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Daruma( Bodhidharma ) juku karate-Do Renbukai spirit –
Fall down seven times,
get up eight 七転び八起き.
Japanese culture and ways of thinking can not be adequately addressed in a short space, but this Japanese proverb reflects an important and shared ideal: “Nana korobi ya oki” (literally: seven falls, eight getting up) means fall down seven times and get up eight.
This speaks to the Japanese concept of resilience.
No matter how many times you get knocked down, you get up again.
Even if you should fall one thousand times, you just keep getting up and trying again.
Success does not have to be fast—what’s more important is that one simply does their absolute best and remains persistent.
Never give up!
A concept related to the saying
“Nana korobi ya oki”
is the spirit of gambaru (頑張る).
The concept of gambaru is deeply rooted in the Japanese culture and approach to life.
The literal meaning of gambaru expresses the idea of sticking with a task with tenacity until it is completed—of making a persistent effort until success is achieved.
The imperative form, “gambette,” is used very often in daily language to encourage others to “do your best” in work, to “fight on!” and “never give up!” during a sporting event or studying for an exam.
You do not always have to win, but you must never give up.
While others may encourage you to “gambatte kudasai!” — the real spirit of gambaru comes from within. The best kind of motivation is intrinsic motivation. For the benefit of oneself — and for the benefit of others as well — one must bear down and do their best.
Even in good times, behaving uncooperatively or in a rude manner is deeply frowned upon.
In a crisis, the idea of complaining or acting selfishly to the detriment of those around you is the absolute worst thing a person can do.
There is no sense in complaining about how things are or crying over what might have been.
These feelings may be natural to some degree, but they are not productive for yourself or for others.
