:
For me, when I do something that looks like ikkyo, is it Aikido, Xingyi, or kodachi from Jikishinkage ryu performed without a weapon in my hand? If Takeda studied Jikishinkage ryu for a while, is that closer than Bagua, which he likely never encountered?
Does it matter, if someone cannot stop me?
To me not at all
I guess a question to add to your list is whether given the benefits of internal power and stability to taijutsu, is important to seek Ueshiba's specific methodologies or alternatives?
Is it important to be able to do what he did how he did it or just be able to do what he did?
Do what he did
Can this be done by most people in the context of Aikido or is understanding Daito-ryu necessary?
No and no
If you practice other approaches and they influence your Aikido, is that acceptable?
Why not, that's what Ueshiba did.
At what point are you no longer doing Aikido?
What is Aikido?
I am writing this as someone who did what is probably fairly low-level Aikido for a time and then did internal martial arts for some time. I don't think I do Aikido any longer. If I do something that looks like irimi nage, is it just Bagua or is it good Aikido now that I know internal ideas, or is it bad Aikido because the form doesn't look quite right?
Depends on above
Anyway, I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts and though I would contribute some random thoughts.
Mark Raugas
innerdharma.org
Thanks Mark, I share your feelings and the longer I practice aikido the more it embraces everything on the martial arts continuum, the more shared principles of body training and application, the less differences I see. This is not to say that all arts are equal but that they share deep common roots, however lost or occluded by poor transmission or simply time. Since I am only a hobbyist, and not a zealot, neither saint nor soldier, one step at a time is all I hope for.