This is ki!

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[shadowbrooke]

What can I tell you? I am worried about finding the right Aikido for me thus I went looking for more info online...and during my search I found this good example of extended Ki training used for self defence, snake bite treatment and other "kewl" stuff! Some of the coments on this site was to be carefull when using it since it can easily kill the attacker due to internal bleeding when not done properly. Another guy wrote about the techniques and how they work through your karma, when asked about the attakers and the possibility of their demise he says: "But in my opinion it is their karma and they deserved it!"
There you have it people, they deserved it so it's their own damn fault!

Here's the link:
http://www.yellowbamboo.com/videos.html

On a more serious note, do you think you would be able to read my plea for help and unbiased information in the General Topic forum? You should be able to just search for my user name cause it is the only other thread I have ever posted! Basically I just need some info on the different Aikido styles out there and wich one is the "original" by O'sensei?

Have a good one and remember to take instructions in Yellow Bamboo *only* from trainers authorized by the official Yellow Bamboo Association. There are some people out there claiming to teach Yellow Bamboo whom we have not certified. Please contact the Yellow Bamboo Association if you are approached by anyone claiming to teach Yellow Bamboo and they will verify his or her certification.

[p00kiethebear]

pffft... I can do that...

I'm just too lazy to prove it.

[shihonage]

Really ? I thought ki was glucose.

[senshincenter]

It's too easy to say "What a load of junk.", better then to reflect deeper and ask how such a thing, or why such a thing, possible or impossible, is attractive to you (meaning anyone).

Will such a thing help me brave the turmoils and sacrifices that come with walking a path of peace? Will such a thing help me to suffer a Love that is beyond all jealousy or hate? Can I use this to nurture my children and my children's children? Can it allow me to see myself in my fellow human being? Will it help me to broaden my understanding of "family'? With it will I come to recognize the humanity within my own heart/mind? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "no".

So what am I after? Power? More ways to sow more seeds of violence? More ways of maintaining an egocentric world view - one in which I can be considered almost omnipotent? More ways of showing little concern for my fellow Man? Freedom? Freedom to reign supreme in a world where I stand above all? Freedom to imagine myself as some kind of fallen demigod? What?

Seems more like another version, and there are many to be sure, of how fear, pride, and ignorance combine in the ego to produce a superstition that can work to support the delusions of a small self that is lost.

Chi, or Ki, has seen this kind of thing all along its ancient history. And it has always been understood as I described it above. Ki, especially in Aikido, is not a matter of Sith lords and Jedi masters. Ki is a creative element, and by Asian standards that also means it is a moral element, and that means it is involved with a reconciliation of Self - not a reification of ego.

Sorry to say - this is not Ki. Nor should you want it to be. I'm not one to usually give this type of "advice" but the self-lusting in the video brought me to this point.

Please forgive,

dmv

[shadowbrooke]

Mr. David Valadez, or anyone else who read my post:

I sincerely hope that you did not take me seriously when I named my thread "This is Ki!" since I meant that as a joke and nothing else. I hope I have not offended anyone by posting that as a joke either, it's only intent was to draw a smile upon your face and maybe brighten your day somewhat. I was sincere when I wrote that I found that perticular website in my search for knowlege about the different types of Aikido there is out there. It is, to say the least, confusing to me as a person wanting to start learning about Aikido and this site did not help even though it did make ME smile. I have been searching the web for the answer to my questions but I wanted to hear what some of the Aikidoka's here in the US had to say about it - please make the effort of reading my other post in the General Forum. I want to start out the right way and not end up in a place like the "Yellow Baboons"...I am sure you can now appriciate my concern!

Have a good day all and I hope to hear from you soon.

P. Brohage

[GrazZ]

Really ? I thought ki was glucose.

lol i remember that guy, what a tool :)

[senshincenter]

I stand corrected. Thank you for the clarification.

I will offer this then, another thing I tend not to do, and I hope it can serve you well.

Go and see the school in the dojo, not the federation in the dojo. For while there may be some general trends per federation, the real differences are played from instructor to instructor. This is how it is in reality. And this is how it may be even within the same dojo that has multiple instructors.

It may take a while to see the school in the dojo so you must risk the personal investment at the return of deeper and deeper levels of reflection and insight. It's worth it. As you learn more, you will either come to see that you have made the right choice -maybe even finding some things you want now but never knew you needed. If you made the "wrong" choice you will be the wiser the next time - and this time as well for having ran the experience to its fullest.

Again - people on this forum may tell you that this federation is soft or that federation is hard or that federation is spiritual or that federation is martial or that federation is into ki and that federation is not into ki, etc., but I have trained in most places and I have witnessed just about everything - only it was not where folks said it was going to be. I have been nearly killed where things were said to be soft; put to sleep where things were supposed to be hard; laughed my ass off where things were supposed to be martial; got lectured for an hour on ki where ki was thought of as a side note; etc.

Aikido is a deeply personal thing, and this is true regardless of the party lines federations might use to keep people from uniting - to keep a line between the Same and the Other. So my advice: Go see the dojo, see the teacher(s), see the members, see the pedagogy, see the results (or lack thereof), etc. After all, in a way, you won't really see the art till you are blind to the federation.

Sorry for my mix-up.

Yours,

dmv

[David Edwards]

On one page it says: "We are a non profit human service association funded soley by donations. We do not charge for our public programs or classes"

On the next page it says: "To access the self-study course, please complete the following form; the cost is only $9.95 and can be billed directly to your credit card."

Right.

I have to say, the "The Power of Yellow Bamboo" video was quite funny to watch though. I wonder if they all believe it themselves...