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Ellis Amdur wrote:
Me? I define "aiki," as best I understand it as an admixture of skill and power derived from breath training (which develops the nervous system and the connective tissue in specific ways, "'intent" (directing attention so that specific, in many ways quite powerful effects are created within the body, all directed by tantien (or tantien(s)), which function as kind of universal joints, to a) effectively direct power from the wheels b) augment with it's own power.
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I now declare you the reductionist! Where is the spiritual possession?
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My own skill in this area is quite limited.
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I bet mine is more limited that yours!
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It is very likely (I sure hope so) that as I practice enough, my understanding may change or be augmented significantly.
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I hope it works out that way for me as well. God knows I waste enough time in my life as it is.
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What Ueshiba defined as "aiki" was, in my opinion, the above definition - braided with his spiritual/religious practices, which created, depending on the opinion-makers, something more or less than Daito-ryu aiki he learned, and something more or less than the t'ai chi or xingyi or whatever of top Chinese martial artists. Having never felt him, I don't have a clue.
Ellis Amdur
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Sometimes when I read translations of Ueshiba, I feel like I am back to working in an Adolescent Day Treatment Program listening to some kid who has driven his ADHD into hyperdrive by drinking four cokes and eating three bags of skittles. I enjoy it, but it can be exhausting and confusing.
Thanks for the patient responses.
