As a practitioner of Ninpo or Ninjutsu, I am asked often about the spiritual or philosophical aspects of this art. I must say that I have never been taught a "ninja philosophy" per se. My philosophy grew naturally from studying life from the perspective of one who doggedly practices the physical skills of a Ninja as taught to me by my seniors and Masaaki Hatsumi. Rather than sharing a specific dogma, we share the training and the pursuit of a simple goal: a safe and fulfilling life for our families and ourselves. So I guess that you could say that the philosophy of Ninpo is life. I call it "Living Values."

Like most people, we want to be happy and, in a modest way, successful. We are concerned about the monumental problems facing our world. We feel that solutions require both a "top down" and a "bottom up" solution. By activating "Life Values" in our own lives we can, in a "grassroots" sense, help to transform our communities back into the life sustaining social organisms that they can and were meant to be. I have actually borrowed this term "life values" from another mentor of mine, Dr. Robert L. Humphrey. As a Marine Lieutenant on Iwo Jima, he definitely qualifies as a warrior. By teaching "Living Values" to our children we feel we are preparing leaders of the future who will guide us toward a happier and less violent world.

My studies, both in the Western World, as well as in the Orient, have yielded some clues as to how to attain a serene and meaningful life. The secret seems to be, not surprisingly, values.

Human beings are the only living things that have values. Values are those things that we choose to get or keep. The operative word being choose. Humans, from times immemorial, have been asking the question: "What are the correct values for man?" And there have been many responses, but, recognize this: all the uncountable answers to that question are moot unless we are alive.

Any true philosophical point of view starts with a premise. Mine is that life is the superseding value and that all other values are subordinate to it. You should know that mine is an evolving point of view. I believe that is because life is a process. I invite you to share part of the process with me.

A whole philosophy, like a whole person, should have a spirit, a mind, and a body.

Training the spirit, I believe, can activate a deep respect for life. Respect for life is part of our nature, and though it is easily obscured by the myriad of cultural and environmental biases that we all are subject to, it is there. And it is deep. And when we live according to our nature we are rewarded with a life of happiness and serenity. When we don't live according to our nature, the misery starts. Guaranteed.

A warrior's lifestyle is focused on protecting and preserving life. All life if possible. That is because all lives have equal intrinsic worth. Now this might sound a little strange, but, we are not concerned at this point, about behavior. Of course there is "good" behavior and "bad" behavior. And sometimes, maybe often, "good" and "bad" is a matter of opinion. For example, in 1776, from the British point of view, the behavior of the American revolutionaries was bad. Maybe treasonous. Of course the Americans did not see it that way. We have been vindicated over time, but only because we were successful! Think about it.

Once we have an activated life value, we begin to sense our own human equality. And though we can sense that others' lives, too, are equal, how do we deal with all those conflicting behaviors and cultures? Some of which are irreconcilable. How are we going to get along? If we can't do that, we can't be happy. We might even end up killing each other. In fact, that is just what is happening all around us, and has been ever since the first caveman from Cave "A" cracked that no good, stinkin', lyin', thievin', caveman from Cave "B" over the head with a bone?

You must also train the mind. Part of that is understanding why living a productive life is moral, i.e. lifegiving. Regardless of the kind of work, if it produces life-sustaining goods or services, we can find happiness and serenity in the endeavor.

Training the body covers the preservation of life in a physical sense. I was a Captain in the United States Marines and I have a pretty strong background in the martial arts. Obviously, everyone has a different background and may not join the Marines or spend a lifetime devoted to martial arts training. But I'd like to share my perspective with you because there are many aspects of a warrior's lifestyle that can be useful to anyone. If this discussion inspires you to take up some martial arts training, or at least, prompts you to get your children some as part of their complete education, that would be great.

Because here is the bottom line: You can have good values. You can know how they can be applied to make for a happy life. But if you lack the moral or physical courage and skills to live them. It is all for naught. In this world, today, there is much emphasis put on what you should do. Should I be a lawyer, a doctor, a candlestick-maker? What? Now I don't want to explode the American dream, here. But, unfortunately, the environment, the culture, genetics, timing, luck, all those things may limit what you can do in this life. But they don't necessarily have to dictate how you do it. That can be up to you.

A warrior's philosophy like mine is not about what to do to become rich, or famous, or build a successful real estate business. It is really about human nature. And how living according to your nature will give you the serenity and strength to live any kind of life you want or pursue, any destiny that beckons.

I recently wrote an article about the life value of a Ninja. It appeared in a recent issue of Sanmyaku magazine, which is the newsletter of the Bujinkan Dojo of Masaaki Hatsumi. It was written in American English, translated into Japanese, and retranslated back into "British" English for publication. Welcome to the 1990's! Any way, I include the original version here for your information.

Note: If you would like a copy of Mr. Hoban's book, "Ninpo: Living and Thinking as a Warrior," or Dr. Humphrey's book, "Values for a New Millennium," Contact WIN, Cserve# 76327,3175

Jack Hoban is a senior master instructor in ninjutsu, a book author, musician and financial services professional living in New Jersey. He may be contacted through TPereira@aol.com.