A true warrior knows grace. Kudoku (功徳) or “grace” is to show kindness to others even if they don’t deserve it. Grace is not something that we are actively taught as we are learning a martial art. Naively, we think that our teachers are training us to be lethal so that we may become “killers.” However, nothing is farther from the truth. In swordsmanship, we train so that we can deliver itto hissatsu (一刀必殺) or a “one cut kill.” To kill with one cut is not to make us more deadly. On the contrary, it is to make us more merciful. One might think, “This person is our enemy. Shouldn’t we make them suffer?” It is true that this person is our opponent but are they really our “enemy?” The job of being a samurai wasn’t glorious. In fact, to the Japanese, a warrior was thought to be a distasteful profession because they had to deal with blood and death which were thought to be aku (悪) or “impure” and that impurity brings about misfortune. Thus, from a samurai standpoint, this person who faces them was just as unlucky as themselves. They both have drawn the unlucky straw and have resigned themselves to their fates but at the same time, they both take their responsibility seriously and so they both have developed themselves to be worthy opponents. Understanding that the person facing us is no different than we are, we don’t hack them to death which would cause them to unduly suffer. Instead, we show them mercy by felling them with a single cut. It is said that a good warrior sees what is apparent while a great warrior sees what can’t be seen. A person attacks us - that is apparent. Aikidoists understand the universal truth that everyone suffers. So, what can’t be seen is that the person who is attacking us is attacking us because they are suffering. Therefore, if we too suffer and act out our suffering, then should we be destroyed when we trespass against others? When we are suffering, we want kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Therefore, to be worthy of receiving grace, we should deliver it in kind when others trespass against us. It is easy to destroy or kill, untrained people do it every day. Every person deserves grace but only a true warrior is strong enough to give it.
Today’s goal: Show someone grace today even if they don’t deserve it. Give grace to get it.
Watch this video to better understand grace