Makotokan Aikido
Food For Thought |
| by the late EWJ Stratton Sensei I owe my advancement in the art of Aikido to just one man, Thamby Rajah. Founder of the Shudokan Honbu (headquarters) in Seremban, Malaysia. What impressed me most about my Master was his balanced approach to Aikido and indeed to life. A healthy mixture of the physical and the spiritual. It is this aspect that I would like to address in this article. What a great shame that the Martial Arts have become purely physical and materialistic. Masters are falling by the wayside under the pressures they have made for themselves by deviating from the true path. I am not a prude, as those who know me can confirm. I do not believe in total abstinence from all of life's pleasures. It is over indulgence that is harmful. Let moderation be your watchword. There is no harm in taking advantage of favourable or fortuitous situations, provided your actions or decisions do not prove detrimental to others. We all have our faults - we are after all, only human. However, whatever we do in life, we must not lose sight of the path. I feel it appropriate at this point to quote a passage from the writings of O'Sensei. "When I grasped the real nature of the universe through Budo, I saw clearly that human beings must unite mind and body and the Ki that connects the two and then achieve harmony with the activity of all things in the universe." It has become obvious to me that peace and harmony throughout world, and in all things, can only be established when man's threefold nature is equally balanced: To develop only the body leads to aggression; to develop only the mind leads to intellectual impoverishment; to dwell solely on Ki, or spirit, encourages hallucinations and deceptions. When these three are in balance, each expressing the ultimate power, then the Master emerges who has cognisance of all things in the universe. Sacrifice of habitual limitations in whatever form is a severe test indeed. However the one who would tread the path and follow the way, to emerge as a true Master, must face and overcome all negation, temptation and indulgence. To achieve the ultimate in life, and to help bring about a better world wide unification in the martial arts, you must conduct your daily training with this concept in mind. It is the Ki that is the least tangible, and the most difficult to understand, of the threefold nature of man. Ki or Chi, as it is known in the Chinese arts, is part of a universal power, or life force, which is common to all parts of creation. Man's consciousness enables him to use and direct, for good or ill, this force. As far as we know no other part of physical creation has this ability. There are intelligences not incarnate in the physical form, who can manipulate the Ki. Some of these intelligences need to be controlled firmly if they seek to intrude into man's world. This they can do through his emotions, anger, fear, hate, jealousy, envy and egocentricity (power seeking) which leads to materiality (money seeking). Teaching must emphasise the need to guard against negative thoughts, expressions or feelings. Positive thinking, which Includes tolerance and understanding, kindliness, generosity and love, is always a safeguard against aggression, hate and cruelty. Correct breathing rhythms must become part of natural living. Diet must be adequate to meet requirements, and as far as is practical or possible, include living forces such as raw foods, sprouted beans etc. Excesses of all kinds, especially sugars, alcohol, salt and smoking, must be avoided to ensure that the blood remains a clean vehicle for the Ki to flow through. Exercise must be regular and moderately vigorous to aid the elimination of waste materials from the body. Discipline must be established in everyday life, in the form of morning and evening sessions of silent withdrawal (meditation) from all worldly and mundane things. This need not be longer than 10 to 30 minutes, however once the time is set it must be strictly adhered to. This may present difficulties at first, re, phone calls, visitors etc., but after any time adjustment the rules must be kept. This will form the basis of a well adjusted life, avoiding waste of energy and time, conserving the power of Ki. The aim must always be to put the Ki in the centre where it is unassailable and slot other activities into the pattern. This will prevent the EGO from being centralised, leading to corruption and disintegration. We must remember that a house is only as good as its foundation. Do not be anxious to progress rapidly. The person who only tries to learn a great number of arts and techniques but fails to train himself in the basic principles will not endure. Cultivate the calm mind that comes from putting nature into your body. Hold fast the centre, for he who loses the 'one-point' lacks courage at important moments. |