On Aikido by Mathew Lowes
On Aikido
Although I am a writer, I have never written much about Aikido. Now that I have been set to the task I see why. It scares me. Aikido is beautiful, and to expound upon beauty is always to fall short of silent appreciative awe.
Ideas are easy to come by, but it's difficult to put them on paper in a way that lives up to your vision. In the end this is the same problem one has with any writing project. We can learn the solution through practicing Aikido. Stop thinking. Enter. Irimi.
When you were a baby a log in your path was a mighty obstacle. Attempts to crawl over were filled with struggle and conflict. Then you grew up and learned to walk. Now it is nothing. You do not need to think about it. You step over the log and go on your way.
Reminders for practice: Maintain posture and center. Keep a wide field of view. Always in hanmi...always zanshin. In my own training, I have been trying not to think about doing techniques. When the attack comes, I move. I think about awase, or blending, and strive to achieve it. I think about musubi and endeavor to develop it. I visualize uke's center in my attempt to control it. I try to create a situation of total non resistance to uke's movements. It is always very satisfying. But it is also through ukemi that I begin to understand Aikido and the joy of practice.
The Greeks have a word, "paideia." It means education, training or upbringing. Ancient philosophers taught that the divine principle and source of the universe was the Logos, which penetrates all that exists. Implicit in the idea of paideia was the unification of the individual with the divine Logos through ever increasing spheres of connection.
I am always amazed by how quickly beginners make progress, and I love to encourage them. Keep practicing. You'll be amazed at how much you learn, by how rich and rewarding Aikido is. I think back to when I started, and how little I understood, how fragmented everything was, my thoughts, my movements, and my actions, on and off the mat. Slowly you begin to experience things you didn't even know you were missing. Only later do you really begin to understand what is meant by the unification of mind, body and spirit.
In the Gospel it's written, "You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rains on the just and on the unjust."
If we approach our practice sincerely, with a beginner's mind, this process of training never ends. I continue to be challenged by Aikido, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. There is still so much to work on. I will continue to train hard and look forward to even greater understanding. I hope you do too.
The Aikido that O'Sensei taught was not a mechanical system of defense or a catalog of techniques and I always try to be mindful of this. Two days before O'Sensei's death he said, "All my students must remember, I did not create Aikido. Aiki is the wisdom of God; Aikido is the Way of the laws which He created."
Peace be with you.
References:
Werner Jaeger, Early Christianity and Greek Paideia, The Belknap Press of Harvard University 1961
Mt. 5:43-45 (RSV Catholic Edition)
Mitsugi Saotome, Aikido and the Harmony of Nature, Shambhala 1993