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Old 11-24-2005, 07:02 AM   #20
ruthmc
Dojo: Wokingham Aikido
Location: Reading, UK
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 393
United Kingdom
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Re: Aikido - To Teach Without Speech

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote:
Years ago I was at a seminar in Seattle at which Sensei was hosted, not by me, but by some other folks who had joined the ASU. He started class and looked at what people were doing, clapped, and said, "No, look at what I am doing. It's not the same as the way you have done it before." He then demonstrated several more times. People started training again and went right back to what they'd been doing before. He again stopped the class, demonstrated quite clearly what he was after, and they all again went right back to what they already knew. This happened three times. After the third time I was watching Sensei and there was an instant in which he sort of changed channels. He called for bokken and taught the rest of the seminar for his students that were there. He worked with anyone from the other school who looked like they were making a legitimate effort but he completely ignored the senior people who were so stuck doing what they'd always done that they couldn't even see anything new, even when it was directly pointed out to them.
Hence keeping beginner's mind - if you just watch and listen to the instructor with no presumptions you may learn something new. If you think you already know it just because you're senior you can't learn anything new.

Me - I know nothing (And I don't want anything to get in the way of learning direct from sensei)

Ruth
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