Knowing your place (ego) in the Dojo

Knowing your place in the Dojo.

Giri is a Japanese term that can be translated into functionally correct English but that really has no equivalent in English if one refers to the emotion behind it.

Giri roughly means "obligation" but to the Japanese, it means "life-long commitment" as in repaying something that was done for you or to help you. This "life-long commitment" is not a one-timer'; that is, it's not like the "markers" that Americans use to denote a favor you did for someone and now you're calling in that marker and once they do a favor for you it's done and now you're even.

Being assigned or your accepting a "giri" means that you were given something so important, so life-changing, or so life-saving that you pay back forever because that obligation becomes critical to who you are. You must pay it back or you lose all honor and besmirch your character.

To Japanese, this failure can become a form of being socially ostracized; to an American who understands the concept, this failure becomes an internal albatross that you wear around your neck and that wears on your insides until you make good. Either way, you have to engage in payback. You have to give back what you were gifted.

In martial arts this "payback" is the "giri" or obligation to teach beginners and for that matter, anyone who is Kohai or lower in kyu or grade to you. Someone likely spent a lot of personal time that they could have used for their training but instead, they devoted time to teaching you. You in turn have now accepted the giri so you must teach others the way in which you were taught. To not pass on the knowledge and to refuse or hesitate to teach the beginners is a form of arrogance and egocentrism that has no place in Budo or any dojo that teaches do or "the way".

With that said, the dojo translates freely as: 'the place where the way can be studied'. Which 'way' is being studied or how, depends on the Sensei. He doesn't only decide the way he teaches, but decides everything that happens in his dojo. The dojo can be compared to the house of the teacher. Students are guests in his dojo and should behave accordingly.

Everyone has a place in the dojo. You can see the order of things at the opening and closing of a lesson.

The Sensei will always be in the front of the class followed by the highest ranks and the oldest studying student. A student in the Dojo always knows who was in the Dojo before them.. When everyone knows his place it creates a structure of seniority. The older student, the sempai, teaches the newer student, the kohai, this is how the dojo works, no matter what is being taught. If you know your place at the start and end of a lesson you know that the relation between kohai and sempai is essential for a good dojo.

Knowing your place in the dojo also ensures that everyone knows what they can or cannot do. The student knows which responsibilities he has to his teacher. Should the student forget his place or his responsibilities a sempai can and will correct them. If it so happens that you are the same rank as a person who is a sempai in the dojo, well you need to understand that you are still Kohai with that person…..

As a warrior, you must remain humble in your spirit. No matter how skilled you may be, how strong you may become, or how much knowledge you acquire, it is just a drop in the ocean, where the Universe is concerned. Never become arrogant or self-centered. Be thankful for all that you have, for the fact that you have food to eat, a roof over your head, time to train and study, and for all the other blessings in your life. When you have the right attitude, the right spirit, and the right mind, you become stronger, mentally, physically, and spiritually. And this strength, which comes from deep inside you, will be there when you need it most. Train hard and develop your skills to the maximum. Study and become learned. But never allow your ego to start to run the show. Remain humbly confident in both your abilities and the Secret Power that resides deep inside you.