Mountain Karate – Opening Ceremony 

Without missing a beat, or a class, our new dojo opened today. After years of planning and months of building we enjoyed great training in our new place. 

Everyone was happy to be there today, training together. We practiced in a beautiful physical environment, and in an unusual cultural environment: as a group of friends getting together to get strong, sharp and able. To share life.  Contributing to the dojo, collaborating, freely giving and receiving energy, spirit and skill. Transforming our regular lives into extraordinary ones.

Outside the forest and fields, mountains and sky were radiant. Inside the atmosphere was natural, austere and serene. Perfect for training.  The aesthetic of the room is beautiful. It is meaningful. We can feel it even if we can’t identify it.

The feeling comes from the juxtaposition of two geometries: the fractal and the Euclidean. The grandeur of the mountains or the sea seen from inside the walls of a castle, a cottage, or a cabin, where you are safe and at ease, gives this feeling. The sight of a house, a home, seen from a distance, from the wilderness, does the same thing.  The path of life is the juxtaposition of adventure and refuge, journey and homecoming, challenge and resolution. Pulse, the dynamic interplay of the polarities of the world, gives meaning, direction and life to life. It is the source and the means of our transformation.  That polarity appears inthe aesthetic of our new dojo, and in every move we make as we train. 

We have an unusual cultural environment to train in because our dojo is not a business. We are not involved in trade, a transaction, or a deal. We pool our resources and our efforts. We are a group of people, friends, young and old, experienced and new, sharing a challenge, to train deeply. 

Two days ago, at the closing ceremony at our old space, we each offered incense. We expressed gratitude for that place, our time there, and the spirit we shared. We offered good wishes and blessings for the people who will use it after us. We marked the arising and passing away of the place that was our dojo. We observe this in each movement of kata, each breath, each heartbeat, each life. 

Today, at the opening ceremony of our new dojo, we shared a sense of exhilaration. Appreciating the great results of the work we have done so far, and looking forward, to new possibilities, to explore, to go deeper, with the certainty that we each will meet unpredictable challenges and unexpected achievements.  

To mark this day, one by one each of us rang the big bell that hangs in our dojo.  The bell is always ready. It doesn’t make a big deal out of it. It doesn’t show off. And it doesn’t fall asleep. It is ready.  It is always inspiring – solid and graceful, no matter what. But when the causes are right – when you strike it – it rings. Every time. It resounds, resonant, powerful, without doubt or delay. Any time. Every time. And then, when the causes are withdrawn, it returns to silence. There is something for us in that.  

Our bell was silent for years. Today it rang with a sound as awe inspiring as it did the day it was cast, long ago, and far away. The bell responded to each of us. Some had a week of experience, some a lifetime: but each of us moved with purpose, and each of us got results. 

Congratulations to each of you who trained today, and took part in the Mountain Karate dojo opening ceremony.  

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Post copyright © 2025 Jeffrey Brooks, MountainKarateNC.com, Yamabayashi Ryu, Mountain Karate, Saluda, NC

Photo by Bruce Bishop

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read True Karate Dō by Jeffrey Brooks

“One of the best books I’ve read in years, inviting and compelling. Jeff Brooks moves effortlessly from martial arts to Buddhism to consciousness studies, self-transformation, and related fields in this wide-ranging and Illuminating study that has much to offer both novice explorers and veteran practitioners. A splendid achievement.”— Philip Zaleski, Editor, The Best Spiritual Writing series