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Tall high and mighty you stand in front of me your power unsurpassed. You have defeated and withstood all the winds that have challenged you, your stature and supremacy.

Tall high and mighty you stand in front of me. For years defiant you have stood your ground menacing my temple and threatening my wellbeing. To crush me and eliminate me is your desire.

Tall high and mighty you stand, when your allies come from the four corners of the earth, you unleash your power upon me, growling to the heavens and with fury your swing your limbs, leaving me vulnerable at your aggressive disposition.

Tall high and mighty you stand as you play in my mind and as we find each other and collide, your strength is unsurpassed. I wish to destroy your mightiness and bring you down to your knees, to free my mind of your hypnotic force when in thoughts we meet.

Tall high and mighty you stand your body is robust, your head is sharp, your arms are many and alive, and your legs become a million roots that ground you down. I, insignificant next to you, I stand. How long will I endure before I have the strength to defeat your mightiness? I look for your weaknesses when we confront, but when I find them you displace them, and confused I stand.

Tall high and mighty you stand, but I have found your weakness, I will make battle with my will and my sword, I will cut you down destroy your mightiness and relieve my soul. You read my mind and in my dreams you triturate me, reducing my temple to dust, and trample down I awake.

The day has come and eyeball to eyeball we meet, the day is bright the sun is high, and together alone we stand. My sword is ready sharp and shining to the infinite sky, your power unsurpassed, tall high and mighty you stand, we hesitate for a moment as we both value life, and with furore we crush. My sword goes up and down cutting whatever is on its path with each swing travelling to the infinite cosmos. Thundering screams are heard, and the earth vibrates as your arms one by one fall to the ground, and exposing your head to my shining bleeding sword.

Tall high and mighty you stand, we are in a fight your power unsurpassed. Bare and naked you stand your limbs are gone but you still robust, and in thoughts we meet as we look at each other for the last time, a piercing scream reverberates all over as your head rolls to the ground with a mortal cut, to your knees you fall your power diminished and pulverised as my sword does the final cut.

Beside myself I stand as the monster lies beneath my feet and under the brilliant sky, I look around me and deep inside of me, I am alone, I am free, and tears come to soothe my soul, as they did when I was born.

Written by Sensei Christian Tapia

From an early age Sensei Christian discovered that the meaning of the Martial Arts was different to the overall concept adopted by the general community.

The teachings of the Ken-Shin-Kan Karate-do Academy have always been of a more internal nature maintaining the traditional values of our master Seiichi Yoshitaka Akamine. His teachings have been passed down incorporating the internal aspects of the Martial Arts cultivating the mind and the spirit. Even though the martial arts as well as life is and has been in constant evolution, the essence of the arts still remains. Martial Arts teaches us how to evolve into better human beings, capable of reaching our highest dimension hence becoming one with the world that surrounds us.

Master Akamine said “only kind hearted persons of strong character can attain noble ideas” how true a phrase. In the evolution of self and the quest for self discovery we develop the heart and the attitude to create strong character; attaining a positive self full of creativity and noble ideas.  This in itself is only the tip of the iceberg, there is so much to learn that a lifetime is not sufficient.

In the way of “BUDO” the way of the warrior we strive for perfection not just physical but also of the self as Sensei Akamine said of strong character, kind hearted, of noble ideas. He also mentioned that a Karateka should not be satisfied with his achievement, instead there should be a constant search for knowledge, always attaining new objectives.

On the above there is a lot written, and in the majority of cases the concept always remains. Understanding the meaning of self discovery and personal development is one thing that sometimes leads to complacency, believing that knowing it intellectually is enough. It is only with the help of great teachers that we can put all that knowledge into practice, and not just know it, but we learn to live it.

A warrior must know how to defeat the enemy, and how to be attentive to the moment, to apprehend the numerous enemies that torment us. We must learn to fill the gap between ourselves and who we truly are. To catch the moment not only in the inaction but also in the action. To go deep within the confinements of our consciousness to find yourself, and learn to live in the light without fear, to live a true existence in a beautiful garden, the garden that awaits on our awakening, once the enemies and monsters have been defeated or put behind us.

Sensei Christian Tapia