Dojo is a common term with an uncommon meaning. Phonetically pronounced doe joe, the closest English translation is “way place.” The actual meaning gets a little fuzzy from here on out, even for some Asian people.
The Way or Do´(Tao in Chinese) means enlightened path. Enlightenment comes in many forms but I think we can all agree that most of us do not gain enlightenment or wisdom without suffering a little pain and discomfort. You just don’t meet too many enlightened 21-year-olds. Wisdom doesn’t just happen; you have to go through some life first. For many of us, wisdom and enlightenment can be elusive. So, we seek a quiet place to turn off the world for a while and regroup. Maybe it’s church, a wooded path, a park bench somewhere. For me, it is a dojo.
A dojo isn’t necessarily confined to martial arts training. For example, a school of Zen is considered a dojo but you won’t see anybody fighting in a place like that. It represents a place of purging. Zen students wrestle mentally, physically and spiritually with the meaning of life. They also endure long periods of meditation in order to achieve a higher level of consciousness. They sit in seiza (formal kneeling position) for hours at time and live modest lives with few creature comforts. The idea is to mitigate the ego which drives all of our desires, fears, and emotions.
The simplest way to put it is this: The more you have, the more you want. The more you want, the less (about the world and yourself) you understand. You cannot achieve higher understanding without sacrifice. In order to sacrifice something, we have to put ourselves and our egos, second. This is a VERY elementary way to describe the goal of Zen.
This was the original purpose of modern Japanese martial arts. Budo means, “the path [to enlightenment] through martial training. The basic concept was that the average person could achieve mental, physical and spiritual perfection through rigorous conditioning. Self-defense skill was secondary but a natural outcome of consistent practice. The environment you need for that is a dojo; an austere, plain space with no ego-feeding creature comforts, posters, locker rooms, etc. A dojo was never meant to be a gym or a spa. Rather, a dojo (way place) was to be devoid of all the things that feed the ego. You cannot begin to grasp higher understanding if you hold on to the things that make you comfortable. Kind of like serving two masters. Luke 16:13
The way martial arts schools have changed over the years is similar to what I see in many Christian churches. When I was growing up, church was about praising God, praying to God…seeking God. There was ritual, prayer, stoic music and the message and that was it. Now, you’ve got elaborate sound systems, paid musicians, free coffee and bagel bites. I’ve been to a few massive churches with theater seating and cup holders. The pastor is typically an engaging entertainer and speaker, someone who knows how to capture and keep the audience’s attention. Somewhere along the way, church stopped being about God and started being about us.
A lot of that doesn’t square up with biblical history and I believe that’s one of the reasons people find inconsistency with faith. But hey, if you want people to fill the seats and the collection plate, you have to entice and entertain. You have to make sure people are cozy, comfortable and content. And God forbid you preach anything about Hell, expectations or prophecies. In short, you have to keep people happy and feed their ego. It’s not surprising that so many young people are turned off by the notion of Christianity. They are all pretty smart and see the hypocrisy.
And martial arts schools follow a similar path. I recently made the mistake of buying into a program that teaches the “business” of martial arts, especially how to entice, attract and maintain students. The majority of what they want me to do goes against every fiber of my being. Having an open mind is one thing; sacrificing your conscience and beliefs to make a few extra bucks? Nah. I’d rather be a greeter a Walmart…heck, I’m old enough to be a greeter at Walmart.
To be fair, our dojo is not exactly a lean-to in the woods. This year, we invested some money into drywall and insulation and some new mats. We have some descent strength training equipment and I will purchase new striking pads when the old ones have more duct tape than the original vinyl or leather.
On the other hand, we do not have a pristine wood floor or fancy artwork. Most of our mats are old and well-used. The ground is not exactly level. I tell prospective students that achieving a black belt takes years and we don’t do the multi-color belt thing. I don’t offer a “bully-proof” program for kids or “women’s self-defense classes.” The dojo is located in my three-car garage as opposed to some very public and expensive strip mall or warehouse. If you need to use the bathroom, you can stop in the house and pet the dogs or pee in woods. If you train here, you need to accept the fact that your body and ego will be bruised often. If people are seeking more than that, I encourage them to go elsewhere.
Not exactly a successful business model. I guess that depends on how you define success. Here’s my definition…
Saturdays are pretty busy around here and the last class is our most popular. After we are finished slinging sweat and after we clean the mats, people hang out and talk. Some of the guys use the squat rack. I might go through some kata with somebody. On warm days, some folks will hang around, compare welts and sore joints and have a beer. After we've suffered a little together, we enjoy the sense of accomplishment and friendship. That’s what success is to me. That’s a dojo.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho
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