New Year's message

“It's only those who are persistent and willing to study things deeply, who achieve the master work.”
- Paulo Coelho

The best martial artists are shitsuyo (執拗) or “persistent.” Interestingly, the old way to say persistent was shu (執) and the kanji is made up of two characters: happiness (幸) and circle or complete (丸). Looking at this kanji, one can posit that happiness is achieved through persistence. Talking about persistence, Furuya Sensei said it was like the Yagyu suisha (水車) or the “water wheel” motif in Yagyu tsuba hand guards. Discussing suisha, Furuya Sensei once wrote, “Who can stop the sword moving like the rays of the sun dashing between the ocean waves? It naturally, spontaneously, and persistently finds the opening.” Understanding this, those who are successful are the people who don’t give up. Therefore, for the coming year, I wish you nothing but persistence.

Whatever you dream you have - may you be persistent

When nothing seems to be going your way - may you be persistent

When all hope seems lost - may you be persistent

When you’ve bitten off more than you can chew - may you be persistent

When it feels like no one believes in you - may you be persistent

If you start something, don’t stop - may you be persistent

If you want to achieve something - may you be persistent

When the odds are against you - may you be persistent

In trying to make your dreams come true - may you be persistent

The best warriors aren’t necessarily the people with the most talent. A person becomes the best mainly because they were persistent and didn’t give up. Your happiness is within your reach, but you must be persistent to achieve it. This year be bold and push forward like the rays of light passing through an ocean wave. If nothing else, the best martial artists are persistent.

This year’s goal: Remember, as Benjamin Franklin once said, “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

Fortitude

“The spirit must be forged or polished through training!” - Rev. Kensho Furuya

As the year comes to an end, many people are making their plans for the coming year and that includes resolutions. A normal person sets goals and wishes for things like cars, promotions, or weight loss. A good martial artist only wishes for fortitude. From a martial arts sense, fukutsu (不屈) or “fortitude” is the inner strength to keep going when we have nothing else left. People often think that excitement, passion, or motivation are the keys to success and on a certain level it is true. We can be successful when we get excited about something, we can feel motivated and get things done or we can get fired up with passion and make things happen. However, the problem with those traits is that they are externally influenced and can easily run out. Excitement tends to fade over time, motivations can wane in the face of adversity and the fires of passion can be extinguished with defeats. When excitement, motivation and passion run out, then the only thing we can rely upon is our inner fortitude. Webster’s dictionary defines fortitude as “The strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.” Fortitude is one of those traits that we learn when we study a martial art. However, fortitude is not something that a teacher or an art can teach us because it is something that we must learn for ourselves. Our fortitude is solidified or forged within us every time we confront adversity. Every time we stand up and put ourselves out there, we solidify our inner fortitude. Furuya Sensei discussed fortitude and often likened training to the creation of a samurai sword. He once wrote: “The samurai sword begins as nothing special, just an ordinary pile of iron sand which is melted together to form a clump of iron called a tamahagane. The tamahagane is separated and is folded into layers over and over to create a thousand layers of iron which actually crisscross in a mesh and, in the future, will give the sword its great strength and resiliency. The swordsmith works the metal into what will be its final most crude “sword” shape. A sword is not born with a keen edge, only its potential. Its true value and beauty only comes forth with the help of polishing and sharpening. It is under the skill of a master polisher (teacher) that a sword can realize its singular strength, beauty and sharpness — a work of art, whether it is a sword or one’s life.” Martial artists are human beings and just like normal people, our inner strength ebbs and flows. Understanding this, a martial artist’s New Year’s resolution isn't for cars, promotions, or weight loss but for fortitude - the strength to carry on when they have nothing left. Sir Francis Bacon said, “Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the armor of the will, and the fort of reason.” The martial arts are the only path where one hopes that when the time comes, they will have the courage to act and the fortitude to succeed. We won’t know how much fortitude we have until the time comes and that is why a good martial artist only wishes for fortitude.

Today’s goal: For the New Year, remember, as Furuya once said, “The only key to success is to just embrace your practice and continue to polish yourself.”

Watch this video of Furuya Sensei discussing incorporating Aikido into your daily life

Throwback Thursday - New Hope

Throwback Thursday - New Hope

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on December 28, 2002

We are so smart, and it always seems that we are looking for the easiest way out! I see this all the time in martial arts so I really must say to you (please don't be mad at me) that martial arts are at an all-time low. Of course, most of us think that we are at an all-time high because everyone, referring to martial arts businessmen, are making so much money nowadays. When I say low, I am speaking about the art of martial arts itself and not what people have done to turn it into a commercial all for profit enterprise.

People often ask me, “What is the easiest way to do Aikido or Iaido?” This is what everyone is thinking! To dig a hole with a shovel, you need a shovel and a lot of elbow grease! There is no other way to get around it but today we are too smart. If I ask, "What is the easiest way to dig a hole with a shovel?" Most will answer, "Pay someone else to do it!"

One day, someone came to me and said, "No matter what, I want to study Aikido more than anything in the world! However, my wife needs my attention, my job is too busy, I live too far away, I don't have enough money, I go to school and have no time, I have three other hobbies and so I don't know when I can come to the dojo.” I replied, “Well, you have more reasons for not doing Aikido, then you do for doing it.”

We all have busy schedules but those who want to practice make time and opportunity to practice. Those who do not, will find one reason or another not to. It has always been this way as long as I can remember. I have many fine students who are admittedly the busiest people in the world but yet they make time to come to practice regularly.

People today look at Aikido and immediately try to find the “easy" way out! 30 years ago, there weren’t good dojos or teachers - how hard it was to practice back then. I used to drive all over Southern California each day to find a place to practice each day of the week. There weren’t many good teachers around to study under or even a decent mat to take ukemi on! Today, everyone has so much and yet I still hear the same complaints!

The New Year is upon us, Life looks like it is going to get tougher. We are thinking of war, many of us cannot even do an honest day's work because there are no jobs, and it seems that there is much suffering and pain in this world. It is not that everyone is so unfair to us and is treating us badly - no! We are just living in the world we have created for ourselves!

In Aikido, we gain more than strength. We gain clarity, focus and the skill to open our eyes and see everything very clearly! Regardless of what is going on, please keep up your training!

New Year's light brings New Hope, not once a year, but each day, we should celebrate this holiday!

Trust

渡る世間に鬼はない
Watarusekennioniwanai
All people aren't evil; don't distrust everyone

All the best martial artists know trust. Someone once said, “Trust is the root of all light and human endeavor, man’s survival can only be a result of the shared trust we have in our own humanity and desire to live.” Understanding this, being able to truly trust demonstrates a high level of martial arts ability. “Trust” or shin (信) is a human imperative but for one reason or another it might not be so innate for some of us. To trust someone is to give that person our “faith or confidence” which in turn can be used against us. Martial artists tend to be more fushin (不信) or “mistrusting.” This mistrust is based upon ideas like Sun Tzu’s statement that “All warfare is based upon deception.” Obviously, if someone is going to attack us they are probably not someone who can be trusted. Understanding this, the Japanese created the proverb bushi wo mitaradorobotoomoe (武士を見たら泥棒と思え) or “Warriors always assume the worst in people.” This idea of not trusting others can be seen in every martial arts kata (型) as they are all based upon mistrust with the thinking that “if someone attacks you like this, then you would do this…” At the early stages of training, we tend to be “closed off” and foster a kamae (構え) or “stance” which is “closed” to prevent others from attacking us or defeating us. Later on in our martial arts journey, we learn to trust ourselves and adopt a more “open” stance. We can open our stance because with time and training, we realize as someone once said, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Therefore, not trusting others really begins with us and so how much we open ourselves is a reflection of how much we trust ourselves and not in how much we trust other people. This is where the idea that martial arts training builds confidence comes from. We see this idea of openness from the Japanese word yurusu (許す) which is one of the words for “trust.” Trust in the context of yurusu means “letting one’s guard down.” Ki wo yurusu (氣を許す) or kokoro wo yurusu (心を許す) both mean to  “allow” one’s “energy” or “heart” to be open. Once we gain the ability to open up and self-trust, we no longer mistrust others because “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Trusting ourselves creates the realization that all people, including us, are suffering, and are only doing the best that they can and so there is no need to be afraid and no need to take things personally. Trust enables us to move with fluidity because we trust ourselves enough to let others in and that is why all the best martial artists know trust.

Today’s goal: Remember, as Lao Tzu said, “Those who do not trust enough will not be trusted.”

Watch this video to better understand self-trust.

Discipline

The best martial artists always demonstrate their level of discipline. A few times a year, we volunteer in the Japanese American community at various events. This weekend is our dojo’s osoji or “year-end clean up” and mochitsuki or “mochi pounding” at Zenshuji. We always tell the students that volunteering is “part of their training.” It is part of their training because how hard we work and how well they work together demonstrates our level of shu (修) or “discipline” as martial arts practitioners and it also indicates the training level of our dojo. In the old days, martial arts were never demonstrated in public. The only way one could “see” another school’s martial art was to dojo yabure (道場破れ) or “challenge” them to a private duel. This was also called dojo storming. Yabure means “to tear” because after beating the teacher of the school, one would break their kaban or “sign” in half and take over the school and absorb all of its students. Because one could only know the strength of a school by reputation, it was a risk to just storm any dojo. Therefore, a practitioner had to be clever in choosing which school to attack. One way to figure out the strength of a school was to look at the genkan (玄關) or “front entrance.” If the entrance was dirty and unkept, then one could surmise that the level of training was no good which would make for an easier duel. However, if the entrance was clean and meticulous, then one could deduce that the discipline was good there. We often see shu in the word shugyo (修行) which means “discipline” but it is most often used within the buddhist context of “aesthetic practice.” Therefore, if one engages their training from the point of view of shugyo, then their training becomes more spiritual and a person who trains from this level would be much harder to beat. Nowadays, traditional training has lost its luster and many so called martial artists have tarnished the meaning of what it means to be a martial artist. Thus, when we go out into the community, we have to show that the discipline of training in a martial art has benefit farther than just beating people up. We demonstrate the benefit of martial arts training by individually working hard and by working well as a group. Martha Beck once said, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Thus, if we demonstrate our level of discipline off the mat then it is not hard to extrapolate that our discipline on the mat is good as well. What does it mean to be a martial artist? Please show people with your actions because they are dictated by your level of discipline and that is why the best martial artists always demonstrate their level of discipline.

Today’s goal: Remember, “How you do anything is how you do everything.”

Watch this video to better understand discipline

Throwback Thursday - Depth of Spirit

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on July 28, 2005.

There is nothing more important than creating trust and friendship in the atmosphere and spirit of a family in a dojo. The old art schools in Japan were known as iemoto (家元) or "family system" arts. Today, we want to see martial arts as a business because we gauge everything in terms of money - and quantities of money are a measure of our success. We cannot see anything outside of the idea of money.

We must focus on the art and our practice and how we can benefit mentally, physically, and spiritually from it in our Lives. However, the reality is that we still must pay the bills and rent which forces us to conform to popular and typical standards of behavior and thinking of the world in general today.

The challenge is to find the perfect balance between today's materialism and how we have turned the insubstantial idea of money into a reality and our personal, inner quest for self-understanding and self-enlightenment through the Path of Aikido.

If everyone pulls together and if everyone works as a tight knit family of good friends and practice partners in the dojo with all of us of one mind and one spirit, then all challenges can be met, I firmly believe, to maintain and preserve our dojos as dojos and Aikido as an art rather than a business.

Ultimately, we must understand that through studying the true essence of Aikido as Budo, we can come to a real understanding of what is trust, family and "one spirit" according to O’Sensei's teachings. Let us all work together to continue to support dojos and our practice.

It is quite often the so-called "reality" of the physical technique as in "martial arts techniques" often lead us to the world of fantasy, conjecture, and supposition. More often the not, it is the "spiritual world" of self-enlightenment and understanding that brings us in touch with the true reality of the world.

To think that physical technique is the path of the physical world, and the spiritual world only lies in idle conjecture and chit-chat is only the superficial assumption of the misinformed and misdirected.

What is the difference between Aikido practice and exercise or a sport? It is a matter of depth of spirit. If our efforts are self-centered as in personal exercise or in being competitive with others as in a sport, it is already a superficial and shallow activity. In Aikido technique, one strives for both the salvation and well-being of the attacker (the other) and the defender (the self), which creates an activity and mental energy which is both profound and complex.

Watch this video of Furuya Sensei explaining Aikido in 1999

Just Sit

Shikantaza
祇管 打坐
Just sit

Sometimes, a good martial artist just sits and does nothing. Long ago, Furuya Sensei put up a scroll with Dogen Zenji’s words which read: 祇管 打坐 (Shikantaza).  Shikantaza means “Just sit.” It is easy to take it at face value and say, “just sit” but recently I read a quote by Dr. Rebecca Ray that helped me to understand it. She wrote, “Sit with it. Sit with it. Sit with it. Sit with it. Even though you want to run. Even when it’s heavy and difficult. Even though you’re not quite sure of the way through. Healing happens by feeling.” In that moment, I realized that Dogen’s words are how we achieve one of the highest teachings in the martial arts - equanimity. We can’t all have great days. Some days are just “blah.” This malaise is something that happens a lot during the holidays as the days get shorter and we find ourselves not in the greatest mood. When life is giving us a case of blahs, sometimes the best thing to do is just sit with it and do nothing. Sitting with it means not trying to make it better but at the same time not allowing it to get worse. This is how we understand equanimity in the martial arts and meditation. Equanimity is the ability to have “mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.” In meditation training, equanimity is taught as the ability to observe and not react. In swordsmanship, equanimity is the ability to not be swayed in one direction or another by our opponent’s advances. In class, we are supposed to train with different partners who will have different bodies, skill levels, and temperaments. Exposing ourselves to different levels of adversity enables us to develop a certain level of tolerance. With time, training, and tolerance, we will eventually develop an equanimous mind that isn’t easily deterred. First, we have to learn how to observe and that can come as we just sitting with something. Then, we learn equanimity by allowing ourselves to do nothing. When we reach the pinnacle of our martial arts training, we no longer react mindlessly as one single act but allow ourselves to observe mindfully and then act appropriately as two separate actions. This is all easier said than done as some days we just feel “blah” and we don’t even feel like being, let alone getting out of bed. Author Brene Brown once wrote: “Whenever I'm faced with a vulnerable situation, I get deliberate with my intentions by repeating this to myself: "Don't shrink. Don't puff up. Stand your sacred ground." Saying this little mantra helps me remember not to get too small so other people are comfortable and not throw up my armor as a way to protect myself.” Martial arts training teaches us to stand up and confront that which is confronting us but sometimes the best way to stand up is to just sit and do nothing.

Today’s goal: Don’t react. Just sit back and do nothing.

Watch this video to better understand doing nothing

Momentum

A good martial artist knows the value of momentum. Momentum is the force that is generated when an object is in motion. If we have momentum, there is a higher likelihood that we will succeed. Generating momentum is easier said than done. When we think too far into it, momentum seems like something that is a mile away or something that is seemingly unachievable. This is especially true as we see other people’s “best lives” on social media. Getting to a place of momentum seems like we are looking up at the top of a mountain where we can’t even see its peak. However, the secret to momentum is that it is just one step away. Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Thus, we build momentum step by step where one thing leads to another. One way to say “momentum” in Japanese is daryoku (惰力). Daryoku literally translates as “lazy power” because once momentum begins, it takes very little to keep it going and we keep it going by the process of doing. Success is typically a function of creating momentum in a certain direction. Once momentum is achieved then we can capitalize upon opportunities when they arise. That is why Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Sun Tzu possibly also understood this when he wrote, “The surge of rolling flood water washes away boulders: this is called momentum. The swoop of a falcon strikes and kills its prey: this is called timing. Thus, for a skilled warrior, his momentum must be irresistible and his timing precise. Momentum is the tension in a crossbow arm; timing is the pulling of the trigger.” In the martial arts, we develop momentum through training and so the easiest way to develop momentum is to just come to class. Every time we do things like think about a technique or come to class, we are developing momentum. Momentum is made up of individual acts of doing. Momentum compounds which means that every act of trying and doing creates more and more momentum. I know Yoda said there is “no trying” but in every act of trying there is a little bit of doing and in each act of doing, no matter how small, helps to create momentum. Every day we are buffeted by forces which are trying to steal our momentum. Some days we can resist these forces. Other days we get knocked down by them. However, it is like what Albert Einstein said, “You never fail until you stop trying.” Regardless of what happens, just keep going and sooner or later you will have achieved momentum. Once we have achieved momentum, there is nothing that we can’t achieve and that’s why a good martial artist knows the value of momentum.

Today’s goal: No matter what happens, just keep going.

Watch this to better understand momentum

Throwback Thursday - Time Waits For No One

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on November 29, 2004.

It is hard for me to believe that Thanksgiving is over and we are racing towards Christmas and the New Year soon after. Every year seems to move faster and faster for me. Is it just that we have made ourselves so busy? Is time really flying away faster? I hardly have time to waste any time!

Time is precious and there is so much to do for my students and so much more to pass on to them. Yet, my time is limited with them and I can only see them a few minutes each time when they come to the dojo. My energies grow less and less as I get older. I finally, I always wonder to myself, “When can I get some rest for myself? When can I start to take care of myself?"

I suppose I can drop everything and start right now - but I am thinking too much about my students and the dojo - how can I?

When a person gets older, they begin to see how short Life really is and how little time they have to do what they want to do. Please take my word for it and get off your duff right now and begin to do what you’ve always wanted to do. Time waits for no one. Young people today always think there is a "tomorrow," but, in reality, we only get a few "tomorrows" and that is it!

Live in the present, be in the present, do in the present. This is the best advice I can offer.

Kouinyanogotoshi (光陰矢のごとし) or “time flies like an arrow,” and like an arrow, it never comes back.

Throwback Thursday - Vulnerability

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on January 21, 2002.

One should never hide their vulnerability. Maybe this sounds very strange in a martial art because it is assumed that we are trying to be brave and strong at all times. Of course, we should be courageous in everything we do, but we must also understand that it is part of a human being’s original nature to be weak and vulnerable too. In our strength, humans can show what they can do, in their weakness, humans can show their own humanity as well. In our weakness, we can see how others are weak and how we need each other to get along in this world. In this case, it is better to be weak than to be strong. Ultimately, we should try to understand in our Aikido, and in life, how to be weak and strong at the very same time.

Photo: Furuya Sensei from the late 1980s with uke Douglas Firestone Sensei

Watch this pitch video for a TV show featuring Furuya Sensei that was never picked up.

Great Stories

Easy adventures don’t make for great stories.

A good martial artist knows that growth is a mindset. Each person has nobishiro (伸びしろ) or “room for growth.” However, this growth or potential is something that we have to continually seek out - it doesn’t just fall into our laps. A martial artist understands this and that is why they are always chasing their limits - they want to see just how high they can go. In order to achieve our greatest heights and truly know our selves, a good martial artist ventures into places that are new, scary, or uncomfortable because they know that different is where growth occurs, and that sameness or comfort doesn’t inspire growth. Henry Ford said it best, “If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.” In a dojo, we learn this growth mindset as we try to become more and more skillful at the techniques. At the beginning level, the teacher demonstrates the technique, and we try to copy it. This is known as minarai keiko (見習い稽古) or “The practice of watching and copying.” Later on in our training, we have to learn to see the smallest details and “steal” the technique from the teacher. We must “steal” the technique because it is said that a teacher never teaches you the secrets but that you must “steal” it from them. In Japanese, “the practice of stealing the technique” is known as nusumi keiko (盗み稽古). To be able to see and eventually steal the technique, we have to develop our eye to “see” what is hidden in plain sight and we have to develop our ear to “hear” through the din of what is being said. Once we have sharpened our eyes and tuned our ears, we can turn our focus on improving other aspects of our lives and seek out greater and greater challenges. These greater challenges aren’t necessarily hard, but they also shouldn’t be easy or comfortable either. The only thing that matters is that it takes us out of our comfort zone. The greater the reward, the more difficult the challenge and the greater the story afterwards. The difficult or uncomfortable path is the one that is the most beneficial to our growth. This idea is expressed succinctly in the last line of Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken: “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” In the martial arts and in life, there are no limits. The only limits which do exist reside in our minds. Therefore, we should continually seek out opportunities to take chances and take risks because those opportunities are what create the most growth and make for the greatest stories.

Today’s goal: “One must try, every day, to expand one's limits.” - Mas Oyama, Founder of Kyokyushinkai Karate

Fallback Friday - Be in the Moment

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on March 25, 2002.

Nowadays, I think that many think of Aikido practice as mere “play." This is why I think we do not have the focus and mental direction as we had before. In everything we do, play, work, study or even sleeping, we need to be in the moment, focused and aware. Until we can appreciate this, we will never become the true warrior that we continually dream about.

Small Steps

大取りより小取り
Ootoriyorikotori
Light gains make for a heavy purse

A good martial artist minds the small steps first. Sometimes things become overwhelming when we take them as a whole. Therefore, in order to fully digest something, sometimes it is better to take them in smaller bites. Author Darren Hardy called this the Compound Effect. “The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices.” The Japanese called this idea kaizen (改善) or the “continuous Improvement” method. In kaizen, improvements are created with continuous small and ongoing positive changes which end up affecting the success of an entire project. Skill acquisition in Japanese traditional arts is very much based upon this idea of kaizen or the Compound Effect. For instance, in meditation, students are asked to search for one place within themselves which is calm. By noticing this one place of calm, we hope to build upon that mindfulness and carry that calmness to every part of our body. The same can be said in the martial arts. Whatever technique we are trying to improve, we should first focus on one aspect which we are doing well. From this point, we add a layer to it to improve upon it. We don’t have to do something drastic in order to change something. Sometimes, the most meaningful change comes from something small and seemingly insignificant. For instance, if we were trying to improve our kirioroshi (切り下ろし) or “overhead cut” in swordsmanship, Furuya Sensei suggested that we first “focus on our grip, then stance, and then posture.” By focusing first on these three small things in succession, we should be able to eventually do a good overhead cut. This is what Aristotle meant when he said, “Well begun is half done.” One of the biggest killers of our motivation is to become overwhelmed. When we are overwhelmed, many of us shut down and can’t seem to get the motivation to improve upon something let alone start at all. Understanding this, the US military uses this strategy called Compartmentalization where the soldier is supposed to break up a large or overwhelming task into smaller more palatable bites. This enables the soldier to avoid becoming overwhelmed and help them to complete their mission. This is perhaps the logic behind Sun Tzu’s quote, “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” Smaller more achievable steps build upon themselves and lead to greater and lasting success and that is why a good martial artist always minds the small steps first.

Today’s goal: Make it small and achievable. “Even specks of dust if piled up can become a mountain.” - Japanese proverb

Watch this video to better understand how small steps add up

Know the Truth

吾 唯 足 知
Ware tada taru wo shiru
I seek only to know contentment.

A good martial artist seeks only to know the truth. Every day, a normal person spends a majority of their day mired in their “story.” The story is a narrative that our ego creates to help us interpret the events that are happening around us. Most times, the story is not entirely true and is an inaccurate or one-sided interpretation of things, people, or situations which are happening all around us. These preconceived interpretations which we craft into stories, color the way we “see” things and it influences how we negotiate them. Sun Tzu famously said, “All warfare is based on deception.” O’Sensei advocated that “In true budo there is no enemy or opponent.” If it is true that all warfare is based upon gihen (欺騙) or “military deception” and if “the true victory is self-victory” or masakatsu agatsu (正勝吾勝), then the only real battles are then the stories that we tell ourselves. Understanding this, martial arts training has to always be based upon jitsu (実) which means “truth,” “sincerity,” or “honesty.” We, as martial artists, cannot prepare ourselves properly if we are basing our training on falsehoods or misinterpretations. The more the narratives are untrue, the more likely we are to be defeated as we incorrectly estimate our own true ability or the true abilities or strengths of our opponents. In training, Furuya Sensei used to say, “Cut off your head and leave it at the door.” His metaphor was supposed to caution students against not only bringing their own personal baggage into the dojo but also coming in with preconceived notions about Aikido or training. Training is hard enough, but it is much harder when we add things in especially if they may not be entirely true. Long ago, a university professor visited the Zen master Nan-in searching for enlightenment. Before Nan-in could speak, the professor began to tell him all he knew about Zen. Nan-in smiled and began to pour him a cup of tea. The professor kept talking and Nan-in kept pouring. At one point, the cup began to overflow and the professor shouted, “It’s overflowing, no more can go in!” Nan-in stopped and said, “Like this cup, you are full and nothing more can go in. How can I show you what Zen is unless you first empty your cup? Please come back when your mind is empty.” Anais Nin said, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” When our minds cannot see things objectively, then our minds are apt to react mindlessly. With proper training, our minds can see things objectively and then we can act mindfully with spontaneity and appropriateness. A good martial artist understands that the only true opponent is the self and thus the only true deception is the story that we tell ourselves. Armed with this understanding, seeing things as they are enables us to reach contentment and that is why a good martial artist seeks only to know the truth.

Today’s goal: What is the story that you are telling yourself? Is it actually true?”

Watch this video to better understand how we use the story

Face Your Fears

Happy 11-11

A good martial artist faces their fears. Given a choice between the easy Way or the hard Way, a martial artist always chooses that which scares them or makes them uncomfortable. The reason why is because each of us has a kitai (鬼胎) or “secret fear.” This secret fear is the underlying barrier which keeps us from growing or reaching our highest level. Typically, it is the thing which keeps coming up over and over again and it keeps reoccurring because we haven’t yet dealt with it.  Martial artists understand this cycle and that is why they actively choose to osore ni tachimukau (恐れに立ち向かう) or “face their fears.” Martial artists know that facing their fears is the only way to break the cycle and create true and lasting change. Each person’s uncomfortableness or fears might be relative, but the feelings of fear are the same. Our apprehensions range from mere uncomfortableness to full blown fear with the desire to run away. Regardless, fear is “an emotional response in reaction to something that may be dangerous or threatening.” Martial artists know that despite feeling real, the feelings of fear are not tangible and thus like President Franklin Roosevelt once said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Understanding that the feelings of fear are the same from fear to fear, a martial artist trains to deal with managing the response to the feeling. Everyone experiences some level of apprehension or fear and only a liar or a fool says otherwise. Thus, a dojo is a safe place to confront the feelings of fear and the fear of failure. Every day in training, we are confronted by something that is uncomfortable or causes us fear. These things run the gamut between something as benign as not wanting to go to class because we are tired to being scared because someone bigger than us is trying to hit us on the head. By facing the fear, we become desensitized to its paralyzing nature and by overcoming the fear, we learn to be calm and act appropriately to the situation. This is how the martial arts build self-confidence. It is not that martial artists don’t feel uncomfortable or feel afraid, they just don’t get overly emotional and paralyzed by it. Whether we are facing a difficult technique, working with a difficult partner, working on a difficult work project, or being confronted by a bully at school, the feelings of fear are the same. In the dojo and in life, don’t let uncomfortableness or fear keep you from trying something new or doing something that you want to do. It is like what William Hewlett, one of the founders of Hewlett-Packard once said, “If you don’t fail on a regular basis, you are not trying hard enough.” Whatever it is that makes you feel uncomfortable or afraid is the route you must take - the struggle is the Way. True change lies at the center of struggle and that is why a good martial artist faces their fears.

Today’s goal: “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” – Seth Godin, The Practice

Watch this video to better understand facing our fears

Throwback Thursday - Humble Growth

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on March 26, 2002.

Sometimes we have to start the learning process at its most basic level. Sometimes it is important just to look and listen very carefully and then try to "understand" or "do" what has just been taught. I say this because I find that most people only "see what they want to see," “hear what they want to hear," and "do only what they want to do." At these places, there is no room for any learning to take place. To open up to another, to be vulnerable in this state, or to be a little humble and obedient to another's suggestion or ideas is very difficult for many people. We like to be in control. In learning, we are never in control, we are always in a state of flux, - growing, changing, developing, emerging, discovering, questioning, learning, receiving, giving. There is no control for us here - we must lose many of your defenses, walls, closures, and protective mechanisms in our brains and become open and receptive and then something will come to us. This is very hard. Learning is like investigating an unknown land. We do not know what to expect but we have to be prepared for everything and at the same time be able to absorb everything around us. Only a few students have the humility to undertake this brave quest for discovery and growth.

Read more about Furuya Sensei here: http://www.kenshofuruya.com

Give Compassion

A good martial artist always gives compassion. In Japanese, jin (仁) can be translated as  “benevolence” or “compassion” but as with most things Japanese, there isn’t really a one to one translation. Jin may mean benevolence and compassion but the two are not quite the same. Benevolence is the “disposition to do good” while compassion is “the deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it.” Thus, they both have the desire to help or do good but only compassion has the awareness of suffering. In the beginning of one’s training, the natural course of development is to focus on the physical. Hardening our bodies and acquiring technical skill leads to a certain type of ego as most people over identify with their strength and defeating others without any type of moral deliberation. This can be the understanding of satsujinken (殺人刀) or “the sword that takes life.” Later, as we develop and mature, we realize our own humanity and discover katsujinken (活人剣) or “the sword that gives life.” At this place, we come to understand another definition of jin - humanity. Humanity is to have “compassion, sympathy, or consideration for all living beings.” With this understanding of humanity, a martial artist learns that in order to get compassion or humanity, they have to be willing and able to give it.  The Japanese say, “nasakewahitonotamenarazu” (情けは人の為ならず) which means “By doing good for others, we do good for ourselves.” The literal translation is “Compassion is not for other people's benefit.” We see this same understanding in the movie Seven Samurai as Shimada Kambei says, “This is the nature of war. By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself.” All martial artists have the ability and temperament to destroy others. Therefore, because the potentiality to destroy or hurt others exists, we need to temper it with compassion. Today marks the third anniversary since my friend and student Michael Stinson took his own life. Many of us trained right alongside Michael and never knew how much he was suffering. It is not that his problems are any of our business but rather that as martial artists, we train to be aware and perhaps we should have at least suspected it. Michael’s passing reminds us that in order to give life, we need to be aware of what is happening around us. John Watson once wrote, “This man beside us also has a hard fight with an un-favoring world, with strong temptations, with doubts and fears, with wounds of the past which have skinned over, but which smart when they are touched. It is a fact, however surprising. And when this occurs to us, we are moved to deal kindly with him, to bid him be of good cheer, to let him understand that we are also fighting a battle; we are bound not to irritate him, nor press hardly upon him nor help his lower self.” Understanding this, the best martial artists know that to destroy others is to destroy oneself and thus to get compassion, we need to give it. That is why a good martial artist always gives compassion.

Today’s goal: Remember Michael today and “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or dial 800-273-TALK (8255) any time day or night, or chat online. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741

Learn more about compassion and how to better see others by watching this video.

Happy Halloween

敵を知り己を知れば百戦危うからず
Teki wo shiriono wo shireba hyakusen ayaukarazu
Know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles

A good martial artist isn’t scared of anything. I’m not talking about not being scared from a foolish standpoint because one thinks that they can beat people up. In a martial arts sense, I mean not allowing fear to overtake our inner composure. Martial artists are not impervious, indestructible, or invincible. In fact, they are human beings just like everyone else, but they have learned to have courage. Mark Twain said, “Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” Thus, having courage in a martial arts context means having strong inner composure regardless of the opponent or situation and having the wherewithal to act even if one is afraid. A normal person has something called fuuseikakurei (風声鶴唳) where they “hear the enemy in every leaf that rustles” and become scared at the slightest thing. To become frightened means that our Ki has become upset or ki ga dotensuru (氣が動転する). Conversely, having composure means that our Ki is calm or heiki (平氣). Martial arts training teaches us to be calm and composed and always do our best no matter what comes. Through training, we realize that all foes are the same regardless of size, demeanor, or fierceness. That is because in training, we realize that the real opponent is ourselves and the only true task is keeping ourselves calm in the face of adversity. That is why O’Sensei advocated masakatsu agatsu (正勝吾勝) or that “the true victory is self-victory.” Having inner calm is not something that always comes as second nature. Some people have to learn it and it can be learned. One way to learn it is to seek out those who are bigger, stronger or cause us fear in class; for they are the ones who will teach us how to stand firm. With every knock down, hit and stand back up, we become firmer and firmer and over time we develop not just thicker skin but the heart of a warrior. It is not that martial artists don’t get scared - they do and only a fool or a liar says otherwise. A person with a true martial artist’s heart doesn’t allow themselves to be overtaken by the fear. Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Martial artists are always supposed to be calm, composed and centered and they never let themselves be overtaken by fear and that’s why a good martial artist isn’t scared of anything.  Have a safe and happy halloween!

Today’s goal: “Don't shrink. Don't puff up. Stand your sacred ground.” - Author Brené Brown

Watch this Brene Brown video to better understand fear

Camaraderie

“Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever.” Maria V. Snyder

The best martial artist know that there is no cause without camaraderie. The journey of a martial artist is fraught with trial and tribulation. Because our journey is our own, it is easy to think that it is a singular adventure. However, nothing can be farther from the truth. The martial arts might seem to be a singular pursuit, but it is not something that we can do alone. No matter who we are or how great we think we are, we all need people to help us get to where we are going. Teachers need students, students need teachers and students need one another. Without others, our journey is just an exercise in egoism because no one can tsukiyonobanbakarijanai (月夜の晩ばかりじゃない) or “Sleep with one eye open.” Having someone to depend on enables the journey to be just a little bit easier. The Dalai Lama referred to this as interdependence and commented on this by saying, “We human beings are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others' actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others' activities.” In Japanese, this interdependence is referred to as sougoizon (相互依存). My favorite example of interdependence comes from a scene in the 1958 movie The Loyal 47 Ronin. This specific scene does not appear in many of the other remakes, but it is one which I think typifies the interdependence of samurai honor. In this scene, the 47 ronin are trying to secretly move their weapons cache. While examining his papers, a high-ranking samurai of another clan catches the main character Oishi Kuranosuke in a lie. When he is caught in his deception, Oishi immediately apologizes and explains the situation. Hearing about Oishi and the other ronin’s plight and their plan to kill the rival lord and regain their honor, the samurai in charge lets them go and gives them safe passage through his territory. Hearing the verdict and overcome with emotion, Oishi responds, “Fellow samurai must support each other. We are never so keenly grateful for the kindness of others as when we have fallen on hard times.” Without this samurai’s help, there would be no story of the 47 Ronin. In Japanese, yuujou (友情) means “friendship” or “camaraderie.” Every martial artist is on the same path of self-discovery and self-development. This path can be hard and lonely as we live and die by our own merits. The bumps and bruises of following the Way tend to add up and can take their toll, but our journey is made just a little bit more bearable when we have people who support us. Every day in training, we need people to train with who will throw us down and we in turn need to throw them down too. This shared reciprocity creates a special bond that develops between people who have a common goal - following the Way. The best warriors know that nothing is accomplished alone, and no one gets to where they are going by themselves and that is why there is no cause without camaraderie.

Today’s goal: Remember, nothing is as valuable as friendship.

Watch this video to better understand camaraderie

Throwback Thursday - Remain True

Throwback Thursday - Remain True

Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on August 2, 2003.

Viewing the flowing waters - suddenly, I perceive the Essence of Zen! - Zen poem

Water changes according to its immediate circumstances but it never changes its Nature and always remains true to itself.

The wooden ladle for the tea ceremony or hishaku (柄杓) continually goes from the hot water to the cold water but never changes its Nature and is useful in any and all of its changing circumstances.

This, I think, is what we are searching for in Aikido and in our lives.

Photo: From a late 90s photo shoot at Black Belt Magazine for Furuya Sensei's book The Tao of Aikido which never came out. Uke: David Ito

Watch this video of Furuya Sensei explaining and demonstrating Aikido in 1988