For martial arts practice to produce good results, a sharp, clear mind must be cultivated. This is not difficult. But generally we do not know why we should do it, and all of our lives are set up in a way that discourages it. We are continually distracted, entertained, multi-tasking, game playing, stimulated, conned, cajoled, sold, repelled, charmed and enticed.

So when we go to the dojo to train, we do not immediately understand why we should not look around, not succumb to the attractions of sense stimulation in our environment, not yield to the impulses that arise from our own sense. Why not? We are told from the earliest age that yielding to impulses, that finding satisfaction for our desires and preferences, is freedom.

This is an article of faith that upon examination proves to be false. It is not a source of freedom. It is slavery. In thrall to delight, we pursue an ever-receding horizon of satisfaction. We set up a habit of mind that can never be satisfied, never be at peace, is always in a condition of unfulfilled wanting. We make ourselves a slave to impulse and pleasurable sensations.

The inhibition of impulse is our chief source of freedom. It follows that we need to cultivate this.

In the course of a karate class, there are many distractions around us. If we focus not on those distractions, but on the condition and presence of our own mind, we develop a great power. In the heat and chaos of combat, we cannot permit our minds to follow distractions. We need to exclude unnecessary information and lead with our intention.

In karate training, we cultivate sharp and powerful intention. Not a floating mind, but a determined and focused mind which is not robotic, not mechanical. This is our chief advantage and source of freedom.