Re: Western religion and Aikido
 

"Religion" means "that which binds together." "Musubi" is actually very close in root meaning. On those grounds aikido qualifies as a religious practice, but not as a religious doctrine.

Today's insistence on religion as an individualist pursuit is a novel, and oxymoronic, approach to the search for meaning. Largely this is becasue there is a misunderstanding between the respective purposes of religious practice and religious doctrine.

From my experience, proper religious practice is always effective to accomplish its purposes. I have experienced this same essnetial thing in contexts as far ranging as the muezzin at dusk in Jerusalem, the DaiButsu in Kamakura, the Grand Canyon, Eucharistic Adoration, Mozart's Requiem Mass, in just plain sitting, and yes -- also in the practice of aikido.

If a Universal Truth is indeed truth it must be everywhere the same, or it cannot be true. If it is universal, yet it must also differ in its particulars of expression, or it cannot be found expressed in all different perspectives. Doctrine is a means to teach affirmative concepts about the deeper meaning, but always comes from a particular perspective. Practice should invite us to the universal that is found in but is not of the particular means of its expression.

How we affirmatively understand that paradox of purpose and meaning may therefore differ very widely because affirmation implicitly negates or distinguishes what is not affirmed. Practice just IS. By practicing in the proper spirit, you get it. By practicing in the wrong spirit, you don't.

At least that is how I see it from my little corner of the universe.

It all about Ki-Musubi. The Spirit that binds us all together.

Re: Western religion and Aikido
 

The universe has corners Erick?? :freaky:

the multiple posts above maybe proof of the multiple universe theory that the quantum folk are talking about at the moment;)

regards,

Mark

Re: Western religion and Aikido
 

lol! seems like Aikiweb was in a universe of it's own in the last 24 hours!

Good post Erick.

Just one comment. Many will agree that there is universal truth...but that their version of the truth is what is universal...not yours!

Good post Erick.


Good post Erick.

Good post Erick

:)

Re: Western religion and Aikido
 

...Or evidence of multiple bounce glitches to the Aikiweb server ...

Nah. I go for the quantum thing myself...

And corners. Never trust those universes with the seductively smooth surfaces ...

Re: Western religion and Aikido
 

Aikido in its creation was taking aspects of something else to suit a new set of needs. If a bow is what we need to do to show our respect for the man who founded the thing we love, then that should be accepted as aikido. It is adaption of something to suit new needs, and needs which are honest in the hearts of western practitioners. As long as we're honest in our hearts what we do is fine, wether we fully understand eastern or western religious ideas. I think everyone has different religions anyway. No one will see the bible in the exact same way as another. As long as the thoughts in our head are honest we should act as we wish, even if we act in a traditionally eastern way.

On paper i'm church of england christian, but i disagree with much of christianity. There is something about aikido and puting my left then right hand in a bow on a mat that effects me in a way that putting my hands together in a church never did. I don't have to understand what it is to appreciate it. Should we use western ideas because we are western, or experience and learn about eastern ones to discover if it's closer to our hearts?

All religions and spiritual beliefs adapted and develpoed overtime, slight adaption now doesn't make what e do wrong, or every religion and spiritual belief would have to be dismissed as wrong.