Wow ... sorry for that ...
Actually using the expression " 'it' " was just meant to prevent the discussion it now pushed. In German we use quotation marks to say something with a twinkle in one's eye.
With a grain of salt. Being not too serious. ... I thought it was clear that I am referring to aiki but didn't want to go into detail here because that's not the topic of this thread. And also because defining my undersanding of aiki would need some space.
Katherine describes my intention precisely, when she writes:
"I think there have been endless discussions in this very forum about "it," and if nothing else those discussions have shown that internal power, aiki, and related phenomena are not easily summarized in a sentence, or even a paragraph. And so, if one wishes to have a conversation without getting bogged down in endless rehashing of definitions, it is necessary to use some sort of shorthand."
Here you may get a first idea of at least one of the Areas where I am looking for "it" and how I try to get access to the meaning of aiki.
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Mary Malmros wrote:
Yes. Enough with the "you don't have the secret decoder ring" nonsense.
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Well, I think this kind of illustrates the point I tried to make: When you are taught something it completely loses it's magical quality. Even if you can not reproduce it fully, what your are taught is no longer a mystery to you but something you can work with. Something everybody can work with.
For example, when I for the first time in my life saw a shodan grading about twenty years ago, I had no "secret decoder ring": I simply had no idea how this gyu did what he did. And still less
how he did what he did. I was completely lost. - By now, I myself prepare students for taking their shodan gradings...
In this case it's simply a question of time and of gathering experiences.
The quote Ron posted contains another example that goes a little bit deeper and shows that experience will not help in every case, but that you have to have some knowledge to get things right:
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Ron Ragusa wrote:
"Instructors can impart only a fraction of the teaching. It is through your own devoted training that the mysteries of the Art of Peace are brought to life." - Morihei Ueshiba
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It is my experience that not everyone realizes that "peace" in Ueshiba's context does not only refer to political or social phenomena.,But first and foremost means Daoist internal practices in which you (at least try to) restore yin and yang from fire and water and build yin over yang, which as hexagramm is read: "peace". Meaning the union of heaven and earth within your body. Or - inother words - "stillness and movement as one". That's how the shihan I follow usually expresses it.
The term "Art of Peace" is so frequently used when talking about aikidō. But you don't hear very often, that this refers to certain internal practices, to concrete Daoist exercises.
This is but one of many aspects of "it". Again: You don't need a decoder ring here. But also true: Only experience and years of practice will not help you. You simply have to have a hint, a pointer. This knowledge is not evident and does not reveal itself just from usual keiko. You will not find that by yourself. You will have to be told. Maybe at first a book will sufficently do. Or an article. At least that is needed. And when you decide to actually practice
this art or freedom you need a teacher.
So yes: It is my experience that you "can ... only learn if a teacher reveals 'it' to you, whatever this mysterious 'it' is". It is my understanding, that this is exactly what teachers are for. And being a teacher myself for some years now, I experience this myself "on the other side".
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Mary Malmros wrote:
do you believe that you, yourself, can learn nothing from observing a video?
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I myself use videos. But definitely only videos of teachers with whom I have practiced to a certain degree. So that my body knows the how it feels, what my eyes see.
Still another example: I attended only one seminar of Ikeda Hiroshi sensei. I was lucky he took me as uke several times throughout the day to show the seminar what he wanted us to practice. There was a whole lot of stuff where Ikeda sensei did no visible movement at all - but completely broke my balance. The attendees could only see my reaction. But had no idea of what he was doing. And how. The only could see that I was stable, or was not.
Maybe you have practiced with Ikeda sensei? Than you may know what I am talking about. Only watching that on video will give nothing to work with. Absolutely nothing. You simply can't see what he is doing. You simply have to know it. And in this case there are no books or articles about it. And I think this true for every video to a certain degree.
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(god, I hate secret-handshake crap!)
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To my experience this is an integral component of the transmission of budō. And I think it is exactly this what "ishin denshin" means in the end. And because of that lineage seems so important to me. As does knowledge of the origin, knowledge of what can be learned.
There is a lot of stuff that you - and I - won't find yourself. But that has to be revealed to you.
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Mary Malmros wrote:
It's particularly effective when you insist that those who don't see what you see are blind or stupid or ignorant, and that only the most discerning and clued in will see "it".
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I'm clearly not saying that while everybody is looking at the same thing, only some see "it" and others don't and are therefore "blind or stupid or ignorant".
It is my understanding, that we simply not alltogether have the opportunity to look at the same things. So not everyone has the Chance to learn certain things. Simply because you necessarily need a teacher who knows those things and who is able to show and to teach them.
In my case I practiced about 15 years very intensively with - I still think - very good teachers, until I met some teachers who opened my eyes to a new world. Or a new dimension. It simply didn't exist before. And I had seen quite a bit of the aikidō world.
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Mary Malmros wrote:
We must be reading a different forum.
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When I wrote: "Isn't it interesting, that there are so many people who agree about what Ueshiba meant?" I was not referring to this forum. It is my experience that once you know what to look for you will find more and more teachers who do this stuff. And who trace it back to the origin, to Ueshiba osensei. They agree in the essence of twhat they do and teach. Although they never met nor even know each other.
And in adititon to that I see this same stuff in other, related budō: You have it in TSKSR, KSR, Daitō ryū. Just to name a few.
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Are you familiar with the term "credentialism"?
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Um no. So I would appreciate, if you elaborate a litlle bit ...