Teaching Martial Virtues

Before entering the training area, our virtues begin before the physical training without even knowing it. Depending on style, it’s the training uniform, the belt, bowing, the fist/palm salute…. Then our physical training starts with the basics: stances, punches, and kicks. The physical training transforms into the internal virtues that martial arts teach. Because the depth of martial virtues are mostly boring for beginners, its true depth of understanding reserved for higher-level martial artists.

Obviously, the higher-level and skilled practitioners teach the beginners. The lessons need to be physically demanding so there is little time for philosophy in most class time slots. But the philosophy of martial virtues must be so ingrained into the being of higher-level so that the virtue lessons are taught by osmosis. Virtue should be so obvious in class that it is easily overlooked, like the air all around us is easily forgotten and taken for granted and we would die without it. Virtue is no different. It’s all around us, taken for granted, and without it would be impossible for peace, allowing life to prosper.

The Same but Different

Each school, style, or system have their own unique list of virtues. Most are generally the same, they also have their differences. The emphasis, interpretation, and therefore its path can vary, but the end result is usually the same. Although virtues won’t win you trophies, they might actually help you lose, the end result is the learning to be a “true” human. A true human strives for the Zen, the stoic, the calmness in the chaos, the helping hand, the glowing eyes of Santa Claus…. It is the something that makes the animal we call human to be more than a wild creature.

The virtues of your style that might be listed on the website, maybe the wall on the school, must not be lip service. Virtue is one of the most powerful “energies” that makes a martial art not only a fighting style, but an actual art, way of living and striving for a better life. If one can fight but has no morals to guide him/her, then there is no art, it is just a physical skill of violence.

Embody Virtue

If you are a sensei, shi fu, or instructor, learn to embody the virtues: become the virtues in a living body. Your body will change, your eyes will deepen and have a shine, your smile will inspire, your power will be exact (you will never have to pull a punch back because the strength needed for a specific situation will happen naturally), your choice of words will become clearer, and the art becomes all-encompassing passing through every fiber of your being.

Read Philosophy

Take time to read the classics like the Dao De Jing, the 5 Rings, Sun Zi and others. And never, never believe you understand it. As Lao Zi wrote the first 2 lines of the Dao De Jing:

The way (Dao) that can be spoken of is not the eternal way.

The name that can be spoken of is not the eternal name.

Now put that together with the first 2 lines of Ch. 38:

“High virtue is not aware of its own virtue,  And is therefore virtuous.

Low virtue forces to be virtue, And therefore, is not virtuous.”

Together, the Dao (way) and De (virtue) are one and the same in one concept the Chinese call Dao De. One cannot understand the way without virtue, and one cannot understand virtue without walking on the path of the way. As soon as you think you got it, you don’t. Each virtue has a depth that takes a lifetime of meditation and reflection to realize. Reaching the destination of understanding virtue is not the point, the journey on the path is.

“The man who enjoys walking will go further than the one who loves the destination.”

The skills of technique, the memorization of forms, and the ability to put them together is part of your school and we must maintain them. But without embodying the understanding of martial virtues, it becomes no more than exercise with violence.

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Jonathan Snowiss

I started my training with Grandmaster Si Tu, Jie in 1989.  He trained me in qi gong, tai chi, kung fu and meditation. Our lineage is “Southern Shaolin Wei Tuo”. It is an internal art, even though it is Shaolin.  He also taught me basic Chinese medicine, philosophy and spirituality.  I graduated from Pitzer College with a BA called “Mind/Body Healing: Qi Gong”.  It was an independent major that I created. Afterwards, I moved to Shanghai, China for 2 years where I studied Xing Yi Quan from Grandmaster Wang, Sen Ling.  I also studied Chinese at a university.  After my return to America, I started teaching and in 2007 I opened the Wei Tuo Academy.  In 2010 I published “Climbing the Mountain: The Spirit of Qi Gong and Martial Arts. I also studied Chen Tai Chi combined with Xing Yi and Ba Gua with Master Marvin Quon in America for a couple years. Unfortunately, I decided to close down the studio in 2016, but I never gave up on my training!
I recently finished writing my book on virtue. Please go to my Facebook page of Virtues Path and follow for more essays on virtue. Also, please visit my website thevirtuespath.wordpress.com

Latest posts by Jonathan Snowiss (see all)

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