Universal Martial Arts Philosophy?

From Budotheory.ca By Rick Rowell 27-Jun-11

I was reading a forum post about the idea of "Martial Arts Philosophy" and the poster asked a relevant question worth exploring:


"Lots of people talk about the "martial arts philosophy" as though it were some unified, coherent thing. But the more I think about it, the less I'm able to think of a single universally held belief relative to martial arts.

At first glance, something like effort seems like a universally valued attribute. But then you look at something like taijiquan and see that effortlessness is the order of the day. And that seeking to overcome through effort is missing the point entirely.


Honour is all over the map. You get all sorts of romantic notions about codes of conduct. But then you get much more utilitarian ideas from the RBSD [reality based self-defense] crowd and various other cultures. I think FMA [fillipino martial arts] tends to be fairly "all's fair..." And capoeira's concept of malicia raises trickiness to an ideal. (One I endorse, by the way. Not criticising.)

So can anyone think of anything that is actually true across the board? Or is the idea of a martial arts philosophy as flawed as I think it is?"

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102668


Martial arts are just one of many life paths that can fulfill (or destroy) human potential. Many martial arts principles echo those we find in other philosophies. Partly because they evolved together and also from their unique martial perspective.

There are universally held beliefs relative to the martial arts. A few that immediately come to mind are:

  • Duality (yin-yang, in-yo, kyo-jitsu)
  • Learning stages (gyo-shugyo-jitsu)
  • Ki (chi, prana)
  • Mental states (Mushin, Fudoshin, Heijoshin, Myoshin, Isshin etc.)
  • Hard and soft approaches (Juho and Goho - really a subset of duality)

The interesting paradox is how can the study of violence lead to a better human being?

Miyamoto Musashi in his work Go Rin no Sho stated that Heiho (strategy) is a method to find enlightenment. Later in life, he seems to have pierced the paradox. There are many old sayings such as 'Ken zen ichi Ryo'- The sword and Zen are the same path that indicate there are many parallels between martial philosophy and other philosophies.

We can't help but tap into universal principles no matter what flavor of martial art (or any serious exploration) we study. If you take a handful of sand and trickle it on a table, each separate sand grain falls chaotically in ways that are totally unpredictable. But as the sand accumulates, the sand pile takes on a certain cone-like shape, despite the randomness of the moving sand grains. Maybe it is this pattern we end up discovering when we take a step back from the multitude of martial styles and "philosophies."

There are universal martial arts principles, but they are no different than those found by other seekers along different paths. We have a unique path that makes us seek from a particular perspective. The deeper we dig, we find principles that have wider and wider application to our lives. The question this person asked tells me he is digging past the outside (omote), looking for what is inside (ura). Not everyone does that. Many are happy with all the technical details of their chosen martial art (omote).


The truth has many flavours. As my mom used to say, "There are many paths to the top of the mountain."

The Greek philosopher Epictetus said:

"All things receive their character from our judgment concerning them; all objects, all events, are merely semblances or phenomena, to be interpreted according to the laws which nature gives us."


How you interpret your chosen martial art and the principles you learn from it is up to you.

In the book Eat Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, her Balinese mentor discussed the idea of polarity or duality:

"To up, to down - all same end. Universe is a circle. Difference between Heaven and Hell - Heaven you go up through 7 happy places, Hell you go down through 7 sad places. This is why it is better to go up through the 7 happy places - Since the destination is the same. Same in end - better to be happy on your journey."

I think this is true. From a martial arts perspective, you can be the meanest 'bad ass' there is and use your talents negatively. But martial arts are a means to an end not the end in itself. What is your end? Mine is to become a better person, and like our Balinese teacher said, I'd rather be happy. Using your talent negatively will only bring you through the seven sad places.

Because I choose to aspire to go through the seven happy places doesn't mean I don't understand the negative. After all I have studied how to do horrible things to other humans for almost 40 years. And it teaches me just how precious life is. Funny how duality can do that. I think we have a dual path that is both positive and negative and we need them both to really understand that happiness is a preference that you have to work at.

The poster of this question uses attributes like effort and effortlessness and if you look through his question he talks about Honor, to anything goes as martial arts philosophies. These are all sand grains of duality.  What it really boils down to is:

Are you chasing the path of an individual sand grain (honor, benevolence, deception, hate, fear, happiness, violence, peace, technique) or seeking the shape of the sand pile--an integrated whole made up of all the good and bad, that is somehow greater than each grain? I think both.

Duality is a fundamental and universal principle in the martial arts, but cannot claim ownership of this principle. We see it everywhere. Our martial path is a way of learning to see its possibilities if you really look.

There is a term Perception of Duality (Kan Kyo Jitsu) used in the Japanese martial arts that refers to a deep understanding of duality. For me it is the sand pile and the grains together. A shape to live by.

I call it BUDO, but there are many other names.

You might also be interested in the Article Small Way (Shodo) and Great Way (Daido)

Consider investing in you martial journey with a copy of Budo Theory .