Aikido, the way with Aiki (part 3)

Ever since I started training in Aikido, I have asked myself the same question over and over again, and I still do at times: What is this thing called Aikido and what is it good for? At first I understood Aikido to be a martial art ment for self-defense. Soon enough I learned about some of Aikido's aspects and concepts, such as the importance of:

• having no openings
• no pushing, no pulling
  
• relax completely
• natural breathing
• not waiting for the attack, but guiding your partner
• body coordination
  
• unity of the body
• perception
  

These points all lead me to the conclusion, that Aikido maybe really isn't only about self-defense, but there's more to it. Although lacking the experience to fully understand these points, I nevertheless understood quit well the importance of these points. Therefore these points helped me a lot in my training and served as guide lines on what to do and how to do and also on what not to do and how not to do.

 

"What is the core,
what is the essence,
what is the innermost truth
of Aikido as O-Sensei understood it?"

 

What exactly did the founder, O-Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba have to say about his Aikido, what did or do the different senseis, mostly direct students of O-Sensei say about their Aikido, about Aikido in general and also about O-Sensei and the Aikido of O-Sensei? And then, how does all of this fit together with the Aikido practiced in the dojo? What I really wanted to understand is: What is the core, what is the essence, what is the innermost truth of Aikido as O-Sensei understood it?

Well, I still haven't got there yet, obviously, but over the years, all the experience in Aikido and Aikido related training together with all the information put together, a coherent picture and understanding on my part gradually formed.

To start with, again I want to point out that in a body art such as Aikido, it's not only about the mind that has to understand, it's also about the body which has to understand as well. Only then a real understanding can be accomplished. To get the body to understand those things, many years of training need to be done. Even so, when the body understands, the mind needs to be ready to accept those understandings too. In addition to the famous Aikido saying "mind leads body", I would suggest to add another line: "and body teaches mind".

"mind leads body
and body teaches mind"

 

To me, really it's all part of my own and personally experienced body-mind-reality. I very much assume that the things I can perceive and understand with my own body and my mind, with my own senses, that this, my own reality, might as well hold some truth, at least to a certain amount, to other persons too.

However, the topic of Aiki seems not to be an easy one at all. Looking at the modern Aikido presented in todays media (Youtube, Facebook, TikTok etc.) I don't see much of this Aiki as it was well demonstrated by O-Sensei. I am absolutely aware that this may sound provocative to some of you, but there's absolutely no intention on my side to provoke anybody other than to maybe provoke a person or two to start thinking more deeply about things themselves. 

Of course, I still might not see the whole picture, I'm pretty sure I don't. Still, from what I'm able to see, that's exactly what I see. Which kind of makes sense, doesn't it, since we rarely see the things we can't. Anyway, leaving everything aside, isn't it like Aiki should most definitely be part in our research to understand Aikido?

 

"Aiki, the essence of Aikido"

 

So, after giving it more than just a few thoughts, I brought myself to write this blog, hoping of perhaps being able to contribute something to the understanding of Aiki and perhaps also serving as an inspiration to one or two other persons by maybe motivating them to do their own research on the subject of Aiki, the essence of Aikido.

Page first published on 12.09.2023
Page last updated on 10.07.2024

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Disclaimer: everything presented in this post only represents my personal opinions based on my personal  knowledge, understanding and experiences made regarding the matter in discussion except where quotes are made. Other opinions are highly respected as long as they can withstand the argumentation. Some of the points presented may be purely speculative on my side due to the lack of evidence known to me. Any evidence presented to help clarify the points in question is highly welcomed. The post may still undergo little changes, although the content will mainly remain the same.

Notes on Copyrights: Neither text or parts of the text may be used or published elsewhere without the consent of the author. It is OK though to quote with correct references made to this text.
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