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Old 09-27-2013, 02:20 PM   #18
James Sawers
 
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Dojo: Oak Park Aikikai, IL
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Re: Japanese, Aikido word- for leading?

Quote:
Chris Hein wrote: View Post
I believe I understand the idea. There is no "them" and no "me" we are but one part of a whole. So "leading", in this way of thinking doesn't exist.

However looking back at the above analogy, a sculptor may very well see the statue inside of the block of stone. But if he never uses his chisel to remove the excess he is not a sculptor at all, only an imaginer.

If the Aikidoist never actually leads the attack, he is only a target, not a nage. We can take the perspective that there is no "leading" and in fact no "event" at all, only the wholeness of the universe, that is only one perspective. The same as the sculptor "seeing" the statute that has not been sculpted. However this sculptor must use the techniques of sculpting to make the statue appear to the rest of us, as must the nage use the techniques of Aikido to realize the event.
Quite correct. I imagine that for the statue to emerge from the stone, the sculptor must first imagine it (the statue's intent, so-to-speak) in there somewhere trying to get out, and start chiseling to reveal it..........again, extending the analogy to Aikido, nage moves based on uke's intent, before uke even moves, so nage is actually not "leading" uke, nage is just where he needs to be to reveal/expose uke's attack, and apply what technique is appropriate.....Of course, analogies have their limits.......perhaps I am pushing this one, but it helped me put this idea into perspective.
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