The First Step. At the age of 13, I started my journey within the world of martial arts. My intention at that time was to learn how to defend myself, and by the age of 20 I felt that after continuous training I had learnt enough to take care of myself. I realised that not only was I committed to the love of martial arts, but that the pinnacle was to train the mind as well as the body, producing a harmony that would eventually, I hoped and desired, take me onto a higher plain.

The Path. Many times during my Journey I realised that this would be in part a lonely road as western culture is such that it has more respect for trivial possessions than for a person who is on a journey of enlightenment. The eastern cultures in my experience have been bought up on the Buddhist and Tao philosophies which on looking back, not only gives them a massive head start but also, their seemingly, natural calma. One’s mind must be ready to digest the teachings of others.

The Goal. I have developed my views through instruction from like-minded people, through training and more importantly from meditation. I have also, like the Buddhist and Taoist views, come to sincerely believe in an afterlife and that life after death are just the cycles of greater enlightenment. So far through my journey, I constantly rationalised and wrestled with my thoughts on the afterlife or spirit world and have viewed them, in this fashion.

"Life after death are just the
cycles of greater enlightenment"

The Mind. As I have now come to realise the total power of our existence is the mind, and the power of positive thought. I believe that if you can imagine it, you can achieve it, if you can dream it, you can become it, and this has been my guide through such a fascinating journey. The mind is an energy source, and like other energy sources it never dies, it just changes into another form of energy. If one only looked at what is, you will never attain what could be.

The Body. When a body dies in this life western views are that this is the end. I have seen for myself that if one hangs a piece of dead meat of flesh in a dark place, within a week it has decomposed, and from this dead flesh comes the cycle, a new living organism, maggots. Once can continue on forever with this cycle in that the maggots are eaten by small animals, and so on and on as the food chain continues to eventually again die, and be reborn in another form. I see this as life’s cycle.

The Spirit. I believe in an afterlife for the reasons I have given, but also re-incarnation. I have seen many people taken down by hypnosis and recall past lives. I believe that both this life and the afterlife are all forms of learning and long may this continue. Life would be extremely boring for me if you had learnt all of life’s lessons, so the greatest part is that there are a few people who can take you further in training the mind the body and the spirit.

"The mind is an energy source, and like other
energy sources it never dies"

The Lesson. One of the greatest lessons I have learnt in my journey so far is that the only thing to fear in life is fear itself. I believe this was one of the 'Confucius’s' quotes, and that if you conquer the fear of death, you have conquered the fear of life. One of the hardest things to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. With life as it is in this form on earth, you are always influenced by conflicting views, mostly from Western society.

The Summary. At this point in my journey so far, I honestly feel that I would have been better suited to being born into the Eastern way of life as it feels more comfortable than the ways of the West. I am delighted to be within the world of Martial Arts, specifically Ju-Jitsu. With knowledge that it is still within me, I know in my heart that when the body will no longer perform as it did at its prime, the mind will, and experience will take me onto another plain with equal rewards.

In Conclusion. I believe that a man can succeed in time, at almost anything he wishes to achieve, if he has unlimited enthusiasm. I shall always be grateful to Martial Arts and especially my teachers for showing me the way of fulfilment and the love of the art, especially given what it has done for me.

"One of the greatest lessons I have learnt in my journey so far is that the only thing to fear in life is fear itself "