“‘In the midst of a single breath, where perversity cannot be held , is the Way.’ If so, then the Way is one. But there is no one who can understand this clarity at first. Purity is something that cannot be attained except by piling effort upon effort.” - Lord Sanenori, Hagakure
The best Aikidoists train themselves to always give an honest effort.
In the old days, the Japanese used to say, “bushi no ichigon kintetsu no gotoshi” (武士の一言金鉄の如し) or that “A warrior’s word is as reliable as gold.” Their word is reliable because a warrior’s personal standard won’t allow them to break it. This integrity was not just in their words but also in their actions. In order to have integrity in action, we have to be able to give any undertaking an honest effort. An honest effort is to give one’s all regardless of what we are doing or if we want to do it or not. To give an honest effort is to make a conscious choice to isshoukenmei (一所懸命) or “do something with all of one's might.”
One of things that Aikido teachers are looking for is the moment when a student’s isshoukenmei arrives. Isshoukenmei is not just to train hard. It is this level of dedication to one’s training - it is the honest effort. We cannot be told to give an honest effort, nor can we be forced to. An honest effort is completely internal. Therefore, we either will, or we won’t. Some students are lucky enough to be born with this mindset. For the rest of us, it arrives around 3rd kyu and the technique where we see it arrive at is tai no henko (体の変更). To the beginner, tai no henko is just this boring abstract movement that doesn’t seem to have any relevance to Aikido, nor does it seem to have any fighting usefulness. However, Furuya Sensei said, “Every technique holds a secret to Aikido.” Therefore, to the ardent, tai no henko is the gateway to Aikido. Once we learn to give tai no henko an honest effort, that is where we start to see our Aikido really begin to flourish. Once we are able to put in an honest effort into something as mundane and abstract as tai no henko, then all of our Aikido techniques will begin to flourish as well.
The Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales said, “Bloom where you are planted.” This means that wherever we are and in everything that we do, we must grow and flourish despite the circumstances. The word bloom also indicates that we must not just survive but thrive as well. In Aikido and in life, in order to thrive, we must learn to intrinsically put in an honest effort. What training teaches us is that a person who is capable of putting in an honest effort can achieve anything. The best Aikidoists train themselves to put their all into everything that they do, not just on the mats but in every aspect of their lives as well.
Today’s goal: If as a warrior you said you would do it, then you have to give it an honest effort.