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Dôjô道場 –themeaningofthewordanditsimplicationsDôjôliterallymeanstheplace(jô場,Japanesereading:ba)oftheway(道dô,Japanesereading:michi),theplacewherethe“way”(e.g.amartialart)ispracticed.ThreedefinitionsDôjôhasthreedistinct,butinter-relatedmeanings:1.OriginallyitwasthetranslationoftheSanskrittermbodhimanda.Thisindicatesthespotunderthetree,wherethehistoricalBuddhaShakyamuniexperiencedhisawakening(bodhi).Themanda(=dôjô)isthereforetheplace,wherethe“essence”ofenlightenmentispresent.2.InZen-templesitdenotesthehallorroom,wheresittingmeditation(zazen)ispracticed.Inabroadersenseitsignifieseverysite,whereonefollowsthe“wayoftheBuddha”(butsudô仏道),e.g.templesorassemblyroomsforbuddhistpractices.3.FortheKaratekathedôjôistheplace,wherehehoneshisskillsinhismartialart(budô武道).Inthissenseitbecamewidelyusedonlysincetheendofthe19thcentury.Itactuallyistheabbreviationofbudôjô武道場,whichwasbesideskeikoba稽古場(trainingplace)thecommondenominationuntilthen. Dôasa“way”ofculturalpracticesAdôjôcanbeaseperatebuildingoratemporaryspace

usedforengaginginsomemartialart.The“dô”(道 daoinChinese)in“dôjô”hasanextensivephilosophicalmeaninginDaoismastheultimateessenceornaturalorderoftheuniverse.InJapanitalsodenotesa“wayoflife”inthesense

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ofbeingdedicatedtoanart,craftorstudy.SincetheEdo-period(1603-1868)itwasusedtodenotetraditional“ways”likechadô/sadô茶道(teaceremony),shodô書道(calligraphy)kadô華道(flowerarrainging),kyûdô弓道(archery),jûdô柔道(the“gentleway”ofgrapplingandthrowing),kendô剣道(swordsmanship)etc.Inthelattercasesitreplaced“jutsu”術(“technicalskill,method”)asinjûjutsu柔術orkenjutsu剣術.Theimplicationwasthatthesemartialartswheremeantnotonlyforrefiningphysicalortechnicalskills,butalsoformentalandspiritualtraininganddevelopment.Acleardistinctionhasbeendrawnbetweenbujutsu武術(classicalmartialartsofself-protection)andbudô武道(classicalmartialwaysofself-perfection).

FromKarate-jutsutoKarate-dôFunakoshiGichinstillusedthetermKarate-jutsuinthe

titleofhissecondbookpublishedin1925.Karate-jutsuwasthenstreamlinedalongtheconceptof“dô”andappropriatedbytheJapaneseonthemainislandasaformof“budô”,thusrenamed“Karate-dô”.Hencetheplace,whereKarateisexercisedalsobecamethedôjô.IntheJapaneseunderstandingadôjôisnotjustasportsfacility,butaspacewherebody,mindandspiritaretrainedinunison.Itisaplacetostriveforself-perfection.Thereforewhenenteringandleavingadôjô,oneshouldmakeabowasasignofrespect.

(Zen-)BuddhistmeaningTheMahâyâna-buddhistscripturetitledVimalakîrti-

sûtra(Jap.維摩経Yuimakyô)ishighlyappreciatedandwidelyreadinZen-circles.ItsprotagonistVimalakîrtiisalaypractionerandhouseholder,whoteachesthedoctrinesofnothingnessandnon-dualityandsilenceasanadequateexpressionthereof.Heservesasanexampleforsomeone,

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whoattainedthehighestbuddhistwisdomwhilstleadingan“ordinary”life.OnelineoutoftheVimalakîrtisûtraisoftenquotedbymartialartists,anditrecurstomeaning1ofdôjô:Jikishinkoredôjô直心是道場.Verballythismeans:“Wherethemindisstraight,thereisthedôjô.”Thurmantranslatesitas:“Theseatofenlightenmentistheseatofpositivethoughtbecauseitiswithoutartificiality.”(Thurman1976:36).The“seatofenlightenment”istranslatedintoJapaneseas“dôjô”.Inabroadermeaningitcanbeinterpretedas:thedôjôiseverywhere,whereanactivityispursuedwithtotaldedicationandmindfulness.

TheZenmonkGenyûSôkyûstates:“IntheendeverythinginZenisabouteverydaylife.”(Genyû2003:153)HeillustratesthiswithsomefamousZen-sayings.Themostsalientamongthemmightbe:“Meditationinthemidstofactivityisinfinitelysuperiortomeditiationinstillness.”動中の工夫、静中に勝ること百千億倍Dôchûnokufû,jôchûnimasarukotohyakusenokubai.(Genyû2003:153)ThiswasactuallyaboldcalligraphybrushedbytheeminentZen-monkHakuin(1686-1768)threedaysbeforehispassing.Thechû(“midst”,Japanesereading:naka中)isemphasizedbythickstrokesandbyprolongationofthelineinthemiddleofthecharacter(Stevens1999:100).

AlllifeisadôjôEveryJapanese“dô”isinspiredbyZenandinfusedwith

Zen-idea(l)s,exactlybecauseaccordingtotheseeveryactivitycanbetransformedintoameditativeactorspiritualexercise.Inthisspiritthe8thprincipleintheShôtôkannijû-kun,The20GuidingPrinciplesofShotokan,byFunakoshiGichincanbeunderstood:道場のみの空手と思うな.DôjônominoKaratetoomouna!DonotthinkthatKaratetrainingisonlyinthedôjô.Theacutemindnurturedinthedôjôshouldbeshownineverydaylife.Goodpracticeinthedôjôwillhavegoodeffectsinourdailylifeandundertakings

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otherthanKarate.ManyaKaratekawillattesttothefact,thatKarate-traininghad/haspositiveconsequencesfortheirlives.Thewholelifecanbeadôjô!References:GenyûSôkyû:Zentekiseikatsu.[LifeinZen-style]Tokyo:Chikumashobô2003Stevens,John:ZenMasters.AMaverick,aMasterofMasters,andaWanderingPoet.Ikkyû,Hakuin,Ryôkan.Tokyo,NewYork,London:KodanshaIntl.1999Thurman,RobertA.E.:TheHolyTeachingofVimalakîrti.AMahâyânaScripture.TranslatedbyRobertA.E.Thurman.Pennsylvania:ThePennsylvaniaStateUP1976Prof.Dr.WolfHerbert

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