El Budoka Magazine - The Year of the Tiger

According to Chinese astrology, 2022 is the year of the tiger. The Chinese believed that the tiger is the king of all earthly animals and it is a symbol of strength and bravery but most of all it is the animal responsible for the destruction of evil. Yagyu Munenori said, “Conquering evil, not the opponent, is the essence of swordsmanship.” Hence, the tiger was very attractive symbol for the Samurai in the conquering evil and reminding them to have courage and strength in battle.   

The samurai wanted to be courageous so the image of the tiger was very attractive to them. They believed in the image so much so that some samurai would write the kanji for tiger or “tora” with their finger on their palm and then swallow it just before the beginning of a battle hoping that it would give them the "power of a tiger” on the battlefield.

The power of writing the character for “tiger” perhaps comes from this idea of kuji-in (九字印) or “nine line mudras.” In the days of old, a warrior would cut five horizontal and four vertical cuts in the air or do nine different hand mudras in order to activate a protective incantation. Typically, the character for tiger is written as (虎) and has only eight strokes because the number eight is considered good luck in Chinese. However, the character for tiger that was written by a warrior before battle had nine strokes (see kanji in picture) which made it more of a kuji-in. Each cut, stroke or mudra was supposed to represent a word in the ancient prayer: Rin Byo To Sha Kai Jin Retsu Zai Zen (臨兵闘者皆陣列在前) which means “The bravest warriors surpasses all others at the front of the battlefield.” Activating a kuji-in was supposed to give the warrior the power to “act like a tiger” on the battlefield.

There is a famous story from 17th century Japan which illustrates the tiger and the samurai spirit. In 1636, a Korean ambassador came to Japan to pay tribute to Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa Shogun. The ambassador brought the Shogun many beautiful gifts from Korea like fine Joseon pottery and he also presented the Shogun with one live tiger. Tigers in that time were very rare since they are not indigenous to Japan. Iemitsu and his retainers went to visit the tiger which was caged in the Fukiage Garden. Among Iemitsu’s retainers were Yagyu Muneori who was the Shogun’s swordsmanship teacher, and Takuan Soho who was the Zen teacher to both Iemitsu and Yagyu. Iemitsu was in awe at the fiercely caged tiger who was scratching and growling at anyone who dared look at the cage, but when he looked over at Yagyu, the sword master just looked indifferent. Wanting to test his teacher, Iemitsu said, “As a master swordsman, show me how you would tame such a beast.” Yagyu Munenori was known for his swordsmanship and fearlessness and so he accepted the Shogun’s challenge. As he entered the cage, the tiger began to growl loudly. As soon as the tiger let out a roar, Yagyu pulled out an iron fan, let out a loud kiai and hit the tiger on the head. The tiger immediately quieted down and retreated to the corner of the cage looking angrily at Yagyu. Everyone in the crown cheered and clapped upon seeing Yagyu’s fearlessness and samurai spirit. As everyone was congratulating Yagyu, Iemitsu looked over and saw that Takuan had a displeased look on his face. So he asked Takuan, “Do you not agree that Yagyu Sensei’s prowess is remarkable?” Takuan turned and rebuked Yagyu by saying, “That is not the proper way to handle a tiger.” Thinking that Takuan would back down, the shogun humorously said “Then, please show us how it should be done.” Without hesitation, Takuan stood up took a single breath to center himself and calmly entered the cage. The tiger was still angrily sitting in the far corner of the cage when Takuan entered. Calmly, Takuan walked up to the tiger, rolled up his sleeves and extended his hand. At first, the tiger shifted and began to growl when Takuan outstretched his hand, but sensing no threat from the monk, the tiger relaxed and began to lick his palm. Takuan returned the tiger’s affection by stroking his nose. The crowd gasped and were quietly in awe of Takuan’s calm taming of the tiger. As Takuan left the cage, he turned to Yagyu and said, “While your approach was effective, you have created an enemy for life, but I have created a new friend.”

The samurai spirit is not one solely focused on killing. Samurai of old used to talk about the true spirit of warrior being bushinonasake (武士の情け) or “Samurai compassion.” A samurai is supposed to be a person capable of great brutality but that propensity for violence should be balanced out with compassion. A samurai fights and maybe even kills because that is their job but that doesn’t mean that they should enjoy hurting others. 

That is why Yagyu Munenori and Takuan Soho’s approaches to the tiger are supposed to represent the two sides of the mindset of the warrior. A warrior is supposed to be a person who embodies strength and courage in the face of adversity but they must also meet that adversity with a sense of calmness and execute their duty with reserve and compassion. 

A samurai calmness comes from their understanding of hikarakuyo (飛花落葉) or “impermanence.” They have resigned themselves to dying or in other words they actively embrace what the common person chooses to ignore. This doesn’t mean that they were apathetic or took death lightly. On the contrary, knowing that they were going to die, they held life in high esteem. The samurai mindset understands that life is impermanent. Hikarakuyo literally translates as, “blossoms fall and leaves scatter” and deftly paints this picture of life being beautiful but fleeting. 

The tiger is the perfect metaphor for 2022. The global pandemic has brought us face to face with impermanence. Nothing is guaranteed to us so we must make the most out of the time that we have left. 2022 could be our best year ever or it could be our worst. Nobody knows which way it will go. The uncertainty is as uncertain as the mood of a tiger. Thus, our approach should be to engage it with the fearlessness of Yagyu but also with the calmness of Takuan. We cannot change or control whichever way 2022 will come to be. We can, however, control how we approach it. Business leadership expert Brian Tracy said, “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” The tiger reminds us that we too must face adversity with strength and courage but most of all with calmness. 

Let it Go

The strongest warriors have the ability to let it go. In Japanese, to “let go” is yubi wo hanasu (指を離す) which literally translates as opening the fingers. Years ago, I asked Furuya Sensei if his parents ever spoke about their time in the Japanese American internment camps during World War II. He said plainly, “No.” When I pressed him about why, he said almost matter of factly that it was “shoganai.” Shoganai (仕様がない) means “it can’t be helped” but that is too literal. Shoganai is an attitude of resiliency that one gets from accepting an unfortunate situation and moving on from it. I wanted to know more so I asked Sensei if his very samurai like grandfather ever said anything about the internment camps and Sensei said, “The only thing he ever said about the internment camps was ‘war is war.’” Sensei’s answers always puzzled me because I couldn’t understand how they could seemingly just get over it. The more I trained in Aikido, the more I understood the attitude of shoganai. A weaker person holds on to that which they cannot change which is generally unfortunate things from their past. A stronger person has the ability to let go of that which doesn’t serve them. Miyamoto Musashi said, “Do nothing which is of no use.” Thus, anger, fear, and hatred don’t serve us and so holding on to them is of no use. The more we train, the more we come to understand humanity and that every person is suffering on some level. None of us are perfect and when we make a mistake, we hope that people give us kindness rather than destroy us. The strongest warriors understand humanity and so they have not only the strength but the ability to let it go. 

True Humanity

Like me, every person is good and only doing the best that they can. 

Like me, every person is suffering and going through their own stuff (sh*t). 

Like me, every person is unaware and so they may not even know that they are doing it. 

Thus, every person deserves kindness, compassion and forgiveness just like me. 

Be safe and have a Happy New Year! 

Today’s goal: You deserve kindness, compassion and forgiveness. Give it to get it.

Watch this video to better understand kindness.

Throwback Thursday - Humanity

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on June 5, 2004. 

折伏の身功へ空しい

Shaku boku no mi kou e munashi

Our bodies are temporarily given, honors are meaningless.

In the Samurai mind, we have two ideas which, at once, both contradict each other and, at the same time, are quite compatible.

On one hand, the Samurai say, "Our body is temporary but our name (honor) will last forever. In this sense, our honor and pride and acts of courage will always be remembered so we must put this above our own selfish desires and interests and should always be on the side of righteousness.

However, at the same time, we live in a temporary world of constant change, we are here today and gone tomorrow. Thus, what is the meaning of such honor and pride?

The life of a teacher-priest is to be here for others and not really for ourselves. A teacher must teach humanity along with Aikido or it is not Aikido at all. As I gain more of my own humanity, I long for the same foibles and desires of others.

Aikido will bring us in touch with a higher, mysterious power but one should not become obsessed with this. Many translate this into a desire for power and authority and this is incorrect. One’s power must always be used to polish one's own humanity however perfect or imperfect humanity may be. We are not here for long and thus honors are meaningless but it is this very same honor which will last forever in the minds of others.

Watch Furuya Sensei being interviewed in 2005 on East Meets West

Redemption

汚名返上 
Omeihenjo
To redeem oneself 

The journey of the martial arts is really omeihenjo (汚名返上) or a journey of “self-redemption.” It is inevitable that not only in the martial arts but in life that we will make mistakes. Our character is defined by how we handle adversity and how we deal with our mistakes. Every day, we train, make mistakes, learn and grow. This process can best be summed up by the proverb nana korobi ya oki (七転び八起き) or “To fall down seven times, but get up eight.” Falling down and getting back up teaches us utarezuyoi (打たれ強い) or “resiliency.” Interestingly, the kanji for utarezuyoi directly translates as “strong hit” implying that we have to be able to recover from a strong hit in order to succeed. In Aikido, our partners throw us down and we have to get right back up and do it again. Thus, we are literally practicing this proverb and teaching ourselves resiliency with every Aikido technique. We learn that our character is defined by how we handle adversity and mistakes. When a normal person makes a mistake, they usually go to great lengths to cover it up, pretend that it didn’t happen or turn away from it. A martial artist isn’t a normal person and so they turn toward adversity and embrace their mistakes. O’Sensei said, “Be grateful even for hardship, setbacks, and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace.” We should be grateful because our difficulties show us where the work needs to be done. Furuya Sensei used to often say, “Do not turn a mistake into a mistake.” Explaining this he wrote, “By running away from our errors or mistakes or not turning them into some kind of advantage or benefit is the ‘real’ mistake.” Therefore, the only mistake that we can’t recover from is in not trying to rectify or redeem ourselves when we realize that we have made an error. The martial arts teach us resiliency and thus we learn that nothing is broken beyond repair and that is why the true path of the martial arts is self-redemption. This year might be coming to a close but there is still time left in life to make a comeback and redeem ourselves.

Today’s goal: What can you do to repair something that seems to be broken? 

Watch this video to better understand redemption.

Be Considerate

A true warrior is considerate of others. In Feudal Japan, it was thought that a samurai’s skill was reflected more in their politeness and decorum than their ability to wield a sword. That’s why the Japanese say, “yaiba ni tsukimono wa rei ni suguru” (刃に強き者は礼にすぐる) or that “The skilled swordsman has superior manners.” Politeness and good manners were thought to be essential traits for developing one’s humanity. Humanity was a necessary requirement to balance out the samurai’s job of killing. In one respect, being considerate of others was for safety purposes. A warrior’s intention always needed to be clear so as to avoid any misunderstandings. If they were polite and followed the etiquette, then there was a lower likelihood that their actions would be misinterpreted and lead to the ugliness of fighting. This is the same in Aikido training, before we begin training with our partners we say, “Onegaishimasu” (お願いします) which basically translates as “please.” The timing and the way in which we say onegaishimasu enables our partners to get a sense of our intention, mood or state of mind. In our day to day lives, it can be easy to forget our humanity as we fight to get ahead. However, slowing down and taking the time to be considerate of others is what brings us back to our humanity. It's no easy task to give kindness, compassion or forgiveness to someone especially if they are trying to hurt us but that is what training is trying to teach us. It takes no training to hurt another person, but only a truly developed person is capable of giving kindness, compassion or forgiveness. Having the ability to be truly considerate of others shows great power. Christmas is supposed to be a time of giving and its arrival reminds us to be the people that we are training to be. It takes more strength to give compassion than it does to destroy others. Thus, a true warrior is always considerate of others. This holiday season, please do your best to be kind, considerate and tolerant of others - it shows your true level. Merry Christmas!

Today’s goal: What can you do to be more kind, compassionate or considerate? 

Watch this video of the care and consideration Japanese retailers use in wrapping gifts with one piece of tape.

Aiki Dojo Message - Thinking Ahead

遠慮なければ近憂あり
Enryonakereba kinyuuari
Those that don’t think ahead will soon have worries 

A martial artists is always hitoashisaki (一足先) or “a step ahead.” A step ahead also means a cut above. The Japanese say, “hana wa sakura gi hito wa bushi” (花は桜木人は武士) or “Sakura among flowers, warriors among men.” This means that a person who follows the warrior’s way is supposed to be an extraordinary person and exceptional people are always forward thinking people. A normal person only thinks about things short-term while a martial artist always thinks about things long-term. In chess, it is thought that a good chess player can think five steps ahead but compare that to the current World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen who has stated that he “can see 15 moves to 20 moves ahead.” Thinking ahead enables us to manage risk. By thinking ahead, we can foresee possible problems and manage them before they get out of hand or not even engage in them at all in the first place. The best martial artists might appear to be “a step ahead,” but they are actually thinking something like 10 steps ahead. An average martial artist is mainly occupied with the movement and doing it correctly which of course is the baseline. From there, a good martial artist begins to think farther than just the nuts and bolts of the technique and so they are roughly a step or two ahead as they think about things which pertain mostly to the self like stance, breathing or zanshin. A really good martial artist is about five steps ahead and their thinking starts to stretch outward from the self and incorporate things like spacing and timing into their technique. The best martial artists are 10 steps or more ahead because not only do they think about out maneuvering their opponent but also think about things which don’t directly concern them like the welfare of their opponent or other people and how their actions might impact them. Anyone with a little bit of training can smash the average person, but the best martial artist thinks deeper than just winning. The average person only thinks of themselves while the exceptional person thinks more globally and that’s why the best martial artist always seems to be a step ahead of everybody else. 

Today’s goal: As we enter the holiday stretch, what can you do to think ahead? 

Watch this video to understand how Magnus Carlsen thinks ahead

Aiki Dojo Message - Selflessness

悪を征服する
Aku wo seifuku suru
Conquering evil

“Conquering evil, not the opponent, is the essence of swordsmanship.” - Yagyu Munenori

A true warrior is selfless. The great sword master, Yagyu Munenori said, “Conquering evil, not the opponent, is the essence of swordsmanship.” Evil in this sense means either the evil within ourselves or the evil out in the world. Regardless, the evil that we are trying to prevent is the harm that we inflicted upon ourselves or that will be inflicted upon others. That is why in the martial arts, it is thought that a true warrior should help the weak or those less fortunate. In Japanese, having the warrior spirit to help others is referred to as bushidate (武士達 ) which literally translates as “the accomplished warrior.” Thus, the accomplished warrior has developed the ability to help others and that’s probably why the word samurai (侍) actually translates as “One who serves.” Probably without knowing it, we learn selflessness every day in the dojo. In a circuitous way, we learn selflessness as we learn to hurt people. Realizing that someone can really get hurt or killed by the things that we do instills in us a certain level of responsibility and deference for life. We take care of our training partners or those who face us because there is a responsibility in hurting others or in taking a life. The samurai weren’t maniacs and didn’t glorify killing. Hurting others was thought of as an unfortunate consequence of a job that they were tasked to do. Realizing the gravity of the situation, a samurai always showed deference to not only their opponents, but to everyone around them. Having this deference gave them an air of affluence that money can’t buy and that’s why the samurai were held in high esteem and were thought to be accomplished. Nowadays, we don’t fight in battles and so to learn to have a deference for life in the face of death is hard to attain. Today, the only way that we can try and teach ourselves this samurai selflessness is by training ourselves in the martial arts. The best martial artists aren’t the ones who can beat everyone up. On the contrary, the best martial artist is the one who can think of others and lend a helping hand to those in need. 

Today’s goal: What can you do to be of service to others? 

Watch this to better understand selflessness

Throwback Thursday -As it is

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on February 17, 2002. 

We should try to look at our practice simply, clearly and naturally. This does not mean to approach Aikido too simplistically, nor does it mean to become too muddled in an imagined complexity of the art. We should try to see the art just "as it is." In Japanese, this is sono mama (其の儘) or “something just as it is in its original, perfect, and undistorted state.” Of course, in training, it is important to make the art our “own,” but this does not mean to add too much of ourselves to it. Can you understand what I mean? I think people today think of mastery as control over the art. In an older age, we approach it from the standpoint of becoming "absorbed" by the art. Perhaps, this may take too much because of the sense of self-esteem and self-worth which we possess today. We should try to "become" the art, not necessarily the "dominator" of the art. My tea teacher always said, “If you cut me, I will bleed tea!" because she was just so absorbed into the practice of chado (茶道) or “tea ceremony.” I love this story. I think we should all try to reach the state, "If you cut me, I will bleed Aikido!"

True Peace

陰陽和合
Inyowago
True peace

Is Aikido defensive or offensive? This is probably the second most asked question by prospective students behind “How long does it take to get a black belt?” By the look on their faces, they always hate it when I answer, “Both.” Actually, Aikido is a complete martial art which is balanced equally between both offense and defense. In Japanese, inyowago (陰陽和合) is “a person who’s yin and yang energies are in balance” which alludes to a person being at peace or balanced. It is easy to think that from some author’s interpretations of O’Sensei’s writings that Aikido should only be defensive. However, from a yin/yang (in/yo in Japanese) point of view, everything in life has to have balance or in this case be neither solely light or dark but contain an element of both offense or defense in each aspect. In the latest episode of our podcast, a listener wanted to know how something aggressive like irimi (入り身) or “moving in” could exist in O’Sensei’s Art of Peace. What I tried to illustrate is that true peace is actually a state of mind more than an action like being offensive or defensive and that true peace requires a balance. Aggressiveness in this sense exists in order to balance out passivity and so the mindset of an Aikidoist should be somewhere closer to the middle between calmness and aggressiveness. Author Shatrujeet Nath explained it nicely when he wrote, “The universe is all about balance. The forces of light and darkness are meant to keep a check on one another. If one becomes too powerful and starts overrunning the other, that balance will be upset. For the tyranny of virtue is as unbearable as the stranglehold of vice.” To think about Aikido in terms of offense or defense is too shallow. An Aikidoist has to have a mindset in which both elements exist but in equilibrium. Aikido is a complete martial art and thus it is much deeper than merely labeling it as offensive or defensive. Aikido is the Art of Peace, but the art that we are trying to cultivate is ourselves as we learn to be at peace and refine ourselves into true human beings. Therefore, the peace that we seek is more about our state of minds rather than the actions of our bodies. Is Aikido offensive or defensive? Hmm, both. 

Today’s goal: Try and cultivate a true peace mindset regardless of what is happening around you.  

Watch or listen to this episode of the Aiki Dojo Podcast to better understand what the Art of Peace means

Throwback Thursday - Spiritual Training

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on August 6, 2003. 

The other day, a friendly teacher criticized me for showing the students cleaning the dojo on a television show. He said, "Why did you do that, it is so bad for your business!” Someone also asked, "What does that have to do with martial arts?” When one student found out that he had to sweep the mats after practice, he said, "this jeopardizes my personal integrity,” and left. One day, a black belt saw one of my assistants cleaning down the front of the dojo and said, "You are turning into a gardener!"

Nowadays, it is so hard for people to understand this point and many young people today do not understand or appreciate how this relates to one's spiritual discipline. We are all too busy with this and that. We must have all the answers!

When I was at Hombu Dojo, I cleaned and cleaned! When I was at the temple, I cleaned and cleaned. I also hated it at the beginning. Only later did I realize how important it is to one's training and now I make it an integral part of our daily practice here in my dojo. Cleaning is a "responsibility" to take care of everything we use. It is "respect" towards everything we come in contact with. It is "caring" about everything around us. Cleaning, like most things in a dojo, is a job with no merit or reward but it teaches purity of spirit. This type of intangible spirituality forms the basis of our training.

I am glad my students still appreciate the old ways of training. Today, we have all kinds of new gadgets and methods but none of these have the great inner spirit and heart of those spiritual teachings of old.

Holiday Warrior Spirit

無刀の心
Muto no kokoro
The heart of no sword

This holiday season, remember the true spirit of the warrior. In swordsmanship, teachers sometimes talk about muto no kokoro (無刀の心) or “The heart of no sword. What muto no kokoro means is that the spirit of the warrior is not dependent upon the weapon but the heart of the one who wields it. It is easy to think that the martial arts are solely dependent upon the acquisition of physical prowess and on a certain level that is true but because that physicalness can lead to killing, it needs to be balanced out. Furuya Sensei often talked about this balance as, “Saikan kobai (sic)” which meant, “The elegant apricot flower and the strong plum blossom. To focus too much on war makes us rough and crude while the emphasis on too much beauty makes us weak. Both ideals must be harmonized together - this is very true in Aikido practice and in Aikido technique.” Therefore, having the ability to cause destruction has to be balanced out with kindness, compassion and generosity. We see this in one of the highest attainments in the martial arts called bushinonasake (武士の情け) or “samurai compassion.”  Every day in the dojo we are practicing this idea of samurai or warrior compassion without probably even knowing it. When we train and take ukemi, we give our training partner our body to use so that they can try to attain mastery. Ukemi is based upon kindness, generosity and compassion or in other words “warrior compassion.” In Japanese it is said, “Hana wa sakura hito wa bushi” (花は桜人は武士) or “Cherry blossoms among flowers, warriors among men.” What this means is that a warrior is supposed to be the pinnacle of society and is expected to be the ideal human being who embodies courage, honor, courtesy, justice, generosity, and a readiness to help the weak. It seems like this year people need generosity and kindness more than ever. When someone trespasses against us, it would be easy to destroy them. However, the heart of the warrior dictates that we give them kindness and generosity or just a wide berth instead of easily destroying them. It is said, “nasake ni hamukau yaiba nashi” (情けに向かう刃なし) or that “There is no sword which can oppose kindness.” Thus, we should remember the true spirit of the warrior and be kind and gentle this holiday season.

Today’s goal: What can you do to be a little bit kinder or generous today? 

情けに向かう刃なし
Nasake ni hamukau yaiba nashi
There is no sword which can oppose kindness

Watch Father Gregory Boyle talk about kindness

Teamwork

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” - John C. Maxwell

The best martial artists are good at teamwork. The Japanese don’t really talk about teamwork except in a Japanized sports sense chiimuwaaku (チームワーク) or “teamwork.” Typically, teamwork is only talk about in terms of kyouryoku (協力) or “cooperation.” Kyouryoku literally translates as “cooperative power.” The idea is that a group of people who combine their energies are virtually unbeatable. In the 16th century, Mori Motonari was the head of the Mori clan. He wanted to retire but didn’t know which of his three equally capable sons should succeed him. He had hoped that his sons would work together for the benefit of the clan, so he devised a way to illustrate this to them. Motonari called his sons together and, as the legend goes, he took three arrows from a quiver, and gave each son one and asked them to break it in half. Of course, all three were capable samurai and easily broke them. Then he took out three more arrows and tied them tightly together and invited each of them to try and break the bunch, but no one was able to do it. Motonari said, “I hope you don’t forget this lesson. If you remain united, our clan will survive, but if you become divided, it will perish.” A dojo too can learn from this lesson as it is supposed to be a community of people working together toward a common good. Aikido (合氣道) is not just simply a title of a martial art. It is a clue: ai (合)means for two things to come together, ki (氣) means energy or power and do (道) means path. Two things which come together and then move down the same path kind of sounds like a very basic definition of teamwork. Aikido teaches us that when we work together, there is nothing that we can’t achieve. There will be good times and bad times, but regardless of what happens, I hope that we can come together as a team and help one another. Everything gets better and a little bit easier when we work together. Author John C. Maxwell said, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” The dream is for everyone to master Aikido while working together as a community. That is why the best martial artists are always the best at teamwork.

Today’s goal: Remember, nobody does it alone, not even you. What can you do to be a better team player?

Throwback Thursday - Martial Arts Practice

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on March 15, 2001. 

The learning process in the martial arts is very profound and I think something that we are not accustomed to today or a skill we have, for a large part, forgotten. Unlike a typical classroom, sports gym, or health club, learning in the martial arts is not limited to time, space, circumstances or events and learning takes place every second of every day. One can say, in the martial arts, learning takes place even when we are sleeping, not just during our waking hours. We do it when our eyes are open or shut.

Learning, practicing, reflection, review, further refinement, and testing in practice again and again, trying to penetrate to a deeper level or higher meaning of what we are doing, constant and endless refinement and further refinement. This is martial arts practice. At the same time, the martial arts are not simply acquiring physical skill or strength. There is the requirement that all effort or training is also geared towards development of one's character and spiritual side. This has nothing to do with a particular religion but with attaining a more profound attunement to Nature and the world at large - meaning a greater sense of the oneness or harmony with the world. This is also not imagination or fantasy or willful-thinking or dreaming - but the attainment of an acute sensitivity to everything going on around us. Finally, this takes us one tiny step towards wisdom or enlightenment - but this too has nothing to do with money, power or success. Nothing to do with winning or losing. Nothing to do with being weak or strong. It is the life process of life itself that we are trying to penetrate - in this effort there is purity and with this comes what? This is something that we will discover for ourselves in our own training that no other person can put a name to.

This process is difficult for us nowadays because we are too goal oriented or too obsessed with success and money. Of course, every human being wants money and success, even me but we must try to understand to what level are we going to live our lives.

Nowadays, the martial arts are becoming more and more violent. Not so much because it is an effective means - it is simply more entertaining to spectators and people can make a lot of money in the entertainment world. This may signal the end of martial arts if we are not careful.

True martial arts are an "end" to violence, it is never the glorification of it. Please continue to devote yourselves to your correct training.

Eat Your Vegetables

二河白道
Nigabyakudo
The harder path 

“There are two paths people can take. They can either play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Regardless of the choice, one thing is certain. Life will demand a payment.” John C. Maxwell

The best martial artist eats their vegetables first. Eating one’s vegetables is more metaphoric than literal. The idea is that there are things that we have to do (vegetables) and there are the things that we want to do (dessert). The things that we have to do are oftentimes the things which we perceive to be boring or too much work. In class, it is easy to fall into only doing the techniques which are fancy or fun as opposed to things which are seemingly boring or difficult. The problem with only choosing fancy or fun is that the student’s kihon-waza (基本技) or “basics” never develop and their techniques never have any shitaji (下地) or “foundation.” Leadership expert John C. Maxwell’s quote reminds us that sooner or later we are going to have to eat our vegetables or put in the work in order to get good. Usually, it is better to lay the groundwork properly beforehand so that we don’t have to go back and re-lay our foundation later. Having to re-lay our foundation wastes precious time and effort and so most times it is better to just put in the hard work first. French President Charles de Gaulle once said, “Always choose the hardest way, on it you will not find opponents.” What he means is that the harder paths are the ones that are less traveled, and we are less likely to see our opponents on them. If someone wants to beat us, they will have to catch up to us on the harder path and most opponents are not willing to put in the work. As someone once said, “Sooner or later, you will need to eat your vegetables.” We “gotta eat our vegetables” because the mastery of the martial arts or life only comes to those who put in the work. Therefore, we might as well put in the work now so we don’t have to put in the work later and that’s why the best martial artists eat their vegetables first. 

Today’s goal: What are the vegetables that you should start eating? 

Willingness

応変能力 
Ouhennouryoku
To do the right thing at the right time

The best martial artist strives for ouhennouryoku (応変能力) or “to do the right thing at the right time.” Learning a martial art can be difficult. Typically, we learn things by listening, watching or doing. However, in the martial arts, there are many different levels and way too many moving parts and so just watching or listening might not be good enough. In the martial arts, there is one more way of learning called ishin denshin (以心伝心) or “heart to heart transmission.” The western equivalent to ishin denshin is when two minds think alike. This type of learning or connection is very apparent when the teacher is demonstrating a technique in front of the class. Usually, the teacher will not tell the uke how to attack. This is a test of the uke’s level of development and their connection with the teacher. If the student attacks with the correct attack, then the teacher and the student are thought to be on the same wavelength or of one mind and the student’s level is considered very high. If the student attacks with the incorrect attack, it means that the student needs more training. Achieving this seemingly psychic link begins with the student’s yaruki (遣氣) or “willingness” to learn. Willingness is the lengths that we are prepared to go to in order to get good and so willingness is an attitude. When we have a willing attitude, then there is nothing that we cannot learn and through learning we are able to know what the right thing is and the right time to do it. Later on, this willing attitude crosses over into our off-the-mat life as well and we are able to do the right thing at the right time in everything that we do. A martial artist strives to do the right thing at the right time because in doing so it demonstrates their true level of ability. 

Today’s goal: What are you willing to do or not do to get good? 

Watch this episode of the Aiki Dojo Podcast to better understand the role of the student in traditional training.

Throwback Thursday - Connection

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on February 1, 2002.  

When it comes time to make a crucial decision in our lives, it is already too late. Commitment to how we live and where we want to take our lives must be determined in our hearts long beforehand, so that when the critical moment comes, we know exactly what to do and can act spontaneously and immediately without any hesitation. This may sound a little impetuous and rash, but this is how the samurai lived long ago. Maybe we can't live like this today because we calculate and speculate on everything we do. In old Japanese, this is called akinai konjo (商い根性) or "business spirit.” Merchants in feudal Japan in opposition to the samurai ethic used to say, "I will only bow my head to pick up a penny.” We live like this today. We are very clever nowadays in measuring profit and loss in everything we do. We have become so clever and smart, but perhaps, just a little too crafty? In the dojo, when a student is called or when one's name is called in any instance, one immediately says, "hai!" in a good strong voice. At least this is how it used to be in most dojos, and this is an important practice here in my dojo. 

When the "hai!" is strong and immediate without hesitation, the sensei can sense a "spiritual" or "mental" connection with the student. This is called ishin-denshin (以心伝心) or “minds which are attuned to one another.” Sometimes there is a slight delay - just the very slightest delay. Immediately, the sensei can sense the "calculating" mind of the student. In everything in the dojo, an important but often neglected aspect of training is to maintain this mental connection with the teacher and to be constantly in tune and connected and aware. Once the student can understand how to make this connection naturally and spontaneously, then they can naturally make this connection with everyone and everything around them in the world. This connection can only come about through a strong sense of awareness which we must determine in our heads from the very beginning because when we need it, it is already too late.

To accomplish this when we continually determine in our own minds and hearts to be constantly aware and on the ball. Without this strong commitment and direction in our heads, we will always be a little slow and always, always a little slow on the draw. 

There is a purity in the actions of a warrior, and this is where their greatness lies. The awareness and connection that we make with others, this strong sense of commitment and determination that we create within ourselves is what brings us to this idea of purity.

Serenity First

Every good martial artist strives to develop shitsuitaizen (失意泰然) or “A serene state of mind in the face of adversity.” We are trying to develop this serene mindset because we know that everything comes from or benefits from being calm. For instance, we can be wealthy but money can only make us comfortable and it cannot bring us inner peace. Likewise, we can’t truly be undefeatable without inner peace because any form of discord creates an opening for our defeat. In the 13th Century, Hojo Tokimune was the main general in the Kamakura Shogunate who was in charge of fighting the Mongols that were trying to invade Japan. He was responsible for gathering an army, commanding that army, and building a stone wall to keep the Mongols out. Despite being in charge and responsible for defeating the Mongols, Tokimune found himself tormented with thoughts of defeat. Before the second Mongol invasion, Tokimune went to see his Zen master Mugaku Sogen at Kencho-ji temple. During their conversations, Sogen took up his brush and wrote one word baku bon no (莫煩悩) or “no anxiety or worry.” He explained the meaning, “After you finish preparing for battle, don't worry too much. Overthinking will only make you crazy. It won't help you at all. Your agony is produced by your own mind.” After receiving these words, Tokimune felt ready to face the Mongols and went on to lead the Japanese to victory. Realizing that worrying wouldn’t change the outcome of the battle, Tokimune was able to calm his mind. In martial arts, having a calm mind is the ultimate technique. We can look at calmness from the martial arts perspective of sente (先手) or “seizing the initiative” in combat.  Typically, beginners wait until after they are attacked to calm or ready themselves and we could call this go no sen (後の先) or “waiting to take the initiative.” More experienced students sometimes do the dance of relaxation where they take a few huffing breaths and shake out their limbs prior to being attacked and we could call this sen no sen (先の先) or “taking initiative before being attacked.” However, the most experienced students don’t need to calm themselves because they have already calmed themselves way before even being engaged and we could call this sen sen no sen (先先の先) or “taking the initiative before the before of being attacked.” Serenity is a practice that we must cultivate way before we are attacked. Nothing and no-one can ever truly defeat us when we are calm, and this is why a martial artist only strives for serenity.  

Today’s goal: Seize the day by cultivating calmness.

Watch this video of His Holiness the Dalai Lama discussing calmness.

Don’t Lose Your Momentum

勢いを失うな
Ikioi wo ushinau na
Don’t lose momentum 

A martial artist’s greatest asset is ikioi (勢い) or “momentum.” In Aikido, at the tachiai (立ち合い) or “the initial moment of contact” when we are attacked, we are supposed to be in motion. If we are not in motion and are caught waiting then we cannot carry the power, energy, or momentum from the attack into a technique. From the perspective of kuzushi (崩し) or “unbalancing” one’s opponent, it is generally thought that in order to throw a person, they have to be in motion. Beginners tend to lose the momentum from the attack and then have to recreate the motion by mechanically breaking their opponent’s balance in order to throw them. A more experienced practitioner carries the momentum of the attack into a technique by keeping their opponent off balance which enables them to be thrown. When we think of momentum it is very important to the execution of the techniques, but it is equally important in one’s training and life as well. So many people quit training for one reason or another and think that they can just come back to it. They can, but most won’t. Most won’t because “the Universe abhors a vacuum” and life has a tendency of getting in the way. Issac Newton's first law of motion teaches us that “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” All martial arts skills, Aikido included, are perishable. The moment we stop, our skill begins to degrade but what is more disconcerting is the degradation of our motivation. As Newton states, “an object at rest stays at rest.” Overcoming the inertia of being at rest or in other words, being out of shape, Aikido not being a part of our schedule or life just acting upon us is harder to surmount than any opponent attacking us. What is the key to maintaining our momentum? Just don’t “fully” stop. Having a regular training schedule, even if it is one day a month, enables us to carry the momentum forward. The Japanese say, “chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru” (塵も積もれば山となる) or “Even specks of dust if piled up can become a mountain.” Our momentum is our greatest asset and that’s why a martial artist is always in motion. 

Today’s goal: What can you do to maintain or create momentum in your life? 

Watch this Ted Talk to better understand momentum.

Priceless

役に立たないことは何もしない
Yakunitatanai koto wa nanimoshinai
Do nothing which is of no use.
- Miyamoto Musashi 

Martial artists value priceless things. Once, there was a Chinese Zen master named Sozan who was known for his poetry and calligraphy. As he was about to start a talk, one student interrupted him and asked, “Master, what is the most valuable thing in the world?” Without any hesitation, Sozan replied, “The head of a dead cat.” The students all looked around quizzically. Perhaps his Master hadn’t heard the question correctly, so the student repeated the question. “Master, I asked, what is the most valuable thing in the world?” Again, Sozan promptly replied, “The head of a dead cat.” By this time, all Sozan’s students were puzzled. Another student quizzically asked, “Why is a dead cat’s head the most valuable thing in the world?” Sozan simply replied, “Because no one can name its price!” A martial art is priceless because it is one of those things which might cost us money, but its value and lessons are something that we must earn. For instance, one of the lessons that a student can’t buy is learning how to not hold their breath in a stressful situation. Sometimes in class, I see students huffing and puffing because they are seemingly out of shape. However, it is not so much that they are out of shape but that they don’t know “how” to breathe properly. In class, when we are attacked or in an uncomfortable environment, we unconsciously hold our breath or drop into shallow breathing, and this is called stress apnea. With this stress apnea or micro-holding our breath, we become hypoxic and get tired faster and that’s why people say, “That person’s out of breath.” All the money in the world cannot teach us how to not hold our breath. It is something we have to earn and learn with our time and effort. Furuya Sensei used to say, “The martial arts are worthless.” What he meant was that martial arts training is one of those priceless things because it can be paid for extrinsically, but we have to earn its lessons and benefits intrinsically. 

Today’s goal: Change the things in your life that you do which are of no use. 

Watch this video to better understand how to breathe in stressful situations

Daily Life

“A martial art which cannot be validated and intensely pertinent to every second of your daily life is not a true martial art.” - Rev. Kensho Furuya 

The life of a martial artist is one of shuuyou (修養) or “continual self-improvement.” It is commonly thought that one’s martial art can only truly become an art when it permeates in a positive way into our daily lives. One way that training improves our lives is that it teaches us how to have jiriki (自力) or “self-power.” Self-power is the ability to accomplish things based on our own efforts. One aspect of self-power is something called Zero-based thinking. Zero-based thinking is a decision-making process where we ask ourselves, “Knowing what we know now, would we make the same decisions?” Essentially, when we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we go back to zero and use the information currently available to start over and make better decisions. In the martial arts, zero can be considered to be the kihon-waza (基本技) or “the basic techniques.” Furuya Sensei would often say, “When you lose your way, go back to the basics.” Going back to zero is probably the single greatest thing that I learned in my own Aikido training, and it is something that I use regularly in my daily life. Years ago, as a high school dropout, something that Sensei said in class really made an impact on me. He likened self-improvement to a chain and said, “In all training, we follow the rule that you are only as strong as your weakest link. All weak links must be continuously rooted out and corrected. Make your weakest link into your strongest.” The strongest chain method: start with a thorough self-examination, identify the weakest link, put in the work to make that link the strongest link and then start the process over until the desired result is achieved. The two biggest factors to using this process to achieve success are honesty and humility. We cannot identify what is wrong or fix what is broken if we are not honest with ourselves and we need to be humble enough to begin to fix it or ask for help if need be. Regardless, if we are a martial artist or not, everything we do should be to make our lives better. Therefore, a martial art must positively permeate into every aspect of our daily lives and help us to make our lives better.

 Today’s goal: Using what you now know, figure out what needs to be changed.