Dao of the Day

A good warrior is never violent
A good fighter is never offensive
A great victor defeats his opponent,
but not by challenging him.
A great commander is humble.
This is called the power of non-contention.
This is also called using the power of others.
To follow this is to follow the pattern of the subtle law of the universe.

-Dao De Jing Chapter 68
from The Complete Works of Lao Tzu, translation and elucidation by Hua-Ching Ni.

Spiritual Warrior

Today I'd like to share this quote from a book by Huaching Ni called The Way, The Truth and the Light.

There are three ways to fulfill or achieve immortal power. The first is to become a hermit... The second way is that of people who have achieved spiritual power. They practice spiritual knighthood or spiritual swordsmanship. If they have a chance, they assist victims of evil who are caught in a helpless situation. They extend their spiritual power to help a good person or to punish a wrongdoer without asking anything in return or looking for recognition. If an evil force is known by a spiritual knight, even if the evil one has the protection of thousands of guards, his head can be taken by the knight as easily as taking something out of his pocket. However, warning is always given first. Some spiritual knights travel in general society looking for opportunities to render their knight service. Other live in the world for six months and then return to live in their mountain huts for another six months.

These people have sharp tempers and strong feelings toward what is good and bad, right and evil. The punishment they mete out is quick and thorough, but no mistakes are made, because they take careful measure of the truth of a situation. These people first achieved themselves highly in martial arts and swordsmanship. Some of them were taught by their teachers to accomplish their virtuous fulfillment for a length of years, then they become hermits and live an ordinary life.

When I read this passage, my heart leapt. It brought me back to the early days when I first started training in martial arts. Every boy wants to be a superhero at some point, and some of us never grow out of it. Martial arts offers the clearest, most realistic path to becoming a modern superhero - a person with incredible strength and speed, amazing skills and a highly developed character. The person who can not only win battles but change a defeated enemy into a friend.

As you get older, you realize that heroism is complicated. Nothing is as easy as the movies. All you can do is keep training, hard, with the best teachers and friends you can find. That way, when the opportunity to help someone presents itself, you can both recognize it and have the necessary skills to carry out your task.

From the Wayback Machine: Another NY Times Article

This one is from 17 years ago, when David Dinkins was the mayor. Apparently martial arts schools make a ton of money! Listen to this:

Nicholas Cokinos, chairman of the Educational Funding Company, a Bethesda, Md.-based management and billing company that handles the finances of 500 martial arts clubs in the United States and Canada, estimates that the martial arts industry produces annual revenues -- mostly from monthly fees for instruction -- of between $720 million and $900 million.

But Fred Villari, president of Fred Villari Studios in Dedham, Mass., the country's largest chain with 123 franchise studios, estimates that the market is much larger. "The market for equipment alone is $2 billion," Mr. Villari said. He said the industry earns about $2 billion a year from lessons, though there is no way to verify his calculations.

Those are some big numbers (for more info on EFC, see Thursday's post. Here is a link to Villari's website). But that's the industry as a whole. How about individual schools?

Even small studios can turn a tidy sum. According to Mr. Cokinos, the schools generate an average of $15,000 in revenues monthly from student fees that range from $55 to $65. Children's fees are generally $40 to $45 per month. The schools often sell equipment; uniforms sell for about $18, while head, hand and foot gear can cost as much as $40.

Martial arts schools also charge testing fees of up to $25 each time a student tries to qualify for a higher belt. While students in Japan, Korea or Taiwan are usually classified as white or black belts (novice or expert), in the United States each belt comes with a testing fee, and, not surprisingly, there are a range of hues, from white to yellow to purple to black.

$15,000 a month??? Wow.

I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, martial arts was a labor of love. There were no professional instructors, just dedicated men and women who came to the school after they got off work to pass on what they knew. At the end of every class my teacher would always lead a meditation and give a short talk. One day, after a particularly grueling class (physically and emotionally) he told us: Martial arts isn't for everyone. It's a hard path. But the rewards are great. We felt like we were part of a special tribe, doing the important work of self-examination and self-mastery through focused movement.

That's why I'm always taken aback when I see the bright shiny ads and big grins that promise that martial arts is for everyone, that it's easy and anyone can do it. I don't pretend to know whether this approach is better or worse - it's just different. It's certainly more successful financially. My teacher once said to another martial arts instructor, a contemporary: We've both been teaching for about the same amount of time. My school is still so small, but you have three studios and hundreds of students! What's your secret? The teacher smiled and said: Easy! I don't teach them anything. Classes aren't hard. Everyone comes back.

Read the NY Times article here.