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Old 01-07-2005, 04:41 PM   #15
Tadhg Bird
 
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Dojo: New School Aikido, Stockton, CA
Location: Casper, WY
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 55
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Circle Re: Struggles with Bowing

Quote:
John Boswell wrote:
On more formal bow-in's, some instructors will do a "clapping" which has origins from Shinto I believe. When the clapping bow in is done, I've seen students not participate. They will remain in seiza and only do the bowing... out of respect.

It is my understanding that the clapping action is a call to the spirits of the place, to pay homage to them, alert them to the coming practice and ask for their respect and pay respect for the practice that is taking place.
The bow-in ceremony I use has four claps in it, yet we have a humanistic symbol for the claps, not a religious one. The four claps represent the minimum number of connected geometric points needed to have a "real" object.

1 = A point
2 = A line segment
3 = A plane
4 = A polygon, a real shape.

This is more influenced from Buckminster Fuller than Shinto tradition.

Bowing is a symbol, it may mean something in a cultural context, but ultimatly any meaning is put there by the one doing the bowing.

"Words and letters can never adequately describe Aikido -- its meaning is revealed only to those who are enlightened through hard training." -- Ueshiba Morihei O Sensei
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