Anyone have good book suggestions on

Anyone have good book suggestions on "ki"?

I have to eventually write a paper on "ki" and want to get a head start on it.

Thanks!!

There was this one book by this guy who has an uchi deshi program in Denver, forgot his name. Runs "Domo" restaurant. Wrote "Aikido for Life," or something like that, and a book (maybe it was that one) which was about what living as an uchi deshi was like. I remember reading a section on "ki" in one of his books. In that section, he was like, "What is ki? Can you point to it? If it really exists, then what is its texture, etc?" He then exposed a bunch of common tricks that many aikido teachers apparently say prove the power of ki, giving common sense explanations showing how it was physics, rather than some mysterious, free-floating life-force. He also had a section that was like, "Just as you can't find ki, you can't find mind," or something like that. It was interesting, and had a more common sense approach to things like ki which was refreshing. If I remember the name of the book and author, I'll tell you, unless someone else does first. I'll check the library over the weekend or a little later.

edit: Mitsugi Saotome Sensei's books have some good stuff on ki. Aikido and the Harmony of Nature has lots of complicated stuff (Chapter 10--Ki and Kokyu). I think either the introduction to Aikido and the Harmony of Nature or The Principles of Aikido had a good explanation or theory of what ki was, comparing the Japanese concept of ki to other cultures.'

Anders Bjonback wrote: ...this guy who has an uchi deshi program in Denver, forgot his name. Runs "Domo" restaurant.

That would be Gaku Homma.

Bronson

If you are writing a paper on ki you'll need more than a good book! I would suggest looking at the chinese origins of the concept (i.e. chi), rather than just what aikidoka have picked up from Japan. I think it's a very adventurous project; maybe you should think of exploring just one small aspect of ki/chi - there are volumes and volumes on ki/chi in the area of health. You probably need an angle e.g. 'is there any proof for the existence of ki?'

Ian Dodkins wrote: If you are writing a paper on ki you'll need more than a good book! I would suggest looking at the chinese origins of the concept (i.e. chi), rather than just what aikidoka have picked up from Japan. I think it's a very adventurous project; maybe you should think of exploring just one small aspect of ki/chi - there are volumes and volumes on ki/chi in the area of health. You probably need an angle e.g. 'is there any proof for the existence of ki?'

Oh, hehe, I never thought about that. Good point!!

Thank you, and thanks, everyone else so far!!

Tohei's Book Ki in Everyday life. He really tried to break the concepts down to something that could be understood and taught. This book summarizes his first book The Book of Ki: Coordinating Mind and Body. Both are 'must reads'.

Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere. First book i got and then i took aikido. Very interesting and tells alot of the philosophy of aikido. As well as technique.

Ah...you beat me to it Larry...

I have to agree with Ian. You might want to write on one point of ki, being as it's the base for countless volumes of material.

Bryce

Two others worth considering:
"On Mastering Aikido", Daniel Linden, Linden Tree Press, Orlando, 2004 (ISBN 0-9746459-0-7) and "Aikido Basics", Phong Thong Dang and Lynn Seiser, Tuttle Publishing, Boston, 2003 (ISBN 0-8048-3490-3). I had to order the Linden book from the publisher, but found the Dang/Seiser book at a local Barnes and Noble.

Both offer pretty good discussions on ki with a bent to explain in western terms. Lynn Seiser contributes here frequently too. Narrowing the paper is an excellent idea as well. Good luck with the paper.

From a practical standpoint, Carol Shifflett's book can't be beat http://shop.store.yahoo.com/roundear...naiksamof.html

Kodansha Intl. publishes a Japanese language book series called Power Japanese. There is a whole volume about ki and how it is variously used in the language. It is only about ten dollars.

Charles Hill