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Old 01-02-2004, 09:48 AM   #10
John Boswell
 
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Dojo: Aikido of Midland
Location: Midland, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 597
United_States
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In March, I plan to marry the woman I've searched all my life for. She and I plan to have kids and I'm very much looking forward to being a father.

Just this morning, I was thinking of what I would tell my child on why I train in Aikido and what the purpose a learning budo, and what it was all about. And pardon me for setting aside the idea of "no self" at this time, but its a difficult concept to explain.

What I DO know about why I train is: I train in budo so I do NOT have to fight.

Evil exists in the world in various forms. Bullies, Dictators, pretentious governments and officials, authorities of various kind, even just the schmuck at the bar who's had to much to drink could be acting out on impulse for various reason... alcohol being the evil agent there.

Whatever the reason is, force is coming at you from all different directions. If you fail to act on it when it does appear, it will collied with you and halt or hinder your advancement through life and getting by in our day to day world. THIS is called being the effect of something. It is a form of destruction.

In order to be at cause, we have to redirect that energy. Even better than that is to live life and set yourself up so that adverse force will not come your way in the first place! Obeying laws, paying taxes, sending out good energy by making friends and having friendly relations even with people you would rather not associate with... these are all ways of getting by, blending, living in harmony with others. Can't all of that also be considered self defense?

As far as "no self" goes, I personally believe this is the universal void that O'Sensei loved to talk about. A person's spirit or soul can not be seen but it is there. Walk into a room at your hospital where someone is on life support. You, the doctor and the patient are in the room. Would you say there are two and one half people in the room? Does that comatose person count any less than you or the doctor? No. There is life there. There is a being whose body is in terrible shape, but if there is life... there is a single, whole spiritual being attached to it. THAT is the "no self" that exists. The body, truth be known, is the actual illusion.

So... though we fight to defend "our self", we are actually defending the vessal in which we get around in. There are tons of ways to defend, but the reason is the same... to get by in this thing called life.

Hope I didn't throw anyone off or stir up any contraversy.

Happy New Year everyone!

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