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Keep Moving Forward

By Alan Lai
Hong Kong Karate Club

Last time I mentioned the percepts of "Mushin" introduced to me from Sensei Kaplan. To follow the remaining part of it, I would like to keep on Sensei's thought of philosophy passed to me from him, and wholeheartedly may I share it all with you. Please correct me if may wish.

In a recent phone call with Sensei Kaplan, Sensei taught to me a More forward idea of "Keep Moving Forward." His prominent insight of interpretation to this idea is summarized and paraphrased as follows: "Moving forward idea is a dynamic spirit, totally parted with its mere conventional etymology of 'aggression or aggressive' but 'staying centre, balance and calm in both act and mind.' It is even very 'unjapanese' to force oneself to remain his entire focus of going just forward while depriving oneself of the courage to step back and see everything. If this idea is a compass, it should always tell us there is not just a North direction but trust the compass to head to South as the environment or circumstances requires so. There is always no shame to head back South while the whole  world just think North is the only path of Zen. To survive, a true warrior (soldier in modern sense) has to master the use of compass and know his present and the next whereabouts."

It sounds like an unprecedented interpretation to such an exclusive, fundamental doctrine of Kyoshi while, coincidentally, it might come to you the right time as your life is struggling.

Just a P.S.: Hong Kong Karate Club is still moving forward!

Domo Arigato!

Alan Lai
Hong Kong Karate Club