Evolution & Tradition by Bjorn Saw

EVOLUTION & TRADITION AIKIDO IN TRANSFORMATION

AIKIDO IN TRANSFORMATION Some determine Aikido to be either traditional or evolutionary. Whether we lay the focus on upholding a certain lineage or feel free to interpret and change according to our own discoveries. I believe we may contain both in a vast display of experience; both traditional, honoring our past, and new and evolutionary, daring to explore the living relationship that Aikido point towards. A context that equally include basic form, flowing application and transformative change.

ENSUING DOUBT

"I wondered at the enormity of the experience and the doubt whether it was really true made me ill. I was sick to the verge of death for about one year. In the depths of this illness I was enlightened." -Morihei Ueshiba.

This is a profound statement often overlooked. Upon realization, when we awake to the spiritual reality underlying all phenomena, we are shocked and awestruck. We can't believe what just taken place. When the gates of heaven open and our eyes and heart see a new world beyond the normal, our mind cannot make sense out of it and enormous doubt arises. This is the the doubt Jesus had to deal with as he was taken up on the mountain and tempted by Satan after he had been baptized by the Holy Spirit. This is the doubt in the shape of Mara, the evil one, that came to visit the Buddha just after his full enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Tempting them to doubt their experience. This doubt can, and will, throw everything into question. Who am I? What am I doing? Existential questions that needs answering. Be then prepared, to expect the onslaught of massive doubt. We can find testimonies of this doubt with sages like Ramana Maharshi and other saints and realized beings if we look into their own records of their lives.â&#x20AC;¨

This doubt makes us question everything, we come to review every part of our life. It humbles us to the point of sickness, where we find our-

selves powerless in the face of revelation. The only way forward is to stay true to what you've experienced, not to budge or flinch from what you've seen and known to be true. In the humility we'll find our own salvation. In the depths of our doubt we will be enlightened as to the nature of mankind, to our selfless participation thereof, and to the wonder of life itself.

Internal Wave Motion How to internalize our outward movements? In Aikido, we call out, blend and flow with the interaction in a billowing wave-like motion. Like water in a river it flows following the contour of the ground beneath it. Up and down, side to side, in and out. No resistance to any object. Just to soften our body, make it pliable and sensitive, is hard enough. We very much tighten up upon contact, we stiffen and resist. Muscles contract and hesitation and fear rules our reaction. The learning process sometimes seem to increase the difficulties and our body becomes even more rigid than before practice. This is a normal reaction to something unknown, something completely new, and we are not used to it. Step by step we must come back to a natural way of being, a relaxed presence of mind, so we study and learn about our body-being, our natural balanced self, and see if we can remain calm under pressure. Establishing a low center of gravity, a stable and firm lower body, grounded and centered in our Hara, our abdomen, will enable us to move effortlessly 2

with ease. Filling your whole body with Ki, or conscious present energy, will coordinate and synchronize your movements. Not one part is amiss of what any other part is doing. With this integrated body and mind with our spirit, we study Aikido, its moves and principles. We externally blend and flow without resistance, move without restrictions. This is all well and good, and quite accomplished indeed, but can we now apply these principles internally? Inside our body? What we see in the outside form we now have to internalize, and it's difficult to see. It's hidden within. Can we replicate the wave form now from the inside? It becomes much more subtle, much more refined and smaller. Kokyu-ho, or the principle of breathing in and out, serves as the link to internal power. Look upon a natural wave, how it builds up, draws in, before it rises up and moves its full body mass forward. Absorb into yourself, breathe in, naturally gain the support from the ground beneath as you exhale and extend out. Only by using the full cycle of the in and out breath can we apprehend the power inherent in Aiki.Â

Soft Strength How does one develop softly applied strength? When we hug someone we love it's not done with tension. When we hold onto something without distress, the more we're able to relax, the more we will be able to utilize our natural muscle power without contraction. Tai-no-henko, our first method of training, highlights this dilemma; how to hold firm and strong without stiffening up? Usually all of our muscles contract and we tense up through the whole body, becoming rigid and unstable. This leads to having difficulties remaining

in balance when moved about. Many advocate not holding hard as to avoid this problem in Aikido. This only avoids the issue and doesn't resolve the difficulties of the natural reaction of tensing up, contracting upon impact or touch. Our defense mechanism and survival instinct when alarmed will contract and tense bracing for impact. When we hold the other, our partner in training, away from us, in fear of being overtaken or invaded, we naturally clam up instinctively. We loose our natural suppleness and our freedom to move with ease. As long as we train in this fashion we will never learn to relax, to give, and to receive and absorb what's coming at us. Therefore it is of utmost importance that we learn how to treat the other as one of us, as a loved brother or sister, to insure that we will be able to apply soft strength, a firm hold, without malice or fear. Even more, we can see the other as part of ourselves, an intricate part of a unified system. This view and attitude will take down the illusory walls raised between us, it will dislodge the idea of separation. This understanding will unlock the defensive patterns in the body and unveil a natural relationship already in existence, due to the simple fact that we face each other.Â So how do we then train this re-programing of our system? How do we change a natural instinct? By not avoiding the effect it has on us, we use it to feel it deeply, to absorb it and transform it from within. We hold hard, with love, from the ground up, with our whole body, relaxing as the grip tightens. We allow the grip, we even accommodate it. We don't resist it. We develop our center awareness, our grounding in our lower abdomen, down into the Earth, filling our body and mind with natural energy, or with splendorous Ki as O Sensei's might have expressed it. Filling out and extending beyond the confines of the body 3

and mind, including your partner in the process. This softly applied enormous strength tie your Ki together, often called musubi in Aikido. For the first time maybe, you will be able to relax, to go soft, yet without loosing power, balance or control. You'll be able to develop a strong supple body, ready for action without contraction. The Yin and Yang of opening and closing will reveal its secrets to you. This is the reason we hold hard, not so we can be bullish and brute, but to develop intrinsic strength, real internal power that arises from softness. Don't be afraid then, to be strong.

Vocation Vocation, or ones given mission or purpose in life, is sometimes not so clear. Have you ever asked yourself, "what am I supposed to do?" Is there a specific task to be performed, or is it more like a way of being? Are we already doing it, being it? What is the meaning of my life? These are good questions to ask. Ask deeply, keep probing, don't give up. Some years back when I found myself at loss as to what my life was meant to be or mean, I asked straight out, "what am I supposed to do?" almost in desperation and in anguish. I had already been seeking for answers as to the nature of being for many years, and experienced profound insights and revelations regarding the absolute reality of a spiritual substratum to our natural world, yet I was still not certain about my own personal part i n i t . W h a t w a s I t o d o ?â&#x20AC;¨ By myself, all alone, the answer came as soon as I asked the question. "To make people happy!" What? That was very unspecific, I thought. Nothing more concrete? And no clue or direction of

how to go about it. Was that it? My mission? To make people happy? As I thought about it, it made sense and it gave me "carte blanche", a freedom to explore and find out how to best turn that into my life. Aikido came to be the perfect platform and meeting place for this to develop. Aikido addresses so many, if not all, questions we may have about life, both absolute and personal, that what we learn on the mat may serve us well in the rest of our lives. But foremost in my mind was, and is, to share the joy it brings. The happiness of finding yourself in a environment catered solely to yourself, your interior and exterior growth, development and maturation, in relationship with others that find the same satisfaction in this exploration of body, mind and heart. Far from being merely a method of martial prowess, Aikido serves a larger context. It looks at the heart of relationship, of how to be with each other. It wakes you up from an introverted selffocus to an all embracing shared experience. It takes your mind off yourself for a moment and you get to experience the freedom of selfless participation. You "loose" yourself in the holistic engagement with others. This is what allows joy to bubble to the surface. Freedom from self. Then, even by yourself, you can reconnect to this sense of being and allow natural joy and happiness to rise within. In India, they hold out three aspects of the divine to be foremost: Sat, Chit, Ananda. Truth, Consciousness and Bliss. The joy and happiness we can experience in the depth of our being, is this very Ananda, the bliss of being itself. It doesn't have to be overly exuberant nor expressed. It is the gentle subtle hum running through your interior, an ever available source of peace, enlightened by truth and conscious present awareness. Now, what is better than to share this fountain head?

Śūnyatā, No Thing Whatsoever There is a realization that will baffle you, an experience like no other. It can come after long contemplation, after querying deep into your own mind and being. It can happen when your mind comes to its end, when it's left suspended with nothing more to hold on to. When you have taken it a far as you can, used every venue possible, and it kind of turn back on itself and self-erase. Suddenly you're left with nothing, complete empty, and you're still standing there in sheer amazement. There never was a thing and nothing exists as we usually interpret the self. The framework, the blueprint, the structure that organizes all our knowledge, the scaffolding that hold our worldview together disappear and reveal itself to be completely illusory. We're left with nothing, no thing whatsoever. But it is oh so wonderful. You and me don't exist. We have never been and we will never be. This incredible state of being is utterly normal, free from any add-ons and labels. There is no relationship to anything; past, present or future. Nothing exists; no mind, no thought, no you, no me, nor we. No world and no history. Utterly blank but not stupid. Enlightened and free, there is no thing whatsoever left. Nothing.

only the mountain is seen, sometimes only the dynamo, and at other times nothing is seen, and sometimes all are seen together. Three modes of one thing. Three equally real attributes of one truth. A mystery hard to hold, it escapes capture. A dynamic trinity of emptiness, form and life. All religions allude to its presence. Find it in your own self.

Awake The World Around You Can you awaken all things around you? Can you make people conscious of your shared presence? Can you ensure that you do not meet without first acknowledging the mutual substratum that is at the very core of our being? Can you demand this awakening among all participants near you. It is the most normal thing. It is the most natural. Make people conscious of this quality of attention, of natural being. It is at once simple and at the same time so generative and clear. Can you remain true and real to this engagement that does not need thought, or the thinking mind, in order to function. See how we can bypass the thought-process and go directly from intention to action, from being to doing, f r o m w a n t i n g t o a c c o m p l i s h i n g .

Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā.

Enigma Picture a mountain, then picture a dynamo in its centre, inside, like a generator holding enormous amounts of energy. Then picture them separate. Still and immovable the mountain depicts quiet strength while the dynamo is an unseen quality, generic and alive yet hidden within. Sometimes

Can you awaken all things, all nature, all creatures, around you? By conscious reflection? Make come alive with a vibrancy of life. Can you put your conscious present awareness onto all things? Awaken them to your inner reality?

This is what the Buddha spoke of when he said: "Someone who gives rise to the supreme, perfect thought of awakening will resolve thusly: ‘I shall 5

liberate all sentient beings,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and then having liberated all sentient beings, he understands that in truth, not a single being has been liberated." Why is this? Since we already share this conscious space that has no limitations to it. It belongs to no self, it is a free agent. We become conscious of our present awareness as the underlying true nature of our complete being. In it there is no self to be found, and no other. See the fine line, the cutting edge, between operating from mind or thought, and direct action free from separation. Free from the thought process you can move with ease. No restriction or time-delay, between you and your present experience.Â

The Dojo Is Not A Democracy The dojo is a sanctuary to practice the spirit. We practice unity and do not argue nor separate ourselves. We practice actual surrender, letting go of having it our way. The dojo serves as a foundation for spiritual realization. In it, we do not contend, we do not push our point. We do not demand nor do we insist. The dojo-cho, the head of the dojo, is there to sustain this spiritual perspective, and to ensure that it is never forgotten in all the interactions and commitments it has towards all members. We come to see a natural unfolding that happens spontaneously every time we let go of demanding it in one way or other. The dojo is a spiritual domain and as such cannot be imposed upon. The Sensei, the teacher of the dojo is representing a natural spiritual hierarchic structure and as such serves only as figurehead to an ideal. To conform to, and to respect his or her stature is not a personal subjugation but an alignment to a basic principle, to a spiritual norm, that itself uphold a certain standard. This standard,

though sometimes natural and spontaneous, becomes clear once we reach a certain level of realization. It is, therefore, a very personal journey of discovery, a spiritual practice, to realize and to come to understand. To understand means just that, to stand under. The dojo is not a democracy. It is a platform, an elevated space. You must rise up to be there. At once, we must step up onto the platform. Above, communication can begin. Below, vain discrimination never ends. Above no arguing or bickering is allowed because it breaks the fabric. Below is the norm of the whole world. We must be different. The dojo must be different from where we come from. It must be our haven, our sanctuary, and it is up to us to build it, elevate it, sustain it, progress it, keep and protect it. We come to the dojo to serve, not to rule.

Teacher/Student Dichotomy And Responsibility. Is it up to the teacher to match or blend with the student? Or is it up to the student to try to blend with the teacher? Some students never try to blend with their teachers feeling, while some teachers never feel the limit of their students. This creates a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. If the student doesn't try to adjust to what the teacher is trying to convey, he/she will never learn what the teacher is trying to offer. Yet if the teacher doesn't blend with the student he or she will never be able to explain to the student what he/she is trying to demonstrate. How do we bend something rigid? How do we soften something hard? How do we make something flow if it is solid? And vice versa? Through heat and friction. Through energy and connection. Through Ki

and Musubi. Through Kamai and Ma-ai, stance/ posture and space/distance. Through Aiki no kurai, the mirror-like consciousness that reflects and responds accurately to whatever is in front of it. In practice, four steps or levels:

deeper love, inherently there between you already.

1. Ko-tai, hard form. "Rigid Body"

To the spiritually cognizant One. Don't see with your eyes! Do not use your skin, nor your hands to feel with. Tread not with your feet. Walk without thoughts. Hear not with your ears. Don't speak a word. Think not it's up to you. Do not taste, feel, hear and see with your separate senses. Use the one and only resource you have available; your larger infinite Self. Close your eyes and see all around. In a clear mirror everything can be clearly seen. Everything we do and say has an effect. I cause my own pain. Being here, again, nothing ever happened. Form touches me, sound surrounds me, colour attracts me. Seeing through the veil of life, I am fulfilled.

2. Ju-tai, flexible form. "Supple Body" 3. Ryu-tai, flowing form. "Flowing Body" 4. Ki-tai, adaptive form. "Energy Body"

Joy or Mirth? Happiness or silliness? When do we cross the line? When does it go from genuine joy, sincere happiness and true laughter, to mirth, glee and frolics? When do we miss the context we're in? When do we loose the plot, loose awareness of a sense of appropriateness to the situation? What does it matter? Let your hair down! Admittedly there are times when it doesn't matter, when you can rage uncontrollably. Let it all out, let off the steam, and feel fantastic after. But if it becomes a habit, a way of avoiding real intimacy, real love in your encounters and in your relationships, then it doesn't serve true happiness nor is it real joy. You become the clown, drawing attention to yourself through your joviality and jocularity. Turn it down, ease off, and with a genuine smile look them in the eye. Joy is natural to a confident self; a self without pretense nor fear. Keep it that way, slow burn, ready to burst out in laughter spontaneously. Love is overwhelming and can sometimes be hard to bear, but if you persevere and get used to it, you will never again have it another way. Learn the difference and find a

I Have No Eyes

The Scent of Flowers I have no eyes and I swivel around a center-point where I turn like a camera being alerted by a motion detector. I exist in the center of my chest, at the heart of it all. I do not use my senses nor my mind. My body relaxes and I find a different kind of peace. An all knowing quality that lacks any kind of identity but that of you and I. Embodied presence in order to see things as they are. Nature is my greatest companion, the scent of flowers in the air.

True Kotodama The essential divine spark within human beings that makes them all that they can be.â&#x20AC;¨ Koto = word, and tama = jewel; the divinely inspired and empowered spoken word. Ie Spirit infused language. The degree to which a person who have perfected themselves in body and mind can manifest the power of Kotodama defines their character and talent as a human being. Ranging from the level of shinjin, person of truth, to Shinjin, divine person. Words spoken in truth resonates and vibrates in alignment and in harmony and are therefore filled with power; an energetic embodied quality that itself defines the divine. In Aikido terms, ki denotes the sound or voice, the air and breath (kokyu) expressed through words, through spiritual inspiration and intuition, with wisdom (gnosis) and intent. Words used at the point of union between the human and divine are Kotodama. Sincere, empowered and truthful expression of the spirit. Turn yourself inside out to make this come true within your own body and mind. Or listen in unison and blend and participate in a larger context where you can merge in a river of revealed Kotodama together with others. Wonder of wonders, lo and behold, heaven on earth!

Satisfaction "Suddenly she held her face with her hands, tears flowing, saying she knew she was free, and she realized she'd always been free". How amazing all this was. It revealed to me that nothing is more satisfying than to share this truth. I had spent a few days with my new found friends on the beach in Thailand. We'd been speaking

about the innate freedom we can discover within ourselves. A freedom beyond time and place; an insight, an understanding and a realization that releases us from wrong identification with our limited body and mind. This experience can open like a flower and grant us a rare glimpse of our true nature, awakening us to a life of spiritual freedom. Though this opening and ensuing ecstasy and bliss is overwhelming in itself it is not really a lasting satisfaction, and therefore can confuse many newcomers, prompting them to look for more of the same thing, more experiences and repeat revelation. But like a drug addict knows, after the high comes the low, and a new fix is needed. Like with any experience, it is but fleeting and will pass, leaving us confounded and at loss. Yet if you'd look a little further ahead, just as you would see a flower bloom and then turn into fruit, you'd see that the satisfaction lays in the maturation, ripening and ultimately in the eating of the fruit, satisfying our hunger and need for nourishment. This is what struck me so vividly when my friend awakened in front of me; that to share this fruit, to share our findings, to share our wealth, is ultimately the greatest and the only true satisfaction we ever will be able to have. It is only when we're able to give back what has been given to us, that we will experience real satisfaction in our soul and being. To feed others, to help and to serve when you have something to give from your heart, turns out to be natural development and progression of an awakening, of a flowering in springtime.

The Simplest Thing There is an awakening, or rather a realization that will sweep all others away, and it's the simplest thing. Our awakening to and practice of having a capacity of a myriad spontaneous responses, natural intuitive echos, from stimuli will free our mind and body to feel deeper, sense more, and widen our context of being. Yet widening the range of play in your person, albeit liberating in itself, will not necessarily lead to a penetrating insight into who you are in essence. Therefore I'm probing deeper, becoming one-pointed in my focus, and turning my attention to detail. Who am I? Right now, before thought and ideas? Question your ideas of what and who you are. Confront yourself with your present experience. This experience of yours is the simplest thing. Nothing needs adding. It might seem insignificant but nothing is further from the truth. Detach your mind process from your experience of now. See that there is nowhere to go, nothing to find, and find the key to unlock all mysteries, seeing the oneness between us. Recognize the resistance from your mind to look this closely, see it's inability to grasp it. Not knowing is the essence of this experience, the seat from where we function. Now see all manifestations that arise and leave this fundamental knowledge. See how we all try to establish a separate self, an identity, in order to grasp reality. Establishing an ego entity outside of your direct knowing of your selfless Self. Getting tired and irritated with this common and repetitive pattern we come back to who we are and find ultimate peace in our present conscious experience. From here all things can be resolved, answers come upon and a myriad things resolved. Yet we always return to the unknown sense of being within. To understand this means

that the mind stands under knowing. Pure experience.

Christianity and Aikido Many Christians hesitate to practice Aikido fearing that it contradicts their faith. Fearing the intrusion of a different mindset, of a different spiritual framework. They sometimes fear it so much they must condemn it, calling it dangerous and misleading. They are afraid of Ki, the energy of our intention, thinking it calls upon other gods or spirits. They are reluctant to feel within themselves the flow of directed present awareness, the dynamic quality of generated power, with body and mind aligned and unified. They dare not become more sensitive, afraid to be overcome by demonic influence, power and spirits. They are afraid of silencing the mind, fearing we'd loose Jesus in the process, becoming idolatry Buddhists with no higher authority than ourselves. Though it is true that Aikido can appeal to a person of any Faith and religion it doesn't mean that Aikido belongs more to one rather than the other. It is true that the philosophy stems from Shinto with a touch of Buddhism thrown in, but more than anything it relates to a human understanding of a spiritual reality that will not fall short under any religious belief structure. Being a Christian, Aikido will not topple your faith nor undermine it. Rather it will enhance your understanding of the workings of body and mind in harmony and in close relationship with your spirit. You will discover that your body really is a temple and that the kingdom of God is within. You will find that the truth will set you free, and that surrender is the only way to spiritual liberation. In Aikido we practice our faith. We learn to surrender and to

give in. We realize that our body and mind are swayed by patterns of rigidity and habits, not always wholesome ones, and we come to release and change, becoming more sensitive to ourselves and to other peoples influence. We grow closer to our own spirit, we come to see we exist within a larger context, part and parcel of a human family. We slowly come to realize that something larger, absolute positive, wholesome and loving directs and oversees our progress. We learn to internalize as well as externalize our conscious present experience, to include all others and all things. In Aikido we learn of a love supreme that overcomes all obstacles and frees our mind and heart into a holistic relationship with all things; nature and man. In this context, Jesus can and will enhance our understanding and perhaps become our guiding light, founding principle, and ultimately our Savior but that is a personal choice and up to each and every one to come to in their own good time. Jesus and the Buddha stands as leaders of world religions and as such demands respect. They hold immense value and wisdom, and each hold forth a view and a perspective of the heart, of a spirit filled soul and yet different from each other they offer deep resolution in our lives. Aikido stand in no contradiction to either of them, nor does Aikido exist outside of the meaning and purpose of either. Aikido underlines moral responsibility and service to mankind, and in no way cater to evil spirits nor to ego-maniacs on or off the mat. We are all under authority.Â

A Perfect Reflection If you become the mirror you are in fact what you see. Everything and everyone within your scope

of vision, within your sense of feeling, is in fact you. Therefore you'll be able to accommodate them, afford them, and meet them where they are, as they are. Bare and naked, nothing hidden, all is revealed. Just face them with themselves and you'll disarm them. Nothing is as pacifying as a true reflection. Seeing themselves in you they won't know how to act and they become conscious of who they pretend to be. It's a stark picture, warts and all. But since there is no blame, no accusation nor judgement, there won't be any resistance to it. A perfect reflection has the honest effect of returning one to oneself, of throwing oneself back onto oneself. And this nakedness, this bareness, is not happening in isolation. It's shared between you, as a joint experience, making it an extraordinary event, an awakening to oneself. Detail and nuances are clear, all seen in a precise measure. This is the fast track to true union, to real communication and meeting. It's a vulnerable place to be, far from the maddening crowd. Far from the fake superficial injustices that occur all the time between people. Can you bear it? Awakening together.

Fear Of Losing What We Have Possessiveness, jealousy and control, all have to do with the fear of letting go. Letting go of what we love. Losing what we rely on. Love bonds go deep, much deeper than we can understand. Losing a loved one, your beloved, someone you've invested all your time and energy in, made love with, lived with, laughed and cried with, is a tear at the very fabric of who you are. It is supposed to be heart wrenching, upsetting and tear-filled. The love bond is a union of body and mind, soul and spirit, and will never be a

easy thing to unravel. Tearing apart a heart will leave a fleshy wound that will take time to heal, leaving a scar for you to remember him or her by. Scars used to be how the ancients measured their lives, of how rich their experience had been. Only a baby was supposed to be scarfree, innocent and without blemish. The pain and suffering will mold us, heal us and form a newer you, a more experienced you, a stronger you. Whether you stay or go, can you set them free? Fear will make you hold on, afraid of letting go, resulting in possessiveness, jealousy and control. This fear will make you weak, out of control, and bitter and angry. Love will have you face directly into the heart of the matter and resolve it right from the very center of it all. Losing everything is indeed frightening and so it should be. It is a stark reminder of what we will eventually have to face at the point of death. You can't shrug it off. You can't treat it lightly. It is a passageway you must pass through alone. I wouldn't wish it on anyone but we all have to pass through it at one time or another. This is a time when we need spiritual help. Faith and love for something beyond our control. Not blind or hopeless, but tender and sincere. When the heart is broken there can be healing. Not an instant overnight remedy but a prolonged care and sustained infusion of love, will over time heal and restore your soul.

bad. Don't look back, don't dream ahead, don't linger nor fantasize. But what these selfproclaimed do-gooders fail to appreciate is that if you realize you're on a never ending projectile, on the forefront of time's expansion, regardless of the direction you are looking at any one point, you're still hurling forward in neck-breaking speed. Once you surf with ease this constant wave, and you've learned all the tricks, you can even stand on your head without falling off or slowing down. Now if you realize where you've come from and you see the horizon up ahead, you'll have no problem of surfing free, adjusting spontaneously to the conditions at hand, always enjoying the now but never without full awareness, knowing and appreciation of the complete picture, of the Ocean upon where you ride. Vision may be impaired but knowing covers it all. This larger picture draws a line from the before up ahead to the future, never losing sight of the momentous motion all points are endowed with. The knowledge that at any point down the line of time contains the past present and future. What used to be future is swallowed up by the past in an instant. How can we linger in the past when we're already moving into the future? Not by choice but by the nature of motion, by the nature of time and by the nature of the Big Bang. Dream on, linger and stay, you're free to roam in this Ocean of Being endlessly forever.Â

Time's Projection

Original Language

Straight as an arrow time flies forward, curving into the future. No stopping or going back is possible. This motion, this dynamic constant in our lives is often lost on us. Be in the now, they say, telling us that living in the past or in the future is

When words mean what they depict we'll find an original language that speaks with power. Today people have lost the meaning of words and instead use them according to common parlor which is laden with prejudice and shallowness.

All words echo an inherent truth. If we don't use words according to its inherent and original meaning we loose their potential power. Touch the true meaning of any word and you'll find a resonance in its expression. Don't use words arbitrarily. Past, present and future are all contained within a true language of meaningful words. There are no bad words, or outdated words. They all serve a greater good by dressing our experience, hence making it conscious and alive to our frame of mind, our world view. There is no need to reject one over the other. They're all distinct and do not oppose each other. We all contain everything; past present and future and must therefore own all words as our very being itself. Tradition and evolution, two ways of viewing the world. Once we see they depict the same truth only seen from different directions, we come to realise the wonder of an underlying reality that defies being limited. Words carry power as long as we connect them to the original language that speaks truth. All words are spiritual in essence. Understand its significance and you'll never again use words causally.

Common Courtesy Ones intention is revealed in ones remarks and comments. How aware are we of the so often thinly disguised criticism we hand out? Often in the form of sarcasm and irony. Smug remarks, gentle belittling, advisory do-goodery, just to establish the pecking order. We could do without this hierarchical ego structuring. There really is no need for it. Leave and let be. Allow everything to be as it is, and we'll find a natural relationship emerging. Be patient and wait for something new to reveal itself. Be humble and listen to the other.

Approach with a duty of care. As a guest we're not meant to impose. As an intruder we are often shown the door, so instead come humbly, ask for permission and be the friend. Knowing the distinction between host and guest you never overstep the mark. Self-appointed judges, critics and well-intended friends even with the best will in the world so often come clamping in with a ready remark, a stern criticism and with a fixed and preset mind. These hints of superiority are often marks of identity, who are we in regards to the other? Immediately assessing and measuring, instantly finding ones role in relationship to the other. Having an agenda, a preset course of action or line of thought, inhibits your ability to listen, to reach a common ground. Common courtesy is this ability to meet another free from a historical relationship, free from a preconditioned mindset even if you know the person deeply. Integrity and responsibility, the building and sustaining of trust, comes from a loving and caring mind. A thoughtful and considered approach always breaks the ice and avoids the instinctive intuitive reaction to a smart remark or clever critique. Recognize how often we divide by standing apart. There is no need to justify or to protect. Who we are and what we do stand by itself as our testimony and witness. Our actions paints the multicolored picture of who we are so there is no need to compare notes and no need to vindicate ourselves. That's why the Buddha often fell silent in response. Some things are evident for those with eyes wide open. No need to argue for arguments sake. Hui Neng, the sixth Zen patriarch of China, stated that there would be no arguing in his school for this very reason. An argumentative and contentious mindset is already preset at division and continue to thrive in separation. See this mischievous ego-game for what it

is; ultimately divisive and destructive. Common courtesy allow for a different way of communicating. Opening up to a shared and joint experience, ultimately meeting in harmony and in peace.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Realâ&#x20AC;? Aikido Real Aikido takes it back to its roots; martial combat, police and military techniques. Daito Ryu Ju Jutsu, the forerunner of Aiki Bujutsu and Aikido, addresses life-threatening encounters in a direct manner. Dangerous and lethal, its techniques are meant to work instantly, taking the opponent down without mercy. Kill or be killed policy. Many still think Aikido is meant to be trained in this way, and many think that without the real experience of confrontation training we will not be able to handle a volatile situation on the street. That has some truth to it, that unless we train with real intent, focus and force, we won't be ready nor equipped to handle the real deal. But can we draw out the process of dealing with a situation from raw hand to hand combat to a nuanced training method that includes a non-violent and non-aggressive approach, where we still acknowledge the danger of a threat yet are able to defuse and to control a situation? Can we train in an environment that still gets the adrenalin pumping, the fear factor raised, in a challenging encounter, yet without having to resort to a toe-totoe stand off? It might still come down to that, in the end, if nothing else works and your fight or flight response kicks in, but till then can we approach the situation as there is no fight happening? Can we see the whole scenario as a practice of unity? Finding a way to harness the violent intent, to defuse the threat by including rather

than pushing or looking away. This takes real courage and presence of mind, especially at the height of tension and stress. Easier said than done but some people never gets into fights and others always do. Some become victims of random senseless attacks, and never having trained in martial arts, are at loss at what to do. Others are well trained, hardened by real life encounters, and/or work in volatile professions like with the police, at the security services or on the doors at clubs and bars. Aikido teaches us something more than just the hand to hand combat. Its roots are martial and lethal but the vision of O Sensei, the founder of Aikido, transformed it into an art of love; an art that includes and serves the other. Here lies the crux of the matter, it's not only because he had excelled in his martial abilities that he now could advocate a peaceful approach and solution, but because he had a change of heart, a spiritual revelation, that showed him a new way to harness and to appease a confrontation. A new way of dealing with an attacker. O Sensei learned to see the intent long before it was declared. He moved in unison with the unfolding scenario and was able to nip any threat in the bud, redirecting and unbalancing with ease. This ability showed up once he saw the union, the oneness, of any given situation. He did not approach a confrontation with a dualistic mindset but saw the other as himself and could therefore move as if being one. His skill and prowess as a martial artist of course served him well. A lifelong encounter with real situations on and off the battlefield and with an arduous training discipline he excelled in the fighting arts and was renowned for it throughout Japan. Yet by his own admission, what he savored and cherished was his spiritual insights. He would only refer to his spiritual teacher as his teacher, not his Daito-Ryu

master from whom he'd learned Aikido's technical curriculum. It wasn't because he'd gone soft in his mind that he changed his martial jutsu to the spiritual do; Aiki-jutsu to Aikido. It was because he'd seen the truth underlying all relationships, the unity and brotherhood we all share. This is what makes Aikido so special; it advocates a different frame of mind, a different heart and a different understanding. Real Aikido, in O Sensei's terms, would be an art of love, a discipline in respect and an art of blending and merging in unity. But there are no shortcuts to mastery; daily training, daily misogi, daily introspection and study is what we all need to focus on. Otherwise it's all empty talk.

The Myth Of The Sword The sword of doom or the life-giving sword. These are but two of the epithets given to the legendary Katana, the two handed sword carried by all samurai. As in the USA, where the weapon of choice is the revolver, the pride and protector of the individual, in Japan the Katana, or the live blade, is depicted as the soul and spirit of the nation. A tool only meant to kill or maim other human beings, in the name of self defense, serve as a symbol for the country's bloody history. Even today we regard these beautiful works of deadly art as something to be venerated and respected. It has an alluring attraction, a secret love affair to something dangerous. This danger creates the myth of decency. So in all martial traditions where life and death is decided by the skill of the combatants, these weapons represent the height of mastery. A blade was never supposed to be wielded by a novice, a gun never supposed to be used by child. A drawn revolver

or an unsheathed sword was meant to be used. Once you engage the weapon you had to fulfill its purpose; shoot to kill. It is a thrill indeed to balance life and death in your own hands but facing the consequences afterward may be harder to deal with. Life is precious to all and holy to the religious, even to the point of non-resistance and ultimate death, like in Gandhi's case, or as Jesus surrendered his life without putting up any resistance. To die in the name of love, is it worth it? So many innocent have perished in the hands of killers. Live by the gun and die by the gun, goes the saying. Seemingly there are no guarantees, whether you fight or not, you may come out s h o r t .â&#x20AC;¨

Someone told me, "don't teach me how to kill" because if I'm called upon it I might do it. Aikido tries to address this dilemma, how to be a martial artist yet without its deadly tools. How to be effective, loving and protective without a lethal consequence? True, in a real situation where we'd have to protect kin and loved ones, we might kill and maim in order to save them, but is this something you and I want to study and learn? In Iwama, at the birthplace of Aikido in Japan, in the founders dojo, I never saw Saito Sensei wield a live blade nor were there any Katanas on display like in so many Western dojos. Rare are the films and photographs of O Sensei where we see him holding a Katana. The founder had lived in an era where the sword still had been in use and he was no stranger to its reputation nor to the skills in handling it, but as he grew older and as his art developed, the bokken, the wooden sword, replaced it. We never trained with a real sword in Iwama, nor did I do it in my dojo in Sweden. Iaido, the popular sword-drawing budo form, was never a part of regular Aikido practice. Some people ad14

vocate training with a live blade as it heightens the risk and sharpens the focus and concentration. Some say it becomes more real but I was never taught in this manner and that's why I do not teach with a Katana in my dojo. Aikido has a very different philosophy than all other traditional famous sword schools of Japan. Listen to Otake Sensei of the Katori Shinto Ryu explaining that his sword takes life. It's a deadly skill, meant to kill on the battleground. This is a military tradition of how to handle your weapon in a conflict situation. Today's army use modern arms way more effective to accomplish their objective; to kill and to maim. Can we realize how this myth spun around legendary weapons distorts our understanding of O Sensei's vision? Can we see and actually feel the danger of a drawn blade, a drawn gun, and chose not to go there?

It’s Not An Individual Race It's not an individual race, it's a mass movement. Once you find yourself within a larger context you'll realize you're not moving alone. You have become part of a greater momentum and can relax your personal ambition. You're not going at it alone any more. Jump into the river and let yourself be swept away. No need to compete as everyone are moving alongside with you, aiding and strengthening the development. Stop worrying about your personal fears and join the whole. All of our individual flaws, our nicks-and-knacks, don't go away but they are accommodated, cared for and loved, because in the river we all move at the same speed, warts and all. Being in the river is also our misogi; our cleansing of our mind's clutter. Our fears are washed away and we can begin to enjoy the ride.

Motion is universal and nothing ever stays still for very long. There's a flow to everything; the stars move together, spiraling around the center of the galaxy, the planets around the sun, the Earth around its axis and man around his family and social setting. Find this river in your life and let yourself go.

Bushido The moral code of the noble samurai warrior laid out in seven principles. Seven virtues, or qualities that reflect our state of mind and our posture of the body. Seven aspects of one whole self. As a spiritual Aikido student we need to study and train this to make these qualities part of our e v e r y - d a y e x p e r i e n c e .

1. Integrity: Never speak a lie! Be true. Never look away. Honestly look at yourself in the mirror of reflection. See yourself as you are. In your mind recognize your biased outlook, see your own prejudices. Be honest and real. This will humble you. Find your own moral compass, stand alone in your self. Do not lean on others. In your body, find your relaxed balance, stop propping yourself up. Release tension and held parts, be full and whole. Open up your breath. Hold no limits, have no protective armor around you. Be v u l n e r a b l e y e t u p r i g h t a n d s t r o n g .  Spiritual integrity, the fullest understanding of integrity, means you've realized who you are and remain true to that at all times in all places. Empty of self you are no one, completely stand alone, free from bias but seeing clearly you act from the compassion and love of all things.

2. Respect: Respect yourself! Honor your body and mind. Take care of every little thing, Be attentive and thoughtful. Allow the integrity of the other. Do not impose, your views nor your opinions. Respect the Earth, its nature and its gifts. Honor the other as yourself, bringing about a mutual understanding. Offer help in all circumstances. Take care of your body, your temple, look after it, nurture and feed it, maintain and strengthen it, keep it supple and tuned. Find the natural cycle and learn to flow in harmony with it. A balanced body and mind, soul and spirit, has inherent value and worth. To this we bow down to in respect. Spiritual respect is devotion and wors h i p o f L i f e i t s e l f .â&#x20AC;¨

3. Courage: Dare to be naked! Exposed and vulnerable. Open and free you avoid nothing. Face to face with truth, see your full reflection, the good with the bad. Courage makes you take on the bad, change when deemed necessary, while daring to fully be who you are; strong and beautiful, glad and happy. Courage makes you face the world, every day, without flinching, without hiding. Courage makes you go that extra mile, do that extra chore, lend a helping hand when not expected to do so. Reaching out when no one else does. Spiritual courage makes you the friend that will be there. It makes you bite your lip and turn the other cheek. It makes you speak up for injustice, side with the innocent and face the consequences thereof. Spiritual courage makes y o u t h e o t h e r .â&#x20AC;¨

4. Honor: Honor your mother and father! Honor your neighbor. Treat your friend with kindness and your foe with love. Your own love must be great enough to engulf and encompass the

other. Only with love will you be able to honor Life itself. Live a life of love, and honor will be the natural response to all things, to all men. Spiritual honor is gratitude. Gratitude to be alive, to been given the gift of life. Gratitude can overcome you, bowl you over and bless you. Honor comes natural once you realize the spirit of what you are and of where you come from. With spirit at the head, the body becomes the temple.

5. Compassion: Love! With the above principles in place you will feel compassion for all things. You will begin to identify with others, in their hardships and in their struggles. Their suffering suddenly becomes yours. You become painstakingly aware of their pain, you feel it intimately. This sparks your inborn compassion, not in a pitying way but in a loving embrace where you don't shy away from the rawness and reality of the situation. In Aikido, this feeling will show itself in the ability to blend emotionally and physically with the other. You no longer hold the other at arms length. Spiritually you merge with the other and become one self. As you are, I am. This unity, this selfless oneness, has a life of its own. It generates a spontaneous and intuitive interaction where the motion flow into one. Now miracles happen. The flow of the universe creates and opens doors of perception that naturally enables healing and restoration, from division back into harmony, from chaos back into unity.

6. Sincerity: Mean it! Mean what you say and say what you mean. Intention is everything. Knowing what you want makes your intention clear. With a sincere heart go about your business, honoring all the above aspects of your self. In your en16

gagement with others be patient, be sincere, don't rush or skim over things. Take your time and choose your words wisely. Think it through, act and reflect. Ask and question, be curious, be innocent. Open and receptive we hear without prejudgement. We want to know and we'd like to understand. We query with sincerity. Spiritual sincerity calls on our integrity of being; know who you are. Know what you do know and know what you do not know. Do not pretend.

7. Duty: It's not about you! The care and duty we have, is something much bigger than simply the care for yourself. It is a care for the whole world, for all the people in it. It is a prerogative for a human being to care for the whole. Inherently we are responsible for each and every one of us. If you don't care, who will? But this duty is not hard-earned, it is full of compassion. It is a natural outpouring of love and concern for our fellow man, as well as for our love of nature, honoring and safeguarding all life on Earth. It's in our nature to care and to the extent and fullness of our spiritual heart we can shoulder the full responsibility solely by ourselves. No need to wait for someone else to do it before you. We have examples of men and women having done so in the past, that will confirm to us the sacrifice involved where all the above principles are firmly adhered to, as if from an inherent compulsion and calling. This duty is then no longer seen as a burden but as a wonderful expression of love.

Fill Yourself With Ki Fill your whole body and mind with glorious Ki, let it extend past your fingertips, reaching the

end of the Universe. Sink into the ground, establish roots from your legs and feet into the Earth. Unlock your knees, fall into the ground, compress your legs, center in your Hara, your hip area. Drop your body, brace and extend through the legs, direct and extend through the spine and arms. Extend Kokyu-ryoku, breath-power, through alignment with the ground, centered body-awareness, and use pivotal strength to spring forth. Move in unison with your breath, ride up and down, floating and buoyant, finding rhythm and coordination. Move as one piece, all limbs together, synchronized, balanced and rel a x e d .â&#x20AC;¨

Empty your mind, let your thoughts follow your intent. Enclose and embrace, invite and call out. Enter and turn, receive and surround. With your spirit, wake your opponent up, tune in, clue in and meet. Share the same space of consciousness, share the same field of enactment. Move as one being, one entity. No separation, no duality and no conflict, no power and no control. Widen your sphere of influence, envelope the whole situation, create a larger sense of being. Include all things, all others, within your own experience. Sense and feel, connect and blend. Your unfettered mind never stops nor lay hold, in a continuous flow it never rests upon any thing.â&#x20AC;¨

Change and transform, from water to ice, and back again. Go heavy, go light. Open up, expand and extend. Draw in, compress and concentrate. Freely adjust and use all the elements; be like the wind, like fire, like water. Be Space itself. Be iron, be Earth. Change temperament; go warm, go cold, speed up, slow down, intense and relaxed. Be the guardian, be the son, be the 17

father. Transform yourself to rain, to sunlight, to night and day. Be the mirror reflecting all things just as they appear in front. No delay, no effort. Empty of self. Picture a mountain. And within it, a dynamo, generating extraordinary energy. This picture is hidden by emptiness, concealed by nothingness. Sometimes the mountain is seen, sometimes the dynamo, and sometimes nothing at all. It manifests upon contact, appearing only upon touch.

The responsibility lay squarely on your own shoulders. Nobody makes you do anything, you are fully responsible. You always have the ability to choose freedom over bondage; in any given moment, we always have the choice available to us. Set yourself free. Realize who you are today is the result of past choices, and the future will become what you choose today. Now is the time of freedom.

3. Face Everything and Avoid Nothing In Your Own Words 1. Clarity of Intention Know what you want! Deep inside, what is your most important question? What do you want out of life? If you are in touch with your deepest desire, your most profound longing, are you pursuing it? Have you come to terms with your own life? Are you interested in knowing the truth? Curious of who you are? Wanting to know and wanting to understand is the most direct path to inner freedom. By using direct inquiry and sustained contemplation you'll be able to penetrate beneath the surface of ordinary conceptional theory and hit directly at the truth. Do you want to know the Truth? Do you want to be free?

In a clear mirror everything is clearly seen! Nothing is hidden. Hold nothing back, admit it all. Stark naked in the flood-lights, exposed and vulnerable. See the good with the bad, the horrific with the angelic. Dare to face the truth of who you are. Be honest and sincere. Humility and courage are the necessary qualities needed. If you want to examine everything and if you want to be free, this will be your perfect practice. It is a perspective, a vision that we hold, that lays everything bare. Just simply seeing what's before us without judgement or conclusions. Experience without the mental reference of our mind interfering. Simply seeing objectively what's before us, stripped of the mental notes that goes with it.

4. The Truth of Impersonality 2. The Law of Volitionality Everybody always know what they are doing! You are always choosing one way or another. Who you decide to be or to become is up to you alone. Circumstances and conditions set the stage but how you respond is up to you. Realize you're always free to choose, and you always do.

Everything is impersonal, universal and collective whether we speak of our conditioned human nature or of our absolute pure spiritual nature. Our spiritual nature, the unformed substratum of our being, sometimes called Buddha-nature, our true and real self-nature or Spirit, is who and what we are in essence. It is what makes it possible to identify with all things and with all beings. 18

Our human nature, or "second nature" which we are much more acquainted with, is also impersonal in the sense that we all are conditioned and formed by the same building blocks, so we can empathize with all others, simply because we share the same system of body and mind. Realizing it's not a personal matter frees us from a guilt-laden victimization and we'll be able to see our own life objectively, and as part of, and the same as, all others. There is no difference and in fact you'll realize you are every other one. One being, one body, one life. Your individual life will be exposed as being simply one among billions, nothing special, and freed from this selfindulgence you are liberated into all others. Suddenly you will have access to a radical objective view of yourself, being able to face everything and avoid nothing.

5. For the Sake of the Whole Not my will but yours! The eight-fold noble path of the Buddha springs to mind. By considering the whole picture, the full context we find ourselves in, you establish harmony and order out of the whirlpool of chaos in an overwhelming world. By taking on the full responsibility for everything that has ever happened and everything that will happen in the future, you redeem the pain and wrongs committed in the past and save the dead as well as the living. By accepting that you alone solely have the singular responsibility for the well-being and welfare of every and all people in the world, and for the safe-keep of the planet, you at last finally become what you're meant to be; a real human being. Life begins to make sense and you no longer feel lost in the vast expanse of the universe. Finally at home with who

and what you are. When you no longer only live for yourself, but for the greater good, for the sake of the whole, you'll tap into the essence of life and find meaning and purpose inherent in the very fabric of the cosmos itself.

Standing On The Floating Bridge Of Heaven By cultivating your center presence, your physical point of balance in the lower abdomen, your Hara and Tan-den, you will slowly amass body composure and stability over the years of practice. This is the meeting point of the upper and lower body, and equally so the meeting point of heaven and earth. Gravity keeps your feet firmly on the ground while the spine and arms reaches up and out, a two-way communication of spirit rising and body grounding. Feel this fire rising, extending, expanding while water sinks, centers and relaxes. Fire and water, the polar opposites that combine to generate a dynamic unity of exuberant life energy or Ki. A stable yet supple center makes it light and buoyant as if floating upon the surface of the ocean, drawing support and energy from the ground, your reliable ally, while expanding your conscious experience of the limitless expanse of your mind. Far and wide stretches the mind, opening up in all directions. This dual experience of two dynamic forces blend as in a whirlpool to create a unified self; a coordinated body and mind. This focus and concentration generates the power to act in a clear and precise manner, to respond accurately and distinct. It harnesses the various parts and brings them into alignment with your intent. Standing in the center, balanced between Heaven and Earth, you can find yourself in a space of emptiness, suspended in between with

nothing to support you. Remaining untouched, balanced evenly, creating no friction like in the eye of the storm. Invisible, even to yourself, you don't let anything land on you, not even light. "Since there is no mirror bright, where can the dust alight?", Hui Neng said in his poem. This describes his inner experience. We may cultivate this experience in ourselves without any prior practice of Aikido or martial arts, without concentrating on our physical dimension, just as we are; standing, sitting or lying down. Our physical nature will respond to such an inquiry and begin to align itself accordingly so we may proceed exploring this state of mind in meditation and in our normal life without necessarily engaging in a physical rigorous training. But by using the body as tool and cultivating it as our medium for engagement we will integrate all aspects of ourselves; body, mind and self into one coherent unit capable of an extraordinary function and response. So study the Earth; our foundation, and study ourselves; who we are, and study Heaven; the Spirit of Life itself.

The Experience Of Now Like a magnifying glass focuses the rays of the sun into one small spot, generating concentrated heat, so does sustained contemplation on a specific topic. Especially the inquiry of our direct perception of the experience of the here and now. Selected and isolated, our immediate and present moment becomes the focal ground for an in-depth search. How do you look at the now? How do you experience it? What is it? You'll notice how you can't hold it, it is always fleeting, now, now and now. Never still in one place, it never stops even for a second. The closer you

look the faster it becomes. Try to hold it and you'll see how it already left you far behind. Extremely fast, its velocity seems to accelerate. We will realize we can't "see" time as in one moment, but only experience it as a constant flow. A never ending river of successive moments, all flowing into one direct experience of being. This experience of your own being, highlighted and honed in on, reveals a constant newness, an ever-new quality of being born again. Again and again. This freshness is as liberating as it is thrilling. Like being on the crest of a rolling wave, heading forward in neck-breaking speed. Like riding on the forefront of a speeding light-beam where going back is not an option.Â This very moment, right now, is the very edge of time itself. We're living at the end of time itself, hurling into an unknown future. Exciting and free, scary and exhausting, this Life-ride will expand our conscious experience of our every day present experience of each and every moment. Welcome to the Now. Yet having said that, getting the kick and exhilaration and even receiving a profound revelation of our true nature underlying this motion, we will come to appreciate our lives in a larger sense, incorporating our insights and experiences into a complete holistic picture where nothing is different from any other living being. We all share the same experience all the time. There are infinite different dimensions to this experience of now, yet from one perspective they all fit within one radical lens. This unifying glass will come to be more thrilling than even the concentrated beam of light that creates fire. Now, take it all in and free your mind from trying to grasp time itself. An ever new vista lays before us, welcoming us into real relationships and awakened living.Â 20

Imagery

A Spear Stabbing Into Empty Space

Visual realizations helps us fathom the mystery that lies beyond it. Aspects of reality can be seen in isolation when distinguished and formalized. Imagery gives us a tool to experience reality in its different facets. Absolute Truth itself have not one distinguishing feature. It is formless and as our fundamental Mind it is empty as space, limitless and void of characteristics so it can't be held or placed anywhere. Yet it can be detected through its nuanced qualities, like love, compassion, gentleness, wisdom, light, etc etc.â&#x20AC;¨ We therefore imagine and visualize these qualities to clad our experience with meaning. Jesus exhibits the qualities of his father. He makes them known. Only through representation will we be able to see the inherent principles of the unformed Godhead. Only through imagery can we come to appreciate the width and breath of the m y s t e r y o f S p i r i t .â&#x20AC;¨

This is an old Zen koan, a mystery meant to highlight a profound truth. Deep contemplation and insight meditation can throw light upon this saying, revealing a timeless experience of our true nature. It will stress the activity of a realized state, neither being a neutral nor placid place.â&#x20AC;¨

All religions use this medium to point toward a transcendental reality, that lies just beyond human perception. Language itself is a medium bridging the gap between the unseen, or unheard, and the seen and heard. Don't be afraid then, to use pictures to describe reality. Don't hesitate to hail art as the medium of spirit, poetry as the language of saints.

One-pointed and directed we aim at the center of the target. Arjuna only saw the eye of the fish he aimed at. He had lost sight of all else. Arjuna would in the story of the Mahabharata come to ask Krishna all his lingering questions regarding this goal of life; what is it all about, what does it all mean? The Bhagavad Gita retells this eternal story. Time itself follows this linear trajectory. With no other option but to follow this straight arrow we have but one choice in any given moment. Limitless potential directions open up but only one is followed. Alternating between dimensions does not change the course and the trail left behind serve as a reminder of our singular past. How unnerving for an arrow to fly towards its target without the slightest chance of reaching it. Empty space hold no target to be hit yet it serves as the conduit for the spearhead being thrust into the void. The only way of finding the target is to become one with it; to draw the target into your heart. The union of the Lingam and Yoni; the Yin and Yang of time and space.

Natural Instinct Pull your hand away from fire, brace upon impact, protect your eyes. Natural and sensible sensory-motor-neurological reflexes to safeguard the body. Aikido works with these normal reactions, allowing and using their energy, swallowing up resistance and contraction in order not to cause sensory overload. When push comes to shove, as we say, or when inability doesn't grant instant adaptation, there can be a tendency to escalate the confrontation. Panic ensues and survival-mode takes over automatically. There is a wonderful law inherent in our system as beings, as well as in the natural world of plants and organic matter. Confinement and restriction only last that long. Pressure and insistence only works for a limited period. Holding an animal down forcefully will cause it to freak out. Insisting on restricting it will make it fight for survival as if its life depended on it. Confined, unable to escape, wild animals are known to die in captivity. Jailing people indefinitely makes them loose the will to live. Holding a friend away from trouble, hindering him from hurting himself or others, will only be necessary until he calms down. In Aikido, applying a technique on your partner can cause automatic resistance. Beginners and advanced alike will go into defense mode if pushed or pinned in an overbearing manner. Trapped in a corner, inability to move, or difficulty to respond will hinder swift blending. Driving a technique through, disregarding an automatic defense reaction can cause damage, and give rise to a sense of being disrespected or even humiliated. In a real situation, in a life and death conflict, this may not warrant much of a discussion but in a friendly train-

ing session among trusted practitioners it may be perceived as an abuse of trust, an unnecessary need to prove a point, or at worst, an investment in superiority. This competitive attitude serve boxers well in the ring but hardly helps the Aikidoka develop compassion and and sense of protective caring. Even if done in the name of teaching, it hardly justifies itself in the larger vision of Aikido where we want to treat the other with utmost care and consideration, even in the heat of battle. Love never transgress. Love never need to prove a point. Love forgives. Love can never be excluded in reality. Love never takes a break, never rests. Within this all-encompassing embrace, all lesser frames of mind, perspectives and attitudes will find there rightful expression.

There is also a natural instinct toward love. Someone smiles at you and you smile back. Love becomes the standard against which all other standards will be measured. Like Paul says; "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Take Sides It's easy to side with your own country. It's easy to favor your own group, being a fan of your home team. We identify with our race, with our gender and with our political conviction. We fancy being right. We're dead certain and never without an opinion. We have all the answers yet nothing seem to change. Swami Krishnananda once said, there is no government! Meaning there are only individuals making individual choices. The importance of this message is often lost on one. For example, when we declare that our nation, our government, have no choice but to act in a certain way because of prevailing circumstances, and we agree with it, we abject personal responsibility and side with our chosen identity. Causing a we against them scenario. Me against you. My nation's military and financial agenda becomes my responsibility. I go along with it, because it favors us over them. Some are on the winning side, others on the loosing side. Will it ever change? Once you want and decide to be free, you'll have to stand alone, make up your own mind and side with no one. No country, no race or creed, will ever be able to rope you in. You'll say, not in my name and walk away or take a stand. No longer a Jew, Arab or Christian, you favor the weak, the poor and those in need. Belonging to no specific group you become a stranger in your own country. Sometimes branded traitor by your own because you will not endorse their skewed agendas. Being no one you'll lose all borders and become stateless. As long as we take sides, there can be no peace. If we want peace we will have to become a universal citizen, siding only with hu-

man values, favoring justice over borders. Siding with mankind is the only way forward.

Picture Perfect How do you frame your experience? When my wife creates a work of art, she first primes the canvas in white; the light behind the painting. Then she waits for the paint to dry. The next day she paints the background sky in layers and layers. In front she outlines the sea; horizon, waves and shoreline. Dimensions upon dimensions. Light being reflected through all layers, revealing a n u a n c e o f c o l o r s , h u e s a n d t o n e s .â&#x20AC;¨

She says her art wants to behold the light coming from within, reflected in the ocean and its w a v e s , i n t h e s k y a n d i n i t s c l o u d s .â&#x20AC;¨

When we want to paint a picture, when we want to express Aikido, how large is our frame? How large is your context? How great is our perspective? Since a smaller focus will inadvertently miss the larger picture, we must begin with as large a perspective as possible. A greater perspective or context will be able to accommodate smaller perspectives within itself. Things in the foreground will be seen closer and the background will serve as the backdrop. There is an order to what comes first and the rest follows naturally. Like in the beginning of the Bible, God creates the heavens and the earth, then He says let there be light; he divides day and night, the sky from the sea. After six days He has created all things, ending his manifestation with man, with us. Significantly this is where we see from; our I. Closest to us, yet we were but the last in the creative 23

process. Can we then behold ourselves as God does, from a greater distance? Within a greater s c e n a r i o ?

When we read the Gita; the Baghavad Gita, the song of God, we must read it as if taking the perspective of Krishna, not of Arjuna. We read it as God sees it, not as man. In order to extradite ourselves from a narrow view we need to assume a holistic relationship that includes all things. Within this greater perspective all things will be seen in their right proportions, just as they are, s o m e c l o s e r , s o m e f u r t h e r a w a y .

Sensing, seeing and feeling; body, mind and heart. Three expressions of one unified experience. All having a three-dimensional reality inherent in them. A fourth dimension, time and space, adds the depth of history and cosmic proportion to our event, with a starting point in the far distant past as a genesis to our story, to our context. Picture this!

can ignite new fires. Luckily, contact is never far away. We live among people all the time. We rub shoulders every day. People wear off on us, we attribute our findings to many sources. We take note, and we ascribe origin to where we come from. We learn, we pick up and we access. Slowly developing into who we want to be. Physical, mental and spiritual advice are heeded in order to make sense out of our world. Parental guidance and example serve to prepare us. School e d u c a t e s u s . L i f e s h a p e s u s .

But what touches our soul? What awakens our spirit? Fellowship with the wise, they say. Good and true comrades. Seeking meaning and purpose, seeking truth. This makes us question everything. We want to know, to experience, and to live authentically. We become thirsty for knowledge and wisdom. We seek out the source of this enlightenment, we seek ourselves in the truest possible way. This is where we will find the guru, finding your own true self in another form. When the time is right the meeting can occur. There will be no doubt about it. Seek and you will find..

The Last Guru The end of a series, the final countdown. Where have they gone? All the gurus of old? Sages and saints, rishis and munis; the holy ones. They have been taken down from their pedestals, dethroned and stripped of their stripes. No longer trusted as spiritual guides they become our friends, at the mercy of our opinions and half wit. Some say enlightenment is not possible without them? To transmit a flame from one candle to the next we need contact. Only through transmission can the spirit be carried forth. What is known must be transferred, must be conveyed. A fire 24

Evolution & Tradition Imagine an arrow extending from the distant past reaching into the endless future. On any point on that arrow if you'd look ahead you would see an unlimited vista of infinite potential choices and directions possible to take. If you'd look back you's see the path you've walked, a singular set of choices outlining your history. Tradition means transmission. Something that has been passed on from our past, something that remain with us. This root of who we are will never be undone. History is sealed, but the future is wide open. We stand right in the middle of the two and as we move forward in time, the future passes into past. This gives us enormous freedom, every moment is new, fresh for us to shape. All past accumulates, enriches and enlarges your experience, transmission turns into evolution as you gaze forward, ahead into the unknown. On a two way highway you run back and forth, free to explore your past, free to explore your future. Right now they meet, wherever you are, as a two-way current in the middle of your very existence. You are, the very beginning of time itself, soaring into the future. Tradition and evolution, two sides of the same coin, two directions of the same traject o r y .

When Vishnu and Brahma came upon an immense pillar of fire, they decided to travel each in either direction in an attempt to find its beginning and end. Vishnu traveled a great distance without finding any end to the wall so returned to Brahma. Neither had Brahma been able to find an end in his direction and came back but decided to lie about it. Shiva, who had disguised himself as the flame, revealed himself and condemned Brahma to a temporal, limited life, due

to this lie. There is no denying the limitless quality the arrow of time has, whether we look back or forward, it is our full experience of a life eternal. Evolution and tradition, only changes in name depending on the direction we're looking in. Embrace both, see how they both meet who you are in the present moment.

Embodiment: Body, Mind and Heart. Is your body awake? To itself? Right now? Let it come alive, allow it room to move. First silently, then try to articulate it whilst in movement. Ah y e s , t h a t ' s i t , b r i n g i t o n .

Do you feel your heart? What emotions are there? Open your chest cavity and let go of your held feelings. Breathe easy and explore the vast field of the heart. Allow room to feel. Then articulate it.

What are you thinking? Caught up in your mind? Return to a presence of mind, alert and attentive, be here now. Find an effortless being. Make room to include all. What do you see? Articulate.  Let words express your experience. Do not describe it but let language dress your experience.

Bring awareness, attention and mindfulness to your threefold exploration. Allow everything to be as it is. Release the tension of held patterns. Open to a larger experience. Free up room and clean house. Out with the old, in with the new. A positive, life-affirming growing.

EVOLUTION & TRADITION AIKIDO IN TRANSFORMATION

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