Just move yourself

I've seen this idea before, and it was recently mentioned here. It combined with another brief conversation I just had about respect, and made think of how important I believe it is to worry less about the errors we perceive in others, and more on perceiving the errors in ourself. Both are needed, but I generally weight the latter as more important.
I do not do this particularly well, but I do believe that it is usually best to avoid the confrontations that can arise between people, by not resisting those pointed corners we encounter in others. At times where I believe I have done this relatively well, I had a strong sense of focusing very heavily on my own process; blending with what I can perceive of the other person's position and posture (e.g. not resisting the "pointy bits," so much as moving past them to the heart of the matter).
Two lessons from my teacher (to the best of my recollection) come to mind:
1. First, do no wrong thing.
2. Aikido is about correcting yourself, not others.

Number one is of course much easier said than done, but to my mind it points to the idea that through sustained focus we can improve our behaviors to the point that they don't create new problems on our path toward reconciliation.

Number two reinforces this principle of not making new problems by pointing to the source of the solutions: self-improvement. To my mind it carries the implication that the correction of others is a byproduct of this process.

Number one is the ideal; number two is the means to approaching the ideal.

People often talk about grass-roots movements when they describe how to make profound change in society. This makes me think of O Sensei's suggestion to first build up yourself, then your home and community, etc. outward; and I think it relates to this basic idea of correcting yourself, of performing misogi activities to remove your own obstructions, to make yourself more potent in the art of reconciliation and creating the win-win situations that, hopefully, bring about a kind of world peace...strong roots bear tasty fruit.
Anyhow, my bit of thinking this morning for your consideration. Any thoughts or corrections would be most welcome!
Take care,
Matt

Christopher Li had a very interesting observation he posted in a discussion in Aikido Journal Online. Morihei Ueshiba was referred to as the Invincible Warrior by John Stevens. One kanji that was often translated as "invincible" could be translated as "without enemies." Your post made me think of this.

John Hillson wrote: Christopher Li had a very interesting observation he posted in a discussion in Aikido Journal Online. Morihei Ueshiba was referred to as the Invincible Warrior by John Stevens. One kanji that was often translated as "invincible" could be translated as "without enemies." Your post made me think of this.

Very cool! I really enjoy Chris's explanations. Thanks for sharing that, John!

If you haven't already, you might want to have a look at Saotome Sensei's new book. He talks about these ideas in a fair amount of detail.

In particular, would you describe the calm surface of a mountain lake as "invincible?" Or are the concepts of "victory" and "defeat" simply irrelevant to it?

Katherine

Katherine Derbyshire wrote: If you haven't already, you might want to have a look at Saotome Sensei's new book. He talks about these ideas in a fair amount of detail. In particular, would you describe the calm surface of a mountain lake as "invincible?" Or are the concepts of "victory" and "defeat" simply irrelevant to it? Katherine

Thank you, Katherine! I'm looking forward to getting his book! One of his earlier books played a big part in generating my initial interest in Aikido and this one sounds very promising to add to my current interest.
...And I would guess the concepts are irrelevant. Did I win?

Matthew Gano wrote: Thank you, Katherine! I'm looking forward to getting his book! One of his earlier books played a big part in generating my initial interest in Aikido and this one sounds very promising to add to my current interest. ...And I would guess the concepts are irrelevant. Did I win?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: read Sensei's book.

Katherine

So what's this book and where can I find it?

Mary Malmros wrote: So what's this book and where can I find it?

The Japanese edition came out in 2011 and was published by what used to be Aiki News (Stanley Pranin's Japanese operations). The title is 『伝承のともしび -合氣道開祖 植芝盛平の教え-』. An English translation has been made and the main title is A Light on Transmission. The publisher is the Seattle Book Company.

Best wishes,

Peter A Goldsbury wrote: The Japanese edition came out in 2011 and was published by what used to be Aiki News (Stanley Pranin's Japanese operations). The title is 『伝承のともしび -合氣道開祖 植芝盛平の教え-』. An English translation has been made and the main title is A Light on Transmission. The publisher is the Seattle Book Company. Best wishes,

I just looked that up, here is the link. http://www.seattlebookcompany.com/a-...-transmission/

Joseph Dostie wrote: I just looked that up, here is the link. http://www.seattlebookcompany.com/a-...-transmission/

Thank you. I am aware of the link, having recently ordered the English translation. However, the Japanese original, which I have, came out a few years ago.

Best wishes,

John Hillson wrote: Christopher Li had a very interesting observation he posted in a discussion in Aikido Journal Online. Morihei Ueshiba was referred to as the Invincible Warrior by John Stevens. One kanji that was often translated as "invincible" could be translated as "without enemies." Your post made me think of this.

Thank you, John! For real. really interesting observations