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Old 02-15-2007, 11:39 PM   #83
Kevin Leavitt
 
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Dojo: Team Combat USA
Location: Olympia, Washington
Join Date: Jul 2002
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Re: Sport is the new Budo

Edward you talk as if the two cannot exsist in the same person or within the same system of study.

Ted I agree that military (martial ) tactics in and of themselves are not budo...they are just that tactics designed to kill, maim, or immobilize.

I suppose we first have to agree on our realitive position on the GPS....most of us that say that competition CAN be within the realm of budo don't attach the label of budo to the art....but the person.

We believe that Budo is a state of mind.

I think contrary to that is like saying that a Protestant cannot be a Catholic because they have not been confirmed a Catholic. Does that mean he is not a Christian though, or can gain the same spiritual or closeness with God?

I suppose that depends on your point of view of the whole dogma of religion.

Ted I would propose that Budo is within the realm of military arts. I have not met too many soldilers that are one dimensional...that is all they think about is killiing and practicing killing.

They have families, feelings, desires, emotional needs, and everything else. They must have all this in balance in order to be a good soldier.

Mushashi wrote a book on it.

The military places some emphasis on competition because it is a small part of helping to develop warrior ethos...an important part of budo.

I'd go so far to say that IF you are NOT including some sort of competitive measuring stick in a healthy way...you are dabbling in budo from the side lines.

Parochialism and conventional wisdom from all those early japanese masters states pretty much that competition should not be a part of budo.

I buy it to a degree....philosophically.

In practice and in my profession though..which pretty much centers 24/7 around the nature of Budo....it has been my experience that competition in an important element.

Competition has also gone along way in promoting world peace and understanding between people of different countries and political backgrounds.

I think you guys are simply looking at competition in a way too over simplisitic view.

If in my BJJ dojo all I ever cared about was winning, that is extrinsic gratification (all about ME!), then I'd have no one to train with, or i'd lose interest fast because rarely do I win and losing would get old after a while.
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