Mark Edward Cody began training in the martial arts in 1981. He was awarded his fifth degree black belt in Wado Ryu (Karate/Jujutsu) in 1998. He has operated The Academy of Self Defense for almost two decades, offering instruction in a variety of martial disciplines including Kenjutsu, Kali and tactical firearm training. His interest in Martial discipline and philosophy has led him to a lifetime of voracious study, reading over 75 books per year in the last decade.
His pursuit of 'pen and sword' has led him to a philosophy of peace and harmony in accord with the Bushido (Way of the Warrior) of feudal Japan and the Judeo-Christian values upon which America was founded.
I shall attempt in this text to explore the origin and nature of the Warrior spirit and its cultivation for the purpose of promoting peacefulness and self-control. We shall see how this philosophy traveled from the dawn of time moving silently through the centuries until it found its place in the island nation of Japan where it would reach its zenith as a philosophy of self-reliance, strength and self-discipline.
It was the Warrior class of Japan, the Samurai, who distilled the nectar of the Warrior spirit into a well defined written code, which they came to call "Bushido-The Way of the Warrior. " Bushido was a philosophy for a time of great danger and change. I assert that such a time is upon us once more. It is an age-old truth that only the strong and those protected by the strong will survive.
Let us then, hang the sword of intellect by our sides and seek out the masters of a simpler age. Let us carefully consider their technique, master it and adapt it to the needs of our own time and circumstance; for the code of Bushido is a code of adaptability and change.
The Bushido of Japan need not be an inescapable mold to which the Bushido of the twenty-first century must conform. But rather let it be a finger pointing to the sun. Let us take care that we do not fix our gaze on the finger and miss the light of the sun itself.
Adaptability is a necessary quality for a code of Warriors. A Warrior s code must dictate appropriate action in any circumstance. This code must be like water, which will take on the shape of its container and yet retain those essential qualities, which makes it what it is. With this in mind I would like to state most emphatically that Bushido and the Zen philosophy which it embodies should in no way be misconstrued as a religion. It is true that Bushido as a recognized philosophy is the product of a culture influenced by Taoism, Shinto, Confucianism and Buddhism, but I believe that we shall see that this system is completely compatible with the teachings of Christ and with most other belief systems.
Ours is a Christian nation and our Christian heritage and system of values and beliefs are our greatest strength. We possess truths that the Samurai never knew, but it is to no avail to know Truth and lack the courage to expound it and to lack the ability to defend it. Ours is a solemn charge to "Secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity". Let us, then, be ever vigilant to seek out and nurture those qualities that create and maintain freedom so that freedom shall not perish from the earth.
