Japanese arts have an added emphasis on personal/mental/spiritual development which most CMA's lack. Discuss.
Osu, I think the Chinese don't take themselves as seriously as the Japanese... That does not mean they are not serious. OSu!
I'm using the word Budo as a description of the element of a martial art that makes it "more" emphasis on the "do" area. Poor word choice quite possibly but fancy answering the question?
Most Japanese martial arts have a paramilitary atmosphere (ranks, uniforms, rigid class organization, formalized bowing, etc) that most CMAs lack. This makes the personal/mental/spiritual development in CMAs less overt and obvious, but it doesn't make it any less significant. Instead, CMAs are like competitive sports in the sense that you still experience personal development and all that by working hard and overcoming adversity; it's just a less structured and less overt process than in a paramilitary-themed organization (whether it be Japanese Martial Arts or the Boy Scouts).
I would say it would be based on each individual schools itself. We dont bring religion into our classes as we have a diverse class. (Buddhists, Atheists, Muslims and a Greek Orthodox). We also dont force morals onto the students, we've had to talk to a few students regarding their views which were found offensive, in the end though, each is their own individual. But thats just our class. Maybe different somewhere else. Anyway...religion etc in a Chinese School? I think theres a Shaolin Monastery somewhere where you can talk to a monk about it.
budo is a japanese concept. CMAs can not inherently have budo as they are not from japan. they have their own concepts, among them wu de, and, on a personal basis, the philosophies/religions of china itself, such as confucianism and taoism.
Maybe it just isn't so obvious like in Japanese martial arts. But even that ''obvious'' may be a trick because all that bowing and discipline isn't evidence for budo or do or spirituality. I think you can't say this or that martial arts lack budo - it's all up to individual.
If its the thing that makes almost every karate instructor a giant A-Hole then I'm glad CMA left it out.
But i will put my thouhts out - how do you define budo at all? Is it something esoteric which all believe and nobody can't explain? I know people who are using common sense, and are honest, correct, have a big and good heart and they less or more devoted to martial arts. Enough budo for me.
The title of this thread is based on what a Japanese MA teacher once said to me. He was alluding to the idea that CMA's are only concerned with practising their art in the purest sense with no bells attached. I found the idea a little preplexing to say the least as I did spend a couple of month as a teen training in Chan Quan Shu. Link: http://www.quanshu.co.uk/ ---- I opened this thread to get some discussion on the difference in how a CMA cultivates personal character vs the usual JMA style.
I think it better to define what you are after as ningen keisei. As I understand that, based on what I've been taught, it is more to do with character and personal development. Just saying Budo can have a wide range of meaning and the whole Do Jutsu debate is that entwined that you can't think of it as a black and white distinction. To me Budo is purely a Japanese concept it is intermixed with the culture and psychology of the people. Now that's not saying a non Japanese couldn't "get it" as they obviously do. What I am saying is that by trying to put one cultural concept on an system from a different background then you are already working from a faulty position. Do CMA lack Budo? Yes of course they do. Do CMA help to develop similar personal attributes to that of those found in the pursuit of Budo? Don't see why not but I know very little about CMA.
