The Spirit of Loving Protection

Another principle of Shin no Budo.....Aikido. Another not widely understood principle. Everyone 'speaks it' but few use it or understand it.

Budo is love and from this comes the spirit of loving protection. Ueshiba said the spirit of loving protection for all things.....I add the word GOOD.

How to see this, how to know this, how to understand this.....and how to practice this?

Well let me introdfuce you to a thing well talked about in martial arts circles and that is OPENINGS. All martial arts look for openings and creating openings. What for? In order to strike...to defeat...to dominate...to control. Ha....even most Aikido talks very expertly in the same manner. Shame. Just shows me they don't understand shin no budo, yet to awaken to the truth.

In Aikido using the spirit of loving protection and standing in the void you are already completely open so anyone need not search for an opening. You give them what they want...you give them their target...feel free. This is Aikido. You give for you are not interested in self defence. There is no 'self defence' in Aikido.

What happens when they attack? The naturally give you their openings. The mptions of Aikido leave you precisely at their openings. But do you attack them? Do you take advantage and harm them? No....that's not Aikido. You protect them using the openings given. Following the spirit of loving protection.

When for example a person attacks and you do for instance Iriminage. One hand naturally may rest on the others neck.....a presented opening. You don't karate chop the neck do you? You don't even grab or like some I see grab the collar....no, no, no. You give loving protection. Protecting them from themselves. Cuddling like you would a baby. Turning solid into liquid. Then returning them to peace. Shin no budo.

Thus you protect the attacker...from himself....from jaki.....This is Aikido.

Peace.G.