UPON ENTERING THE DOJO
"EMPTY YOUR CUP"
An old Zen story: A professor once visited a Zen master. After a lengthy discussion, the Zen master offered tea. As he was pouring it, the professor's cup began to overflow. "Stop!" said the professor. "You can't get any more in." "Exactly" said the Zen master, "You must first empty your cup before I can fill it."
Karate means "empty hand". The word Kara means "empty" which signifies the empty self or ego-less state of "mushin" from which one should approach the training so that the motive for training is pure.
Upon entering the dojo, leave your ego and your negative and distracting thoughts at the door. Allow yourself to be free of all positive and negative emotions that generally occupy our thoughts. Use the moment of meditation to clear and calm the mind. As you meditate, let the flurry of brain chatter dissipate with each breath, allowing yourself to become focused. By doing this you will be able to react with clarity, confidence, and without hesitation during the training.
Collaboration by Shihan Dean Pickard and Ty Aponte 1990
