Yoshukai Karate en Tchequie

Le 5 Mai dernier, je suis arrive a BRNO en Tchequie apres un voyage de 14 heure en voiture, train, metro, avion et bus ! 

Le but de ma visite la-bas etait d'aider au lancement d'un dojo de Karate Yoshukai. 

J'ai passe un excellent week-end dans une belle ville, en compagnie de gens charmants et tres motives par le Karate. Comme c'etait un long week end, nous avons pu nous entrainer dans une salle habituellement convoitee par d'autres groupes. 7 heures de Karate en 2 jours, Un bel effort.

Nous nous sommes concentres sur les  kihon, kata de base, Ippon Kumite, et quelques conseils de bases sur les methodes d'enseignement. Et puis, pour le plaisir, un peu de Kobudo de niveau superieur avec Sai tai Bo...

 

Charish et Jason Rainwater ont commence a enseigner le Karate Yoshukai de Katsuoh Yamamoto a Brno. Nous mettons tout en place avec la World Yoshukai Karate Kobudo Organization aux Etats Unis. et le dojo devrait ouvrir officiellement cet ete en Tchequie.

Ils se rendront au Camp d'ete Yoshukai de Eufaula en juin prochain et a leur retour nous organiserons la suite des evenements pour cette annee.

Le Dojo

Le Dojo c'est l’endroit ou on pratique une voie.

Do : la voie.

A l’origine, Do est une voie physique, un chemin, une route ou une personne marche. Une route que l’on suit. Dans de nombreuses cultures, le mot utilise pour designer un objet concret : un chemin, une route ou une voie permettant de se rendre d’un endroit a un autre, a ete egalement utilise pour designer un concept abstrait : une voie de vivre.

On retrouve ce terme Do dans les noms de nombreux arts martiaux : Judo (la voie de la souplesse), Kendo (la voie du sabre) Aikido (la voie de l’harmonie des energies)

L'idéogramme 道se prononce « Do » ou « Michi » en Japonais. Il se prononce « Tao » en Chinois. C’est aussi le « Tao » du Taoisme.

Il se compose de deux signes. A gauche un chemin qui serpente, a droite un visage humain, chevelu... (Vous n’etes pas obliges de me croire…)

Le dojo est donc le lieu ou on pratique et progresse sur une voie.

Il s’agit généralement d’un lieu géographique : un bâtiment, une salle de sport, un temple. Le progrès sur la voie (do) passant obligatoirement par la maîtrise des techniques (jutsu), il est plus facile de pratiquer dans un endroit consacre a cette étude.

Cependant, la maîtrise des formes externes doit un jour déboucher sur une recherche plus personnelle et intime, une discipline interne pratiquée par l’individu en son coeur. 

Pour ce genre de chose, un lieu n’est plus nécessaire, 

 

le coeur du pratiquant devient son dojo. 

 

Tai Chi videos : First 3 forms of Four Winds Tai Chi

Vanished Tai Chi videos !

I realized 2 weeks ago that my Tai Chi videos had disappeared from the Youtube Mokurai Dojo channel.
I had shot some of them 15 years ago, when I did not have the ability to edit them properly and decided to start doing just that.

Modernized versions

During the next 2 months, I will be editing and uploading new versions of these Tai chi videos. They will be available on my Mokurai Dojo channel.

The 4 first forms of 4 Winds Tai Chi

4 Winds Tai Chi includes 8 Tai Chi forms and sets of Qi Gong and Breathing exercises from different traditions.

The first or short form includes 10 moves, counted from 1 to 10. Moves 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are performed with the left foot forward. Moves 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are mirror images of the previous ones.

The next 3 forms of Four Winds Tai Chi are built on the same structure as the short form, they include the same 10 moves, in the same order, and additional moves in between.

In this video from 2003 I demonstrate the 1st, 2nd and 3rd forms.



I will post additional videos of each individual forms, performed solo and in a group.

Thanksgiving Interfaith Gathering

Below is a text I read tonight at the Thanksgiving Interfaith Gathering held at St Columba Catholic Church in Dothan. It is inspired by a Theravada tradition Scripture.

Countless are those born with poor physical or mental health. 

I have been born with all limbs and faculties complete. 

Many are those who live in lands of strife and conflict, and who are deprived of security and safety. 

I am living in a place where there is peace. 

Incalculable are those forced to toil without end, and who are driven by hunger and want. 

I have enough to sustain my body and time to give it rest. 

Numerous are those who live as slaves, unable to go where they wish and think as they like. 

I enjoy great freedom. 

Numberless are those who live in regions where the light of the truth does not shine and its message is not heard above the racket of doctrines that cause great suffering. 

I have heard the good teachings. 

Truly precious and great are the blessings I enjoy. Here I contemplate on my good fortune and the good of others. 

To repay all these gifts, I will use my efforts to overcome the 3 poisons of greed, hate and delusion.

 

We practice Zen meditation every Monday evening at 8:00 pm.

You are welcome to join us in Headland.

You can reach me by email at

frederic.lecut@gmail.co

or by phone at

334 798 1639

Zazen to the end of the year

Last night we sat for 4 hours to celebrate the end of the year. This was part of a joint effort of different members of the Mokurai - Silent Thunder Order - founded by Michael Elliston Roshi, Abbott of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center.

Wherever they were, members of the Sangha sat in Zazen til the end of the year, then celebrated. As there are different time zones, it lasted a while I suppose. 

Our program was simple : we sat 3 for sessions of 25 minutes each, with 5 minutes kinhin (walking meditation) in between from 8:20 til 9:45 pm. Then we took a short break for tea and cookies. 

After that, we sat back, facing the center of the dojo, and read the   

 

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IPPYAKUHACHI-HOMYOMON

108 Gates of Dharma - Illumination of Master Dogen. Actually, I read part of the introduction to it, and then every minute, each one of the other participants read part of the 108 stanza. As there were 3 of them, each read 36 stanza - well actually, the last one read 37, because there are 109 stanza to the 108 gates... Every minute I would ring the bell, and the stanza would be read, living us one minute to consider its meaning. 

Finally I read the conclusion of Master Dogen's text. 

It was Midnight ! The locals having burnt all of their fireworks between 9:00 and 10:30 pm, it was rather quiet, and we enjoyed Cookies Bubbly and Company !

Picture by Carl Rippe

Happy New Year in Buddha ! 

Perfect Settings

I arrived this evening at the dojo, tired by a long and hot day of work, still sore from last night's somehow intense Karate class.

Fred and I began warming up with our Iaito : Kirioroshi, kesa giri, nukitsuke, and a few more basics

We switched to our boken, and brought Vlad in the game – 100 vertical cuts, then a few sets of waza against him..

We completed the class by practicing the Shodan sets of waza. By the end of the class, all my fatigue was gone !

While we were training, the rain finally decided to hit us !

I drove back home, had a sip of Rosé, changed cloth, walked to the Zendo. 

The night was fresh from the rain, the deck wet under my feet, tree frogs and other night creatures were humming in the darkness.

Drops of water falling from the  trees onto the metal roof. 

Ting, ting.

Just Perfect...

You are Invited

Come practice Shikantaza (sitting meditation) with us on April 10 in a traditional Japanese Dojo. 

The Dharma gates are endless...

(Headland Dojo - 610 Mitchell Street, Headland, AL 36345)

Arrive around 9:30, We'll sit from 10:00 to 11:30 - 3 sessions of 25 minutes with 5 minutes Kinhin (walking meditation) in between. Chant the Hanya Shingyo (Heart Sutra) together and discuss the five skandhas, an interesting feature of Buddhist (and Hindu) psychology.

This event is free - but you may donate whatever you can to help furnish the Dojo in Sitting supplies (Cushions, Benches, etc...)

For more information call me at (334) 798 1639 or email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com