June 29 marked the 30th anniversary of the passing of Sensei Michael John Sanders. Sensei Mike taught the martial art called Bujin Kenpo for several years in the Sauk Valley.
To label Mike as just a karate teacher would be an understatement. He had a gift of being able to connect with people regardless of their path through life. He could physically disarm you with his skills, but I like to think he much better enjoyed disarming you with his personality.
He transcended the traditional approach and thinking that differentiate the various schools of thought in the martial arts. He often referred to the traditional styles as "partial arts" because of their lack of real-world applications.
His martial skills were enhanced by a voracious appetite for reading that led him to books as varied as those of Hermann Hesse, Lao Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, Bertrand Russell and even the Bhagavad Gita.
For those of us who were his friends and students, hardly a day goes by without thinking about this enlightened free-thinking bujin warrior.
At noon on Saturday, several of his students and I will host a gathering at his gravesite at Calvary Cemetery on LeFevre Road in Sterling. The public, along with friends and martial artists of all styles, are invited.
