Philosophical Thoughts

"One becomes a beginner after one thousand days of training and an expert after ten thousand days of practice."
~Mas Oyama~

"Although it is important to study and train for skill in techniques, for the man who wishes to truly accomplish the way of budo, it is important to makehis whole life in training and therefore not aiming for skill and strength alone, but also for spiritual attainment."
~Mas Oyama~

"A human life gains luster and strength only when it is polished and tempered."
~Mas Oyama~

"Reading good books implants good ideas in the mind, develops good aspirations, and leads to the cultivation of good friends."
~Mas Oyama~

"One living daily in the Way carries their head low and their eyes high; reserved in speech and possessing a kind heart, they steadfastly continue in their training efforts."
~Mas Oyama~

"Aspirations must be pure and free of selfishness. Arising from the depths of the soul, aspirations are spiritual demands penetrating all of a human life and making it possible for a person to die for their sake. A person without aspirations is like a ship without a rudder or a horse without a bridle. Aspirations give consistent order to life."
~Mas Oyama~

"As far as possible, I want nothing more than to don my training gi and teach Karate."
~Mas Oyama~

"If someone asked me what a human being ought to devote the maximum of his life to, I would answer: training. Train more than you sleep."
~Mas Oyama~

"Karate is the most ZEN-like of all the martial arts. It has abandoned the sword. This means that it trascends the idea of winning and losing to become a way of thinking and living for the sake of other people in accordance with the way of Heaven. Its meanings, therefore, reach the profound levels of human thought."
~Mas Oyama~

"One must try everyday to expand one's limits."
~Mas Oyama~

"Behind each triumph are new peaks to be conquered."
~Mas Oyama~

"Until the day I die, I never want to be separated from my dogi; I never want to cease my training efforts in the dojo."
~Mas Oyama~

"The fastest way to attain courage is to follow the chosen Way and be willing to abandon life itself for the sake of justice."
~Mas Oyama~

"If you have confidence in your own words, aspirations, thoughts, and actions and do your very best, you will have no need to regret the outcome of what you do. Fear and trembling are lot of the person who, while stinting effort, hopes that everything will come out precisely as he wants."
~Mas Oyama~

"Human beings are capable of virtually limitless degradation; they are also capable of virtually limitless improvement and achievement. Success depends on goals and on diligence in pursuing them."
~Mas Oyama~

"Always remember that the true meaning of Budo is that soft overcomes hard, small overcomes large."
~Mas Oyama~

"The most significant life is the one lived on the basis of a personal sense of justice and the desire to see justice realized everywhere."
~Mas Oyama~

"It is possible for even the smallest of accolades of achievement to be truly worthwhile without tears and toil?"
~Mas Oyama~

"I realized that perseverence and step-by-step progress are the only ways to reach a goal along a chosen path."
~Mas Oyama~

"Subjecting yourself to vigourous training is more for the sake of forging a resolute spirit that can vanquish the self than it is for developing a strong body."
~Mas Oyama~

"Each of us has his cowardice. Each of us is afraid to lose, afraid to die. But hanging back is the way to remain a coward for life. The Way to find courage is to seek it on the field of conflict. And the sure way to victory is willingness to risk one's own life."
~Mas Oyama~

"We in Kyokushin maintain faith in the Way that knows no prejudices."
~Mas Oyama~

"My Way is the Way of Karate, which is also the Way of humanity, and which is consequently related to the Way of Heaven."
~Mas Oyama~

"A man who understands decorum and the courtesies is a great treasure; I hope to train and send into society as many such men as I can."
~Mas Oyama~

"No matter how strong the rival, the just will always win."
~Mas Oyama~

"True courage is born only when it is accompanied by justice."
~Mas Oyama~

"Courtesy should be apparent in all our actions and words and in all aspects of daily life. But be courtesy, I do not mean rigid, cold formality. Courtesy in the truest sense is selfless concern for the welfare and physical and mental comfort of the other person."
~Mas Oyama~

"Karate is Budo and if Budo is removed from Karate it is nothing more than sport karate, show karate, or even fashion karate-the idea of training merely to be fashionable."
~Mas Oyama~

"I have not permitted myself to be ignorant of any martial art that exists. Why? Such ignorance is a disgrace to someone who follows the path of the martial arts."
~Mas Oyama~

"If you do not overcome your tendancy to give up easily, your life lead to nothing."
~Mas Oyama~

"Sice Karate exists for cultivating the spirit and training the body, it must be a moral way surpassing mere techniques..."
~Mas Oyama~

"Power is no more than a part, no more than the tip of the iceberg of limitless profundity and sublimate of Karate."
~Mas Oyama~

"In the martial arts, introspection begets wisdom. Always see contemplation on your actions as an opportunity to improve."
~Mas Oyama~

"Studying the martial Way is like climbing a cliff: keep going forward without rest. Resting is not permissible because it causes recessions to old adages of achievement. Persevering day in, day out improves techniques, but resting one day causes lapses. This must be prevented."
~Mas Oyama~

"Personal greed and egoism are things that cause human beings to forget respect for others and to violate rules that have been established for the sake of peace and friendship."
~Mas Oyama~

"Come ye trials and challanges; come life's big waves, for I am ready?"
~Mas Oyama~

"Since karate is a martial art, you must practice with the utmost seriousness from the very beginning."
~Gichin Funakoshi~

"Try to do exactly as you are taught without complaining or quibbling."
~Gichin Funakoshi~

"When you are learning a new technique, practice it wholeheartedly until you truly understand it."
~Gichin Funakoshi~

"Don't pretend to be a great master and don't try to show off your strength."
~Gichin Funakoshi~

"Remember that you must always have a deep regard for courtesy, and you must be respectful and obedient toward your seniors."
~Gichin Funakoshi~

"You must ignore the bad and adopt the good."
~Gichin Funakoshi~

"Think of everyday life as karate training."
~Gichin Funakoshi~

"Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
~Sun Tzu~

"What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, Iunderstand."
~Confucius~

"Anger is just like picking up a hot piece of coal andtrying to throw it at the person you hate. You are the only one that getsburned."
~Buddha~

"The mind should be nowhere in particular."
~Takuan~

"Under the sword lifted high, There is hell making you tremble. But go ahead, And you have the land of bliss."
~Miyamoto Musashi~

"It is dishonorable to die with your katana clutchedin your hand and your wakizashi tied to your belt sheathed and untouched. "
~Miyamoto Musashi~

"Enlightenment or delusion? Who is to say which person has wish? Like the evening moon they appear and fade. Not one knows exactly when."
~Ueshiba Morihei~

"The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of theengagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victoryor defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at theright moment. "
~Bruce Lee~

"If every man would help his neighbor, no man would be without help."
~Bruce Lee~

"The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas andtradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding theroutine, the tradition, the shadow. You are not understanding yourself. "
~Bruce Lee~

"Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality."
~Bruce Lee~

"Water can support a ship and water can also sink a ship."
~Old Chinese proverb~