From
its earliest conception, martial arts training has passed on the goal of striving
to be of the highest moral character. Some even believe that one’s moral character
determines the level of ability they can achieve in their practice. This pairing
of moral training with martial training has discernible roots in martial arts
history; from the influences of religious doctrine, Buddhist, Taoist, or otherwise,
to the simple fact that those that were passing on martial traditions had to be
certain of the character of the students they chose to teach. After all, how bad
would it be to find out your student was using the abilities you taught him to
cause harm to innocents? Obviously, sincere students want to learn from inspiring
teachers, and good teachers want sincere students. To have a deficiency in either
party would result in a waste of time. Thus, it was not long before these ideals
gave birth to a moral code in martial arts training, the Wude. The
Wude, or Martial Morality, may very well be the most important aspect of martial
arts training. No matter how different people are, from personality to personal
taste, the Wude lays a foundation of character that promotes a healthy and civil
individual. There are two main principles encompassed within the Wude, Morality
of Deed and Morality of Mind. Of
the two main principles, Morality of Deed is the most important because it concerns
how we interact with others, fellow students, teachers, and society. Its main
virtues are Humility, Respect, Righteousness, Trust, and Loyalty. Humility allows
us to admit the need for improvement and keeps us open to learning. Respect is
at the core of all relationships, and it starts with oneself. If one does not
respect oneself, they cannot respect another nor expect respect in return. Respect
allows us to appreciate our place and the place of others. Righteousness is doing
what is right, without a second thought, despite the level of difficulty. Too
often people are guided by emotion instead of wisdom; to act righteously is to
act with wisdom and avoid guilt. Trust builds strong relationships and is the
key to earning respect. Trusting oneself develops confidence and thus the respect
of others. Loyalty is at the heart of trust. One should be loyal to their family,
friends, fellow students, and teacher. One disloyal act can undo the strongest
of relationships. One’s Morality of Deed will determine what impact they have
on their world. Morality
of Mind is the path to self-cultivation, and reflects our inner spirit and mental
strength. Its main virtues are Will, Endurance, Perseverance, Patience, and Courage.
Will is the utter core of Morality of Mind, it determines one’s success in all
the other virtues. Development of Will is a battle between one’s emotions and
wisdom. A strong Will is developed through sincere commitment to worthwhile goals.
Such commitment will test, and in turn develop Endurance, Perseverance, and Patience.
These three virtues are the key to achieving success in a chosen goal and their
growth leads to understanding and wisdom. Courage allows us to act wisely in the
face of challenge. Courage is the difference between foolhardy bravado and taking
a necessary risk. Courage is often needed in order to act on all the virtues of
the Wude. Morality
of thought and deed are an important goals to strive for and should be considered
as you walk the path of the martial artist. .
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