Spiritual Understandings

So, what sort of spiritual understandings or growths have you had resulting from aikido training?

-- Jun

I've realized that my physical ability to continue training on a given day is directly linked to my spirit. For instance, here in Baltimore it gets awful-heinous hot and humid in the summer. It kills me, and after an hour of training I feel like keeling over. I have nothing left to do the second hour with, except spirit. I find some of the most profound revelations about the nature of what I'm trying to learn occur in this state. I think that experiencing this, and noticing it has caused me to grow in ways I hadn't considered possible.

Not sure if this is what you mean, but that's all I've got!

From my viewpoint, it sounds like a good beginning! Training in less than "ideal" situations can give us a perspective on living under less than "ideal" situations. The lessons we learn in class can be applied to our everyday living. You raise an interesting point and that is that the mind is more powerful than the body. When the spirit is willing, there's no limit to what the body can do. (Well, within reason, I guess.)

janet dtantirojanarat

www.warriorwoman.org

Hi Jun & everyone,

I always receive spiritual gains and for me this is more important than technique. E.g I am more connected to people and even rocks trees, etc after practice. Sometimes I feel like I know what my family are thinking and feeling, sometimes it manifests as an epiphany.

This can be normal state for everyone, although aikido seems to enhance it. Being able to completely relax body and mind does help to open my heart and practicing an art which promotes peace gives me more empathy towards others.

- Is that spiritual? I don´t know but it feels like it. There are hundreds of examples, most of which can be better recognised when you feel the difference in your body before and after. I need a practice today as I am having a very stressful time at work. I'm tense, negative in my emotions and quite agressive actually. If we were to speak after 2 hours in the dojo I would be completely different. - A little Buddha.

I want to feel like that every day and try to as much as possible but no matter how good I feel before entering the dojo, I leave it feeling more at peace with the world and in love with all my fellow men (and women)

I'm not very good at explaining my feelings towards aikido...

Good thoughts by everyone who responsed!

Do others have any other thoughts about piritual understandings or growths that you've had resulting from aikido training?

-- Jun

Jun Akiyama (akiy) wrote: Do others have any other thoughts about piritual understandings or growths that you've had resulting from aikido training?

Humility and doing less.

Aikido is a very humbling art for me. I tend to believe that spirit is natural and the less ego I have the more spirit can be manifest.

Along with ego is my body and muscles. As a big guy, I can rely on my size. In Aikido, my size and past training has been my disadvantage. I find that doing less actually gets me more. Relax, breathe, and trust the waza.

Yes, humility and doing less.

Until again,

Lynn

BTW: Great question and responses. Compliments and appreciation.

Jun Akiyama (akiy) wrote: So, what sort of spiritual understandings or growths have you had resulting from aikido training?

How about you, Jun?

Don J. Modesto (Don_Modesto) wrote: How about you, Jun?

Not fair! Not fair! I'm supposed to ask the probing, open-ended questions!

OK, then. With that out of the way... Some spiritual things that I have gotten out of aikido training include:

1) There's more than one correct way to do it.

2) There's always someone better than I am.

3) The person who may not be as good as I am in something can always do something else better than I can.

4) I can only change myself -- not others.

5) Make mistakes. It's OK to do so. Heck, it's necessary.

6) There's (almost) always more time than you think.

7) Awareness then acceptance before conscious change.

8) Return to center.

9) Listen.

10) Breathe.

Hmmm... Now, are those spiritual or philosphical (if even that)?

So, Don. How 'bout yourself?

-- Jun

Oh, yes. And another thing (now that I'm sitting at the dojo computer).

11) Question. (Ask why.)

-- Jun

Jun Akiyama (akiy) wrote: So, Don. How 'bout yourself?-- Jun

Man, table's turning so fast it must be on gimbles...

Jun Akiyama (akiy) wrote: mmm... Now, are those spiritual or philosphical (if even that)?

Tough call. But then, I have problems with what "spiritual" means anyway. For me, it is deeper and subtler than realization or precepts; something sunk into marrow.

I like what you wrote, especially 3, 5, and 8. They seem like conscious precepts to me, understanding as I write that they probably obtain as spontaneous sentiment--the spiritual(?)

For me, I have a curious resonance when confronted with someone's criticism with being attacked during training (as explicitly opposed to simply being attacked). I feel an engagement with the person and an appreciation and an expectation of mutual benefit.

Also, when physically threatened, I feel the same calm I do awaiting UKE's attack. In the Bahamas once, refusing to play sucker to a dishonest taxi, I was confronted with the man picking up a brick and brandishing over his head it at me. It felt more like a training opportunity than a fight.

More consciously, I strive for MUSHIN in practice(or, as I believe it's called in aikido, TAKEMUSU AIKI), a frequent synonym for "spiritual" in discussions of martial art. This involves calming myself, uniting with rather than defeating UKE, and responding spontaneously to every moment of the engagement, efforts grossly complicated by friendly partners wanting to talk (or worse, correct) and teachers demanding that students do only the technique presented.

Where I approach the greatest feeling of MISOGI, is as UKE. Making an honest attack is devilishly difficult, balancing between an ego wanting to "win" and a pal wanting my partner to feel success. Did I attack that hard to help or defeat? Did I go as far as safely possible in resisting before falling or avoid discomfort? Sometimes I wish we could have competition and be done with it. Then we'd know! (Irony intended.)

I feel this is inarticulate, but it's what I can offer.

Appropos of nothing in particular, my post--a couple of minutes ago--says:

Don_Modesto

Today 08:05 PM

Is your server in Kinshasa?

Do you guys know the joke about the annual comedian's dinner where they tell jokes by calling out numbers.

I like Jun's numbers 1, 4, 5, and 7.

Along similar lines, I purchased this poster and hung it above my desk at lab. For those who don't feel like clicking on the link, it says, "If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly."

I regularly find myself telling friends: "Enjoying yourself is a skill. It takes practice, like playing the violin. You have to practice every day, and you have to accept that, when you start, modest goals can help to keep you motivated." I learned this form AiKiDo, somehow, although I'm not sure how. Perhaps because AiKiDo taught me about process and goal.

Hi Don,

Don J. Modesto (Don_Modesto) wrote: Man, table's turning so fast it must be on gimbles...

As long as we're not also gyre-ing in the wabe...

I like what you wrote, especially 3, 5, and 8. They seem like conscious precepts to me, understanding as I write that they probably obtain as spontaneous sentiment--the spiritual(?)

It's hard to say. I think all of them have to be worked on consciously before they become "un"conscious.

And then, of course, there's the "embodiment" aspect, too...

[Lots of really good stuff snipped.]

I feel this is inarticulate, but it's what I can offer.

Whenever I write stuff like this, it always seems inarticulate. It's difficult to pin stuff like this down -- especially since it's usually in a state of flux.

As far as the server seeming to be in Kinshasa, it probably means your own timezone isn't set correctly in your user options...

-- Jun

Hi Opher,

Opher Donchin (opherdonchin) wrote: Do you guys know the joke about the annual comedian's dinner where they tell jokes by calling out numbers.

"Your delivery was all wrong..."

Good thoughts from you, too, Opher. Funny thing is that one of the senior students here identifies with the poster that you bought; he said he sure feels that way, even at 6th dan...

Others? Don't be shy...

-- Jun

Just a quick thought of the immediate spiritual enhancements for a very new aikidoka.

humbling of pride.........finding that all the skills and eye to hand coordination developed by other arts/sports doesn't matter much on the mat. IE: indipendant activity of hands and body...fencing, sca heavy sword fighting, etc.

uniting the center with the "fringes"

...my hands and arms is just the opposite of all previous muscle group training I have ever done.

tough to get the hang of it you know?

calming of mind and flowing of creativity when the lessons go well............new songs on the old guitar, and just general clearer thought from the excercise I suppose, as well as "higher ideals" of harmony..

Lan

The thing that I train for is a way to be spiritual and move at the same time. I trained in other arts that seamed to raise a different and hostile me in the face of adversity or attack. After a class I feel like the AikiKami allows me to be ME and non agressive nor defensive, no matter the situation. Truely, they would still win a "fight " If I had to become like them to survive..

As aikido is like the beautiful lightening during a storm, illuminating my mind and soul showing the real me in the darkness of the universe. I think of O'Sensei's smiling grin.

i just had some insights, and i guess i would classify them as spiritual.

all people are equal.

all things are interconnected.

every action causes a changing of energy in the universe.

the observer is a part of the object being observed.

perhaps they sound like common sense statements, i suddenly feel like i understand them in a very basic intellectual way, but i understand them as more than just words on a page, if you know what im saying. i hope it will develop further and i can understand with my whole body and essence.

Jun Akiyama (akiy) wrote: 4) I can only change myself -- not others.

Just thought this one deserved a second read.

Important on so many levels

It is a hard call in comparison to searching from insights resulting from training in Aikido, studying history and related subjects of Aikido, or just sitting down to put you mental affairs in order,and finding they are simular to the spiritual journey of Aikido?

Could I have grown without ever joining Aikido, and trying to investigate the comparitive phenonmenon of spiritual in Aiki terms verses non-aiki terms?

Probably would have taken much longer to get there from here, and insights would have been more narrow in the terms of chrisianity and its doctrines... but then much of my spiritual journey was also a sojourn into illness that left me in pain and restricted me to one room for a period of time too.

Those would be the angry days where the pain was so intense I pretty much ticked off most of the readers on the Aikiweb ...happens some of these days too, but not as often.

I think the spiritual journey, and your growth happens as long as you are don't remain stagnant. Right or wrong, the true journey is getting your spiritual house in order and letting it grow is a personal examination of your environment, your personal problems that hinder your growth, and your ability to find what works for you to find the harmony.

The journey of practicing aikido is quite a bit more gentle than some other martial arts that destroy body and soul in an attempt to reach the same goals as Aikido. Be happy you have come to practice, and there is social interaction that defines your practice, martial interaction that defines your physical actions, and moral support of your fellow practitioners that honestly have the best intentions to help you as you help them along the way.

That was too touchy feely.

I got dumped on my head if I didn't go with the practice, and I slammed people to the mat if I really did practice, so because I knew how pain feels, I learned to have a more gentle spirit.

People don't bounce.

They do roll pretty good in Aikido though ....

As far as other spiritual growth, read the threads, just like the old spagetti sauce commercial ...It's in there!

The following post involves religious practices and praying. I have no intention of offending anyone or "evangelize" my religion. Since this is a spiritual thread, I thought it would be appropriate. Please forgive me, if you are easily offended by this type of post, just scroll through.

I'm Islam by religion. I guess you guys could tell that from my name.

For many years, I'm one of those people that make many excuses not to do the technical side of my religion. The most popular one I make is about praying, "Why is it so complicated to communicate with God?"

There are times that I deny myself my own belief. I mean, I believe in God, I just don't believe in religion. When I took Aikido, I feel changes inside me. It is gradual, and it took quite a while.

I see that Aikido teachings parallel in many ways with Islam. Basically all of it. The only difference is that O-sensei believed in the Universe, Islam believe in Allah that created the universe.

The following story was told by Poetiray-sensei, who studied Aikido in Japan back in the 60's, while O-sensei was still alive:

Poetiray-sensei, a Christian and one of the person "responsible" of bringing Aikido into Indonesia, got into a discussion with O-sensei about who or what is God. Osensei was talking about the universe and this is what the Muslims and Christians believed as "Kami" or God. After the lesson Poetiray-sensei came over to Osensei and explained that in Christianity, God is the One that created the universe. Osensei nodded and said to him that the others would not understand. Poetiray-sensei understood this and just leave it at that.

O-sensei was not kidding when he says that Aikido is a supplement for all religion. I'm supposed to pray 5 times a day. I now pray more than I used to, not 5 times a day most of the times. But I pray because I want to, because I feel the spiritual need, not because I have to. Meditation and prayer is not far off, meditation is actually prayer.

I also learn more about Islam through Aikido and Budo. I'm still not a "good" person, but I am a "better" person now then I was before. There are many spiritual understandings that I got from Aikido, but it all sums up to my deeper understandings about Islam.

I am sorry if I have offended anyone in one way or another. Surely that was not my intention. Any personal comments could go to my e-mail.

Thanks

Thalib never appologize for other peoples short-sightedness and narrow mindedness. In order for the world to learn to live in peace we must take an ACTIVE role in understanding and accepting other peoples belief. Thank you for sharing.

Al-salamu ‘Alaykum (Peace be to you)

Thanks for your understanding and support Lost-san. Although sometimes I deny it, it actually means a lot to me.

Thanks again and...

Walaikum Salam...

Hi Jun,

~~For me, I'd say the greatest 'spiritual' lesson I'm getting from Aikido is letting go. Of preconceptions, frustrations, ideology, personal history, angers, embarrassments, sense of control, etc. I find I have to be so in the moment when training that all else slips away.

~~And then I laugh, enjoying right where I am. The other great lesson.

well awareness and non duality is one of spiritual essence in aikido .

I don't know where to begin with this one. If you've ever read some of my other posts on this section of the forum than you already know a little about what's going on with me. I think that Aikido has opened up a new chapter, no a new book for me. I can't list the revelations as fast as they seem to be coming, so it will have to suffice to say that I'm turning to new sources for questions that went for too long unanswered. This awakening is not entirely due to my Aikido training, but it's certainly helped because of Aiki. I think the story for each of us is interesting, and you never know where you'll find a scrap of truth, so it's good to discuss it with others as some of us are doing. I'll leave it at that for now.