Please help me find a quote from Osensei

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[gabriellecole]

Hello All, I am new here. I am hoping that someone will be able to help me.

A few years ago, through my various readings of Morihei's work, I found a quote from him that said something to the effect of:
Be thankful for your enemies because they teach you about yourself (weaknesses).

I have been trying to find the exact quote with no success. I could have sworn that it is part of "The Art of Peace" but I could not find it there. I would like to use it in something that I am writing and really need some help finding it. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it.

thank you so very much!
Gabrielle

[rob_liberti]

I don't know that from O-sensei, but I recognize the idea to be very similar to my interpreation of Paul's thorn in the Bible (2 Cr, chapter 12, verse 7+).

Good luck. - Rob

[gabriellecole]

Well, I thought I remembered reading it once as a quote from Morihei, perhaps I am wrong. But, thank you for your help!
Gabrielle

[PhilHB]

I found this online...


"Be grateful even for hardship, setbacks, and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace."


Seems to be getting across the same message (though the weaknesses part is absent).



PHB

[BWells]

I copied this one a long time ago, just don't remember from which book

"I do not think badly of others when they treat me unkindly. Rather, I feel gratitude towards them for giving me the opportunity to train myself to handle adversity."
--M. Ueshiba

Thanks,
Bruce Wells

[Dan Rubin]

"I do not think badly of others when they treat me unkindly. Rather, I feel gratitude towards them for giving me the opportunity to train myself to handle adversity."
--M. Ueshiba

That quote can be found at
http://www.sotnak.com/primer and on various dojo websites, but with no source cited.

Dan

[Misogi-no-Gyo]

...taken from here... (http://www.nyaikidocenter.com/history.htm) related material:

....More than forty years ago, at a conference for peace, the founder of Aikido, know as O-Sensei, met the founder of modern macrobiotics, George Ohsawa. Ohsawa Sensei looked at macrobiotics as a way of developing superior human beings based upon creating the proper balance within all aspects of one's life. He wrote in his book "The Art of Peace, "Those who do not depend upon weapons at all, but rather research justice, love and the establishment of absolute and lasting peace and harmony quite naturally arrive at aikido. The object is not to kill or destroy the enemy by force. It is rather to give them exactly what they desire. The use of aikido can help you to change your enemy into a friend. Because of this ability, we are able to learn that we really have no enemies in this world, and the difficulties that are presented to us help us to understand our own defects. It can change the weakest, the most ignorant person into the strongest, most perceptive, most civilized and happy person." Ohsawa realized that a set of common beliefs and goals were at the center of both his and O-Sensei's teachings. He began to introduce O-Sensei to his students as one of Japan's greatest Martial Artists because Aikido was a martial art whose highest goals were that of inner peace, and outer harmony...


... preceding quote taken from this website... (http://www.nyaikidocenter.com/history.htm)

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[Don_Modesto]

Hello All, I am new here. I am hoping that someone will be able to help me.

A few years ago, through my various readings of Morihei's work, I found a quote from him that said something to the effect of:
Be thankful for your enemies because they teach you about yourself (weaknesses).

Others as a mirror of yourself is a typically New Religion point of view. Read about other characteristics of New Religions in Kurozumikyo and the New Religions of Japan by Helen Hardacre.

[gabriellecole]

I just wanted to give thanks to everyone. You have all been so very helpful!!!

Gabrielle