By: Dan Jones
Spirit, all of us probably have some idea of what it is, at least in theory. Spirit is defined in Webster's Dictionary as: "The vital essence of man, considered divine in origin; the part of a human being characterized by personality and self-consciousness; the mind." In the martial arts that definition goes even further. It's that internal drive that keeps you from stopping during exhausting training, it's what's inside that keeps you fighting even though you've been hurt, it's what makes you survive when others don't. Spirit keeps you from giving up during times of great adversity in life. Spirit has also been described as "heart".
The lack of spirit will have just the opposite effect. Those who don't have spirit will quit when the going gets rough, they will give up when the odds seem insurmountable.
The big question is how do you get, build and maintain your spirit. And if you don't have spirit can you develop it. The answer is simple in philosophy but very difficult in actuality. You develop spirit from exhausting work on the physical body. Pushing yourself even though you are tired, frustrated or bored. It's only when you continue to push yourself physically, to keep going passed that point of exhaustion during your workout, that you start to build your spirit. This push must be internal, something you've made yourself do, not a push by your Sensei or personal trainer.
However, that can't be just any mindless workout. To develop your spirit your conditioning requires a mental workout. After 29 years of working on basic techniques and kata your mind, at times, starts wandering during the exercise. I caught myself going over my "to do" list while going through kata the other night. The challenge is to refocus, back to the workout and techniques. This in itself becomes training, training of the mind. This is true of any of your training, not just kata. It is also true of meditation or even if you're just running, or for me, even worse, the tread mill, you must continue to focus. By not permitting your mind to wander you will begin to develop mental aspects of your spirit.
The next aspect of spirit conditioning I'm sure will bring some controversy. However, I strongly feel that religious practice is the third element in building your spirit. The Bible is a guide to what is right and wrong. The practice of worshiping together helps build relationships with solid foundations and focuses in paying homage to our creator. This will develop your soul.
You will note that Grandmaster Shimabuku felt the development of spirit was so important that it's integrated throughout Isshin-Ryu. From the "Code of Conduct" where he talks about paying homage to our creator, to the patch meaning of the "karateka's ability to maintain calm during adversity" to even the name "Isshinryu" the One Heart way. Isshinryu and the development of spirit are synonymous.
How do you build SPIRIT? By building and developing your "mind, heart and soul". And one of the best ways to do that is by training in the One Heart Way - Isshin-Ryu.