A Door Inside

There is a door inside, in the deepest part of your heart. When you exit this world, it closes behind you. But it’s a door that can be used for refuge at anytime. Beyond it is a place of healing. Nourishment for the soul. A place where wisdom resides. A land of language without words. How do we find this door? There is only one way. Complete and utter stillness. Death within life. Thinking without words. When you are still and there is no words; Then the door will be felt. Once inside, you can heal; Understand what you were … Continue reading A Door Inside

I Only Wanted To Be Kwai Chang Caine…

Why I only ever wanted to be Kwai Chang Caine. I was a typical South London council house boy doing Karate until that first Sunday afternoon in 1973 at 3pm when I watched the first episode of Kung Fu that turned my life upside down. Here was a Martial Artist and Buddhist priest that had nothing and yet had everything. How can that be? Listening to the wisdom dispensed from the Buddha I realised that suffering came from ownership, if you owned nothing you had everything. Happiness was simply an internal habit and unhappiness came from wanting to possess, keep … Continue reading I Only Wanted To Be Kwai Chang Caine…

The Path To Success

Taken from the notes of Chris Gunn as a reminder as to what was covered on the Seminar on the 19th May 2013.  I post this on the blog because it’s an excellent reminder to any of my students and anyone in the Martial Arts that there is a straight forward linear path to success with no vague concepts if you’re prepared to put in the work required. It was very kind of Chris to allow these notes to be published. Steve had ended up entitling the Seminar ‘The Path To Success’ to help us determine the right path to … Continue reading The Path To Success

Milk Of Amnesia

Tonight we are going to drink the elixir of Nirvana…… Milk of amnesia! Sensei always had a way with words. Sometimes he totally bastardised the English language and yet always found a way of using it to help us gain an insight toward a deeper philosophical point. His humour was also unique. Someone had to get the ball rolling. “Sensei, are talking about a drink to bring about a blissful state?” “No.” “But does not Nirvana mean enlightenment, or a state of bliss?” “Nirvana means to put the fires out.” “So we are to drink an elixir to put the … Continue reading Milk Of Amnesia

10 Essential Points Of Martial Arts Leadership

‘Leadership’ is a much-maligned word in the Martial Arts these days; it tends to be over used, often by the wrong people in the wrong way. If you run a Club it’s essential that you fully understand the responsibility that you are undertaking. You primarily have a responsibility to yourself as the Leader of a Club and will be the pivotal figure that everyone is going to look up to. The Emotional Intelligence of the Leader will dictate how the rest of the Club will behave. If the Leader is disingenuous, a bully or financially greedy it will reflect negatively … Continue reading 10 Essential Points Of Martial Arts Leadership

Peace Is Earned

Peace is earned.  The only harmony we have in this universe is amidst chaos, it is a natural state.  We are all built to fight each other for reproduction and food and in the human this has become so warped that it has become a highly evolved and barely noticeable part of our media, games and politics. The only way as a human that we can find peace is amidst this chaos. Our body is ‘balanced’ by continuous wars of huge armies of bacteria and microbes fighting each other for us to aspire to a good balanced healthy condition. The … Continue reading Peace Is Earned

Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory…

There are people you can lock in a dark room on their own and they will come out a Master, Some people obtain mastery despite their Instructor, Some make it because of their Instructor, Some will never make it with the best instructors in the World as long as they have a hole in their bum. You can nag and push students, Get them to make notes, Give them notes, mnemonics and lists, Home training programmes and intensive private lessons. Some want to learn, some are lazy, Some have unfocussed minds, Many are arrogant, But most will never make those … Continue reading Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory…