Zen and Karate

空手は，ときに「動く禅」と言われる。自己の身体と呼吸に意識を集中する点で，坐禅と空手は等しい。空手は弓道と同様，他の多くの武道と比較して，特に呼吸法を重視している。型を練る際に身体を意識することは当然だが，同時に型に呼吸を合わせるために，次第に身体と呼吸と意識が渾然一体となり，やがて自己存在が今ここになりきる。このように，空手は特に，武道であるとともに，禅であるとも言える。

Karate is sometimes called "moving zen." Zazen and karate are equal to each other in the respect that we concentrate on our own body and breath in them. Especially Karate, as kyu-do (Japanese archery), puts more stress on breathing than any other Japanese martial arts. Though it is inevitable that we are aware of our body during polishing kata, we try to match breathing to kata, gradually our body, breath, and consciousness are in complete harmony, and finally self-existence becomes "here now". Therefore, karate is just zen as well as a martial art.