Original Okinawa Karate Iha Dojo

Seikichi Iha, Naihanchi Sandan, 1970

https://www.facebook.com/share/19QXNZoPfz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sensei and the Wabadi of Thoughts

Sensei was much more than a karate teacher. For many of us he was a friend, father figure, and mentor. His life, so full of unique (and tragic) experiences, gave him an unusual insight into human nature and suffering that was typically expressed in nuggets of wisdom that he delivered with that characteristic off the cuff simplicity and smile. But the simplicity did not mean simple-minded or shallow. Quite the contrary.

One day after class he asked why I was upset. I don’t member how he knew or what it was that was troubling me because I didn’t write that down (this was over 26 years ago), but I did note his advice. He said I was wasting half of my thoughts by worrying. I asked what he meant and he said that if what I feared actually happened then I didn’t waste my thoughts and I could “make ready”, but if it never came to pass then all my thoughts were wasted worrying about it. So, in his calculation, it was certain that I was likely wasting half of my thoughts on a hypothetical problem. While I don’t know if that actually helped or not at the time, the wisdom in his advice eventually did settle in as a new habit of mind. Some things we can control and some things we cannot, but we can always control our response.

Once again, Sensei’s karate philosophy was a metaphor for his life philosophy. Gusukuma Sensei emphasized “no wabadi”, no over-motion. Miyahira Sensei emphasized flowing around rooted power like a river around a rock. There is also a saying, “Shingitai ichi nyo”; spirit and form are one. On a simpler level this can mean that form follows function, but it extends to our inner state in that we should behave according to our principles. Likewise, just as wabadi means “over motion” on a physical level, it can also mean to not overreact in the mind; no wasted thoughts, no mental “over motion”. And “flowing water” means we don’t become fixated on mental obstructions but realize there are almost always alternative solutions.