Sho-Shin: “Beginner’s Mind”
In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.
Shunryū Suzuki
Today, we received the endorsement from Hanshi Robert Scalione to found this new branch of Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate. In the spirit of Sho-Shin (初心), “beginner’s mind”, I welcome everyone who is ready to explore the practice of Karate-do along with me.
As Sensei Hatle often suggests, “a black belt is simply a white belt who never quit.” I am no different, and I started my karate training as awkwardly as anyone else, confusing left and right, twisting my arms up, standing with precarious balance, and fumbling my thoughts and words.
These days… I continue to make mistakes. Those same ones persist from time to time, and new ones arrive daily. But this karate practice is designed to remind us that the last move doesn’t exist anymore — all that matters is the technique you are doing right now. And constant refinement is the only road forward.
Perfection is a wonderful target, but an impossible goal. The more we reach for it, the more progress we can make, and knowing it is unreachable should not discourage us. As an artist and a programmer, as a parent and spouse and friend, and of course, as a student of karate-do, I know that mistakes are a part of life, and they are not something to fear or avoid. Instead, through my Karate practice I’ve learned to “fail faster”, as the saying goes, and then grow by learning from my mistakes. Sho-shin is a reminder to check my ego and allow myself to fully experience this lifelong process of learning.
We all start somewhere, and even after eight years of training, I hope and expect to learn a little bit more each time I enter the dojo. I hope your spirit of curiosity will bring you to the dojo, too. Maybe we can learn something together.
