View Single Post
Old 11-21-2011, 08:27 AM   #20
MM
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,996
United_States
Offline
Re: Ueshiba's Golden Lights

Quote:
Eric DesMarais wrote: View Post
I was just looking for the quote about golden lights so I googled it. I first encountered the golden lights in the Stevens work, I am pretty sure I have come across on Aikido Journal, and the one that I grabbed was in Ueshiba's wikipedia entry and is cited as coming from Kisshomaru's book Aikido published in 1985.

Checking the wiki entry again, it is placed as happening after his bout with a naval officer in 1925 when Ueshiba walked into a garden. I think this is pretty standard for everywhere I have read the story.

I guess the hypothesis I am trying to discuss, though, is that there are different technologies, one that enhances spiritual enlightenment and discovery, and another that enhances body skills/martial capabilities. They may use some (or many) of the same tools and materials, but the end results could be very different products.
I'm still not sure of the hypothesis you're trying to discuss. Sorry, just me being confused.

In regards to Ueshiba, though ...

1. Ueshiba starts training with Takeda in 1915. We have 5 years of Ueshiba training aiki and then he moves to Ayabe where he starts training with Deguchi.

2. Now, skip to 1922 where Takeda trains Ueshiba for about 6-9 months.

3. Then, we have the *martial* incident in 1925 and Ueshiba's golden moment.

So, we have 10 years training aiki and 5 years Deguchi spiritual stuff. Anyone ever read of any single person who attained enlightenment in 5 years? On the other hand, we can trace the Japanese internal skills back to China and then to India.

Now, here's the real kicker ... what if long, long ago, those who started internal skills did so because of a martial need. As time progressed and people got better, it evolved into two sects: those who continued to do martial internal training (rare) and those who took the "golden lights" parts and followed a more spiritual path. Time passes and the internal martial artists are still rare, but the masses love the message of these "golden lights", "enlightenment", etc, and there are millions of followers all looking for nirvana.

Time passes and we now sing the songs and chant the chants but don't really understand why. We do not know that we do not know, so singing the songs and chanting the chants is enough. Just as we are taught the false dantien, we are taught the false enlightenment, but the way has been lost to all but a few. One path diverged into two so very long ago. Ueshiba attempted to merge them back.

But I'm merely musing and waxing poetically ...
  Reply With Quote