If you have not linked yourself to true emptiness, you will never understand The Art of Peace. Morihei UeshibaThe founder of Aikido (dec 14, 1883 - apr 26, 1969), also known as O'sensei

At the end of February 2010, invited by a friend, I agreed to check out a beginner’s class at Bucks County AikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy.". I had no idea what I was getting myself into. If someone told me back then that some 14 months later I would pick this subject of ZenA school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. for a piece in BCA Journal after spending quite a few hours in the dojoPlace of the way; a place for strengthening and refinement body, mind and spirit; training hall, and going through a sesshin last October, my best response would have been a skeptical smile.  Back then, the only thing in my mind that linked martial arts with Buddhism and meditation was the fact that it was the prevalent religion and philosophy in the countries which everyone associates with martial arts, and of course the images of amazing Shaolin monks dispatching countless enemies in the movies.

My first introduction to a seated meditation (ZazenMeditation posture and exercise) was a short sit between classes, which I tried after a brief instruction and without asking myself (or anyone else) the questions like “What is this supposed to do for me?” or “What is the significance of this?” Back then it was just a nice breather between classes, and an interesting mini selfchallenge: “Can I really sit in an unusual posture for 20-30 minutes without moving? Let’s see…”

We all have heard SenseiTeacher; anyone who gives guidance along the way; literally "born before"’s many remarks relating to Zazen about being present in the moment, staying focused, letting go after the strike. Our new dojoPlace of the way; a place for strengthening and refinement body, mind and spirit; training hall members have been exposed to the significance of ZenA school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. practice during the recent Zen week last March in the dojo, and those who already understood its significance have had a chance to have a little more practice. So I decided to explore the subject a little more.

In preparation for writing this article I read a couple of books: “Zen in the Martial Arts” by Joe Hyams and “The Art of Peace” translated and edited by John Stevens, which contains stories of life, and numerous talks and writings of O’Sensei.  My perhaps excessive use of citations here was done with the purpose showing them in an unprocessed form so that the words can deliver messages that may have been misinterpreted or missed by me.  Believe me, there are many more quotes which I originally intended to use in this article, but it would be better if you just read these very inspiring books on your own (if you have not already done so).

Joe Hyams, the author of the first book, has been practicing martial arts  since  1952.    He  has  studied jeet-kune-do with Bruce Lee in addition to eight other martial arts disciplines. He says in the book that if somebody told him about his future involvement with Zen in the beginning of his path, he would have dismissed it as nonsense. It was not until  several  years  into  his  training that he came to realize that the deepest purpose of the martial arts is to serve as a vehicle for personal spiritual development. He writes:

The role of Zen in the martial arts defies easy definition because Zen has no theory; it is an inner knowing for which there is no clearly stated dogma. The Zen of martial arts deemphasizes the power of the intellect and extols that of intuitive action. Its ultimate aim is to free the individual from anger, illusion, and false passion.

One of the many challenges for me in my present AikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy." practice is getting rid of the habit of tensing up in anticipation of a technique, to the point of potentially experiencing injury by not properly taking ukemiThe art of receiving or taking actions as uke, falling. I bet a few readers who have practiced with me are probably thinking, “Dude, you’re not only tense during that point in time; you are tense from point A to point B, with A being entering the dojo and B leaving it.” Well, I’m working on it…  and hopefully some progress has been made, though I have no timeline expectations of when this issue will be completely resolved. I’m on the right track according to this story:

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the sensei.

“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.

“I wish to be your student and become the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?”

“Ten years at least,” the master answered.

“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?” “Twenty years,” replied the master. “Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?” “Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.

“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.

“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”

The same principle applies even to the short-term goals while practicing a technique – having your mind set on something, even on the idea of freeing it, or trying to block the blockage, is counterproductive because it simply doesn’t work. From the books I have learned a new term – Mushin. It’s a state of mind that literally means “no-mind”. In Bruce Lee’s words:

According to the Zen masters, mushin is operating when the actor  is  separate  from  the  act  and no thoughts interfere with action because the unconscious act is the most free and uninhibited. When mushin functions, the mind moves from one activity to another, flowing like a stream of water and filling every space.

This sounds really cool, but I realize that in order to attain this level one has to rely on the body’s instinctive responses, and not just any instinctive  responses  (like  blocking  a  strike  with  a  stiff  arm  and with the heart racing) but on those proper and effective ones developed throughout the years of training and getting them under your skin. When enough techniques practiced thousands of times are at the body’s subconscious disposal, when the proper moves are executed intuitively end efficiently, with the proper KiSpirit; life force; vital energy; strength; sensitivity (chinese = "chi") extension, another Zen-inspired O’Sensei saying will start to come to fruition in our practice:

Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The Great Path is really No Path.

Being a realist, and understanding that at this point I have to deal with my sloppy self for years to come, I need something to rely on. In my reading I came across two remarks O’Sensei made that comfort me in my training and my perception of my own mistakes:

In reality, Aikido has no forms, no set patterns. It is like an invisible wave of energy. However, such a phenomenon is too difficult for human beings to grasp, so we use provisional forms to explain it and put it into practice. Any movement, in fact, can become an Aikido technique, so in ultimate terms, there are no mistakes. My advice to you: Learn and forget! Learn and forget! Make the techniques part of your being!

Failure is the key to success; Each mistake teaches us something.

I especially think of the second one after I get my fingers smacked during my bokkenWooden sword practice when I am not completely letting go and relaxing at the end of a strike (though, I think I should be able to get rid of this habit rather soon, given the motivation involved).  Having said all that, what conclusion am I getting to? I am not sure if there is one. One thing that comes to mind is that for all of us, the students of the Art of Peace, it is important to remember to always live in the moment and try to present ourselves to our fullest  capacity—be  it  with  training and its physical challenges, meeting our own fears and anxieties and letting them go, or sitting through zazen and dismissing all those pesky thoughts that block our way if not to enlightenment, then to at least some higher state of inner peace. In the beginning, we may walk what seems to be two separate paths of training and meditation, which should meet and become one study of the spirit. And as they do, we begin to walk the path set by O’ Sensei:

Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your inner enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.