View Single Post
Old 10-17-2012, 12:08 PM   #101
sorokod
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 841
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: VoE: AWASE - The Principle of AIKI

Quote:
Mark Murray wrote: View Post
Yep, and pretty much millions of people training in aikido think this way. And millions of people over 40+ years doing exactly this kind of awase training you subscribe to has produced ... no one of Shioda's level, let alone Ueshiba's. Why can't we do what you're doing, Ueshiba? Because you don't understand inyo. Not, because you don't understand awase.

For a start, read this thread:
http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14991

Then research it.

Mark
These are fascinating. I think that the following are missing from your list:

Quote:
* The golden light incident

"Immediately after this encounter, with the naval officer, O Sensei had an amazing experience…The ground started to tremble, and he saw thousands of dazzling golden rays falling from the sky…Then he felt soft, golden ki rising from up out of the earth to embrace him…O Sensei exulted inside: ‘This is a divine transformation!' "

-- Kisshomaru Ueshiba "A Life in Aikido"
Quote:
* The Founder bullet dodging incident in Manchuria

-- Gozo Shioda "Aikido Shugyo"
Quote:
* The Founder lifting/moving heavy objects no one else could lift/move.

"He utilized his monstrous power to move rocks and logs, earning fame for having the power of an ox. One day after 50 or more volunteer workers had failed to move a giant tree, the founder went up to the tree and using ki-power grasped the trunk and gave a tremendous heave. The great tree swayed. After a few more tries, the roots were so loosened that the volunteers were easily able to move it the next time around. The story grew and spread throughout the faith until it was rumored that "Ueshiba had picked up and carried" an object weighing almost 4,000 kilograms!"

-- Kisshomaru Ueshiba "Founder of Aikido" (http://members.aikidojournal.com/pri...rivate-school/)
There may be several reasons for this

1. these don't fit into your current understanding of what the Founder was doing
2. these are just a hagiography for a founder of a martial art - and so you don't take them seriously
3. you think they are irrelevantto the discussion.

If its 2 or 3, can you say something about how you avoid cherry picking just the information that fits your views?

Finally here is a quote from Gaku Homma, who was the last uchi deshi of the Founder, that may be relevant:
Quote:
Speaking from experience, I can relate my feelings about being an uchideshi and uke to the Founder, Morihei Ueshiba. Perhaps only those students who actually practiced with the Founder will truly understand my feelings. As full-time students of the Founder, our respect for him was of course paramount. Especially towards the end of his life, if the Founder asked his students to "push against him as hard as they could", there was not one student among us who could do that. It was not that we were not able to physically push him, it was that we couldn't.

At the age of eighty-six, the Founder commanded so much respect for his life and accomplishments, that no student of any rank, even 7th or 8th dan, were able to breach this level of respect. Beyond the obvious differences in rank and experience, I feel this was part of the true "Ki" power the Founder possessed. It is understandable when looking at old photos of the Founder resisting the efforts of ten students pushing on his body to think it looks like magic. As one who was there, his power was derived from his presence, not from magic. At the height of his physical prowess, I have no doubt that he used technique to keep students from overpowering him. I attribute his powers at the age of 86 to real "Sensei power", the personal power he possessed after a life time of hardships and accomplishments. Not only in the world of Martial arts, leaders world --wide who have reached this level command this type of respect from those around them".

http://www.nippon-kan.org/abroad/sco..._scotland.html

  Reply With Quote