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Jun 10
KFEB #25) Do you know the fate of the praying mantis?
The entire passage is: “Do you know the fate of the praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms to arrest the progress of the carriage, unconscious of its inability for such a task, but showing how much it thinks of its own powers. Be on your guard, be careful. If you cherish a boastful …
Jun 03
KFEB #24) To associate with evil men is like sleeping in the midst of knives and swords: although you have not been wounded, you are constantly afraid.
All of my research has, unfortunately once again, come up short regarding where this comes from, thus another KFEB entry remains “Anonymous”. That doesn’t diminish my interpretation, it just makes the source worldview a little more difficult to pinpoint. This one is rather simple, almost to the point of being a truism, and reminds me …
Mar 17
KFEB #23) Do right, and do it alone. Commit something wrong and you will need a gang to work with. That is why even a burglar posts someone to watch for them.
This is another one that I couldn’t find the reference for but, if I had to guess, I would hazard that it is likely Confucian in origin – this, of course, is just a hunch. Although, I have been able to find it referred to in an academic paper regarding a ‘common belief’ somehow associated …
Feb 24
22) The fame of men’s good deeds seldom goes beyond their own doors, but their evil deeds are known a thousand miles distant.
So, another Chinese proverb that I can’t nail down to one particular author… It doesn’t really matter, but I like trying to link to the authors of these proverbs because it can affect some of the interpretation process – something that I enjoy looking into and figuring out. I remember this one more as I got …
Feb 18
KFEB #21 – It is impossible to please men in all things; our only care should be to satisfy our own consciences.
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything on the KFEB, so I thought it was about time. This particular maxim, once again, comes from China; Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the era, nor the source. That being said, this one is rather straightforward and could be rooted in most belief systems. I …
Jan 14
“Taking a Break” – we’ve all heard it.
So, my girlfriend and I have taken the plunge… into parenting. It’s a new chapter in both of our lives, and we love our son with parts of our hearts that we didn’t even know we had! He’s such a good baby – honestly, he’s rather awesome, if I have to humbly say so myself …
Aug 31
The Unfettered Mind, by Takuan Soho (17th Century CE)
If you’ve ever read the Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) by Miyamoto Musashi, and most practitioners of Japanese martial arts styles have (or have been recommended to), and want to see how Zen Buddhism can apply to Martial Arts, then this is the book for you. I highly encourage any reader to …
Jul 20
Thoughts on the Kung Fu Exercise Book (KFEB)
When I was a young man of around 16 years of age, my Uncle (who introduced me to Martial Arts) gave a gift of slightly yellowed, handwritten pages of philosophical snippets; something that I have cherished ever since. He told me that he was lending them to me to help me with my philosophical development, as …
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