He said he wanted to know about this kind of kurai:
http://www.tomiki.org/glossary_general.html
Kurai Secret, consciousness, inner being.
Kurai dori To control another's consciousness
http://www.usadojo.com/Martial-Arts...ictionary-k.htm
Kurai A yielding, passive state of mind where one bends with the attacker's force and uses it against him.
http://www.takemusu-aikido.org.za/a...l_concepts.html
AIKI NO KURAI: refers to the highest consciousness of aiki, in which a person's life becomes a clear mirror without distortion and becomes one not only with their training partner but also with the laws of nature. O-Sensei explained:
"If you wish to understand aiki no kurai, study the world of nature. Think of how an eagle, flying high in the sky, is able to catch fish which swim beneath the water's surface. From the shore, where we must stand, the current of the ocean distorts our view; yet from high aloft the eagle sees the fish, indeed, the shadows of the fish, as if they were reflected in a mirror. The eagle plucks the fish from the water as easily as we might pick up a stone on an open plane. Likewise, the eagle cannot match the swift-footed rabbit on the ground, but from the sky he easily follows the rabbit's course."
"Aiki no kurai is not only a teaching of the martial arts, but a lesson of nature itself. Nature is also our dojo. The intricate variations of the seasons, the beauty of the flowers in the field are our teachers, and they lead us to the highest consciousness of aiki. Any serious student of Aikido must observe the phenomena of the universe in motion to find the meaning of their study. As you come to understand these phenomena, you must apply your understanding to your practice of budo. This is my teaching."
Sounded almost like mushin to me but I haven't been able to figured it out yet.
The kurai in Kurai Dachi is this one:
位 which ordinarily means rank, grade, nobility, throne, crown......
But this isn't ordinary.
But Mr. Liberti's suggestion seems like a good answer. If in that case kurai means something like a man standing unmoved(his mind at least) by his opponent's attack.
Maybe.....
Best,
Matthew (shooting arrows into the clouds today)