On Saturday I was convinced on going to the beach. I'm not much of a beach person especially since the movie Jaws came out.

So I'm in the water waiting to get bitten and then it hits me that I should use this time to my advantage. I begin practicing Sanshin No kata in the water. While going through the katas my mind is in a total state of Mushin. I'm oblivious to everything around me like the waves, Sharks and girlfriend (notice shark and GF are in same sentence).

I then realize that the ocean and Budo are so much the same. When learning Budo we take small steps at first to make sure we're doing things right. In the beach we take small steps to make sure we don't step on shells and rocks. This is the White belt phase of training.

Then we have the kyu rank stage. Here we pass the rocks and begin to play with waves and get a feel for the water. We look forward to wading deeper into the water but we want to make sure we're comfortable with the current setting first.

The Black Belt stage is interesting. Here we have become totally comfortable with the waves and the ocean floor as well as the sun beaming down us. We feel unstoppable and not even Poseidon himself could stop us.

Then there's the master level of training. Here we begin to remember what it was like being a white belt. How we felt and learned while going through the ranks. We stare at the shore reminiscing and going over movement and kata. But we need to move on and continue our journey. So, we turn around and look out to the ocean and see nothing but waves and miles of water. We begin to realize that are we ever really masters?? Are we ever true black belts?? The answer is that we must remember that no matter how much we learn, how many black belts we have, we are always white belts at heart. The power to learn is much more powerful than the power to teach. If you keep your mind and heart open, you will accept Budo for what it is, an endless ocean of knowledge.