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Old 05-25-2007, 12:12 PM   #16
jennifer paige smith
 
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Re: Aikido is a pair of ducks- tantric practices and aikido

Quote:
Don J. Modesto wrote: View Post
Not an expert but have done some reading.

As I understand it, sexual practice was only one small--and vigorously repudiated--school (Tachikawa ryu) in Japanese Tantrism.

Tantrism seems to imply a discipline using the imagination to find similarities amongst otherwise disparate phenomena: "I am the universe", e.g. and integrating them through meditation with MANDALA, MANTRA, and MUDRA, or, as the tantra promised, "Mind and body united." Sound familiar?

It was through such esoteric practice that profane practices such as poetry, carpentry, and the martial arts came to be regarded as proper venues for spiritual practice we now call MICHI (DO).

The history I've read seems to point in this direction, anyway. I don't know how much of Osensei's practice or Omoto was tantric. It is safe to say, however, that most of this influence is dying or dead.

Osensei's son, the second Doshu, had little desire to pursue it, much reason to jettison it (GHQ down the block), and most aikidoists seem pretty secular, too.

Don't know of anyone bringing it into their practice except perhaps what Omoto practitioners remain in aikido, and perhaps Kooichi Barrish or Mary Heiny.

Hope this helps.
Yes it does as it seems to stimulate the conversation as well as provide some more information for discussion.
I hear tantric as not sexual, exclusively.

Jennifer Paige Smith
Confluence Aikido Systems
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