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The Words of Morihei Ueshiba, the Founder of Aikido
All things on Earth are a function of universal love, therefore the true
unification and harmony of all things is the spirit of the universe. Each
and every person must endeavor to realize and carry out this mission. Aikido
is the way that brings to fruition the true spirit of universal harmony
and is the only path for bringing the universe into accord.” - Morihei
Ueshiba, the Founder of Aikido
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Each and Everyone of Us is the Savoir - Kanshu Sunadomari
What purpose was Aikido brought into this world? Most of the people practicing Aikido do so without truly knowing or understanding it.
Aikido is said to be good for self-defense. It is evidently also a good method for staying healthy. It is also excellent for the cultivation of spirit. It seems that people begin to practice it for these and other reasons. These views are a reflection of the motives and goals of different kinds of people. However, these are not the purposes of Aikido. Aikido may fulfill these objectives for many people, which is fine, but this is only a small part of it.
For what reason do we eat? Many people eat a meal without giving it any thought. I eat because I feel hungry. In that case, when you become full, is that enough? People’s bodies not only become weak due to an unbalanced diet and lack of nutrients, but they can become unhealthy due to excessive eating and drinking. Eating is not solely for the purpose of satisfying our appetites. It is a fundamental root of our existence as humans. Eating, if done incorrectly and not in harmony with its true purpose, can bring negative results. Although there exists a variety of reasons for practicing Aikido, doing so without knowing its true purpose is in many ways akin to this. Essentially, such practice is in error.
So, what is the true purpose we are aiming for in the practice of Aikido? I believe that by reading the recorded and written words of the Founder of Aikido, one will come to understand this. Among these words is the Founder’s explanation that: “Aikido is both martial art and religious faith.”
Can it not be said that the essence of religion is faith in the divine and teachings that lead humanity toward goodness and virtue? The Founder of Aikido always said that through the practice of Aikido we aim to build a paradise on Earth, and he never neglected to offer prayers to God every morning and evening. The mission of the Founder of Aikido’s divine revelation is expressed in “The Spirit of Aiki Manseido.” This “great spirit of love and reverence” of which the Founder spoke is not a concept that is easily understood through simple contemplation.
Many of the Founder’s doka [poems of the way] deal with the heart and spirit of Aikido. Following are a few of them:
Set in motion
the power of the cosmos
by wielding Aiki:
Create a beautiful world,
and foster peacefulness.
The source of Aiki,
flows from the power of love:
With this as the core
love shall spread through the world
flourishing endlessly.
Aiki, the power
born of the oneness of all.
Those who walk its path:
Never fail in your struggle
to hone and refine yourselves.
Aiki, protector
of the manifest world,
and the divine path.
Aiki’s role in the world:
To cleanse and preserve the Earth.
Looking at the world,
weep not in desperation.
I am moved to bravery
by the wrath of God.
Unite Heaven and Earth,
God and man in harmony
all linked together.
Protect the reign [of the divine].
The way of aiki,
cosmically boundless:
For the multitude,
becomes illumination,
opening up the whole world.
Grand techniques of ki:
Bringing calm to the spirit,
tools of purification.
Kindly offer us guidance,
God of Heaven and Earth.
All of these poems express hope and prayers for the mission of Aikido.
Now at the dawn of a new century, talk of the end of human existence can be heard. There is no other path to proceed on but that which we as the human race create. However, it is common knowledge that throughout the history of the human race, many
prophets have preached the way, speaking as the voice of God and Buddha, giving warnings to humanity. Between fifteen hundred and twenty-five hundred years ago, figures such as Buddha, Christ, Confucius, Lao-tze, Mohammed, etc. were all espousing fundamentally this same teaching. Speaking from a general perspective, these prophets in their respective time periods felt that the human race was in crisis. They taught that if humanity fails to amend and change its spirit, God’s “final judgment” (according to Christianity) and Mappo no Yo (Buddhism) will come about. Even in twentieth-century Japan, new religious movements such as Kurozumi-kyō, Tenri-kyō, Konko-kyō, and Omoto-kyō emerged as divine signs from the heavens. It should be known that the Japanese people received divine signs and admonitions from God between the end of the Edo Period and the middle of the Meiji. Below is one such admonition written in the Meiji Period on February 23, 1903:
“The reason that the divine world of the past was so serene and tranquil was that all people were blessed with gentleness and possessed the heart of God. However, the world became dark, people’s hearts turned evil, and not an iota of the heart of God remained in their hearts. In the course of time this gave rise to a world in which people put themselves above God and forgot the presence of the Divine. I [the deity] am toiling hard so that I shouldn’t have to sacrifice even one individual, yet if the hearts of the inhabitants of the world become all the more rotten, there is no telling what will occur. Be aware that I wish to transform the world and will do what has to be done, be it eradication of the world or reduction of the populace. Please caution others about this.”
“A divine world is one in which humans come to foster the heart and mind of God. When humans come develop such a state, God will take care of them, providing for their needs. However, one mustn’t desire to do things according to one’s own devices; this will lead to nothing.
These are fairly gentle warnings, yet there have also been some much more
severe.  Such admonitions to the human race from heaven have all but been exhausted.
Humanity is continuing to move deeper and deeper into a world of darkness.
Just where on Earth can help be found? There is no other way to salvation
than for each and every one of us to awaken to this and individually endeavor
to refine and polish our spirit. More than fifty years ago, the spirit
of Sarutahico Ō-kami [the gods that serve as guardians for the community]
guided the Founder in the creation of the techniques of takemusu. God spoke
to him, telling him to devote himself heart and soul to techniques of the
spirit and the martial art of takemusu. If Aikido techniques don’t center
on the spiritual and don’t focus on unification of mind, spirit, and body,
then they are of no help or salvation to the world. Moreover, if each and
every one of us isn’t ready to become its savior, then the human race on
the verge of its extinction cannot be resurrected. |
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■Furimiru
The bottoms of our feet support our whole body and perform many functions.
By massaging them well and taking care of them, they will happily maintain
your health.
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| These passages are taken from "Enlightenment Through Aikido" |
Journal Back Number [01],[02]
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