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Old 05-20-2005, 09:20 AM   #45
RonRagusa
Dojo: Berkshire Hills Aikido
Location: Massachusetts
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 824
United_States
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Re: Basic elements of Aikido

Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote:
Well, the initial idea of the thread was along the lines of the common discussion in some members of the Aikido community that "anything is Aikido", "Aikido is what you want it to be", etc. The question suggested that if there is nothing set down in writing, etc., then no one has the right to say that someone else's Aikido was not Aikido and they have a free ticket to practice anything they want and still call it Aikido. At least that's the way I read it,...
The initial idea of this thread was to pose a series of questions to the board and elicit replies regarding the nature of the basic principles of Aikido in so far as they relate to the questions posed. The questions themselves contain no suggestions or implications.

As I have followed the development of the thread I have noticed that the basic principles of Aikido as elucidated in the posts vary from practitioner to practitioner. I found most interesting Mike Sigman's observation that O-Sensei kept his explanations deliberately vague and metaphorical in nature. I wonder if O-Sensei did this so that those who followed him would be forced to interpret Aikido in their own way rather than just regurgitate what they had been taught.

From "The Art Of Peace" by John Stevens:

"The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other reason than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment."
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