Welcome to South Austin Aikido

Why I Love Aikido

By Elijah Stone 
 

I love Aikido for so many reasons.  One of the first reasons that immediately comes to my mind is: No Tournaments!  Thank goodness!  I always hated the idea of going to a tournament and beating the heck out of each other for a trophy.  Where is the harmony in that? 

The differences between my previous martial art and Aikido are so huge that I could literally write all day about it, but what I would rather focus on is the incredible metaphor between all of life and the principles that Aikido are teaching me.  In one word: "Ikkyo" = "Enter With Out Fear". 

So simple and therefore so unbelievably brilliant.  I believe this one principle, if properly understood can be applied to all of life. 

My question for the past few months has been: "how could I have not seen some thing that was so simple"?

As Hale Dwoskin says in his "Sedona Method" program ( www.Sedona.com ):  "If The Truth Were Difficult We Would All Be Brilliant At It". 

It seems to me that the truth of all of life is so simple, and that because it is simple, we over look it, we dismiss it because we can't possibly believe that all we need to do is "Enter With Out Fear".  All we need to do is "Ikkyo".

Our minds want to say: "It can't be that simple...I think I am going to have to push or pull my way out of this particular problem in my life".  And yet as any Aikidoka knows....pushing and pulling is dumb.  It doesn't work.  So why would it work in life?  I think at it's deepest level "Ikkyo" is "Forgiveness",

as a "A Course In Miracles" ( www.ACIM.org ) explains: "Forgiveness" is not: the pardoning of sins.....but rather: The recognition that the "sin" was never there to begin with.  There is no sin.  There is no spoon.  There is no conflict.  There is only the opportunity to blend and harmonize.  To "blend" and "harmonize" is to Forgive.  To Forgive is to: Enter With Out Fear."  Ikkyo.

Repeat this process over and over and I truly believe that we will all one day remember that there is no Uke, there is no Nage there is only the oneness of who we all are: Love.

This is why I love Aikido, it makes me feel connected to what I believe is the truth: We are all one.  There is no separation between us.  Their is no spoon!