Thoughts on Godan test

There are many things people say after passing the godan test and naturally, each person has their own oppinion, which is totally understandable. Yet what I found out most people agree upon - is that there is a change that happens for the person who really passes the test with a feeling. And not necessarily straight after the test - but later on in their lives. What I also think is that the sakki test helps a person to make a step over one's ego and over one's understanding. And some people open up more and carry on learning, while others feel that they have made a great achievement and cannot step over their ego. I would like to say a couple of words about what kind of change happened for me after the test and what it meant to me personally.

There are many things I would say, but the most important is that the godan test helped me to open up and feel and understand people more. As Hatsumi said on one of the trainings - "you should not look at what I do with your eyes and you should not repeat exactly what I do, because you won't be able to do that". It sounds strange, but it has a very deep meaning to it in my understanding. And Dr. Hatsumi also wrote about it in one of his books (Essence of Ninjutsu) - a story about a man who helped Takamatsu Sensei to heal when hw came to die to the mountains. The man said that human beings are very funny - they look at everything with their eyes on their head, but not look with the "eyes" of their heart. He said that Takamatsu looked at things with his heart. And I believe this is what Dr. Hatsumi meant by this - you should see and do everything from your heart. And this is what the sakki test meant to me.

I also would like to say that I understood more why exactly Hatsumi keeps on saying that everyone should follow his footsteps, like he follows the footsteps of Takamatsu Sensei. In my oppinion this has nothing to do with what Hatsumi does in his personal life, what he eats, how he dresses and even it doesn't have to do with the techniques what he shows and trainings and so on. As Dr. Hatsumi said - "everything is the opposites". And what this means to me is that one should follow the justice and truth, be able to steps over one's own ego and one's own oppinion and to be able to accept that he or she is wrong. And eveyone of us in a certain siuation feels with their heart what is the truth and the more you see the truth with your heart.

I do not want to write any longer for people not to get bored with what I wrote. There is something I have to say in the end. I thank my teacher, David Holt with all my heart for what he has taught me. Nothing of what he said came from his ego and desire to make himself look good or smart or to gain something. The intention behind everything he has done and behind what he does in trainings and in life is for people to learn, open themselves up and find the happiness for themselves.

Thank you Dave:)