Karate, the Art of Empty Self
“Karate, the Art of Empty Self” by Terrence Webster-Doyle, published by Atrium Publications in 1989, offers a unique perspective on martial arts, specifically karate. This 128-page book explores the concept of violence as a cultural ideal and challenges the notion that fighting is an honorable solution to conflict. Instead, it presents karate as a practice aimed at resolving conflict through nonviolent means, emphasizing self-understanding as a crucial element in addressing the roots of violence.
Readers will find that this book delves into the paradoxical intent of karate, focusing on the importance of confronting one’s own mind to understand the origins of conflict. It is not a manual for self-defense nor a philosophical treatise on martial arts; rather, it addresses the underlying intent of karate in a straightforward manner. Through its exploration of sports and recreation, particularly in the context of martial arts, this work invites readers to reflect on the deeper significance of their practice and the potential for personal growth within the discipline.
Official synopsis Publisher
Violence is too often portrayed as a heroic cultural ideal, one that accepts fighting as an honorable solution to conflict. This attitude has allowed human beings to justify solving the problems of relationship by aggressive, combative means.
Karate, as a martial art, is meant to be practiced as an art, as a way to end conflict by nonviolent means, not just by having the confidence not to fight, but, more important, to end conflict at its source within the human mind. This paradoxical intent becomes clear when one begins to understand oneself, which the art of karate gives the student the opportunity to do. In understanding oneself, the student comes into direct contact with the origin of conflict, the foundation of violence. This confrontation with oneself is the essence of the art, the primary reason why serious people study karate.
Karate: The Art of Empty Self is not a manual on self-defense. Nor is this work a philosophical or intellectual interpretation of the martial arts. Instead, this book clearly addresses, as no martial arts book has done before, the underlying intent of karate and the martial arts. In simple, straightforward language, it inquires into the roots of conflict.
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