsuura, Chiba, called Budo University, where one can "major" in various budo.


) [/B]
In 1991 when i was in mozambique deciding where to go to futher my education, I discovered that this college has a branch in New Zealand, running Martial Arts degrees - I don't know if it's still running, though.