"Economy is the basis of society. When the economy is stable, society develops. The ideal economy combines the spiritual and the material, and the best commodities to trade in are sincerity and love." ~ Morihei Ueshiba
The best Aikidoists strive to be sincere. The Japanese believe in the proverb shiseitennitsuuzu (至誠天に通ず) or “Sincerity can move heaven.”
One way to say “sincere” in Japanese is magokoro (真心) which means “true heart.” Conversely, “insincerity” is kokoronimonai (心にも無い) or “to have an empty heart.”To be sincere is “the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.” True sincerity is easier said than done. The normal person isn’t intentionally insincere. Most times they are insincere because of fear and an unconscious desire for love and acceptance. They think that if they express what is truly in their hearts, then they won’t be loved or accepted. Thus, they spend an inordinate amount of time and energy “faking until they make it.”
An Aikidoist is supposed to be a developed person. A developed person, as someone once stated, strives to ”speak with honesty, think with sincerity, and act with integrity.” The person of Aikido is not supposed to lie, cheat, steal, or show off. Those things expose the true nature of what lies in our hearts and each one demonstrates a certain level of weakness.
Furuya Sensei said, “You can learn everything you need to know about a person by how they do Aikido.” The reason why is because although the movements may be physical, the intention of one’s movements are dictated mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
In class, we attack or move with the sincerity of our hearts. If we are happy, mad, or sad, it is evident in our movements. One way to work on this is in the attack. When talking about the strength, energy, power, or enthusiasm of the attack, Furuya Sensei often advised us to attack our partners with “just enough.” Just enough means the right amount of strength, energy, or power to help our partners do the technique properly for their ability level and just a little bit more to help them grow. We need to know how much is just enough. In order to do that, we need to be aware of our own tendencies and balance that out with the needs of our partners. We cannot be unaware and give our partners just enough. Not enough won’t enable our partners to grow. Too much will overwhelm them and stunt their growth and it might even cause them to become discouraged and quit. Thus, throughout class, we train ourselves to not attack from a place of emotion. To do that, with every strike or grab, we must relax our minds and remember to breathe. Being mindful of our breath enables us to be in the moment and not living in the past in our heads. When we are mindful of ourselves and aware of others, we can attack our partners with just enough.
Sincerity is not something we achieve. True sincerity is a practice. It is so easy to give into our fears and destroy other people. Likewise, it is easy to give into insecurities and lie, cheat, steal, or show off. To open our hearts and be truly sincere takes so much fortitude that it seems as if it can move heaven. The Aikidoist understands that the path towards their own salvation lies in their ability to be truly sincere. Thus, the ardent practitioner of Aikido trains themselves to eliminate insincerity, fear, and self-doubt from their hearts.
Today’s goal: "Speak with honesty, think with sincerity, and act with integrity.”
Watch this video of conductor Stephen P. Brown discussing sincerity