Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle.

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

This is generally attributed to the Buddha.  

If you try to figure out when and where He said that, from which Sutra it comes from, you better be patient and ready to never find it ! 

It is a common use to attribute to famous people words someone less famous said... Lao Tzu, Confucius, Abraham Lincoln and Einstein, among many others, are also credited with lots of apparently deep things they probably never said. 

Go figure...

Years ago, before I moved to the US, I suffered from depression. It lasted several month. It sucked. Nothing mattered to me anymore. The only time I was able to forget about my misery was when I would get on a mat to teach or study Ju Jitsu or Kendo. 

Once a month I would drive to Paris to study Ju Jitsu under Master Rolland Hernaez. I was just 1st degree black belt then. 

One night I had been driving 2 1/2 hours under rain and slit to get there, wondering why I was doing this, feeling sorry for myself - depression does that to you... I had arrived early at the Dojo and was changing clothes, by myself in the dressing room. Sensei Hernaez opened the door to see who was there. He looked at me, said nothing, and smiled - a big smile. I suppose he was happy to see me there. 

All of a sudden, my sorriness gone. Light had chased the darkness away. 

He must have been 7th Degree Black belt in Ju Jitsu back then. (Not counting his ranks in Karate, Judo and Aikido...) I was just a shodan, and this great Man  smiled at me... He did not have to do it, but he did and it made a big difference in my life.

Never waste an occasion to smile to people. It's easy to do, it is free to you, and you never know what you can bring them. 

Katsuoh Yamamoto - Defense against grabbing

Another video from the 70's of our Grand Master Katsuoh Yamamoto demonstrating defense moves against grabbing opponents. Some of the techniques are the same his instructor Dr Chitose was using, which you can see in one video on one of my previous posts.



These tapes being pretty old the quality is far from good. These are however interesting moves. I was practicing most of these in a slightly different form when I was studying Ju Jitsu with Sensei Rolland Hernaez in France.

I will soon post on You Tube an other video of defense against atemi (Punch and kicks). Stay tuned...

Elliston Sensei Visit to Troy

Elliston Sensei will be tomorrow in Troy, Alabama to give a Presentation about Zen.
Time : 7:30 p.m.
Location : Student Center Theater on the Troy University Campus.

Michael Elliston Sensei is the Abbot of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and my Zen Instructor.
I have been blessed to train in various disipline under great Masters. Elliston Sensei is one of them. Others are Rolland Hernaez Sensei in Nihon Ju Jitsu and Tai Jitsu, Mike Culbreth and Hiroaki Toyama Sensei in Yoshukai Karate and Masayaki Shimabukuro Sensei in Iai Jutsu.

Whatever I try to convey to you - and you hopefully appreciate, I hold it and owe it from one of these men, who owe it from their own masters... One day I'll have to tell more about them !

I will attend this function as I should do as his student and disciple

For those of you who live ion the Wiregrass, please try to come to Troy, the opportunity to meet someone who has been practicing Zen for longer than I have done Martial Arts does not occur very often - or as we say in my native Vimeu, "it is not found under a lame horse's hoof"

Once again, I am only able to do what I do because of men like him teach me. It would be nice and profitable to everyone if some of you could also attend and show your interest and appreciation.

Here is the map of the Campus