Calmness is not a skill
Happy Birthday Reverend Kensho Furuya Sensei. Today would have been your 72nd birthday.
“Those that leave their teachers early will feel a great deal of regret in their later years. They will say, ‘Too bad I didn't study harder and learn a little more from them!’ or ‘Too bad I didn't stay with that teacher much longer and learn more.’ or ‘Too bad they are no longer here.’ If we think this, it is already too late! As long as I have studied with some of my teachers for so many years, I still miss them very much! And even with this, I think that I should have studied much more. When we find a good teacher don't lose them. They are like treasures and you will always regret it later. I am not talking as a teacher now, I am talking as another old, long time student…” - Rev. Kensho Furuya
“There is no greater danger than underestimating an opponent.” Lao Tzu
Furuya Sensei once wrote, “No precision, no focus, no center.” What he alludes to is that without precision we cannot lead lives that are balanced, focused and filled with success. In budo training, we learn seido (精度) or “precision” because the techniques can be quite lethal and in battle we cannot take anything for granted. If we underestimate our opponent, then our hubris may lead to our downfall. If we underestimate our own abilities, then we take ourselves for granted and then we can be overtaken by our challengers. Sun Tzu said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Understanding this, to be successful, we must be aware. With training and awareness, we can realize O’Sensei’s assertion that, “There are no opponents in Aikido.” There are no opponents because we realize that we are actually our greatest opponent, and thus no real opponent exists. If we are the only true opponent, then we are really underestimating ourselves and that lack of awareness can lead to our downfall. Lack of awareness can lead to taking things and people for granted and this underestimation can lead to pain, regret, loss and hurt feelings. A person of budo strives for precision so that they can become aware of even the smallest detail because they know that awareness can lead to gratefulness and that thankfulness brings us a happier and more balanced life. Don’t underestimate your opponents.
Today’s goal: Tell someone that you are grateful for something that they have done for you.
Throwback Thursday
Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on March 4, 2002.
Everything has its own nature. Bamboo requires so much water that we cannot even imagine how much we have to water it. Bamboo's nature is to thrive on water. However, the orchid is completely different, it thrives on less water. One (bamboo) we must flood with water and enough is never enough. Some students demand tremendous amounts of attention and direction. The other (orchid) we should not water at all and in doing so we allow it to search for water itself in the dry soil which enables it to become strong and flourish.
“Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.” – Cesar Chavez
Success in any endeavor requires us to be good at collaboration and so we must be good at asking for help. In class, when we ask someone to train with us, we say, “onegaishimasu.” In this context, onegaishimasu (お願いします) means “Please do me this favor.” In Aikido, the techniques are our vehicle towards the mastery of Aikido and thus we need someone else’s help achieve that. A true warrior is a good collaborator and a good collaborator only needs to master these four phrases: “I am wrong,” “I am sorry,” “I love you,” and “I need help.” These four phrases can be very difficult to sincerely say but being able to honestly say them demonstrates our true character. If we can admit that we are wrong, it reveals our level of humility and shows that we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses. To honestly apologize shows that we live with integrity and can own up to our mistakes. To sincerely say “I love you” shows what is truly in our hearts and that we care about others. To ask for help is probably the hardest thing to say because we can fake all the others, but we cannot fake asking for help. Also asking for help is hard because we somehow think it is a sign of weakness but to ask for help is probably one’s ultimate show of strength. Thus, every technique we practice with our partner begins with, “onegaishimasu.” None of us exist in a vacuum and we all need help at some time or another. A true warrior knows that asking for help shows their real level of awareness, humility and integrity, but it also shows what is truly in their hearts. Being vulnerable is not defeat or weakness, but rather showing what is truly in our hearts is the ultimate strength. Onegaishimasu.
Today’s goal: Can you ask someone for help or can you give someone some help who needs assistance?
身から出た錆
Remove the rust from your blade
Don’t let your weapons rust, handle them every day. Furuya Sensei used to admonish us by saying, “Touch your weapons every day.” We aren’t forced to confront the line between life and death every day, so the idea is that, as humans, we have the tendency to forget. If we neglect our bodies or our weapons for even a day then we may accidentally forgo them for much longer and thus, when we need them, they will be rusty. In college, I read a study that the average professional athlete starts to lose conditioning after 10 days of inactivity. This is incredible and those people are on average in their late twenties and in a sense, they begin to rust. Even during the Tour de France, the riders still ride on the rest days to keep their legs from getting stiff or they ride so that they don’t rust. Today, life seems to go by so fast. One day turns into a week and a week into a month and without even realizing it, a year has passed. The only way to slow this down is with mindfulness. When we handle our weapons, we are mindful and we are in the present. In order to not forget with our bodies, we must remember our training by moving our bodies. In order to not forget how our weapons feel then we must touch them every day. By picking up our weapons every day, even for a moment, we remember who we are. This memory is the mindfulness which prevents our minds and our bodies from rusting. Don’t forget how your weapons feel, touch them to prevent them from rusting. Remove the rust and don’t forget!
Today’s goal: Pick up your weapons and swing them around even if it is for just a moment.
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” Archilochus
Behave like a martial artist. To behave means “to act or conduct oneself in a specified way, especially toward others.” This leads us to understand that following the way of budo or “the martial arts” is a behavior that is as much mental as it is physical. Most things have already been codified into a set of steps or the skills that when mastered can bring about success. In Japanese, these skills are called kihon (基本) or “basics.” When we train in Aikido, we train to develop the basic movements which in turn develop us physically, but while we are creating order within our movements, we are also creating order within ourselves. Training then forges us both physically and mentally which creates behaviors which are the best tools for one’s success. The Greek poet Archilochus alludes to this when he said, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” How we prepare ourselves creates the opportunity for our success and thus a martial artist fails to the level of their preparation. The behavior of “being” a martial artist benefits us both in the dojo and in all aspects of our lives. Furuya Sensei said, “The only proof that we have mastered Aikido or, at least, have begun to understand its principles, is the degree to which we have incorporated it into our lives.” In budo, there is a saying, “everything you do matters.” How we behave reflects on our dojo, on our teacher, on our training, and on our art. Thus, how we do anything is how we do everything and so everything we do matters. Behave like a martial artist.
Today’s goal: Ask yourself, “Is this how a martial artist acts?”
The best warriors are always in command of spacing and timing.
In swordsmanship, the proper distance between us and our opponent is referred to as issoku itto no maai (一刀一足の間合い) or “the distance for one step and cut.” Issoku itto no maai can be shortened to ittoma or “one cut spacing.” Generally, the proper safe distance is about six feet. Coincidentally, most western made tatami are 3 feet by 6 feet. The theory is that if we can keep the spacing at about 6 feet then we can simultaneously attack our opponent but also safely stave off their attack. In the beginning the proper spacing is an actual measurement, but later it becomes more of an intuitive feeling. At one’s highest level, ittoma is more mental than it is physical because maintaining the proper distancing is really an exercise in restraint. Can we have the self-control to only attack when the spacing is right but also have enough self-discipline to not step into our opponent’s ittoma. At our highest level, we are supposed to be in control of the spacing and timing of any situation. Furuya Sensei once wrote, “Watch the spacing first because spacing is not only to negotiate the opponent’s attack by establishing proper distancing, but this spacing also greatly influences the proper Timing of the technique.” Thus, if we can control the spacing then we can control the timing and if we control timing then we are automatically in control of the spacing.
Today it is an interesting coincidence that the proper social distance spacing is 6 feet and this can conveniently dovetail into a training tool for us. One difficulty in modern training is that it lacks danger. Now, the danger is real and we can use this this danger to help us train in keeping the proper spacing and thus it is as Sensei said that, “Everything is training.” Controlling our spacing helps us to be vigilant, diligent and safe. Maintain your issoku itto no maai!
Today’s goal: Discipline yourself to maintain your social distancing.
Throwback Thursday
Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on October 24, 2002.
I often think that there are two realities. One reality is the hard facts of life that we are on our own and have to deal with life with our own bare hands in the here and now. But I think there is another reality as well. It is one which we can't touch or control, it is the reality that there are many powers and influences upon our lives which keep us well and keep us going and these come from the people and things all around us. At the same time, when we are alone, we are also not alone, there are many people here by our sides and we receive their power every minute of the day. When we try to realize love in this hard world, I think it is very difficult because it is part of the other reality. Occasionally, we can make this "cross over" where both worlds link together. Aikido is another way to link both worlds of the here and now and this other reality where we are completely at the mercy of something higher, more powerful and mysterious, and far beyond our understanding and scope. In our practice, we should learn to see both worlds as one. This is not easy and about as hard as trying to make love work. Please try your best every day anyways!
Life and budo training teach us to accept things just as they are.
In the beginning of training, we program ourselves to see only our opponent’s weaknesses and their tendencies or in other words we see the bad in them. However, this method of “seeing” sometimes becomes something we have difficulty turning off and it can accidentally become our daily outlook. Later in our training, we start to see the similar things inherent in us in our opponents and thus we begin to see the good in them but that too can become our normal perspective. At the pinnacle of our training, we no longer see things or people as good or bad but just as they are. Seeing things as good or bad is merely a judgment and many times it is not the reality. Shakespeare once wrote, “Nothing is either right or wrong but thinking makes it so.” it is then our perspective which creates our false sense of reality. Understanding this, we realize that the reality is often times much too complicate and convoluted, so it is not necessarily something to understand but something to just accept. O’Sensei said, “True Budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature.” Thus, the true pinnacle of one’s training or life is just acceptance. When we can accept things just as they are then we can live a life free of judgements of others and ourselves and thus live a calm and centered life.
Today’s goal: Do your best to accept things just as they are.
“Develop intuitive judgement and understanding in everything.” Musashi Miyamoto
A good warrior can intuitively read the air. In Japanese when someone can intuitively anticipate something they say, kuki wo yomeru (空氣を読める) or that they are able “to read the air.” A warrior can be successful if they are able to anticipate their opponent’s next move. To know what is coming next enables us to be at the right place at the right time in order defend or attack our opponent. This “knowing” is not only apropos for the battlefield but it is extremely useful in one’s daily life. However, to anticipate is more than a “knowing,” it is almost an intuitive feeling of what is most likely to come next. That is because when we are anticipating, we are actually supposed to be using our intuition which is action without conscious thought and hence it is as if we are “reading the air.” This is something that we use every day as we drive, catch, walk or care for others. To learn to read the air takes training and we usually receive this training when we take ukemi or at the higher levels with our teachers as we try and anticipate their needs, but we can also do it with our friends and loved ones. At the root of intuition is caring. If we care enough then we try and do our best and that means trying to anticipate what someone might need or want. Doing something before we are asked shows that we care but it also shows that we were being attentive. The best people are those who seem to be able to “know” what the right thing is that needs to be done at the right time and are thus usually the most successful. Being able to “read the air” is a very high level martial arts technique.
Today’s goal: Try and anticipate someone else’s needs before they ask you.
“Do not think of work, any work, as a duty. If it is a duty, then it will become a burden to you. How do you turn a burden into a pleasure? Live respectfully, correctly and boldly.” - Nakamura Tempu
Do you ever get corrected when using the word “should” or do you ever find yourself directing someone to do something by telling that they “should” do it only to be corrected with, “there are no should.” For the longest time, it was hard for me to figure out what it was they were implying. The word “should” is defined as a word “used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions.” The definition of “should” alludes to this understanding that its use is about control. Therefore, if we do something because we “should” then we are typically not doing it because we want to. If we are in control of ourselves, and we are because we have free will, then whatever it is that we do is because it is our choice. Thus, everything that we do is because we “want” to without any outside obligation or influence. Likewise, when we tell someone that they “should” do something there is an element of control in our request. Somethings are out of our control or we are obligated to do them, but we can take back our control by substituting “should” with “choose” or “want.” Training in budo is hard work, but that doesn’t mean it has to be horrible work. In order to turn a burden into a pleasure, all we have to do is reaffirm ourselves that it is our choice and so we “choose” to do it or that we do it because we “want” to. Today, while you have the chance, it would be nice if you chose something that you want to do and made best use of your time.
Today’s goal: Spend the day thinking about what it is that you want and make sure it is not because someone else wants it.
Furuya Sensei throwing Ken Watanabe with Jo
Throwback Thursday
Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on May 27, 2002.
Seichu no Do means “Movement in calmness.” This comes from the complete saying, Seichu no Do, Do chu no sei or “Movement in calmness, calmness in movement.” This calmness does not come from a mental other-worldliness or from a psychological denial of what's going on around ourselves. It is a calmness which is derived from complete training which allows us to think and move freely at will. As we develop awareness of ourselves or the technique through training, we should also be aware of our mental state, how we are aware, how we are focusing our energies and how we are concentrating our energies towards the action. In incomplete training, as soon as one issues speed or strength, they immediately lose their balance or timing. When we try to only develop our strength then we become stiff and inflexible, this is not complete training. When we try to go faster and break our posture, become confused or lose focus on what we are doing, this is not complete training either. When we try too hard, and cannot blend with our opponent, this too is not complete training. Our techniques should be strong and well balanced, without being forced, stiff or awkward. We should move quickly but not be rushing things. We should be strong but also not muscling it. Within the technique, we should be aware of the time and space in order to see and be aware of everything else around us - this is Seichu no Do. Within our own technique, when we should always feel balanced and at ease with ourselves, without any idea to show off or demonstrate our strength, this is true movement in calmness. There is no end to Aikido training. As we train, the spiritual aspects of the art only get deeper, wider and more profound.
“Training teaches us how to establish order within ourselves so that we may live in harmony with everything and everyone around us while acting with dignity so that we may live in a state of peace.”
Some believe that the theoretical framework for Japanese culture and etiquette is chado or tea ceremony. The tenets of chado are simply wa kei sei jaku or harmony (和), respect (敬), purity (清) and tranquility (寂). Soshitsu Sen, the XV grandmaster of Urasenke tea commented that, “The principle of harmony means to be free of pretensions, walking the path of moderation, and never forgetting the attitude of humility. Respect is the sincerity of the heart that liberates us for an open relationship with the immediate environment, our fellow human beings and nature, while recognizing the innate dignity of each. Purity is the act of cleaning so that man can establish order within himself; this order is essential as he is no less attending to his own consciousness and his state of mind. Tranquility comes with the constant practice of the first three principles in our everyday lives so that we can find lasting tranquility within ourselves and in the company of others is the paradox.” These principles can be laid over all Japanese arts. Training teaches us how to establish order within ourselves so that we may live in harmony with everything and everyone around us while acting with dignity so that we may live in a state of peace. The martial arts can teach us how to destroy others, but it can also teach us how to live a more dignified and meaningful life. Today, purify yourself so that you can do your best to live in harmony and respectfully with all that surrounds you.
Today’s goal: We get out of it what we put into it. Don’t make it about you. Reach out to someone with kindness and it will be returned to you.
The Aikido mysteries are open to all who seek it,
Secret to those who do not want to see,
Hidden from those who will not hear,
Beyond those who continue to fight and conquer.
Seek it with an open heart, bow your head humbly,
To see the heavens above!
- Rev. Kensho Furuya
At the highest stage of one’s training in budo or the martial arts, a person of mastery reaches the state of complete vulnerability. This might seem counter-intuitive since throughout our training, we are trying to harden our bodies to close all of our openings and avoid attack. In the beginning, we hide our inner selves and close our openings because inwardly we feel weak and not good enough. However, vulnerable in this sense does not mean being “susceptible to emotional or physical attack or harm,” but rather having the faith, courage and confidence to have an open heart and truly live one’s life. Author, Brene Brown wrote, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.” Thus, it is not about being strong and impervious, but rather having the fortitude to be willing to authentically open up our hearts despite being afraid or embarrassed and also with no guarantee of safety. Brene Brown also said, “Wholeheartedness. There are many tenets of Wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness; facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that I am enough.” The true strength of a warrior is this wholehearted living that begins with showing up, being vulnerable and having an open heart to the possibilities of what can be. Furuya Sensei once wrote, “In his strength, man can show what he can do, in his weakness, man can show his own humanity.” A person at their highest level shows true power by exposing their humanity and by being completely vulnerability. Today, with all that is happening, remember to share your humanity.
An ominous opponent we will all face in our training is our own selfishness.
The virtues of budo are thought to be: Righteousness (Gi 義), Courage (Yu 勇), Benevolence (Jin 仁), Respect (Rei 礼), Honor (Meiyo 名誉), Honesty (Makoto 誠), and Loyalty (Chugi 忠実).
When we examine each of these martial tenets, we can see a common thread - selfishness. The thing that all martial arts training is trying to train out of us is selfishness. A righteous person cannot be a selfish person. It is difficult to be courageous when we only think of ourselves. It is impossible to be benevolent when we are self-absorbed. To truly be respectful, we cannot be self-centered. One’s honor are the rules by which one lives their lives in accordance with others and not above them. An egocentric person cannot be honest. It is interesting that loyalty is the final quality because loyalty is the ultimate test of one’s selfishness. When the time comes, will we choose ourselves over what it is we say, what it is we believe or who we have pledged ourselves to. Generally the first six principles can be subverted or justified, but loyalty is one of those things that is or is not.
As we train, we are confronted with each one of these virtues. Some are lessons while others are merely tests. Training teaches us to learn to let go of ourselves or the desire to be egotistical. The biggest barriers in one’s training is to let go of these three “ideas” of the self: “I think,” “I know,” and “I am.” Each one of these is rooted in the ego and thus selfishness. Train yourself to be a righteous person who lives a life of honesty, respect and kindness so that when the time comes you can act with courage and show your true loyalty.
Throwback Thursday
Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on October 9, 2002.
Every day, we must think about what is important in our lives! Every day we must check our course of action and the direction we are taking lives. Like a captain of a ship on the sea, who must constantly check everything because it is so easy to go off course and become lost. Aikido is like a great rudder! We understand how to master it, adjusting a little to the left or right and it keeps us steady and balanced. Aikido is the anchor too, which holds us steady even when we are not in motion. Indeed, Aikido is the great ship on the sea of life carrying us to the other shore.
I was looking at the scroll hanging in our tokonoma of a sunrise with the bright red sun rising above the blue sea. It is so beautiful to think about! Daily, the beautiful sun rises and this is how we start our lives each morning, but, in our real lives, we hardly notice the sun coming up because we are so busy while such a beautiful miracle of nature occurs.
From our own tiny scope of our lives, things can seem bad or good depending on our circumstances of life. We have no time to enjoy the beautiful sun rising nor the stars at night or beautiful afternoon sky. There is a bigger, better world out there if we can expand the vision of our lives from our own tiny self-centered selves.
The sun has no "will" to rise each day but it naturally appears to come up in the morning without fail. Many things in our lives happen naturally without will or intent. We are so concerned about imposing our will or power over everything! Same in Aikido against our partners and nature too.
As long as we think Aikido is about strength and bettering others, we will never know what Aikido is about. At the same time, if we think Aikido is simply to self-indulge ourselves and created to serve our own selfish whims, we will never know what it is all about either.
To journey down the path of Aikido is difficult and hard but everyone and anyone can do it - this is what the Spirit of Aikido is all about, I believe.
“You can’t calm the storm so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.”
“An imperturbable demeanor comes from perfect patience. Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
In our Aikido, we are supposed to simultaneously hide all of our “openings” or suki (隙) while searching for an opening in our opponent’s defenses. In these “openings,” we are vulnerable and open to our opponent’s attack. At the beginning of one’s training, these openings leave us unguarded physically and mentally. Later with more experience, one realizes that the openings are purely a lack of mental focus. Training teaches us how to be mentally awake or “mindful” so that we may fill in these physical gaps or mental lapses. Furuya Sensei once wrote, “In Zen, this is called ‘mindfulness’ and in swordsmanship, this is referred to as sukima ga nai (隙間がない) or ‘to have no openings’ whatsoever.” In Aikido there is no attacking, but that doesn’t mean that we are passively waiting. In swordsmanship, there is this concept of sen no sen where one “knows” what the opponent will do and thus strikes before the opponent moves. In Aikido, it is sen sen no sen which can be a kind of intuitive movement. O’Sensei said, “If I were to try to verbalize it, I would say that we control our opponent without trying to control them. That is, the state of continuous victory. There isn’t any question of winning over or losing to an opponent. In this sense, there is no opponent in Aikido. Even if we have an opponent, they become a part of us, a partner we control only.” Today, our opponent is a global pandemic on the microscopic level, but that doesn’t mean we cannot still be calm and mindful and look for an opening. What opening is our opponent creating for us to take advantage of? This is Aikido and this is our training.