Tenshin Shoden Ryu Karate Do Creed

My name is (state your full name).

I am studying karate to make myself a better person.

I will always remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the teachings of Tenshin Shoden Ryu Karate-Do.

I will always strive to do my best in everything I do.

I will always show respect to other people.

I will only use karate in self-defense, or in the defense of others, in accordance with the Code of the Masters.

This is my Creed.  So help me, God.

EXPLANATION

My name is (state your full name).

You are starting the Creed by stating your name, ensuring that you accept what you are saying as a personal obligation and not just repeating the words.

I am studying Karate to make myself a better person.

You are acknowledging that your overall objective is to make yourself a better person, paraphrasing Gichin Funakoshi’s famous “Ultimate Aim” quote.

I will always remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the teachings of Tenshin Shoden Ryu Karate-Do.

In pledging to remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus, you are also implying that you will learn His teachings.  Obviously, you must learn His teachings in order to remain faithful to them.  This means you must become a student of the Holy Bible.  Remaining faithful to Tenshin Shoden Ryu Karate Do does not mean never studying other martial arts (in fact, TSRKD encourages the study of other arts) but rather that you will continue to live the Christian, martial, and other life principles taught, such as following this Creed. 

I will always strive to do my best in everything I do.

Always striving to do your best is important.  It is not necessary that you always be the best, only that you do your best.  The most successful people in any arena had to first be failures at some point in order to achieve success later.  Performing your best makes you feel better about yourself, and, as long as you did your best, you should never regret your actions. 

I will always show respect to other people.

It has been said that Karate begins and ends with courtesy.  It is easy to show respect for those you agree with and admire, but much harder to do so when you disagree with their ideas or actions.  However, the world would be a much better place if everyone always showed respect to other people.  This sets you apart from others. 

I will only use Karate in self-defense, or in the defense of others, in accordance with the Code of the Masters.

This is self-explanatory.  You should not fight unless you have no choice, but that may be extended from yourself to others in need as well.  In fact, as a martial artist, your goal is to stop conflict whenever possible.  The Code of the Masters is the permissible pathway to your use of physical force.

This is my Creed.  So help me, God.

Once again, you have made this Creed personal, not just a bunch of words.  Stating “So help me, God” is not swearing an oath as many people believe.  By using this statement at the end of the Creed, you are literally asking God to help you live up to the standards set forth and to which you have agreed.  This does not constitute a promise to God, but rather indicates that you are serious enough about what you have said to ask God to watch over you and help you fulfill your words.