chinto01
Black Belt
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2004
- Messages
- 611
- Reaction score
- 17
I was giving some thought to my past years in the arts and I was thinking about the following. Under my first instructor after training the entire class with the exception of the dan ranks cleaned the entire dojo. Back then I did not think that much about it or why we did it. When I asked some of the higher ranks in the dojo why we did it I was told "because sensei told us to." I accepted that answer and did my part if the cleaning.
It was not until I left that dojo that I found out the true meaning of this act. It was explained to me that in the past when students could not pay for their lessons they did chores around their sensei's house or farm to repay them for their knowledge. Kind of cool when you actually think about it.
To make a long story short has this particular instance happend to anyone else? Do we as students do things "because sensei told us to"? I believe that if explained the right way the task of cleaning the dojo would have been looked upon differently not just by me but by the others who used to attend this dojo. Just to take this a step further there we also cases of this particular sensei asking to have his car washed by under dan ranks also. Maybe he did not know the true meaning of the dojo cleaning story also.
In the spirit of bushido!
Rob
It was not until I left that dojo that I found out the true meaning of this act. It was explained to me that in the past when students could not pay for their lessons they did chores around their sensei's house or farm to repay them for their knowledge. Kind of cool when you actually think about it.
To make a long story short has this particular instance happend to anyone else? Do we as students do things "because sensei told us to"? I believe that if explained the right way the task of cleaning the dojo would have been looked upon differently not just by me but by the others who used to attend this dojo. Just to take this a step further there we also cases of this particular sensei asking to have his car washed by under dan ranks also. Maybe he did not know the true meaning of the dojo cleaning story also.
In the spirit of bushido!
Rob