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Old 10-28-2010, 04:28 PM   #49
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
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Smile Re: Words like God and Ki

Quote:
Mary Eastland wrote: View Post
Mary Malmros said : Well...this is where y'all bring out the boffer bats (or the bokken) and start whaling on me and yellling, "Mary, shut UP!" But does "spirit" have anything to do with "spirituality"? I think of "spirituality" as a connection with the divine, whether that be Allah or the kami or Jesus or the god in you. The usage of "spirit" in the martial arts, OTOH, has always given me the sense that it was a translation of a word that referred to a particular attitude and that the original had no connotations of the sacred. So, am I wrong about that?

This thought made me think.

The words god and ki cause a lot of response...people get emotional and defensive when the words god and ki are used.

If we could set that defensiveness aside and continue to communicate our thoughts while listening to others the real issues might be heard.

Being in the moment and accepting what every uke offers is sacred. This experience helps me connect to others in the outside world. Both god and ki are in the now. Aikido training deepens this experience for me making my life a sacred mysterious practice.

Mary
Hi Mary, well put. May I offer my equally attackable view. For me God is GOOD and every time anyone truly feels good they are feeling God in now and Ki is that energy that results from good decisions and desires and is known to you and I KINDNESS.
This may sound crazy to some or to many but it is what I teach.

Now others may attack with a sword of hate, with a sword of fear or even with a sword of rightness but the sharpest blade of all is the sword of kindness.
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