How far will you go?

I recently read an article about the how despite the blizzard like conditions hitting the East coast, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier still continues to be guarded by the Sentinels.  Reading this article made me smile and gave me a sense of hope that the spirit of budo still survives.

It bummed me out when I read some of the people's remarks criticizing this practice in the comments section.  The people who criticize this time honored tradition don't understand budo.

In Izao Nitobe's book Bushido, he outlines what he believes are the seven virtues of bushido or the way of samurai.  The seven virtues are: integrity, respect, courage, honor, compassion, sincerity and loyalty.  It is within these virtues that we can see why it is necessary to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for us.

Interestingly, it is by no accident that the seven virtues begin with integrity and end with loyalty.  One business leadership author called integrity, "The trait that ensures all others."  With that being said, integrity calls us to have ichinen or single minded purpose.  If we say we are going to do it, we do it regardless of weather conditions or whatever else comes up that might make it difficult.  The blizzard conditions are nothing compared to the Unknown Soldier's sacrifice and thus the Sentinels post guard to honor that sacrifice.

It is also by no accident that loyalty comes last.  Loyalty is the final exam of all the traits.  Will we be who we say we are when we are tested?  When one's loyalty is tested it shows their true colors or what is really in their hearts.  It is kind of a final exam because what is truly in our hearts is only really tested when the teacher dies, when nobody is looking or sometime long after anyone really cares and that is why Furuya Sensei used to say, "Always act as if your teacher is watching."  If we do that then we will always act appropriately.

Integrity dictates that a warrior does what they say they will do.  A warrior has respect for not only themselves, but other people and traditions too.  Warriors have courage to do what needs to be done regardless if nobody else thinks so.  Warriors are people of honor which means that they live the Way and thus hold themselves to a higher standard.  A warrior has compassion which enables them to stand up for others.  Sincerity enables the warriors to do things with passion.  Loyalty is the demonstration of all the traits and is the highest ideal of the warrior.

To be a warrior is to live a path that and live by set of rules that normal people cannot understand.  Anyone can guard the tomb of the Unknown Soldier on a day when it is bright and sunny with a cool breeze.  Only a true warrior can step out in a blizzard and do their duty.  How many years will the Sentinels continue to guard the tomb of the Unknown Soldier?  It depends, how long is forever?

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/news/soldiers-continue-guarding-tomb-unknown-185500579.html?ref=gs

Having kids will change you.

It is said, "Having children will change you."  I never thought that this would be true for me.  I thought it was one of those things that people just said to scare or caution you about having kids. I can tell you today that this is one of those true-isms.  I can tell you that having children has changed me as a person, an Aikidoist and as a teacher.  I am also sure it is different for everyone.

How did it change me?  It made me come to truly understand O Sensei's philosophy non-violence.  Every person is somebody's baby.

Upon having children I came to know fear as I worry constantly about my children's welfare.  I wonder almost obsessively about their welfare and their future.  This constant worry is how I came to know attachment.

From a Buddhist or martial arts perspective, attachment is bad.  One should not let their mind abide on any one thing.  But on the other hand, as Aikido teacher has said, "Attachment is power."  Attachment is one of those things that makes life worth living.  Without my attachment to my kids, I would not have learned about non-violence and I would definitely not have come to understand compassion and ultimately O Sensei's teachings of love.

If thought of one of my children being hurt is painful to me then it is a natural extension to realize that every person is somebody's baby.  If I don't want my kids hurt then why would I hurt somebody else's child.

To be able to give compassion or live, one must understand it first.  Having children has allowed me the gift of that understanding.  Now it is up to me to manifest it in not only Aikido, but in every aspect of my life.

"Just...live." - Gabrielle Bouliane Austin

Watching this video really makes one think about life.  What are we doing?  How do we spend our time? What is really important?  Makes me think... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rRwaPkfwo4&feature=youtu.be

I never met Gabrielle Bouliane Austin, but I hope that one day that I will be able to heed her words...

Rest in peace.

Mind your footwork

It is my opinion that if one wants to get good at Aikido, they must master the footwork.  Footwork in the Japanese martial arts is called ashi-sabaki (足捌き).  Some teacher focus more on tai-sabaki (体捌き) or whole body movement, but to me foundations begin from the ground up.  To me there are only five footwork movements in Aikido that consists of: forward and backward tsugi-ashi, forward and backward ayumi-ashi and tenkan or turning.   Some think that there is a sixth, but I don't personally count side stepping as a form of footwork since Aikidoist employ the hanmi stance. Rightfully, many don't focus on footwork because what is really happening is that the hips are moving in Aikido, but for me the hips are driven by the feet.  So I don't want to jump the gun and have students focus primarily on tai-sabaki because if their footwork is bad, their hips will be bad and thus the whole body movement will be out of sync.

If you don't think footwork is where it is at, here is a video of the great Ronaldinho and you can see how he destroys his opponents with his excellent footwork.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0ksVaLlaIw

How can one learn to run if they can't walk first?

Rules are made to be broken, but they must first be learned.  To get good at Aikido, one must be good at the basics.  Without a foundation of skills one cannot build upon it and ultimately "break" the rules.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  Aristotle said, "Well begun is half done."  He didn't say, "Start at the top and make your own rules."  How can one learn to run if they can't walk first?

The best students have the best attitudes

Attitude is the number one determinant of one's success in not only learning Aikido, but in life as well.  Student's with the "right" attitude not only learn the quickest, but they can be taught almost anything.  Having the right attitude means having an openness and  willingness to learn.  As business leadership guru John C. Maxwell once said, "Your attitude determines your altitude."  So true indeed.  Having the right attitude is a choice.  Choose to be better.  Choose to be the best.  All one has to do is choose to have the right attitude.

Good students are objective

The best students come to class with an open mind and a willingness to learn.  Why else come?  Training is all about learning.  Teachers learn from their students and students learn from their teachers.  The failure comes when either one thinks that they can't learn from the other. Everyone is a student and the best students know that there is something to be learned from every person, every situation and every thing.  What really clouds our ability to learn is our ego.  Our ego thinks, and that is the problem, that it is somehow above someone or something else and thus shuts off our ability to be objective.  This lack of objectivity is what keeps us from learning and growing.  In life there are no absolutes because absolutes are a matter of perspective.  To be able to "see" is what enables us to learn.  To be only able to "see" a certain way disables us from learning.

When students show up at the dojo, they should be open and willing to learn.  These are the two traits that all good students (and teachers for that matter) have in common.

To the uninitiated, Aikido is hard to understand.  Most people's only experiences with Aikido  are from Steven Seagal movies which is a poor representation of what Aikido "is."  Aikido is one of those things that one has to "experience" in order to understand it.

"You have the freedom to choose something different." - Pema Chondron

What is the philosophy of Aikido?   It is one of love, but that is something of a paradox especially in the martial arts where people only see violence.  This might be true from a beginner's standpoint because they cannot see or understand true Aikido.  The problem with this outlook is that violence only begets more violence which something called Looping where the circle of violence never ends. Aikido understands this tendency towards violence and confrontation and that is why the techniques are designed the way they are.  It is said that each technique has a secret teaching about life that can only be revealed by training.  To break the chain of violence, one needs to change their mind first and that begins with one's outlook on life.  Here is a video of a 109 year old Holocaust survivor who has an "Aikido-like" outlook on life.  Her name is Alice Herz-Sommer and her outlook on life encapsulates O Sensei's teachings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoQ8F_CUfE

Here is an interesting segment from the movie Budo: The Art of Killing.  I find it interesting because they show some good Judo techniques, but also a glimpse of what it was like to train in  Judo in the 1960s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT105MPdC2U

This saying can pretty much go for anything.  If someone wants to get good at something, they have to start.  If they want to become great, they just have to keep going.  Nothing more, nothing less.  All martial arts are simple and straight forward.  Anything too good to be true usually is.  A martial artists best trait is courage and their greatest asset is perseverance.

The Egyptian to screen Kurosawa samurai movies

Samurai of the Screen: Films of Akira Kurosawa at The Egyptian Theater Yojimbo/Sanjuro (double feature) Friday, January 15th at 7:30 PM

The Seven Samurai Saturday, January 16th at 7:30 PM

Hidden Fortress/Throne of Blood (double feature) Sunday, January 17th at 7:30 PM

High and Low/The Bad Sleep Well (double feature) Friday, January 22nd at 7:30 PM

Rashomon/Ikiru (double feature) Saturday, January 23rd at 7:30 PM

Red Beard Sunday, January 24th at 7:30 PM

For more information: http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/samurai-of-the-screen-films-of-akira-kurosawa

Do prefer cats or dogs?

Tomorrow, the Japan Foundation will be screening  the movie Samurai Cat at 7:00 pm.  Here is a description of the movie:

Starring acclaimed actor Kazuki Kitamura as Kyutaro Madarame, a masterless Samurai, the madcap NEKO SAMURAI wonders aloud: "what if we mashed up two of Japan's most beloved cultural icons, the samurai and the cat?"

The result: one of the most delightfully cute comedies to come from Japan in some time.

A dog-loving clan hires Madarame, penniless and out of work; his task is to assassinate the prized white cat of a rival, cat-loving clan (the two clans have been fiercely battling for centuries, we learn).

But when Madarame melts at the sight of the cat, failing at his duty and kidnapping the feline, both clans seek to exact revenge-on the samurai himself, and the imminent showdown will test the newly-inaugurated "cat person."

In Japanese with English subtitles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li6hbKLAqvE

There is no real tomorrow

This calligraphy (光陰矢の如し) says, Kouin ya no go toshi or "time flies without delay."

When is the best time to do something?  How about now for there is no tomorrow and time waits for no one.

People often ask me what the difference is between training now and in the past.  It is hard to explain, the things that teachers complained about 50-100 years ago are the same things that they complain about today.  In the past, students seemed more focused, eager and dedicated, but that might just be sentimentality. Here is a video documentary of what it was like to train in Judo under the famous Judoka, Masahiko Kimura.  He trained eight hours a day even in retirement and into to his old age.  His osoto-gari (outside foot sweep) was said to be so powerful that it could give even high ranking black belts concussions and that he was even asked to not use it in training and was sometimes asked not to use it in matches.  There is a famous saying in Judo, "No one before Kimura, no one after."  He was one of the most prolific Judo players of our time.

Olympian Doug Rogers from Canada is the focus of this documentary about what it was like to train in Japan in the 1960s under Masahiko Kimura.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBFx1a4L2ig

The Way is hard but not impossible

"When traveling is made too easy and comfortable, its spiritual meaning is lost. This may be called sentimentalism, but a certain sense of loneliness engendered by traveling leads one to reflect upon the meaning of life, for life is after all a traveling from one unknown to another unknown." - D.T. Suzuki (1870 - 1966) In Aikido we think of budo training as a journey.  Along the journey we tested as well as we accumulate experiences.  These experiences help to shape us.  The journey of training, or life for that matter, is not supposed to be easy. Garth Brooks has a great line in one of his songs that goes, "You're not wealthy until you have something money can't buy."  Pursuing the way of Aikido is something that anyone can do but most will not.  Training is all about developing one's self - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

“You can have it all, but not all at once.” - Valarie Jarrett, Presidential Adviser What does it take to have it all?  Today more than any time in history, people are busy and multi-tasking has become a way of life.  We get more accomplished in a day than our ancestors did in a year.  But, does accomplishment equate to fulfillment?

To be fulfilled is to be satisfied with what one has and the way in which it was brought about.  When we multi-task are we really finding satisfaction or just accomplishment?  And if we accomplish something are we happy or satisfied with how we attained it?

Generally when we multi-task, something goes missing and that something is usually our present-ness.  Do you remember that sandwich you gulped down while working from your desk or the conversation you had while driving your car and eating your lunch on the way to the meeting?  Probably not.  When we are not present, we are not truly experiencing that thing in which we are doing.

Aikido training is the antithesis to life's multitasking present-less lifestyle.  When one comes to the dojo, one needs to be at the dojo.  Often times people are there physically but in another place entirely mentally.

True Aikido requires that we focus our energies, but if our mind is not in line with our bodies we are not doing Aikido.

The quote above came from an article about one of President Obama's advisers.  In the article she talks about the need to know what is most important at that moment.  “You can have it all, but not all at once” admonishes us to live our lives according to what is most important to us first then let everything else fall into alignment and Aikido is all about alignment.  When we are at the dojo, we need to be at the dojo but we can only do that if our lives are in alignment.

To be in alignment is to make time for the things that are important to us.  When we are with our loved ones, we need to be with them - body, mind and spirit.  When we are at work, we need to be at work.  When we are at the dojo, we are trying to teach ourselves to truly be there and with this presence comes enlightenment.

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/you-can-have-it-all-but-not-all-at-once-words-131943701.html

Hatsu keiko: first practice of the year

On Sunday January 3rd the dojo will be hosting our kagami biraki or traditional opening of the dojo with hasty keiko or first practice of the year. Class will be at 10:15 am followed by a brunch in the dojo.

All the "firsts" of the year are supposed to be auspicious. First sunrises and dreams are supposed to be foretelling. Everyone should come and train hard but safely.

Happy New Year!

 Happy New Year! 謹賀新年 Kinga Shinnen.

“The difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do. You don’t have to be great to get started, but you do have to get started to be great. Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. Remember, people seldom do things to the best of their ability; they do things to the best of their willingness. Follow your heart, and do something every day that your future self will thank you for.” – Marc and Angel

I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2016.  I look forward to seeing you all on the mat soon!

Osame Keiko: Last practice of the year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwfIb9UgNjc 2015 is almost over and what a year it has been.  To some, it was good and yet to others it was not so good.  Regardless, it is over.  As Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda said, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift.  That it is why it is called the present."  So true indeed.

Tonight we will train one last day before 2016.  Lets end 2015 on a good note and sweat it out together for tomorrow may never come.