Character Development in Budo

Becoming a Warrior

The development of character, mental fortitude, general good attitude and mindset of a mature warrior is possibly the most important thing a Budoka should learn.

 

This is the most difficult thing for an instructor to teach and definitely the most difficult thing for a student to learn.

It has been said that the techniques in Budo can be used to hurt or kill a person, so all true martial artists are also required to learn how to be good and respectful people. This is to control themselves (and these dangerous techniques). Otherwise it would be irresponsible to teach anyone these art forms. 

Being quick to anger, cowardly, weak willed, lacking self-control, undisciplined, arrogant, prideful, overconfident or disrespectful can result in many unfavourable and unacceptable situations.
A Budoka with no mental control or poor judgement could result in them being hurt (physically or mentally) or hurting other people unintentionally. Without the correct appropriate character traits, a Budoka could create a situation resulting in long term unforeseeable negative consequences.

During times of peace in feudal Japan it was recognised that the Samurai warrior class were required to have a code of conduct in order to temper their martial skill. Being that with this skill they could influence the lives of the other citizens. The Samurai class became not just skilled fighters, but an example for everyone as gentleman and honourable men.

This code, which was developed over the centuries, became known as the code of Bushido. 

Samurai

Within the last century or so the Bushido code has been distilled into 7 virtues: 

Honour (The integrity of one’s spirit and virtues)

Benevolence (A charitable, selfless mindset. To be good)

Rectitude (Righteousness, an adherence to justice and truth)

Sincerity (Truthfulness in thought, speech and action)

Courage (The ability to face fear or hardship, without being incautious or inconsiderate)

Loyalty (Faithfulness to a cause or ideal)

Respect (Deep feeling of admiration and trust)

Click here to learn more about the 7 virtues.


With these virtues, a Budoka should have a guide for making good decisions and acting appropriately.
Of course this is only the beginning of the way of Bushido.
It is an incredibly deep and complex tradition that defined an entire culture for  hundreds of years.

There are moral codes to help people develop their character from almost every culture:
The one most often compared to Bushido is the code of chivalry for the knights of medieval England.
In Buddhism there are the ‘five precepts’, sometimes the ‘eights precepts’.
In Taoism there are the ‘Ten Precepts’.
In Islam there is the ‘Five Pillars of Islam’.
The commonly known moral code in western cultures is the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament of the Bible.

Every religious text has moral codes and lessons in some form.
Good moral codes can also be found also in many many fictional stories. 

Another aspect of the character is to have a positive mindset (there will be more detail on this in a future post).

The last aspect of character development is the development of a calm disposition. This is closely related to one of the other facets of training in Budo (Polishing of the Spirit). A calm mind is important for a Budoka.

Being quick to anger is dangerous when one has been trained with skills that hurt people. Bushi Matsumura said in his letter to Ryosei Kuwae  "If you have an unconquerable calmness, you can overcome the enemy without force, with the ferocity of a tiger and the swiftness of a bird."


The most effective way to learn to be calm is through meditation. Meditation actually has many benefits, some of these benefits have been recognised as: 

Decrease in anxiety.

Emotional stability improves. 

Helps creativity increase.

Happiness increases.

Gain clarity and peace of mind.

Problems become smaller.

Lowers high blood pressure.

Lowers the levels of blood lactate, reducing anxiety attacks.

Decreases any tension-related pain, such as, tension headaches, insomnia.

Increases serotonin production that improves mood and behaviour.

Improves the immune system.

 
There are many different ways to meditate. The straightforward way is to simply sit still in a quiet place and focus on only breathing.

The character development of the true Budoka is quite often underestimated by certain practitioners. It unfortunately results in weak willed people with some dangerous abilities out on the street.

This is a shame in the modern world as many laymen view Budoka as simple thugs.






Comment below to share any thoughts or opinions you might have.  :)

Thanks for reading.
Derm

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