What is the definition of a Warrior?

[Hardball]

"The Warrior lives the martial way. The way of the warrior is death. Resolute acceptance of death. When the choice is live on in dishonor or die, the warrior chooses death. That is the way of the warrior. The way of the warrior is practice, daily practice. The warrior practices his craft daily. The weapons of the warrior should be hardy and not fancy."

(1) Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of 5 Rings.

[Maxx]

I'm not trying to play semantics or pick apart what you wrote. What I'm attempting to illustrate is how easy it is to fall prey to believing idealistic sounding phrases without examining them in the light of reality. It's all too easy to take "conventional wisdom" as a path without realizing the value of your own experiences, even if they fly in the face of convention. It's like the beginning instructor who feels a need to pass on credit for everything he teaches, not out of respect for his instructors, but to validate his own teachings somehow. In a way, it's why Krishnamurti was full of shit. Who has the balls to say "Here is the way," and then follow it up with "True enlightenment cannot come from following others. Truth must be discovered for oneself." What?! So you told me to follow you, which I shouldn't have, since the truth can't be found by following. You told me I had to find truth in my own way, and then proceeded to tell me how and how not to go about it, making it your way. Besides, his teachings presuppose that the way blazed by another cannot possibly be my way as well, when in fact any way I consciously choose for myself is right then and there, mine. But it sounds like something important, so why ask tough questions...

I think you probably make one of the more valid points I've read in this thread, Mike. Despite what has been written (and a lot has been written) about what being a warrior is, ultimately we each have our own definition of what it is to be a warrior and what it means to each of us... even those such as myself who do not like to use the term to describe ourselves.

As an example, many of the qualities that you have mentioned are definitely attributes that I feel appitimize the term "Warrior" and I also feel that we both are excellent examples of martial artists who adhere to those qualities. The one difference from my perspective is that you are a warrior and I am not. I say that because you have been to war. I can make no such claim. Granted (Pardon the pun) that I have trained very hard and continue to do so. I have worked hard to forge every aspect of the fighter in myself from the physical to the mental to the emotional to the spiritual, but I lack that one final element which entitles one to the term "Warrior"... real world experience. Granted (No pun intended again) I've been in a few altercations and been in a few minor scuffles with people, but life or death situations are outside of my realm of experience.

It is that last quality, experience, which I feel is the one inarguable element which is required to define someone as a warrior.

[HtTKar]

The suicide bombers of 9/11/01 believed to their very core in what they were doing. They "authentically" devoted themselves to their religious beliefs (as they saw them, anyway), they had the "integrity" to sacrifice everything in their lives for their group and its cause - to live a devoted spiritual life amidst what, to them, was the embodiment of all they hated. And the had enough mastery of self to face their own deaths - to prepare for their own deaths by their own hands for years - with a calmness that is chilling to think about. Yet, I would hope that these men would not fit your definition of warriors.

What if one's goals are to be the best child molester and serial killer in the history of the world? What if he devotes his life to mastering the fears and horrors that go with his chosen pursuit, and devotes every waking moment, in study and in practice, to becoming the most grisly and terrifying killer of all time? By this definition, he is a warrior. However, I doubt you'd feel that's in the spirit of the quote.

but your character, integrity, attitude, and sense of honor define you, in my mind at least, as one of just a small handful (of warriors) I've really ever known

Sure a warrior, if he's on your side, my have the "character, integrety, and..honor" that everyone on here describes and quotes. Someone you can look up to. Someone that protects your family, culture, and way of life.

But if he's on the other side, then you know damned well he has "devoted himself to mastering your fears, and devotes every waking moment, in study and practice, to becoming the most grisly and terrifying killer of all time."

The thing is; warrior does not describe either a person of good or ill intent. It really depends on what side of the war he is on. Either way, a warrior will devote everything he has into accomplishing his goals. He will never rest, and even in his dreams will be constantly getting better at what he does.

My opinion, and the best way I could sum it up for myself. Is; a warrior is a politician with the will to take action into his/her own hands, and devotes the meaning of their life to that cause. I say this because I know several nurses and doctors that are more of a warrior than many of the military men I know. They have been to war, seen the greatest horrors, but for some reason dont fit into most peoples definition of warrior. I cant think of many people that would protect my family, livelyhood, or culture more.

[BoarSpear]

The Way Of The Warrior

By Erle Montaigue

_________________________________________________________


A warrior is not just a person who has learned some moves, is able to kick at 90 miles per hour or who has won the world championships at kick-boxing. A warrior must earn his title. The martial artist is a person who knows things that go far deeper than just self defence, he is someone who walks into a room full of people and an immediate calm falls upon that room, he is a person who can touch a person's head, or arm, or hand and cause an inner stillness and peace to fall upon that person. You know a warrior not from the way he looks, his big biceps, or his rolled up sleeves revealing a row of tattoos, or his shaven head or the fact that he wears his full gi (karate uniform) to parties!

We know the warrior by his presence and the healing he automatically gives to everyone he meets. His energy, his 'Qi' is touching you, you don't feel anything physical, but rather the internal effect of this touching, and peace is with you.

The warrior looks upon the earth in a different way than those who are not warriors, everything, from the smallest insect to the largest mammal, and the most insignificant rock or tree is important and has life, the grass he walks upon, he thanks for softening the rough path he walks upon, the trees, he thanks for giving him shade and oxygen. Everything has importance because it was put there by mother earth for some reason.

Sure, he has to live in modern times, he must drive a motor car and go to the supermarket and mow his lawns, but always, he never loses sight of what he is, and more importantly, where he is. He knows that what he is, is not only what he has made himself to be, but also what is handed down to him and what is an accumulation right inside the very cells that he is made of, from his ancestors. Everything that they were, is now him, every bit of information that his fathers and mothers gathered is now inside of him, this is how we live on in our children, we literally, and I mean literally, pass on our knowledge, along with eons of knowledge accumulated since the beginning of time, to our children. Everything that we are at the conception of our children is passed on to them. We think that we have certain talents, but the warrior knows that all that he is, has come from the beginning of time, he knows that he is made up of the same stuff that a rock is made of, or a tree or a blade of grass, the difference is only physical. He knows that he owns nothing, and that all animals are free, his animals chose him to be with, he does not go to the pet shop to chose a new dog, he knows that the dog has chosen him to come to that pet shop to chose it.

The warrior communicates with the earth, he talks to the dogs, to the cats and owls, to the snakes, not so much verbally, but simply by being. This is the one thing that everything on earth has in common, being. He knows that there are forces at work on this earth, forces that he must learn to go with and to live with, otherwise he will surely perish. The energy within the warrior has the power to join with these forces, and then he has the power to change. But this comes not without payment, for he also knows that we cannot receive without first having paid for it. The whole of the universe is based upon this giving and taking, it is called yin & yang. For every up there must be a down, for every happiness, there must be a sadness, for every full tummy, there must be an empty one. The warrior knows that he must lose in order to gain, and so he sacrifices. He sacrifices his food, he sacrifices his sexual longings, his every day comforts, in order that he has the power to change and to help others to change. Not in going out specifically to help others, but to have the internal power always there to automatically help others to be peaceful, and in doing so, they too will be able to see where they are, and who they are. We are not only someone's son or daughter, we are the sons and daughters of an infinite amount of people, those who have passed on to us their cells inside of which is hidden the very substance of creation and everything that has happened. Not 'since time began', because there is no beginning or ending.

Being a martial artist is only one hundredth of what a warrior is, it is only a part of the whole, it is what gives us the confidence to become a healer, the internal energy to make changes.

A warrior knows that we do not have teachers, but guides, the people we meet who are able to give us something internal, that something extra to cause us to become our own greatest teachers. Just by simply being, a guide helps us to realize that it is we, ourselves who teach us, because the warrior also knows that locked away inside of everything, is that primordial cell that contains all information. He learns to read this information which comes in the form of 'flashes' at first, and this is too much for his feeble human brain to handle, he shuts off as soon as the flash arrives. But soon he learns to read these flashes, and they become longer in duration than just a moment. This is when the warrior knows that he is reading time.

He learns to communicate other than speaking, he knows that his physical needs are being looked after, and needs not worry about where the next mortgage payment will come from.

The warrior finds his place on the earth and stays there, where the power is. It is not a physical searching, but rather the warrior is 'taken' to where he must be, and there he stays, and the whole world will pass by, he needs not to travel, because the universe is there within him, and those who will in turn need to seek him out, will do so when their time is right, in just the same way that he did when he had to travel the world searching for his own guides. They then will learn to teach themselves from within, and also then go and find their own place, and he may never see them again, but this does not worry the warrior, he is in contact.

The warrior is not the master, he is not the sifu nor the sensei, these are just physical words that we put upon ourselves to make us seem important, or better than those who we guide. The warrior is a friend to his students, and so cannot be our master. He does not wish to gather students as they will search him out, and those who need to have a master or a sensei will not stay, they will keep searching until they realize that what they search is within them, and who they search, can only be their guide.

[georgie]

The Way Of The Warrior

By Erle Montaigue

_________________________________________________________


A warrior is not just a person who has learned some moves, is able to kick at 90 miles per hour or who has won the world championships at kick-boxing. A warrior must earn his title. The martial artist is a person who knows things that go far deeper than just self defence, he is someone who walks into a room full of people and an immediate calm falls upon that room, he is a person who can touch a person's head, or arm, or hand and cause an inner stillness and peace to fall upon that person. You know a warrior not from the way he looks, his big biceps, or his rolled up sleeves revealing a row of tattoos, or his shaven head or the fact that he wears his full gi (karate uniform) to parties!

We know the warrior by his presence and the healing he automatically gives to everyone he meets. His energy, his 'Qi' is touching you, you don't feel anything physical, but rather the internal effect of this touching, and peace is with you.

The warrior looks upon the earth in a different way than those who are not warriors, everything, from the smallest insect to the largest mammal, and the most insignificant rock or tree is important and has life, the grass he walks upon, he thanks for softening the rough path he walks upon, the trees, he thanks for giving him shade and oxygen. Everything has importance because it was put there by mother earth for some reason.

Sure, he has to live in modern times, he must drive a motor car and go to the supermarket and mow his lawns, but always, he never loses sight of what he is, and more importantly, where he is. He knows that what he is, is not only what he has made himself to be, but also what is handed down to him and what is an accumulation right inside the very cells that he is made of, from his ancestors. Everything that they were, is now him, every bit of information that his fathers and mothers gathered is now inside of him, this is how we live on in our children, we literally, and I mean literally, pass on our knowledge, along with eons of knowledge accumulated since the beginning of time, to our children. Everything that we are at the conception of our children is passed on to them. We think that we have certain talents, but the warrior knows that all that he is, has come from the beginning of time, he knows that he is made up of the same stuff that a rock is made of, or a tree or a blade of grass, the difference is only physical. He knows that he owns nothing, and that all animals are free, his animals chose him to be with, he does not go to the pet shop to chose a new dog, he knows that the dog has chosen him to come to that pet shop to chose it.

The warrior communicates with the earth, he talks to the dogs, to the cats and owls, to the snakes, not so much verbally, but simply by being. This is the one thing that everything on earth has in common, being. He knows that there are forces at work on this earth, forces that he must learn to go with and to live with, otherwise he will surely perish. The energy within the warrior has the power to join with these forces, and then he has the power to change. But this comes not without payment, for he also knows that we cannot receive without first having paid for it. The whole of the universe is based upon this giving and taking, it is called yin & yang. For every up there must be a down, for every happiness, there must be a sadness, for every full tummy, there must be an empty one. The warrior knows that he must lose in order to gain, and so he sacrifices. He sacrifices his food, he sacrifices his sexual longings, his every day comforts, in order that he has the power to change and to help others to change. Not in going out specifically to help others, but to have the internal power always there to automatically help others to be peaceful, and in doing so, they too will be able to see where they are, and who they are. We are not only someone's son or daughter, we are the sons and daughters of an infinite amount of people, those who have passed on to us their cells inside of which is hidden the very substance of creation and everything that has happened. Not 'since time began', because there is no beginning or ending.

Being a martial artist is only one hundredth of what a warrior is, it is only a part of the whole, it is what gives us the confidence to become a healer, the internal energy to make changes.

A warrior knows that we do not have teachers, but guides, the people we meet who are able to give us something internal, that something extra to cause us to become our own greatest teachers. Just by simply being, a guide helps us to realize that it is we, ourselves who teach us, because the warrior also knows that locked away inside of everything, is that primordial cell that contains all information. He learns to read this information which comes in the form of 'flashes' at first, and this is too much for his feeble human brain to handle, he shuts off as soon as the flash arrives. But soon he learns to read these flashes, and they become longer in duration than just a moment. This is when the warrior knows that he is reading time.

He learns to communicate other than speaking, he knows that his physical needs are being looked after, and needs not worry about where the next mortgage payment will come from.

The warrior finds his place on the earth and stays there, where the power is. It is not a physical searching, but rather the warrior is 'taken' to where he must be, and there he stays, and the whole world will pass by, he needs not to travel, because the universe is there within him, and those who will in turn need to seek him out, will do so when their time is right, in just the same way that he did when he had to travel the world searching for his own guides. They then will learn to teach themselves from within, and also then go and find their own place, and he may never see them again, but this does not worry the warrior, he is in contact.

The warrior is not the master, he is not the sifu nor the sensei, these are just physical words that we put upon ourselves to make us seem important, or better than those who we guide. The warrior is a friend to his students, and so cannot be our master. He does not wish to gather students as they will search him out, and those who need to have a master or a sensei will not stay, they will keep searching until they realize that what they search is within them, and who they search, can only be their guide.

well said.......epitome of the modern warrior

[lethal_lee_jkd]

A warrior to me is someone like miyamoto musashi.
I don't know about ali,i think he is a jerk who hurts people not physically but with his mouth,and all that refusal to get drafted into the army is like a big lie its like he's trying to play morality cop.Just my 2cents I don't mean to offend any ali fans,I do think he's a man after all to take so much beatings.And he is good,he makes boxing look beautiful.

[blitz]

A warrior to me is someone like miyamoto musashi.
I don't know about ali,i think he is a jerk who hurts people not physically but with his mouth,and all that refusal to get drafted into the army is like a big lie its like he's trying to play morality cop.Just my 2cents I don't mean to offend any ali fans,I do think he's a man after all to take so much beatings.And he is good,he makes boxing look beautiful.

I guess you don't know alot about him. Read the book "Soul of a butterfly" it answers most of the things that you are stating.

[shen lao]

someone whom does not compromise the morals and ethics in their heart no matter the opposition.