Thread: Shuhari
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Old 12-10-2011, 03:25 AM   #21
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
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Re: Shuhari

Quote:
Kevin Leavitt wrote: View Post
To me Harmony and Peace are concepts, not principles. As concepts they are also ENDSTATES of aikido...not something that is transmitted. To me, something that would be transmitted would be knowledge of some kind that effectively would lead or enable Harmony and Peace. What knowledge is being transmitted through the methodology of Aikido? knowledge on the mental, physical, and spiritual dimensions.....how does the methodology of aikido accomplish this?

Universal love is a concept or an endstate...not a principle. Again, what are the "things" we do in aikido that enable this endstate?

Principle of Center: not sure what this is. We sure talk about it alot in Aikido, but heck if I really know what it means. I think it is good to be balanced, have your balance, and for your uke to not have it. having balance or center would be based on your structure as it relates to gravity.

Non-resistance: I think this is a concept too. It connotes a particular constraint or ethic

Principle of Blending: Again, how is this a principle...it might at best be a technique, tactic, or method to make some particular action happen. What is blending though and what is it's significance and application?

Principle of Ki Flow: A concept. Alot of people have this concept in their mind about KI flow and what it is and isn't. What is Ki...and how does it flow? if it flows, where does it come from...it must have a position or origin in order to measure flow. I suppose it comes from your "center", if so, what physical structure is this center that allows for this very real thing to flow from?

Okay Ki is energy what are the properties of this energy? is it heat, light, electricity? how is it different than force? how does it manifest itself physically?

That is all the time I have for questions now. I think it is probably enough to focus on answering anyway.
Wow! I like it. Good challenging questions.

First peace and harmony. Yes, as I said they are the results of principles used properly and thus are indeed end states. So your use of 'transmitted' was different to mine. I used it to mean that as a result of my applying principles the effect of a harmonious feeling and peacefulness experienced by the uke was a transmission of what I was bringing about.

Anyway I see you mean how to teach such.

Well the methodology I use is first to locate principles, second to get students applying those principles to a hold, an attack, and thus seeing the efficacy of it. Straightforward, not complicated but that doesn't mean it's easy. Learn principle, apply, thus make it yours, see where and when it applies and to what until it's second nature to you. That's training, that's methodology.

Universal love is not an endstate it's a truth. It's an underlying state to be aligned with and experienced. At that point you could call it an 'end state' loosely but I would say it's a recovery of a lost spiritual state.

Now to enable us to achieve this we must learn which principles are inherent in universal love. Then we can take them and with discipline use them in Aikido. This I do as part and parcel of my Aikido.

Center: Once again we would have to study center to see what it actually is. We can see it is a principle of some kind for everything has a center. So we start by seeing what it does. To be a universal principle it must do something which thus explains the uniform resultant effects.

Let's take yin and yang for example. The expansion and contraction. From where? From center. So we can see it is the point that energy goes out from and where energy goes in to. It's a point, the source of yin and yang. Yet it of it'self is neither yin nor yang. It of it'self is neutral. It is a point of non-resistance. So I would say that center is the principle of non-resistance.

If this is true then we can test it as a principle and find that it is non-resistance which brings about true stability and balance. As I've said before, spiritually I call it the gateless gate. The truth of all principles are spiritual.

Again, this can be taught and practiced. Thus it can be applied.

Blending: To join and be with, in alignment with. Thus not contesting. Aikido no? This is an end state, something to be accomplished so it is not a principle but is a result of applying principle or principles. It is an aim.

Which principles lead to this is the question. Herein lies part of the discipline of Aikido. When you are not blending successfully then you are either applying the wrong principle to the situation, not applying the right group of principles or individual one or simply relying on something other than principle.

Ki flow: Not a concept, a reality. Life energy. It comes from true spirit. In fact you could say it is true spirit. Principles? Well study life energy and see what it does.

Let me introduce you to the most basic life organism. Therein lies the first clue. Don't concentrate on what the correct name for this organism is but merely the fact that it is an organism. Now look at all life forms. All organisms of various structures. There's another word as well, organic.

Life organizes. So we are looking at what life, what spirit does. It organizes. It brings about alignment and in fact it realigns when things are becoming misaligned. Ki does this. That's one thing it does. It gives life to, it energizes. It brings about aliveness.

As well as that it being an energy it thus follows a path and thus in doing so we have flow.

Life meets and joins with life. Ki joins with 'opponets Ki' and thus aligns naturally but it is only our mind, ego or whatever label you want to use that interferes and denies and trys to insist on other paths. Ki thus knows where to flow to but we are not aware enough to follow it is more the truth of the matter.

The source is you. Now if you are in the here and now spiritually, as some say in the moment then you are being centered and thus being with center. Thus structurally it will flow from center.

If you are confused or scared or daydreaming then you are not spiritually centered, in the moment and thus your Ki is all over the place. Troubled, thus you may revert to some other thing like force or running ha,ha.

Kiatsu as I have pointed out before is real. If I was to do Kiatsu on you you would feel like your body was getting a refill of energy, for it would join your own Ki and reinvigorate your body.

Add to that that Ki is non-resistive then you can see that it reaches through undisturbed and thus you can get an idea of what extending Ki means. In fact you always extend and receive Ki but you should never draw your Ki in. A subtle difference but a big one which explains zanshin and you could say in your line of work alertness. When you are alert then your Ki is extended out continuously yet at the same time you are comfortably receiving in without withdrawing your Ki. Zanshin.

Even in practicing kokyudosa You can train and discipline this for as soon as the partners Ki is drawn in or withdrawn you will find you take their center easily. A nice drill actually.

Enough for now.

Regards. G.
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