What is a Warrior?

What does being a warrior mean?
The qualities a warrior displays, like courage, perseverance, compassion, and righteousness are derived from 'practice'. Along with skills such as timing, spacing and instantaneous change, a warrior is fully equipped for any combat situation.

Perhaps more importantly, these qualities and skills can be applied in business and daily life.

Below is a recent discussion on this topic, from our forum -

Warrior Project Founder - Sifu Kai Uwe Jettkandt - Germany

Hello everybody,

We all practise the Shaolin Arts; Kung Fu, Chi Kung and Zen/Chan.
After we succeed in the basic training, we should have internalised the arts.
If we accomplish this, we can call ourselves 'Warriors'.

What do you think, is a friendly warrior compared to a so called normal human being?
What separates us from other humans?

Feel free to comment ……


Karin - Germany

Hello,

Maybe these points:
The 3rd eye, the ability to see situations foresighted and clear, the ability to react calm and relaxed in a fight or just in a challenging situation in daily life.

Greetings Karin

Jeffrey - Germany

At least we fight for our personal “world freedom” in the environment around us.
For our family, friends and loved ones.

We don't just train our physical bodies, but also our mind.
Well not just in things like politics, sports and general knowledge, but we also striving for enlightenment and a higher consciousness.
We can adopt these abilities into daily life as well.

You may call us warrior and we might be able to destroy, but more important we can do good in life and also use our abilities to heal.
I want to share my peace, my higher consciousness for the good of my family, friends and loved ones. I want to pass on some of my vitality, energy and love so they can benefit from it.
By the way, thanks to Sifu for his patience with me and that he helped me big time dealing and recovering from my illnesses.

To see, that Shaolin Kung Fu is not just for self defence, but it´s principles are useful in “daily life”.
To stick to the Shaolin Laws is a challenge nowadays, but it is fun and fills our hearts with love, peace and joy. Nowadays where honesty, righteousness, courage and respect are hard to find and are less and less performed. (E.g. like offering a seat in the subway to an elderly person)

Smile from the heart.
A smile is a cheap present and a weapon with great effects. It forces away any anger. Whenever you endow a smile, you get one back.

Kingmonkey - Switzerland

I think a big difference lies in that everything we do, is done more conscious (well, at least we try to, while we are struggle in our “levels”) and therefore we do things that other “normal” people don´t do.
Sometimes we don´t do things “normal” people do.

Andrew Bill - Switzerland

As a warrior one is a well developed survival fighter in a battle (war)
“Normal” humans can enjoy their lives just like the friendly warriors, whilst their world is doing fine.
But when chaos occurs, then they get desperate. The warrior knows how to deal with it and also how to get it fixed again, or to avoid it or to see I foresighted.

A warrior should be clear of his/her actions in challenging situations and to know just what to do.
A human being who is well prepared for life and it´s perfidies, but still remains and lives a humane life.

One takes one step after the other and reaches his goals safely. (safety first)
One can separate the important things from the unimportant. (insight)
One has learned to respect and treasure (openness) and to be stable and steady (steadiness)
Mainly I think one protects his treasures, whatever they may be (family, friends, other people, faith, love, enlightenment and so on) and he would even fight for them if necessary.

Edit: I forgot something. The warriors will be the last to give up something they stand in for. Well, I hope so. This is an interesting topic.

Irina - Switzerland

"Soft on the surface and hard inside"

Hello family,
What´s the saying in the I Ching again? - “The creative leads to superior success, being aided through patience.”
A warrior knows when he has to be patient and when he has to withdraw from a battle.
He knows when fighting is unnecessary and only uses up his energy and when he will be able to succeed and destroy a whole country in the end.
He never fights over ego principles.
A warrior always goes with the flow.
He does not reign or dominate.

Lao Tse once said: “One who knows others is smart. One who knows himself is sage. One who defeats others has power. One who defeats himself is strong. One who enforces, has will. One who is adequate with him self, is rich.”

Also a warrior seeks to enhance himself and tries to see/find the deeper meaning in things.
He is friendly but decisive.

Soft on the surface and hard inside.

Thanks to Sifu Kai for this inspiration.

Matthias - Germany

Hello,

I think.....

The warrior only fights one battle- the battle within against his ego. When he fights and win, all happiness and affliction of the worlds looses it´s impact.
Because only the impact our ego produces knows happiness and affliction. For then only “being” will remain.

What separates the warrior from other humans?
The warrior ventures to take a look at the “inside”, where he likely finds his “demons”.
He surely will seek the confrontation through his practise, concentration and meditation- most other people run away from their problems all the time.

Greetings Matthias

Irene - Austria

I think the main difference is that the warrior seeks the confrontation with his duties and responsibilities.

Sifu Jamie Robson - Scotland

Hello my German Brothers & Sisters,

In my opinion,
"A warrior discovers his weakness, so he can enhance his strength."

Best Wishes,

Jamie

Hardya - Germany

In my opinion a warrior is somebody, who is proficient in martial arts with all its implications: he has defeated himself and do not fear death any more.
Many ways lead there. But would not call somebody a warrior, who practises the art of zen of Ikebana.
Warriors are proficient in the art, that enables them to protect them selfes and others always regarding the 10 Shaolin commandments/laws.

Greetings Anne

Mark - Germany

To me a warrior is someone, who protects or fights for something. A Shaolin Warrior should always be aiding and stand in for harmony and peace. He should protect the poor and weak, he should ante up for justice (just like the Shaolin commandments tell us) Our Training in the Shaolin arts enhances our skills as warriors and when we succeed the basic training we should be so force and skill full that we can always walk the line of moral and stand up for the good. May it be in a battle or in daily life.

A normal human being should also aspire for these aims.
However, one will not be able to apply the 10 Shaolin commandments in a particular situation, since he is not trained and does not have the skills of a warrior, like the spiritual and physical force.

But therefore we have the warriors

Greetings Mark

Kingmonkey - Switzerland

The best soldier does not attack. The superior fighter succeeds without violence.
The greatest conqueror wins without struggle.
The most successful manager leads without dictating.
This is intelligent non aggressiveness.
This is called the mastery of men.

'Lao Tse'

I think this fits in here extraordinary....

Greetings to all Kingmonkey

To be continued...