Customer Rating: Summary: Perhaps the finest book on martial arts philosophy that you could own, if you can find it! Comment: Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama's, "The Kyokushin Way."
Like all of the great martial artists past and present, Mas has a remarkable and relevant philosophy not only on the martial arts, but also on how to conduct yourself in your every day life. Some of these philosophies may seem a little rigid, but not when you look at it from the perspective of a true martial artist.
In this review, I am going to give you a couple of lines from each section and a brief synopsis of the rest of the section. It is my opinion that you will get the most from this book by actually owning it and reading it several times, while practicing it on a daily basis.
1. Aspirations:
This section starts out with the following statement from the author. "When I was a child, we were taught always to live in such a way as never to have to be ashamed in front of family, teachers, or friends." In other words, do nothing that you would be ashamed of. Simple yet brilliant!
One must continue to have high aspirations if they truly want to grow and achieve more than the average individual. If you set your goals low then you will only achieve little or no success. But if you have high goals, you will have to continually strive to reach those goals and when you do, success will be yours. A man who has everything he wants will wither and become stagnant and die. But the man, who continually wants more, will work harder and continue to thrive and grow.
2. Diligence:
"If someone asked me what a human being ought to devote the maximum amount of his time to, I would answer, training. Train more than you sleep. No matter what course you pursue, you will have no regrets if you make this a hard-and-fast rule."
In this section, Mas relates his own personal history and some of the troubles he found himself in as a young man before he devoted his life to the study of karate.
3. Courage:
"The fastest way to attain courage is to follow the chosen way and to be willing to abandon life itself for the sake of justice."
Everyone of us has been afraid at one time or another, it's how you handle that fear that determines what kind of person you are or will become. Mas himself admits in this section to certain times in his life when he to has been a victim of fear.
4. Success Demands Courtesy:
"We must always remember to be kind and considerate and must abide by the customary practices of the society in which we live. One of the most important things in preserving harmony among individuals and society is courtesy and mutual respect."
One must not only be strong, but also soft and malleable when need be. As former United States President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt used to say, "Walk softly and carry a big stick." The United States needs to return to this way of thinking and acting in the international community.
5. Parents:
"The length of the period (from fifteen to twenty years) during which the human parent must care for and protect its offspring means that relations between parent and child are deeper in human beings than in other animals."
It often amazes me that we seem to take for granted those who brought us into this world.
6. Reasons for Fighting:
"Human beings worthy of the name ought to be willing to challenge wickedness with justice, even to the death if necessary. Without the willingness to stand up for justice in this way, what is life worth?"
Just because you can fight doesn't mean that you have to fight.
7. Karate and Zen:
"Zen is the complete unification of the body, the intentions, and the spirit. Unification of this kind is the sole way to human perfection and harmony with the universe. It is Zen."
In order to achieve a Zen state, one must concentrate, but not to hard or you will hinder your own efforts.
8. Breath Control and Mind Control:
"Oriental training codes have evolved concrete systems for the total unification of spirit and body. These systems are of importance not only to art and technical achievements, but to daily life and morality as well. They consist of three methods: breath control, strengthening of the abdomen through breath control, and meditation."
Various methods and techniques for breathing properly in order to develop power are explained.
9. Love and Marriage:
"Woman is simultaneously man's greatest joy and his greatest sorrow. Men usually encounter three kinds of women: mothers, wives, and seductresses who are only objects of sexual desire. The way a man reacts to these women is one of the most important elements of his life."
Women should be loved and respected, but never let them control you.
10. Keeping Money In Its Place:
"Money is a social necessity. As a reward for labor and for human blood, sweat, and tears, it is honorable. It makes me sad to know that some people judge everything in terms of money and what it can buy."
Although money is a necessary function of today's society, do not allow yourself to be ruled by it.
11. Liberation, the Ultimate Truth:
"But the way to truth is long. One of my mottos is this: A person is still beginner for a thousand days; he finds the truth after ten thousand days of practice."
The road to the truth is not easy, but it is attainable.
12. Significance Today:
This section concludes this book with the state of karate throughout the world at the time that it was first printed.
This book has been out of print for the past twenty years and is very difficult to find. I found my copy finally and paid over $100.00 for it. Money well spent! Customer Rating: Summary: Kyokushin way is the only way Comment: This book is a philosophy of Kyokushin karate, the strongest martial arts on the planet founded by Sosai Masutatsu Oyama. While other books by the same author focuses on training, this book ONLY focuses on the philosophy. This book will make your life better, and helps our society a better place. It will bring us back to basic......MUST HAVE for those who would like to improve quality of their life, and quality of our society. Kykushin Spirit will live on......find your ultimate truth! OSU! Customer Rating: Summary: Makes our modern society a better place. Comment: This book is among all, very well organized, and written book by now most well respected Japanese modern full contact Krate system (Kyokushin) founder Sousai Masutatsu Oyama. While other famous book by the same author emphasizes on the style, history, and training aspect, this book strictly focuses on Kyokushin philosophy. Excellent book if you like to dig deep into meaning of Kyokushin, and how you want to apply into your daily life. It hleps to have been practicing Kyokushin to be able to deeply apply Sousai Mas Oyama's philosophy since Kyokushin can only be experienced through knowing the ultimate truth, facing fear and pain! However, this book is still for ALL walks of life who want to improve their quality of life through direction by the founder of the most strongest Martial Arts on the earth. MUST HAVE book once in your life time!
