Keep One Point

Keep one point. Keep. What great advice once again.

At first one point is said to be a matter of keeping attention at centre at all times. You could benefit by the feeling thus of keeping connected to your own centre at all times. So it's all good.

But one point is not centre. One point is not Dantien. In fact it is a self created point you place at the location of centre. That's the first thing to know about one point.

Create a point at centre. So one point is not a Fixed thing....it is a matter of discipline to KEEP one point for it is you who create it.

In fact to make it even more disciplined our teacher used to get us to create it outside of the body....next to centre.

So from that perspective it is treated 'as' centre. As if there is no difference. But unknowingly to the student there is a world of difference for them yet to discover.

This action of one point is all part of zen, is all part of yoga, is all part of misogi, is all part of Aikido. It can be denied and thus much wisdom will be there lying dormant, yet to be discovered.

One point is not a matter of heart. It is not a matter of spirit. It is not a matter of soul. It is inherently aligned to non resistance but is not it. So what is one point fundamentally?

It is mind. Pure one point is pure mind. When you are told to put one point at centre you are actually learning to put your mind at centre to help keep it quiet.

Misogi is not only polishing the spirit it is polishing the mind polishing the heart polishing all.

True mind is divine. It is a divine point. It is clear. It is untroubled by anything whether internal or external, whether a life situation or a world situation. It is unmoved and unmovable.

Your mind moves to a world situation and complaints and fears etc. You have been led. Your mind has been led.

You see the macdonalds symbol.....mind led. You see the beautiful girl...say no more.

One point gone.

One point in purity is divine. It is the source of connection to divinity. It is the spark of light. Light as spoken of in religion and spiritual matters is all about divinity of true mind, is all about one point.

Shin shin toitsu.....the joining with divinity....the divinity of the other. It is there no matter how hidden the spark, the one point is somewhere there.

Divinity is in all and along with it comes wisdom. Deny it and all that is formed then is a chattering, 'logical' ego mind.

Keep one point. Sound advice.

Peace.G.

My First Aikido Teacher

My first Aikido teacher was my Mother,
In truth..how could it be any other.
She took me in...in from the cold,
I was lost and only three months old.

Not only me, she took in others too,
A divine undertaking, an angel through and through.
Form different places...of different races..it mattered not.
Only an Angel knows that...and that was her lot.

Not rich, a child survivng war, a real east ender,
Not a family destroyer but a family mender.
Not a complainer but a warrior on her path,
Kindness her sword and humility her staff.

Rose was her name and rose was her nature,
Universal loving protection her stature.
Thank you mother..angel...teacher...
And may these thoughts in prayer reach her.

A great life of 96 years. R.I.P.

Ki.....Misogi...Spirit

What is Ki? To really understand Ki you would have to also understand Misogi and you would also have to understand spirit.

When training in Aikido we learn to relax and use Ki. Toheis principles of Aikido are great in this respect and to take away the thought of them as principles but rather as great advice then if you really understand them you will find they are......great advice.

Respect your partner's Ki. Great advice. Extend Ki. Great advice. Lead your partner's Ki. Great advice.

Thus it say's to study Ki.

Now if you don't get what Ki is then what is it you are respecting in your partner? What is it you are extending?

Now from a spirit point of view you are spirit. Forget about heart. From a heart point of view you are heart but this is about Ki. This is about Misogi.

Now in Aikido we practice the ways of Ki. To help in this we do techniques. Why? Because the techniques developed were and are techniques which follow the natural pathways of Ki. So when you are trying to use Ki and doing a technique and then all of a sudden the technique works and it was so easy and effortless and different then what happened there? Well the pathway you followed was precisely the pathway of Ki and so you experienced the difference. Wow!

Respect your partner's Ki. Don't hear that spoken of much nowadays. Firstly because respect is not administered and secondly because the mind gets in the way. So many times I have been told 'yeah but......what if?.....blah blah blah. Simple answer......irrelevant!

It does not say respect the persons energy. It does not say respect the persons attitude. It does not say respect the persons power or strength. It says respect the persons Ki.

Many times of course people put themselves in some kind of 'immovable' position in Aikido or if an experienced martial artist put themselves in a position of ready and able to counter anything you try to do using Ki. This is great...this is good practice or really should be looked at rather as a good drill. So Bill grabs my wrist and proceeds to block me doing Nikkyo. Do I follow his energy? No.Do I follow his skill? No. Do I care? No.

Here's the thing....his energy is not his Ki. Even if he has quite good extended energy. I respect only his Ki and thus despite all then that is what I connect to. All else is your own mind led.

Ki is of spirit. Ahhhh...but what spirit? True spirit. So what is true spirit? PURE Spirit.Ahhhhh, in comes Misogi. Misogi is purification. Ki is pure spirit. Thus impure spirit is not Ki. Any old energy is not Ki.

It's no good only having pure heart for that is but one fifth of Aikido. To know Ki you must have pure spirit and thus comes a clarity on Kindness not known before.

It's all good.

Peace.G.

Golden Centre Aikido:Golden Rules 6

Enter the sixth chamber, the Chamber of Ki, the Sword Chamber.

Written above the door in Gold Letters is CUT THROUGH.

Not all words have equal importance, and the word of this chamber is Shinmei.

Your true purpose...the reason you exist.

You may say "In the beginning was the word and the word was Shinmei."

You cannot truly know Ki if you don't know the sword.

You cannot do true Aikido if you don't know the sword.

You cannot know true life if you don't know the sword.

For the blade of the sword is of Ki. It is of condensed Ki and that is Kindness.

The healing sword. Without which there is no Aikido.

As you raise the sword you are cutting through. You are cutting through self and you are cutting through the universe. For what does cutting through do? It opens.

The blade of kindness opens.

You must open your heart, you must open yourself, you must open your centre, your koshi. You must cut through.

When you truly cut through you open your centre of centre, your goodness, your connection to the devine and there waiting is your Ki.

When you cut through completely you reveal your Shinmei. Your true purpose. Your true path. For where else can your true Ki be than on your true path according to your true purpose and ready to build your true world.

And if your shinmei is to help peoples feet then therein lies your Ki, therein lies your connection with the divine, your path, your purpose. Thus will you be a great chiropodist or some such or even a great shoemaker.

And when you truly cut through you only then hear the sound of silence and in this silence comes the sound of shinmei....echoing through all the mountains.

Know the sword. The sword opens. The sword opens to the path. And those who say they don't use the sword are indeed mistaken for they use it every day without even knowing. In the realm of everyday living you use a sword. It is called deciding. Decision is a sword. Before the decision there is no path, only doubt and confusion. The decision cuts through....the path is set.

You must cut through false self to allow the Ki from the devine you to enter.

No sword...no path. No sword....no direction. No sword...No Aikido.

It is then Ki which realigns things. It is Ki which restores. It is Ki which rehabillitates. It is healing Ki.

So I ask you.....why do you concern yourself with crazy matters of the world? The world is in you and your Ki is with your shinmei. Focus!!!

Peace.G.

Aikido...Nature's Model

There is a model to be understood and followed but it is not a new model. It is a natural model. Aikido is organic.

People think that O'Sensei insisting Aikido is much to do with nature itself look to organic farming etc. as a model. Alas that is just a method of farming albeit a very good one but is not a model......the model.....natures model.

The model is natures organization. So all businesses and organizations should follow this model. But where is this model? You won't find it in peoples new methods of doing things.

The answer lies right in front of you. The TREE.

The tree is THE MODEL.

The spread of Aikido itself was because O'Sensei with universal nature was as a tree.

Aikido is universal...not Japanese or English or Chinese or any nationality. Like the wind which covers the whole world, the sun, the rain.....all travel the world based on universal principle.

A tree is an organization....a life organization. Your body is an organization. Each is a business...a life business in itself. All natural principles of organization and business are thus already there right in front of you in nature.....in the tree.

The wind came and carried away the seeds and the seeds settled elsewhere and they too grew into trees in their own right. As trees they produced fruits, seeds and so is the natural cycle. So the fruits of O'Sensei came to rest in various places around the world and thus came about new trees of Aikido.

The product of the tree is it's fruit, it's seeds. Organic. Nature. True model.

The flowers are it's promotion. The roots take in it's raw materials for conversion. Study what the leaves do and realize which part of an organization that represents. From the trunk which reaches from earth to heaven and gives strength to the business and is it's centre line to the branches which give balance.

No new model.....natures model.

Peace.G.

Aikido:The way of Harmony

Without Harmony as the Goal then how can there be Aikido? Without wanting harmony then you see so much 'lesser' Aikido.

So what is Harmony? More than that....what is the difference between harmony and unity?, harmony and blending?, harmony and oneness?.

Well, Harmony precedes all those things. Harmony is fundamental. To understand Aikido in it's truest form you must understand Harmony.

A bus is coming towards you.....if you don't harmonize you will be run over. A sword or spear is coming to get you....if you don't harmonize then you get hit.

Very simple isn't it? So you can see it has something to do with motion. To harmonize with the motion. To harmonize with the energy. To harmonize with everything.

Ai is not only love it is also harmony. Love needs harmony to keep existing. Harmony needs love to bring completion.

So this is a brief intro.....now let's get into the truth of harmony.

To do this we must go to spiritual principle. Three principles....three disciplines.

Non opposition, non control, non disturbance. You must teach yourself these three things to understand Harmony. Indeed to even understand non resistance.

So back to Harmony. To harmonize with an 'attacker' for instance you must move. Move where? Move to a position of non disturbance. Harmony does not disturb. Only from the position of non disturbance can you blend or unify etc. Harmony comes first.

In your own mind there must be no willingness to disturb either. Throughout spirit, mind and body. Same with non opposition and non control.

The aim is harmony.....not control.

Non control. Let go! This applies to an attack...you must let it go...not try to stop it or control it or interfere with it or change it. All part of the magic of harmony.

When these things are concrete then harmony becomes concrete...then Aikido becomes concrete.

You ever heard the saying 'Ki follows the path of least resistance?' Well, that's close....it actually follows the path of non resistance so how ego got in there and added 'least' I don't know. Anyway....Ki moves to the position of non disturbance. Ki tells you where harmony exists.

Harmony is Real.

Peace.G.

The Dark Side

Star Wars.....the force.....what a film. I'm sure Yoda was based on O'Sensei. Which brings me to the point of Jaki....the Dark Side. Basically...negativity.

You can look at wars and war machines and all things antipathetic to life and look at the energy or the feeling associated and get an idea of it. You can even see it as a driving force. Ha, ha....the power of the dark side.

When doing something...acting from anger or fear or upset etc. then you are making that the driving force of your actions and so you too at that moment or even amount of time are driven by the dark side. Simple really.

Why do you complain? Why do you protest? These are actions driven by the dark side.

The concept of Jaki is not something to complain about or even go against....for that gives it power. Did you know that when you complain about Jaki or 'bad' or such then you are giving power to it? Therefor you are giving power to your own Jaki, to your own negativity....to your own dark side.

This is not AIKIDO.

Ai IS Harmony......Ai IS Love ALSO. Ki is Ki. There is only one Ki.

Therein lies the biggest delusion in the whole of Aikido. Also in internal arts etc. The subject of Ki. Not knowing that there is only one Ki people come up with all kinds of reasonings about different kinds of Ki. Thus they get deluded. Thus they are defeating themselves.

Ai....Ki.....Two things to understand. Only then can one understand Aiki.

Ki is not affected by anything. Ki is not disturbed by scenes of violence of any 'bad' scenes. Ki is not disturbed by what others are doing or saying. Ki does not contain complaint or protest.

So I suggest those who do Aikido look again. Aikido....the way of no complaints...no protests...no matter what!

Peace.G.