Ki is Kindness..Golden Centre Dharma......

In Aikido one of the most fundamental principles to come to terms with is the principle of Bu. The true Bu of Budo. Bu is love, universal love, so coming to terms with universal love is a major goal within Aikido and thus part of the way.

So we must learn and experience this love, learn what it does, learn it's power, and thus self develop. As we learn about universal love for real then at the same time we learn about oneness. Thus at the same time we learn about true Aikido and O'Sensei.

The purpose of love is oneness. Love is oneness. The discipline is oneness.

So what of Ki? Is Ki this universal love? No. Ki is another factor all be they all interdependent. Ki is Kindness. Where heart is love then spirit is kindness.

A kindness in truth and as such not the meekly mild version most minds have it as for such minds have lost their innate awareness.

Translated even further then I say that kindness is Ki. Spirit is Ki. True spirit is divine. Thus your divinity is spirit, is Kindness, is Ki, and works with heart and soul but is not heart and soul. Heart is Bu.

Now another difference is something which often gets associated with Bu but is not of Bu but is of spirit, Ki, and that is the principle of loving protection for all things. This is Ki, kindness in action. This is active spirit supported by Bu.

Neutral is the Jo, the fan is Bu, Ki is the sword.

All is good. Peace. G.

Centre Line_Neutral. The Dharma of Golden Centre Aikido.

In my Aikido I have said all I teach is principles. So Aikido to me or rather the dojo is a place to practice universal divine principles and thus is a place of self development.

So I also say that each part of the whole in Aikido is a centre of itself and in this way I study the art. Koshi is a centre, centre is a centre, centre line is a centre, one point is a centre, hara is a centre, peace is a path and golden centre is my way.

The first Dharma I shall give here is the Dharma of centre line.

Zen is also the expressiion of centre line. Centre line is neutral. To be neutral is a discipline and when you are being such then centre line becomes active. Centre line is if you want to look at it mechanically the axis around which all turns. Like the axle of a car without which no whells would turn. So we have have here the principle of neutrality in action.

So spiritually what does centre line do? It connects heaven to earth. It connects all chakras. It is the one which gives birth to two. From neutral comes the principles of Allowance and Calm. Thus we can say that centre line produces the three principles of neutral, allowance and calmness.

It connects, it allows, it is calmness personified. So what is it thus allowing?

It allows Communication. It allows action. Allowance is thus the activator, the principle preceding the motion. Centre line allows your body to perform the perfect tai sabaki. The neutral horizontal axis allows you to do the perfect break fall. The axis of the earth allows it to turn. It allows connection and interchange.

The yin and yang of neutral is allowance and calmness.

The centre line of the tornado is calm.

In a crisis or in the middle of confusion or when all is in disarray all around can you be centre line? Can you be the calmness, neutral centre line? Can you allow it and thus be undisturbed? Fundamental. Thus springs out another principle spoken of only by the wise....Let it be. Can you let it be? This is all part of zanshin also.

From neutral you allow yourself to be in communication with all, calm, settled. Thus you are not in any kind of denial but quite the opposite for you are in true obsevation yet observing from the principle of non interference. Zanshin. Open.

So in it's essence and truth centre line is the centre of motion. Welcome to the the first part of the way of the sword, the cross of Aiki.

In life may you discover the power of neutral for in recognising and practicing the principle it opens new doors to understanding. We have Demands in life, we have Commands in life. People get in positions of so called power where they thus can command and demand. The way of ego not Aikido. In neutral there is no demand and there is no command yet it is of itself a true power. So what is this power? Request, it is actually divine request. Have you ever heard of the power of prayer?

There is no demand or command in the power of prayer for it is neutral. Thus from there does the vibration of peace expand outwards like the ripples in a pool. Thus from there does true communication, benificent, reach through all in its path. Thus from there do we welcome all to the path of peace.

Welcome to Aikido. G.

Aikido..Ai is Harmony.

The founder of Aikido said Ai has two meanings....love and harmony. It's hard enough getting a reality on the true budo of love let alone addressing the Ai of harmony. Suffice to say I have written a few posts on the love aspect and so now I will address the harmony aspect. So many aspects apply to the truth of Aikido but I find little written on the harmony aspect. I am not surprised by this for there is little reality extant on what it is. It is actually real, it is active, it is an infinite truth and as such has an infinite flow.

Space and capacity. Universal love has actually infinite space whilst harmony has infinite capacity. You could say volume of one and capacity of the other.

Attendant with universal love is a state, a transcending state and I shall put a name to this state and I will call it serenity. Below serenity is not universal love. Aikido in it's essence is about transcending in the here and now. From such a state you can admire all. No complaining, no weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, oneness. Meanwhile attendant to harmony comes the quietening of the mind. The quiet mind. When in harmony the mind is quiet.

Here lies peace...inner and thus producing outer. In peacetime life excels, people and living and business and social activities all excel. In peace life itself flourishes. This is thus the root of Aikido. Meanwhile in war death flourishes for it comes not from quiet minds, it comes not from peace, it comes not from harmony for harmony is perfect. Harmony is Ai.

Ai and Ai.

Divine quietness of mind, divine harmony. Many think that the state of harmony allows you to be at peace with nature. Well indeed it does but that is merely the tip of harmony for true harmony puts you at peace with the whole of life. Ay peace with the wife and family, at peace with all people, at peace with all goings on in the world for they too are all part of life. A quiet mind is complete in all directions. To be at peace before you can bring peace. This is the discipline of Aikido. This is the path untrodden by too many. Thus they deny harmony.

You cannot fight for peace you can only make it. You cannot make it if you are not at it.

The power of harmony is supported by universal love. Ai is complimentary to Ai.

Peace.G.

AIKIDO..SHU HA RI

Shu Ha Ri. A term used in martial arts to do with stages of study. Shu is basically about learning and practice as we generally understand it. Ha is about then taking responsibility for what you have learned and can do and basically reviewing and creatively adding to. In other words still studying even when you know and can do. Ri is the ultimate, the realm of mastery and making it yours.....apllicable to all you see no matter what the situation.

Now, as usual I am going to put some perspective on this. Although we can go deep and see how it starts with the shoshin mind and ends with Fudoshin I will prefer to show how these principles are alive and well and operational in your daily lives and training. Once again in order to study we must be able to see when we are doing what's being studied and when we are not.....in daily life.

Shu...When training we are taking in data and knowledge and getting to a point of understanding. We build up these understandings. Meanwhile we practice the application of these understandings and thus we have study and practice. No different to a musician who has to physically practice or when you learned to read or write where there too was the same thing....mental learning and physical application. So SHU is about mind and body coordination. Thus you gain skill.

Ha...The next step. 'What's left?' you may ask. Well let's go back to mind. You have a set mind view, a stable to that degree understanding. Does this set understanding work in various situations? Is there still that 'opponent' who always gives you trouble? Is there situations where you have to revert to something else? Do you still have 'yeah buts' and 'what ifs?'

In other words we must look at the mind. Mentally you see what should happen when you apply your understanding but as you do the result is not what was envisioned. So it's time for humility. It's time for review. It's time for a greater understanding. It's time for responsibility. It's time for Ha.

This is truly the next stage of learning. So there you are confused because how you see it and how you generally apply it isn't working in this particular case. So Ha is also a test. It's an ego buster. It shakes your faith. Yet the solution is not to revert to another way by ditching the learned principles but rather to accept with joy that there is a new thing to learn. To be honest. To be disciplined. So a new discipline and honesty is all part of Ha. The result? Simple....when your mind and body are back in coordination. When what you mentally see happens as seen for real. All becomes easy once again.

Ri....So we can see here what the realm of Ri is. It's universal. It's the condition of doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what scene or situation or 'opponent' presnts itself you can see what to do and do it comfortably and thus what is in your mind happens via your application. You may have a favourite technique for example that you are sure you can use on anyone at any time no matter who they are or what the situation.....universal. Meanwhile you can also have others you are not so confident in. Thus one is nearing the Ri aspect whilst the others are shu or ha.

I am at Ri with regards to tying my shoelaces.

So shu ha ri.....it's not so hard to understand really. Taking the mystery out of it.

To do with tying your shoelace you too are standing on the floating bridge between heaven and earth....no explosive power or any other nonsense.....just centred and in harmony.

Peace.G.

Universal Love...AIki..

Aikido has as one of it's fundamental principles the concept of universal love. This is not a philosophy but a real component of Aiki itself.

So what is this universal love? Why do so many folk describe it in so many different ways?

Well the reason in my opinion is down to how most folk think. We are brought up and taught how to think in terms of THINGS. This is why the main focus of much of Aikido is on technique because they are things, they have shape and form. They can be seen. Yet they of themselves are not Ai, are not Ki and are not the Do either. They are results of it.

                                   
So back to the mind and thinking. As I said earlier most think in terms of things. Thus they think in terms of QUANTITY. Along with this we may get timing and geometry and movement but still in terms of quantity.

Well to understand the basics a simple thing has to be recognized and that is that this universe and all in it is not just physical and in fact the physical is the result of underlying non physical principles. In fact to make it nice and simple we could look at it in terms of Quantity (physical) and Quality (non physical).

                                       
QUALITY. Can you think in terms of quality? Quality is spiritual, quality comes before quantity. When we all just follow quantity we end up with a world based on economics and profit where everyone is into image and bits of paper and titles and accumulation of more and more things and wealth of such and so we enter a hollow world lacking ant true notion of quality.

Universal love is a quality. Ki is a quality. Spirit, heart and soul are qualities. Faith itself and thus you too are actually a quality.

The path of peace.......peace is a quality too. No wonder those who think in terms of things can only see peace as a thing which relies on another thing being absent ie: war. Unenlightened thinking.

QUALITY. Love. Yes let's take love as an example. People think they can have a lot or a little of it, they think in terms of quantity. Yet love is a quality. You cannot look at it from the viewpoint of quantity except from the one aspect of quantity relevant to it and that is that it is either there or is not there. You do a technique with it or you don't.

Why? Because a quality is infinite. Hence UNIVERSAL love. kI is infinite. Peace is infinite. Harmony is infinite. Only quality is infinite.

                                       
Truth is infinite facts are temporary.

Aikido is the practice of the infinite.

Peace.G.                                                    

Aikido and Balance

What is balance? The result of balance is stability but many within and without Aikido do not fully understand what balance is.

There is a concept in Aikido which is mind and body co-ordination. This is also to do with balance but first we must know that mind and body are always co-ordinated. The problem is 'which mind?' and the missing data is balance.

An angry mind is an imbalanced mind.

Then there is intention. A lot of emphasis is placed nowadays on intention. Yet an intention to control, an intention to harm, an intention to take anothers' centre or balance is not a balanced intention.

We see in life those who support something good and worthwhile yet are extreme. We see animal rights activists who may act very violently. Imbalance. They are thus unbalanced. When you get angry or protesty or any negative way you are suffering from an imbalance. You are at that point unbalanced.

You may feel very loving and yet lack inner peace and thus lack balance. Aikido is about developing balance. From balance comes true energy.

There is another concept in Aikido called Kuzushi. Taking someones balance, taking their centre. Where this idea comes from I don't know for it is not Aikido and is of itself an unbalanced intention.

Aikido is about giving back that which is missing. It is about restoring the attackers lost centre not taking advantage of it. Why would I take someones balance when balance is what they need?

So in Aikido it must be recognized that the attacker and the attacking mind is already an unbalanced mind, lacks true centre and is asking for restoration.

There is a problem in this world and in your world and it can be understood from the view of balance.

I say to you now that I know what you need and indeed what you want and this applies to everyone. We may search and search for happiness and contentment but without knowing what we search for we will never find it.

A little powerful word. ENOUGH. Enough gives balance.

When the body is hungry you feed it. Too much and it is not happy and too little it is not happy.

Poor people may have not enough and yet rich people may have more than enough and so both feel unhappy, like something is missing and thus they crave more yet this is self defeating. Too much is just as unbalanced as too little.

 The greedy mind, the jealouse mind, the angry mind, the controlling mind, the manipulating mind, the dominating mind etc. are all unbalanced. Thus they lack something.

 Restoration is a devine action. Aikido.

Aikido is non violence.

Aikido is the art of non violence. The power of non violence. The dynamic way of peace.

Peace itself is a real thing, an energy. You cannot fight for it, you cannot force it, in fact you cannot defeat it for it itself is power also.

Peace moves mountains. But can you hold it? It is held by faith and faith is you.

Non violence. Aikido follows a principle of non resistance and this leads to a world of non. A simple but powerful word.....NON. Thus within Aikido we enter the realm of neutral for neutral is the axis of the universe. All things turn around an axis and the axis is thus always neutral.

So principles extant and in operation in Aikido include non aggression, non disturbance, non control, non opposition, non dominance, etc. The divinity of non. The divinity of budo.

Peace moves mountains. Goodness moves the universe. G.