KARATE: BENEATH THE SURFACE
By Roy Kenneth Kamen
A MUST READ!
On 5th January 2019, I wrote to the author as under:
Roy san,
At the beginning, when I started learning karate, I thought karate is a fighting art of self-defence. But after I got a black belt, I began to think that maybe karate has something more than a fighting art. In fact I myself do not like something related to violence. I do not like competitive sport karate. After my teacher suddenly passed away, I was forced to study karate by myself. Fortunately I can train in karate on my own because karate have Kata. So I continued practicing Kata even today. One day, like you, I realized that Kata is like a mantra of Buddhism. Kata's movement is like a mandala of mysticism. It gives me peace or tranquility. Maybe this is because of Okinawan Goju-Ryu. When I see other karate schools, I do not feel anything spiritual at all.
When I read your book, I am glad to know that what you think about
karate is quite similar to mine. You seem to appreciate the spiritual
aspect of Goju-Ryu. I also think Okinawan Goju-Ryu is spiritual. Miyagi
himself thought so.
Osaka, Japan
