THE WAY PLACE

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PLACE WHERE ONE PRACTICES THE WAY,

IT IS A PLACE WHERE WITHIN ITS ESSENCE THE WAY EXISTS, 

A PLACE WHERE ONE FINDS THE WAY, 

A WAY PLACE. 

THE TRAINING PLACE: PART GYMNASIUM, PART CHURCH, PART SOCIAL EXCHANGE, PART BATTLEFIELD, PART  UNIVERSITY AND PART ZENDOJO.

THE DOJO IS THE TESTING OR PROVING GROUND, WHERE ONE CAN LEARN, PRACTICE TEST THEIR SKILL, ADJUST THEIR SKILL SET FROM LEARNING FROM LIMITED EXPERIENCE IN ADVANCE AND THEN MOVE ON FROM THEIR TO THEIR 'NEXT' EXPERIENCE.

THE WAY PLACE IS A PLACE OF CONTEMPLATION, REFLECTION AND MINDFUL THOUGHTFULNESS. IT IS A PLACE OF VIOLENT PEACE AND QUIET POWER.

THE DOJO IS ORIGINAL MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT WAY PLACE FROM WHICH HARMONY, PEACE, BALANCE AND THE UNIVERSE BEGIN.

TO ITS DOJO'S ADHERENTS IT IS A SACRED PLACE: TO WORK, TO FIGHT, TO PRACTICE, TO WORSHIP, (AND AS SENSEI ALWAYS STATED, "ONES RELIGION IS WHAT ONE BELIEVES IN, THAT THEY CAN COUNT ON THAT WORKS FOR THEM, ALL THE TIME") SENSEI URBAN REFERRED TO THIS AS THE SUPAREMPEI (THE PRINCIPLE ESSENCE FROM WHERE ALL THINGS BEGIN AND END)

THE DOJO IS THE HOME OF THE SENSEI, ACCORDING TO MAESTRO PETER URBAN.

 IT IS A PLACE OF: LEARNING AND PRACTICE, OF HARMONY, CONTEMPLATION, FINDING AND WALKING THE CORRECT PATH AND SECURING FOR THE FUTURE, THE RIGHT WAY AND THE WAY PLACE.

ACCORDING TO SENSEI URBAN,THE DOJO IS A PLACE TO LEARN, 

"HOW TO FIGHT REAL GOOD."  (CHESS WAS ALSO A REQUIREMENT FOR THOSE LIFETIME AFICIONADOS WHO WISH TO BECOME BLACK BELTS. 

WHAT SENSEI DIDN'T TELL MOST BECAUSE OF “WHATEVER,” IS WHAT KIND OF FIGHTING ONE HAS TO DO, WHAT ONE HAS TO FIGHT AND WHAT ONE HAS TO FIGHT TO ACCOMPLISH DURING ONES TENURE, AS A SENSEI, THIS HE KNEW TO BE THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT.

THIS ONE SHOULD  FIND OUT AND BE AWARE OF, PARTICULARLY BEFORE ONE SPENDS MANY YEAS PRACTICING WITHOUT EVER REALLY KNOWING, APPRECIATING AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT ONE IS SUPPOSED TO DO, TO LEARN AND TAKE AWAY WITH THEM ON THIS INCREDIBLE, FANTASTIC JOURNEY OF WHICH WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED AND FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ACCEPTED AS "SEEKERS OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE TRUTH" AND EXPERIENCE THE WONDER AND AWE OF MARTIAL ART SCIENCE  AND COMBATIVES. 

SENSEI URBAN ALWAYS REFEREED TO THIS, “HIS NUMBER ONE JOB AS A SENSEI WAS TO “POINT ACCURATELY” FOR THE STUDENT AND IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. IT IS UP TO THE STUDENT TO EXPERIENCE AND LEARN FROM THE JOURNEY. IT IS “NEVER” THE SENSEI’ JOB TO CARRY THE STUDENT UP THE LADDER OR PATH OF ENLIGHTENMENT.

IT IS THE PATH OF HARD AND SOFT THAT ONE MUST CONQUER AND IN DOING SO CONQUER THE SELF.

IT IS A PLACE WHERE EFFORTLESS EFFORT EXISTS, IN WHICH IT CAN BE: FOUND, CREATED, AND BROUGHT OUT OF DARKNESS AND INTO THE LIGHT.

TO ITS DOJO'S ADHERENTS IT IS A SACRED PLACE: TO WORK, TO FIGHT, TO PRACTICE, TO WORSHIP, (AND AS SENSEI ALWAYS STATED, "ONES RELIGION IS WHAT ONE BELIEVES IN, THAT THEY CAN COUNT ON THAT WORKS FOR THEM, ALL THE TIME")

IT IS A PLACE OF CLEANLINESS, ORDER, ORGANIZATION, ACKNOWLEDGING ONE'S OWN LIMITS AND STRENGTHS, ETC.

THE DOJO IS A PLACE ACCOMPLISHMENT, IT IS A PLACE TO PRACTICE THE BELIEF AND THE POTENTIAL OF ONE'S OWN ABILITIES.

A PLACE TO FIND ONE’S OWN PEACE WITH ONESELF AND WITH THE WORLD.

IT IS A PLACE OF MAGIC AND WONDER, AND FAR MORE INTERESTING AND WONDROUS THAN MOST WILL EVER KNOW, UNDERSTAND, APPRECIATE OR HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE.

MOST PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED AND WHOSE CONCEPT OF THE DOJO IS SKEWED AT BEST BELIEVING IN “CONFLICT RESOLUTION THROUGH VIOLENCE” INSTEAD OF THROUGH PEACE AND HARMONY AND IN BEING ONE WITH THE SELF AND THEREFORE ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE. 

MOST PEOPLE, BELIEVE IN FIGHTING, COMPETITION, ARGUMENTATION CONFLICT, AND MANY OTHER THINGS BESIDES HARMONY WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY AT LARGE, WHEREVER OR WHATEVER PLACE OR SIZE THE SIZE.

AS MY TEACHER PETER URBAN SAYS, “WORK ENDS IN THE GRAVE.”

WHEN I SAY MY TEACHER, I USUALLY REFER TO SENSEI PETER URBAN, HOWEVER SENSEI URBAN WAS NOT MY ONLY GREAT TEACHER, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE MANY, ALL WHO IMPARTED GREAT WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE AND TALES OF THEIR EXPERIENCES, BUT ALSO INFLUENCED MY THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS AS WELL.

SENSEI PETER URBAN AND SENSEI “EDWARD VERYCKEN” HOWEVER WERE TWO OF MY GREATEST INFLUENCES AS I WAS UCHI-DESHI (LIVE IN APPRENTICE STUDENT) TO BOTH OF THEM FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME AS IN MANY YEARS, UPON YEARS.

THE DOJO IS A PLACE TO CONQUER ONE'S FEAR, TO LEARN TO BE ONESELF AND THEN AS BRUCE LEE SAID. "TO EXPRESS ONESELF HONESTLY."

AT THE DOJO, "WORK" IS THE "NAME OF THE GAME," AND THE "PRIMARY OBJECTIVE." YOU LEARN TO HIT AND TO GET HIT, TO GET HURT AND SHRUG IT OFF AND THEN TO KEEP GOING NO MATTER WHAT, AND, WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE TO PRACTICE HEALING YOURSELF AND/OR THOSE AROUND YOU. 

THAT IS PROBABLY WHY I GAVE 25 YEARS OF MY LIFE TO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS AS A VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTOR IN FIRST AID, CPR & AED.

THE "PRIMARY GOAL," IS FIRST TO LEARN, THEN TO PRACTICE WHAT ONE LEARNS.

“SECONDARY GOAL,” IS TO EVOLVE INTO A GREATER, MORE COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING AND TO DEVELOP INTO A HIGHER STATE OF BEING AND TO SURVIVE NOT ONLY WITHOUT HURTING OTHERS, BUT ALSO BY HELPING THOSE WHO COME ACROSS YOUR PATH.

“THIRD GOAL,” IS TO BE IN HARMONY, TO BECOME ONE THE SELF AND THEREFORE BECOME ONE WITH ALL: IN MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT

AND DON’T FORGET THERE IS ALWAYS A GREAT DEAL OF BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS AND LOTS OF PAIN TO GO AROUND IN MANY FORMS AND DEGREES. 

THIS IS WHERE YOU GET YOUR BATTLE SCARS, EXPERIENCE AND MEMORIES AND DON’T FORGET BRAGGING RIGHTS. JUST TRY TO AVOID THE MOST SERIOUS INJURIES, WHICH IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR ARE THE LONG-TERM INJURIES THAT START SHOWING UP IN YOUR MID 40’S, MAKE THE SPOTLIGHT AND INTENSIFY IN THE 50’S AND BEGIN A SERIES OF EXCRUCIATING, CONSTANT, IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE WHEN YOUR YOUNG, CRIPPLING EPISODES THAT  DRIVE YOU CRAZY WHEN YOUR IN YOUR 60’S, 70'S, 80'S, 90'S,  AND WITH YOU UNTIL THE END.

MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS HAVE GOOD INSURANCE AND TRY TO MINIMIZE THE HARD INJURIES IN YOUR YOUTH. THIS HOWEVER DOESN’T REALLY WORKOUT TO WELL WHEN YOU BEGIN AT 7 YEARS OLD AND MAKE A CAREER OUT OF THE ART SCIENCE.

I MUST ADMIT I NEVER HAD A MAJOR INJURY OF ANY KIND BUT IVE ACCUMULATED MANY SMALL ONES OVER THE 55 YEARS OF PRACTICE AND BATTLE. SO, AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF CONSTANT PRACTICE TO BE THE BEST THAT I COULD BE, I HAVE JUST WORN DOWN AND WORN OUT, MY BODY WITHOUT REALIZING OR UNDERSTANDING THE LONG TERM EFFECT OF MY KIND OF TRAINING AND FIGHTING OVER AN EXCEPTIONALLY LONG CAREER IN MARTIAL ART SCIENCE. 

BEWARE, “THIS” SIDE EFFECT OF TRAINING, IS THE ONLY REAL DOWNSIDE WORTH MENTIONING THAT I HAVE EVER KNOWN OR EXPERIENCED IN MY FIELD. AND CHOSEN PROFESSION.

THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE IS BALANCE. 

THE KEY TO BALANCE IS MOVEMENT. 

THE KEY TO MOTION IS VIBRATION. 

THE KEY TO VIBRATION IS STILLNESS.

THE KEY TO STILLNESS IS MEDITATION.

THE KEY TO MEDITATION IS PRACTICE.

THE KEY TO PRACTICE IS DISCIPLINE.

THE KEY TO DISCIPLINE IS FOCUS.

THE KEY TO FOCUS IS ATTENTION.

THE KEY TO ATTENTION IS NOTHINGNESS.

THE KEY TO NOTHINGNESS IS THE GATE-LESS GATE.

THE KEY TO THE GATE-LESS GATE IS THE UNIVERSE.

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