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Old 02-16-2004, 01:17 PM   #42
akiy
 
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Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 6,049
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Hi Mark,
Quote:
Mark Dobro (Doka) wrote:
I would say that the belief in being able one day to do the technique you saw your teacher do is not faith, as you have proof that it is possible. You saw your teacher do it! You are simply striving to improve and achieve.
So, in other words, you may have "proof" that something can be possible, but you have to have "faith" that the training process will work for you to achieve that goal.

For example, I am currently able to juggle only three clubs. However, I have personally seen people juggling seven clubs. There is nothing that proves that I personally will be able to juggle seven pins even with the "proof" that I saw someone else do so.

Say I join this master juggler's school in order to learn how to juggle seven clubs. I see him doing so every day and I work at the exercises that he provides, but I am still stuck at three clubs. Of course, there is proof that the master juggler is able to juggle seven clubs, but is there any proof that the exercises that he provides will lead me to juggling seven clubs? Heck, even if little 14 year old Anthony were able to learn seven clubs studying under this juggling master, does that mean that I personally will?

In other words, there is no proof that I will, one day guaranteed, attain the ability to do my teacher's iriminage. Moving forward on that path, to me, requires faith. That is where my "faith" in my aikido training lies -- that the training process will get me somewhere, even if it doesn't seem like it will.

-- Jun

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