Furuya Sensei once wrote, “There is an old Zen saying, ‘The peach grows and matures on its own power and when it ripens, everyone will come to admire its beauty and taste.’” In the martial arts and in life, how we use power is very important. Oftentimes we think of “power,” in relation to others and its use upon them. However, as Sensei asserts, our power is best used inwardly to improve ourselves. When we put effort into improving ourselves, it is referred to in Japanese as “jirikikousei” (自力更生). Power in this sense is the energy that gives us the ability to do something or act and that power can be used to better mankind or destroy it – the choice is ours. Voltaire said, “With great power comes great responsibility” and so understanding this, we train in the martial arts so that when the time comes, we can use our power wisely and appropriately. The underlying philosophy of Aikido is masakatsu agatsu or “gaining victory over ourselves.” Gaining victory over ourselves gives us the knowledge and power to not choose the path of violence which is usually asserted over others. Sensei used to constantly admonish us about there being “no time left.” Because there is really so little time left, do we wish to spend it fighting others or struggling to usurp them? Training teaches us that true power is not in the destruction we can create, but in bringing our beauty to the world. Everyone has power, but only a true warrior learns how to wield it and thus a warrior wields their power wisely.
Today’s goal: Look inward and ask yourself, “How am I wielding my power?”