The religious connections to the Kamidana

[bencole]

See I'm sorry I specifically stated I didn't want to do what just happened!

The question of whether saying "Shikin Haramitsu Dai Ko Myo" is a prayer, or bowing to a kamidana is a form of idol worship was bound to come up. It always does. Don't fret about that.

As was pointed out, there actually *ARE* people who do not participate in the bow-in ceremony before a kamidana. The reasoning provided is that they do not want to bow to an idol, in violation of their beliefs.

Sadly, I will bet you real money that these same individuals would not bat an eye about praying to Mary at Notre Dame cathedral (i.e., violate Commandments 1 and 2), voting *AGAINST* political candidates that represent "pro-choice" perspectives (i.e., violate Commandment 6), and voting *FOR* candidates who cheat on their wives (i.e., violate Commandment 7), embezzle money (i.e., violate Commandment 8), work on the Sabbath (i.e., violate Commandment 4), and regularly curse the Lord's name (i.e., violate Commandment 3) because these latter candidates preach about the need to "protect marriage" from homosexuality (i.e., not even mentioned in the Ten Commandments).

I hope this example is clear....

The only thing I seek is to see people *CONSISTENTLY* apply their teachings to their lives, not pick and choose.

If you want to understand a teaching, and discern whether it violates other teachings, it is *VITAL* that you know what each teaching truly is, and that you are consistent in your following of those teachings.

I have no tolerance for people who pick and choose which teaching to follow and which to discard out of convenience, and who are satisfied to have others do their thinking for them.

It behooves me how someone could make a teaching, whether Ninjutsu or Christianity, "the guiding light of their life" without learning the language of the teachings and interpreting them first-hand.

Individuals who place such importance of these teachings in their lives yet make excuses for why they do not want to learn the original language and explore the subtleties of the teachings at an individual level do a terrific disservice to the God of Abraham (i.e., the god of Christianity, Judaism and Islam) and to the God of War, in my opinion.

(Note: For the record, my translation of the characters for "Bujinkan" is "Hall of the War God." Most others translate it as "Divine Warrior Training Hall" or some other hippy-esque garbage like that. ;D )

I'm certainly not going to make any friends by coming out so strongly in this way. There are a *LOT* of Christian and Catholic practitioners in the Bujinkan, many of whom are probably aghast that I am so virulent on this topic. Many of them may not even want to "play" with me any more, once this thread makes its rounds.

Alas, my only demand of anyone is that s/he actually desire to understand the teachings that guide their lives in their original languages, have created their own interpretations of those teachings, and apply those interpretations consistently in all that they do.

Otherwise, they are doing a great disservice to the teachings they supposedly are upholding.

This demand holds irrespective of whether the teachings are ancient ones handed down by God himself, or by some little guy in Noda, Japan.

-ben

 

[Grey Eyed Bandit]

The question of whether saying "Shikin Haramitsu Dai Ko Myo" is a prayer, or bowing to a kamidana is a form of idol worship was bound to come up. It always does. Don't fret about that.

As was pointed out, there actually *ARE* people who do not participate in the bow-in ceremony before a kamidana. The reasoning provided is that they do not want to bow to an idol, in violation of their beliefs.

Sadly, I will bet you real money that these same individuals would not bat an eye about praying to Mary at Notre Dame cathedral (i.e., violate Commandments 1 and 2), voting *AGAINST* political candidates that represent "pro-choice" perspectives (i.e., violate Commandment 6), and voting *FOR* candidates who cheat on their wives (i.e., violate Commandment 7), embezzle money (i.e., violate Commandment 8), work on the Sabbath (i.e., violate Commandment 4), and regularly curse the Lord's name (i.e., violate Commandment 3) because these latter candidates preach about the need to "protect marriage" from homosexuality (i.e., not even mentioned in the Ten Commandments).

I hope this example is clear....

The only thing I seek is to see people *CONSISTENTLY* apply their teachings to their lives, not pick and choose.

If you want to understand a teaching, and discern whether it violates other teachings, it is *VITAL* that you know what each teaching truly is, and that you are consistent in your following of those teachings.

I have no tolerance for people who pick and choose which teaching to follow and which to discard out of convenience, and who are satisfied to have others do their thinking for them.

It behooves me how someone could make a teaching, whether Ninjutsu or Christianity, "the guiding light of their life" without learning the language of the teachings and interpreting them first-hand.

Individuals who place such importance of these teachings in their lives yet make excuses for why they do not want to learn the original language and explore the subtleties of the teachings at an individual level do a terrific disservice to the God of Abraham (i.e., the god of Christianity, Judaism and Islam) and to the God of War, in my opinion.

(Note: For the record, my translation of the characters for "Bujinkan" is "Hall of the War God." Most others translate it as "Divine Warrior Training Hall" or some other hippy-esque garbage like that. ;D )

I'm certainly not going to make any friends by coming out so strongly in this way. There are a *LOT* of Christian and Catholic practitioners in the Bujinkan, many of whom are probably aghast that I am so virulent on this topic. Many of them may not even want to "play" with me any more, once this thread makes its rounds.

Alas, my only demand of anyone is that s/he actually desire to understand the teachings that guide their lives in their original languages, have created their own interpretations of those teachings, and apply those interpretations consistently in all that they do.

Otherwise, they are doing a great disservice to the teachings they supposedly are upholding.

This demand holds irrespective of whether the teachings are ancient ones handed down by God himself, or by some little guy in Noda, Japan.

-ben

"Our freedom of speech is freedom or death, we've got to fight the powers that be!" :mst:

 

[Don Roley]

Alas, my only demand of anyone is that s/he actually desire to understand the teachings that guide their lives in their original languages, have created their own interpretations of those teachings, and apply those interpretations consistently in all that they do.

That seems reasonable since the majority of native speaking Japanese would not say that to bow to the kamiza/ kamidama means that you have to have a belief in Shinto. It is rather amusing to see those that have no understanding of the language or real practice of the religion put an importance on things that the majority of the folks that are training do not.

As an aside, if you (Brain) want some of the accesoraries that go with the kamidama, I would be willing to go out and get them if you pay for them and record some programs that I can't get here in Japan. The holy ropes that you see hanging from many kamidana are easy to get on January first. I can get everything else from a store not five minutes from my house. If I break even on the cost and get a tape of some programs for my time I would be more than willing to do the trade.

I like CSI, Blue's clues (for my kids), and a few other programs (just in case anyone else wants the rope in the next 48 hours.)

 

[bencole]

That seems reasonable since the majority of native speaking Japanese would not say that to bow to the kamiza/ kamidama means that you have to have a belief in Shinto. It is rather amusing to see those that have no understanding of the language or real practice of the religion put an importance on things that the majority of the folks that are training do not.

I agree. I've only met one person who would not do the bow-in, who also strictly followed *ALL* of the precepts of his religion. Granted, he was a Hasidic Jew. I'm not saying that one needs to be overzealous, I just believe that you should not be overzealous about some things, but not overzealous about other things, when the things you are not being zealous about upset your god even more than the things you are being overzealous about....

Anyway, sorry to detract from all of the compliments to the kamidana with my tirade.

As an aside, if you (Brain) want some of the accesoraries that go with the kamidama, I would be willing to go out and get them if you pay for them and record some programs that I can't get here in Japan. The holy ropes that you see hanging from many kamidana are easy to get on January first. I can get everything else from a store not five minutes from my house.

Brian, you should take him up on the offer. Right now in Japan, those rope-like things (Shimenawa) should be widely available. They look great on a Kamidana, imo.

-ben

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Hey Don,

Thanks for the offer and see the pm I sent you regarding getting me a shimenawa. Thanks.

 

[Bigshadow]

Moderator Note.

This thread was split from the thread linked below.

New Kamidana!

-David Russ
-MT Moderator-

 

[jks9199]

Moderator Note.

This thread was split from the thread linked below.

New Kamidana!

-David Russ
-MT Moderator-

Since the religious issue has been split out... I'd like to take a moment and address a few things that have been said regarding Catholic beliefs. I stayed out of it because I felt that it was getting way off topic under the original thread, and felt that it might become disruptive. So -- you're warned. Stop now, and move on if you're not interested or simply want to argue for arguments sake. (I do believe there's a whole 'nother forum here for that, and would be happy to take part in an in-depth discussion of this there!)

I'm not going to try to pull and quote each issue; I think that would simply become confusing. And I'm not doing a thesis on apologetics, either.

First -- on the basis of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. One -- but only one -- source of the Church's theology and doctrine is indeed the Holy Scripture; the inspired Word of God. Scripture is seen as being fundamentally true, not necessarily literally true. There are two accounts of creation in Genesis, for example, and they have notable differences; does that mean that God created the universe twice? The Church recognizes that the Scripture was not being written solely for the person writing it then, nor for the people who interpreted it in the 1st Century AD, nor solely for us today. It was written for all of us who ever have been or ever will be. And the Bible is not the sole source of truth, either. Sacred tradition is another element from which the Catholic Church draws it's teachings. The Gospel of John concludes with: There are many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think that the whole world would contain the books that would be written. (St. Joseph edition of the New American Bible; John 21:25.) I think martial arts provide a very apt analogy here; most systems contain both written/formalized teachings and "secret" teachings that are only passed on orally from master to senior student. A third source for Catholic theology is the teaching authority of the Pope and the College of Cardinals. On matters of faith, we Catholics believe that the teaching authority of the Church is protected by God from error. That said -- it's vitally necessary to remember that the Church on Earth is made up of fallible humans who have indeed sinned, and sometimes sinned greatly. We see a line between the TEACHING and the TEACHER in a very few of these cases, since very few of the most notoriously fault ridden really ever said much in the line of teachings.

With regard to prayers before statues, crucifixes or even the Blessed Sacrament... We don't substitute an idol for the real thing; the Blessed Sacrament or Holy Eucharist is, in Catholic teaching, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. It's not a symbol, it's not a reminder -- it IS the Lord through the miracle of transubstantiation. In Eucharistic Adoration, we spend time in front of the Lord, not just a piece of bread. The various statues, images, icons, and other symbols found within the church building are just helpful reminders and images for us.

Finally, on the matter of prayers to the various saints and the Blessed Mother -- we do indeed speak to them in our prayers. We see them as intercessors; people who have a special position and can intervene on our behalf with God. It's kind of like if I were to go to Japan, and asked Don Roley, bencole, or some other Bujinkan practitioner to set up an interview with Hatsumi. Hatsumi doesn't know me from Adam, and has no reason to meet with me. But one of these people do know him, and I'll flatter myself for the moment that they might take the time to arrange the meeting on my behalf. I'm not substiting that person for Hatsumi; I'm asking that person to use their relationship to facilitate my goals. Hatsumi might say yes, he might say no -- that's out of their control. But they probably have a better chance of getting a yes than if I just showed up or sent a letter, right? Of course, this analogy isn't perfect -- but it's a reasonable facsimile according to what I've been taught. Catholics don't mistake a Saint for God; we don't worship the saints. We just look to them as examples of holy lives, and ask them to pray for us. It's really not any different than a prayer tree among the members of a church.

Now -- of course there are many Catholics who have never bothered to study their faith, and don't know how to explain these things. Also, there are many Catholics who only attend Mass at Christmas and Easter, and many who don't let their faith move outside of the walls of the church they attend each week. There are even plenty of blatant hypocrites who happen to be Catholic, but I don't think that Catholicism has any patent on that! I think you can say the same about any religion -- and quite a few martial artists, too, in regards to their training! And, unfortunately, many Catholics from other parts of the world have just plain been poorly catechized, and they don't know any better.

When it comes down to various actions within the dojo or training hall -- I don't personally see a problem with showing respect by bowing to a kamidana or other similar reminder of those who went before me and passed the system on to me. I don't see a problem with having pictures of the most senior instructors or founders of the system on the walls, either. I'm not worshiping them; I'm respecting them. I hope that my students who bow to me aren't worshiping me! But if someone does have a problem with it, I'll respect their beliefs. I'm certainly not fit to judge them or their faith! So long as they can be respectful about it -- we'll be fine. Let me liken it to starting a school day or athletic event with the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem or some similar patriotic activity. I don't want students or participants required to recite the Pledge, or render honors to the US flag (or the flag of any other country) -- but I do expect them to be respectful during the ceremony. They can stand or sit quietly while I do it.

 

[bencole]

Thanks for being willing to bite this off, jks....

Scripture is seen as being fundamentally true, not necessarily literally true.

But even this point is a source of concern. When the King James Bible describes eating shellfish as "an abomination" is is *REALLY* an abomination as *WE* speaking English consider "an abomination" or is it another adjective?

If you do not know the linguistic context in which these words are written, then you cannot even assess whether you should interpret things in one way or the other.

As an example, the original Hebrew word that is translated as "abomination" is "[FONT=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]to'ebah."[/FONT] Even a simple word as this has *A LOT* of "baggage," so to speak It could be translated any number of ways: "Pagan", "contemptable", "wrong", even "foreign."

If you do not understand what [FONT=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]to'ebah[/FONT] means in its Hebrew context, then you cannot really understand the scripture. This means that you cannot form actions based upon the teachings held in those scriptures....

It is the same as if Hatsumi-sensei said, "Sore wa dame!" The word "dame" has a *HUGE* cultural usage that completely overwhelms the simple translation of "no good" or "bad" or "unacceptable."

This is *VERY* important, imo, and something that is frequently overlooked.

Finally, on the matter of prayers to the various saints and the Blessed Mother -- we do indeed speak to them in our prayers. We see them as intercessors; people who have a special position and can intervene on our behalf with God. It's kind of like if I were to go to Japan, and asked Don Roley, bencole, or some other Bujinkan practitioner to set up an interview with Hatsumi. Hatsumi doesn't know me from Adam, and has no reason to meet with me. But one of these people do know him, and I'll flatter myself for the moment that they might take the time to arrange the meeting on my behalf. I'm not substiting that person for Hatsumi; I'm asking that person to use their relationship to facilitate my goals. Hatsumi might say yes, he might say no -- that's out of their control. But they probably have a better chance of getting a yes than if I just showed up or sent a letter, right? Of course, this analogy isn't perfect -- but it's a reasonable facsimile according to what I've been taught. Catholics don't mistake a Saint for God; we don't worship the saints. We just look to them as examples of holy lives, and ask them to pray for us. It's really not any different than a prayer tree among the members of a church.

Firstly, most people do not ask Mary to "pray for me." At least that I've ever seen over the years. They pray "to" Mary for something. But we'll set this point aside (and any of the selfish implications of these actions in light of Jesus' stated goals) and get to the primary issue--the fact that you need Don Roley or bencole to act as facilitators.

I honestly believe that most of the "problems" that exist now in the Bujinkan started because people relied upon intercessors rather than doing things themselves. Luckily, the doors have been blown open by many people over the past 15 years or so, and these teachings are directly digestible by anyone.

I honestly feel that you *CANNOT* learn Soke's budo unless you understand the Japanese heart. This contextualization cannot be translated. The more people understood the Japanese heart, the less "crap" we would see--both in terms of movement, and in terms of money-making decisions by some of these practitioner/teachers.....

I shake my head a lot these days as websites and seminar descriptions make my way into my inbox. This, and an incredible inconsistency in action, was the impetus for my rant. Hope that clarifies....

-ben

 

[Cathain]

Yes and no. First, when the scripture discusses God's displeasure with praying before idols, it was during the time when people were bowing before idols of cats and other such objects. Did these people actually pray to the cat statues? Nope. They prayed to what the cat statues represented.

Accepting that as the case, then do you have a problem with praying to what Christian imagery represents (ie. God?)

Still, as a result of God's language, people went around smashing these other statues.

Yes, there was a heretical sect in history called the Iconoclasts who, as one writer put it, were siezed by a fit of collective vandalism and went around smashing Christian statues, artwork, etc until theyr had to be forcebally restrained. It is interesting to see how their ideas influenced others, including neighbouring non-Christian religions.

Second, many Catholics to not pray with their mind to God. Many of them pray to Jesus and/or Mary. The latter was definitely a human--granted a human who acted as a vehicle for the son of God, but not someone that even God would want people to bow to. Remember, "I am a jealous God."

This is the difference between Adoration and Veneration I referred to earlier. The Early Christians were well aware of this difference and this discernment is retained in the Catholic Church. To pray to someone is not necessarily to worship them. There is another meaning to the word "pray" which is retained in the English language through archaic phrases such as "pray tell me".
It literally means "to ask".
When Catholics pray to Mary or the Saints, they are asking them to petition God on their behalf. Catholics pray to the entire Church (Church Militant & Church Triumphant) to intercede on their behalf.
St Paul himself asked his fellow Christians to pray for him. Catholics do the same but they also include the saints and Mary as full members of the Church.
The saints and Mary are venerated (as said in the Bible during the Annunciation and the Visitation - "Hail Mary, full of Grace" and "Blessed art thou amongst women" and "All generations shall call me blessed"), that is that they are accorded great respect due to their virtue and being favoured by God.
Adoration, however, is true worship and is reserved for God alone.

Actually, I've rarely met a Catholic who understands even the basics of their religion based on the original scriptures.

Or rather, your interpretation of the Scriptures?

They rely on translations of translations of translations, and form opinions and interpretations based on an imperfect understanding of the texts.

As opposed to what? What do you base your interpretation on?
Private interpretation of the original Greek texts and a thorough background in ancient Hebrew linguistic and cultural nuances?
I'm interested in the scriptural authority you subscribe to.
I seem to recall scripture itself saying that there is definitely no Private Interpretation (2 Peter) . So what is your scriptural authority and where does it derive it's authority from?

What's worse, they pick and choose which aspects of their scriptures they want to adhere to and which aspects they conveniently want to ignore.

This applies to most people I know, Catholic or otherwise.

Catholics regularly ignore those who steal (i.e., embezzle), commit adultery, blaspheme the name of the Lord, and work on the Sabbath--all *DIRECT* violations of the Ten Commandments.

Specific Catholics you know or all Catholics as a general rule?
I know of no perfect people personally, nor do I believe them to exist in our world.

Yet, somehow these individuals seek to create *HUMAN LAWS* to forbid gay marriage and the like. Nothing in the Ten Commandments about gays, but somehow a rare mention of homosexuality becomes far more important than other religious admonishments in the bible, such as sleeping with a woman during her menstral cycle or eating pork.

I do not consider the Ten Commandments to be the sum total of Christian morality. Even if I were a Sola Scriptura adherent, there is plenty of talk regarding sexual immorality in the bible. Were not the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah engaging in "unnatural relations"? It specifically mentions that "even their women engaged in unnatural relations with each other" and the "men were inflamed with lust for each other".

If you are accepting of homosexuality, then that is fine & entirely your own business. I do not tell people that their sexual urges are wrong or whatever. I have an opinion based on my religion but I do not moralise but rather respect the individual's Free Will. But to claim it sits fine with Christian morality is, I feel, a gross misrepresentation.

(Just to jar your memory, the Lord spoke to Moses in Lev. 24:13-16, telling him that all should stone Shelomith's son for blaspheming the name of the Lord. We also see admonishments that those who work on the Sabbath should be put to death (Exodus 35:2). These are clearly things that *REALLY* upset God, but we don't see our supposedly religious Congressional leaders trying to create laws to outlaw working on the Sabbath. Instead, they try to outlaw homosexuality, even though it is not even as "bad" in the eyes of God himself. Again, selective, convenience religious zealousness that serves personal goals and not God's goals. I feel this comes from relying on interpreters, rather than personal interpretation of the original texts.)

We do not live by the Old Law anymore. Christ was very specific about that. In any case, with Private Interpretation you simply exchange one interpretor with another (yourself).

I speak bluntly because I have deeper experience than most--I was head alter boy at my Catholic church and my father was in seminary to become a priest before falling ill, then in love, and then into marriage and children.

No offense intended, but I find that some of the most vociferous anti-Catholics have had negative personal experiences in the past.
Same with ex-smokers, etc. Pople who reject what they once were or had tend to become the biggest opponents. It is not limited to Catholicism.
I think it fair to objectively say that if your father had not left the seminary then you would not be here, thus you have a vested interest in opposing it, right?

Aside from those pursuing priesthood, I have never *EVER* met a Catholic/Christian who had enough interest in the scripture to *LEARN* the actual languages in which the scriptures were written, and seek out the original texts.

Never met anyone, period.
Again, as I reject Sola Scriptura as a heresy then it is not so important for me.

This the despite the fact that so many Catholics/Christians claim that the scriptures guide their life.

Christ guides my life through his divinely ordained Church. I believe that Christ founded a Church to guide with authority otherwise he would have written the Bible himself and simply used the Apostles to flog his book. I do not rely solely on the writings of the early Christians (assembled and pronounced infallible by the Catholic Church, btw ). The Church existed before there was a Bible.
let us not put the cart before the horse

Both Jews and Muslims are very different on this point. Both Jews and Muslims read their original texts in their original languages, and subsequently, are far more strict with the way that they read the scriptures.

Rather, they are more literal...or as the bible puts it - their understanding of scripture is "carnal"
However, a biblical scholar of any worth would rightly tell you that much of the bible is written in allegorical, rhetorical and un-literal form.
This is why Private Interpretation is such a bad idea and is denounced in scripture itself. The pratical proof? Look at all the countless sects and demoninations, reading their bible, privately interpreting it, and coming away with countless doctrinally-contradicting creeds. This one believes in the Real Presence, that one doesn't, this one believes in infant baptism, that one doesn't believe in it at all, this one believe in seven sacraments, that one three, the other none, this one believes in the Trinity, this one believes in only One indivisible God, etc.
This is the fruits of Private Interpretation where every man sets himself up as his own Pope and supreme authority.

Anyway, interesting discussion

 

[Grey Eyed Bandit]

Excuse me in advance...but I just couldn't resist.

 

[Cathain]

Dinosaurs? Surely nobody believes in giant Godzilla type creatures roaming the earth millions of years ago. Even makes the concept of God seem credible

 

[bencole]

Accepting that as the case, then do you have a problem with praying to what Christian imagery represents (ie. God?)

I was pointing out the flaws in your statement that "These would only be idols if the people were praying to them."

There is another meaning to the word "pray" which is retained in the English language through archaic phrases such as "pray tell me".
It literally means "to ask". When Catholics pray to Mary or the Saints, they are asking them to petition God on their behalf.

Completely unnecessary given God's omnipotence. Anyhow...

As opposed to what? What do you base your interpretation on? Private interpretation of the original Greek texts and a thorough background in ancient Hebrew linguistic and cultural nuances?

Well, if you are going to base your human actions on what is supposedly God's desires, one would think that you would desire to know what God's desires are. I think this is especially important if you are trying to make human laws to govern behaviors.

I do not consider the Ten Commandments to be the sum total of Christian morality.

Why not? Those are explicit rules that God gave mankind. Many of the other admonitions in the Bible do not *DIRECTLY* come from God.

Even if I were a Sola Scriptura adherent, there is plenty of talk regarding sexual immorality in the bible. Were not the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah engaging in "unnatural relations"?

What was the original Hebrew used to describe these relations--dame, fushizen, yurusarezarumono? Each has its own baggage in terms of translation.... Thank you for reinforcing my point.

If you are accepting of homosexuality, then that is fine & entirely your own business. I do not tell people that their sexual urges are wrong or whatever. I have an opinion based on my religion but I do not moralise but rather respect the individual's Free Will. But to claim it sits fine with Christian morality is, I feel, a gross misrepresentation.

I'm sure you don't have time nor desire to read this, but I will at least provide a worthwhile source here for you:

No offense intended, but I find that some of the most vociferous anti-Catholics have had negative personal experiences in the past. Same with ex-smokers, etc. Pople who reject what they once were or had tend to become the biggest opponents. It is not limited to Catholicism.

I am not anti-Catholic any more than I am anti-Bujinkan. I find inconsistency between heart and action deplorable. I've never had a "negative personal experience" in either organization. I do shake my head though at how people rely on others as gate-keepers though, and excuse behaviors that are deplorable by the teachings of both.

I think it fair to objectively say that if your father had not left the seminary then you would not be here, thus you have a vested interest in opposing it, right?

In a Freudian sense, you could argue that. LOL! That still wouldn't explain why I spent many years as an alter boy, nor considered entering the cloth myself. I was never "forced" to think or do certain things.

Christ guides my life through his divinely ordained Church.

Could you please provide information about where precisely God ordained that the circle of Cardinals should send up clouds of differently colored smoke to signal the choice of its leader? Or as a matter of fact, that there should even *BE* a leader who serves until death or retirement?

I can already see the Bujinkan Jugodans lining up to "lead us" after Soke's passing, with the authority vested to them by Hatsumi-sensei himself. LOL!

-ben