Golden Centre Aikido Ninth Chamber....Zen

As you enter the ninth chamber you enter the Neutral zone.

Written above the door at the entrance to this chamber in Golden Letters is the term ZEN.

I have already mentioned about one point and zen before but now we enter the core of Zen and so we find the form and the active essence.

Centre Line. The first thing to know for in knowing centre line you are knowing Neutral. Again I have mentioned this before too for the axis which is centre line is neutral and the axis of anything else too is neutral as well as the axle of a car. Things turn around a neutral axis.

But why?

Well first let's tell you about centre line in more depth. It's purpose and what it does. Well the main axis ie: centre line connects the stillness of heaven to the void of earth and nature. It has to be neutral to do this.

So this is a neutral path and being neutral means it has non resistance, thus it is always there...unmoved...doing it's job.

So we come to the Zen attitude or the mind of Zen if you like. Neutral....a divine neutral....unmoved. The Zen attitude is non opposition, non aggression, non control and thus lives with non disturbance as his way. This is all non resistance in action.

So we see the form of an axis...the straight line so what other form is there due to this neutral? Well many talk about various forms in Aikido like the spiral etc. but the first real form which is there because of the axis is related to that thing called communication. Through being neutral and non resistive then the pathway of connecton and interchange with anything and all becomes thus a circle. Communication is a circle. It is a neutral, non resistive circle. Being so it can carry all that needs to be passed through and given and received.

As such it then also is a circle around the centre line and this is what can be called the orbit. When all is non resistive then the orbit is a perfect circle. Non resistive pathways allow kI TO FLOW THROUGH THEM, in fact ATTRACT KI TO FLOW THROUGH THEM.

Zen is unmoved by that which is not neutral. Being against is not neutral, taking sides is not neutral, sympathy is not neutral, fighting against is not neutral etc. etc. etc.

That is the job, the function of non resistance and it's forms and pathways. It's principle is ALLOWANCE.

The famouse zen koan called "Is that so?" showed this.

However...it of course has divine purpose and already there is the circle and communication. So the divine purpose and thus function of neutral is to ALLOW communication with those divine areas of self and the universe. To allow communication with the heart, with the soul etc. Allowance.

Without allowance there is no communication with. Thus there is instead resistance to and weak communication or no communication or all manner of 'disturbed' communication...but no true or pure communication.

The sword does not protect the body for that sword is the idiots sword. The sword protects centre line and thus it protects the connection and communication with heaven and earth.

Peace.G.
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