As a young EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) tech, most days I was holding something in my hands that could kill me. I learned to be fully present in that moment. I couldn’t afford to be a thought wanderer. No matter what you’re doing, focus on the moment you’re in right now, because now is all we have. – SGM Mike Vining, US Army Ret., Delta Force
Some have misunderstood why we do mind training in Yamabayashi Ryu. It is not to mellow out. It is not to graft a foreign spiritual dimension onto martial arts. We do mind training to stay alive.
Thank you for your laser-like attention.
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Post copyright © 2025 Jeffrey Brooks, MountainKarateNC.com, Yamabayashi Ryu, Mountain Karate Dojo, in the mountains of western NC.
Photo by Sushanta Rokka via Unsplash
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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