Our School Motto. “Shojiki-Ryu”, Honesty and Integrity School
These eight values are the very foundation of our schools, both SSMA and REBD. We have always, and we will always continue to follow these important values in our schools, our training, and our lives. Dishonesty, disrespect, stealing, ego, arrogance, and aggression are all signs of weakness. We train to better ourselves, our community, and the world. This is a sign of great strength and the heart of true warrior–Grandmaster Mark Murdock, Soke of Casarez Manabi-Masho Ju-Jitsu
HONESTY – Always be honest with everyone you meet. Be honest with your parents, children, teachers, ministers, friends and especially yourself. All SSMA/REBD students must be honest and respectful to everyone. Always be honest and respectful, especially to your teachers. Without them, you would have no knowledge. Don’t lie or steal. It’s much easier to tell the truth once than tell a lie repeatedly just to cover for another lie. Stealing is just as dishonest as telling a lie. Don’t take what is not offered. Being dishonest and disrespectful will only destroy your credibility and eventually cause you to fail. A true heart will carry you to greater heights.
RESPECT – Always show everyone you meet respect. Always respect your teachers as they share knowledge and wisdom with you. Without teachers, you wouldn’t have the knowledge you need. Respect the people that support and help you. Respect yourself, as you would others. Never be disrespectful to others. Always be willing to apologize if you’re disrespectful to someone. Be willing to accept an apology if someone has been disrespectful to you. Always be forgiving and always show respect. “Give respect, earn respect”. This will carry over to your everyday life.
HONOR – Always honor your parents, your elders, your children, and your teachers. You’ll be honored by many for these actions. Do not dishonor yourself. Stand tall and stand up for what you believe in. Be committed to everything you do. Honor those who help you, support you and give you knowledge. True honor comes from the heart. This is one aspect that develops a martial artist with a strong heart and soul.
INTEGRITY – Always be committed to being fair and responsible. Always keep your word. Have a word of gold. Always follow through and be committed to what you say and do. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Don’t say it and never follow through, don’t say it and put it off and don’t mislead people by not following through. Always be willing to give, share, and be kind and understanding to everyone. Never lie, steal, be selfish, boast or hurt others for your personal satisfaction. This is a sign of pure weakness. Always have a positive attitude and a strong personal integrity. This is an aspect that makes a martial artist strong, trusted, well-liked, and respected.
LOYALTY – Always be loyal to your parents, children, spouses, friends, teachers, and most important, God. Being loyal means that you’re committed to what you do, what you think, and what you say. It also means that you are committed to your relationships, friends and family and teachers. In the martial arts, it’s very important to be loyal to your Sensei (teacher). This shows great respect toward your Sensei. Remember, without your Sensei’s given martial arts knowledge and instruction, you would not have any martial arts knowledge. Loyalty is a very important part of everyday life and will bring many rewards to you along the way. You will gain great respect, friendship, love, and prosperity from those that you are loyal to.
COURAGE – Always have the courage to love the life you live and live the life you love. Courage is a very important part of the martial arts and life in gas well. It’s the fire, desire, and drive to accomplish the goals that you set forth to accomplish. This is also risk taking. You must take risks in life to get ahead. “You have to go out on the limb to get the fresh fruit or settle for the older fruit that’s lying on the ground”. That limb may pop and crack and be very scary, but with courage, you can succeed. Martial arts, like life, can be difficult. You need courage to keep you on track in both life and in martial arts. Courage is very useful in a dangerous situation. You need to have the drive to overcome the danger. This is the same in everyday life when it comes to a stressful time in your life. You need that drive, desire, and focus to overcome and to conquer your problems. Be courageous like a warrior and never show fear.
PERSEVERANCE – Perseverance is very important in the martial arts and in life. To persevere means to work hard, to endure, and to never give up. Martial arts are a way of life. Many people think that getting to a black belt is the final step in martial arts. It’s the very beginning part of martial arts. When you achieve your black belt, your mind, body, and spirit are ready to start learning what the martial arts really are. It takes a lot of perseverance to make it to the black belt and then even more through the “10” degrees of black belt. The best way to think about this is, white belt to black belt is like high school. Achieving 2nd degree black belt is like achieving an associate degree. Achieving 3rd degree black belt is like achieving a bachelor’s degree. Achieving 4th degree black belt is like achieving a master’s degree. Achieving 5th degree black belt is like a doctorate’s degree. 6th degree and above is like being a professor in the martial arts. Perseverance is also just important in your everyday life. You must persevere at your workplace, in your relationships, and in your religion. Perseverance will get you to your goals and beyond.
WISDOM –Wisdom means being wise. Wisdom comes with time, often after several years, and most often with age. Wisdom is created through different life experiences, which include trial and error, winning and losing and learning from your successes and your mistakes. A warrior with wisdom would be like a dragon using strategy, experience, knowledge, and would only choose when to fight. A person with a huge ego would be like a dog attacking at will, starting a fight, wanting to hurt someone, or fighting for the enjoyment of it, without thinking of the consequences. He would enjoy showing off his ego and muscles to intimidate others. This is a sign of true weakness and is not wise, but stupid. Being wise is also being responsible and using strategy in your life while making educated and planned decisions, learning from your mistakes and successes, and making your life and the world a better place to live in. Wisdom is using your experience, knowledge, and heart, not your ego.
Words of Wisdom to live by. We encourage our students to learn these and use these in everyday life.
- Protect Life and Health and Avoid Violence Whenever Possible.
- Respect the Property and Space of All, Avoid Taking What is Not Been Offered.
- Develop Significant Relationships, Avoid Abusing Others for Selfish Gain.
- Thoughtfully Express the Truth, Avoid the Confusion of Dishonest Words.
- Cultivate a Positive Attitude, A Healthy Body and Clear Mind. Avoid Whatever Would Reduce Your Well-Being.
- Communicate Health, Happiness, and a Peace of Mind to Everyone You Meet. Avoid Violent, Disturbing and Unduly Cruel Speech.
- Promote Harmony and Positive Momentum to Bring Out the Best in Everyone. Avoid Causing Alienation, Doubt and Division among Others.
- Be as Enthusiastic About Others’ Fulfillment as You Are About Your Own. Avoid Treating Others’ Successes as The Causes of Your Lacks.
- Promote the Enjoyment of Life and Encourage Others with Your Smile. Avoid Setting Yourself Up Against the World.
- Encourage All to Speak Purposefully from the Heart. Avoid the Dull Contentment of Small Talk.
- Promote The Search for Personal Realization of Truth. Avoid The Seductive Comfort of Narrow-Mindedness.
- Concentrate on accomplishing what must be done in a Timely and Effective Way. Avoid Putting Off Doing That Which Will Benefit You and Your World Today.
- Strive to be So Strong That Nothing Can Disturb Your Peace of Mind. Avoid The Negative Effects of Worry, Doubt and Regret.
- Work to Build Love, Happiness, and Loyalty Among All the Members of Your Family. Avoid Putting Temporary Personal Benefit Ahead of the Welfare of Those You Love.
- Create a Positive Atmosphere of Harmony and Respect. Speak with Good Purpose About Everyone, Including Yourself. Support Your Friends by Sharing Your Knowledge, Not Your Ego.
- Do Something Nice for Someone Else.
- Find a Way to Polish Your Heart Every day.
- Make a Heart Connection.
- Know that anything is possible.
- Discouragement is Just a Message of Not Knowing How Yet and Demanding of Yourself That You Do.
- Dwelling on Negative Thoughts Will Move You Toward Your Fears As if They Were Your Goals Instead of Your Truly Desired Dream.
- Be Careful of What You’re Thinking, Your Mind Might Be Listening.
- Be Kind and Helpful in Everything You Do. Always go Out of Your Way to Make Other People Happy.
- I Will Use My Martial Arts to Protect Myself, My Loved Ones, My Friends and Any Other Person in Need.
- I Will Always Be Willing to Lend a Helping Hand to Help People Who Have Nothing, whether it is From a Natural Disaster, Misfortune or Poverty.
- Live Life to its Fullest, Set Goals and Achieve Them, Always Get What You Want Through Education, Determination and Hard Work.
- Resist Negativity and pessimism. Always Be Optimist and Positive. Always Look for The Good in People, Not the Bad.
- Never Be Afraid to Express Your Feelings, Try Something New, or Obtain a Goal. Always Say Can and Remove I Can’t from Your Vocabulary.
- Always Make Your Word a Word of Gold. Don’t Voice Your Word Unless You Plan to Follow It Up 100%. If You Can’t Back Your Word, Don’t Say or Tell It at All.
- Strive To Achieve All That Your Dreams Can Hold. Know That Anything is possible, and nothing is impossible.
- Always Be Willing to Volunteer Your Time, Energy and Financial Assistance for Charity.