A Lifelong Path

Considering the relatively large turnover of Western students, looking into how to study a Japanese martial art and combat “culture shock” is something you need to consider. SMAA Senior Advisor Dave Lowry has written a number of fine books that would be useful to someone contemplating the study of Japanese martial arts as more than mere recreation. Nicklaus Suino Sensei’s Budo Mind and Body is another book to check out, along with Stephen Fabian Sensei’s Clearing Away Clouds: Nine Lessons for Life from the Martial Arts.

Such research will help you to practice martial arts as a lifelong endeavor, which is an essential component for approaching these disciplines as shugyo—a form of spiritual training. The spirituality of all the classical Japanese art forms— from flower arrangement to budo—reveals itself through an ongoing process of practice that lasts a lifetime. It is a process that cannot be revealed in a short article, but it offers sincere students something immensely valuable, something that can transform their lives and benefit the lives of people around them.

Continuing reading about the spirituality of Japanese martial arts here.

Start Your Path with the World Martial Arts Association

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SMAA is proud to be a world martial arts association and a source of authentic Japanese teachings. To get started, call (734) 729-0330 or contact us on our website.