Some of my thoughts on training in Arashi Tennin Dojo

Dear friends,

I would like to share some of my thoughts on trainings in Arashi Tennin Dojo and reasons that have been inspiring me to keep on coming to trainings as well as reasons behind my constantly growing interest in ninjutsu and Budo taijutsu.

To begin with, I have been training for quite a while, but now and again every single training is new and the more I learn the more I realize how much more there is to it – and even this, in itself, makes me inspired. In our trainings we believe in no limits and that we control our lives and that there is nothing that cannot be achieved. The borders and limits of what we can achieve is only the borders of our reason and imagination. There are thousands of excuses which everyone can find, but these excuses will get you nowhere – to find a solution instead – this is the true way that one should follow in life.

This concerns everything you can think of – and the best example is the nature. When a plant grows from a seed and there is something in its way it always finds way round and adapts to the circumstances no matter what it is. In the same way ninjutsu teaches you to adapt and get to the safe place and eventually to get control, no matter what situation occurs in your life. And this also concerns things even beyond the physical fight – relationships, work, studies, everything you can think of! Nature does not give up until it dies – this is what we call survival. And even when something dies in nature it is a beginning of something new.

Ninjutsu teaches you exactly that – to survive and to have control. In the same way a human being is able to achieve a goal that he or she has and not just one goal – but many goals, and eventually anything! The most important is to have clear heart and honest intentions and to put your body, mind and spirit to it. To tell you the truth, what I have learnt in Arashi Tennin Dojo has helped me greatly to develop, to be happy and get great things happening in my life!

To give you one of the very good and clear examples from my life I will tell about the following. I found a good job that I like, having great collegues at the best department in the company. I got this job straight after finishing my university and it was exactly in the field of my studies. This way I could earn money to travel to Japan with David Holt and other Tennin students and learn from Dr Hatsumi and other Japanese Shihans.

In Japan trainings were very close and similar to ours – especially the feeling behind and what Dr Hatsumi was talking about fit in very well with what I previously learnt from my teacher, Shihan David Holt. Hatsumi was teaching to forget about the techniques and in fact not to copy him – because it is something that you cannot see with your eyes, but can only feel. This is exactly about the principles that are behind this art which go beyond our reasoning and understanding of the techniques. And this is exactly what Dave always said “techniques don’t work – principles do”.

I also want to say that I could see how Dr. Hatsumi and other Shinas were treating David, which also proved once again to me that I am in a good place learning from a good teacher who wants me only to get better and improve my life, unlike in some other places where a teacher wants always to stay the boss and never have his students get better. How to be able to make good decisions and choices and not to be controlled by someone else. To have a clear opinion of my own and to always be able to question even what the closest people say, even including David and everyone else around. And then to find where there are good intentions behind and where are the lies and jealousy.

This way you are able to open up your mind and spirit and have a truly great life and no-one has the right to tell you not to! There is no reason to listen and to be close to people who always complain, find excuses and constantly bad mouth others. DO YOU think life is that bad that you cannot find happiness? You can always find it, because it is a choice of YOURS and no-one else’s, as Shihan Ed Martin says. It is a choice inside that you make for yourself. When you get tired of losing and being NO ONE come and learn how to LIVE and be MORE then you could think of! And just to prove this is true – I do not think we would ever had mobile phones, airplanes and all the technology we have now if people were thinking that it is impossible to have something more;)

This is just a bit of my thoughts that I wanted to share with everyone reading this blog and I thank you for your time and patience! Also I thank David for teaching me so much and always helping me greatly to improve myself and not on making him look good.

There will be later the Hungarian translation of this.

Be happy!
Pavel