Thread: doka
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Old 03-23-2012, 12:32 PM   #3
DH
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,394
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Re: doka

Quote:
Kevin McMonagle wrote: View Post
In a forest of enemy spears I find myself surrouned,
Then I realize that their very spears are my shield.

The first time I read this I thought it was the most beautiful and intriguing four lines I head ever read.
I've pondered it's meaning for months. It's meaning hit me today out of the blue. Now I think that the founder was a very enlightened being and had mastered the highest level of strategy.
This a serious practical and tactical teaching with value to a budoka. It is an old teaching going back to Vegititus, the Roman general in his book of strategy.
.
Sadly, it can also be taken up by ner do wells and utterly incompetent people to new heights of new age rhetoric and nonsense and be emptied of all practical worth to a budoka.

The only thing left to do is to face people -who claim to be Budoka- with spears. In quick order you will discover who is actually worth listening to and how utterly worthlessness some people's understanding of budo is. For this reason, many people-particularly established teachers- will never meet and be tested.

"Do not look to authority for truth...look to truth for authority"
Dan
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