The student must first show respect to their Sensei or Sempai by showing loyalty, working hard, practicing and refining what they are taught and trying to live by the Dojo Kun. In this way the student gains the respect of their Sensei or Sempai, this leads to trust and so deepens the relationship between them allowing their Sensei or Sempai to teach them more deeply, imparting their hard won experience to their trusted students. The goal of any good Sensei or Sempai is to produce students who are better than themselves and in so doing to refine Goju Ryu and their teachings further. However, there is a warning to be made here; sometimes arrogance on the part of the student makes the student think that they have mastered all what teacher has taught, although this may not be true, when this happens the teacher can no longer teach the student because of their arrogance. Master Miyazato always taught that humility is the greatest gift that Karate Do can give.
The student should never put their Sensei or Sempai on a pedestal or hero worships them, as they are only human. Instead, they should always respect and put trust in their teachings, but at the same time, analyse the teachings for themselves in order to gain a deeper understanding.
Students should always do their best to support, protect and care for their Sensei or Sempai and in return their Sensei or Sempai will do the same. In this way the mutual respect, trust and friendship gained, will last a lifetime.
It is important for the students to use the syllabus to assess their progress, set obtainable goals and prepare for grading. With the advice of their Sensei or Sempai they should also create for themselves an individual training regime which reflects this, taking into consideration their weakness and strengths, the focus of training being on trying to eradicate any weakness the student might have but at the same time refining their strengths.
Sensei Dnyaneshwar Chavan
