Throwback Thursday - No Recipe

Throwback Thursday - No Recipe 

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on March 3, 2003.

You are not a cake, there is no recipe…

Nowadays, it seems that "numbers" are so popular - such as the “7 ways to happiness,” the “10 ways to become wealthy,” or the “6 secrets to perfect health.” Maybe we should invent  the “5 ways to master Aikido!”

Such simple recipes, like baking a cake, are so attractive to us. I wish it could be so simple and straightforward! When I was young, my mother used to tell me, "Do this, and this and this and I will become rich and famous!' I didn't work obviously. My teacher used to say, "Do all these things and you can master this and this.” That didn’t work either as you can see.

For us today, we like modernized and updated “how tos.” Unfortunately, we are not as simple as a chocolate cake and our lives are not so easily regulated by such easy to follow formulas.

I think we can reach all  of our goals in life but I think it will be completely different from what we expected or anticipated or planned. No matter how careful we are or what magic number or recipe we employ, I am quite sure that our journey will be quite beyond all of our expectations and visions. Because of this, it is so important to be open-minded, extremely receptive and aware of everything around us.

I wish I could tell my students, "Ok, 1, 2, 3, 4. . . . . there, you have mastered Aikido!" Sigh, it is not that easy.

Just as each student is different and is a new and totally unique experience for the teacher, in life, every moment we encounter is a totally new and unique experience. These moments are precious, don’t waste them!