Training day 15

Tao (pronounced 'Dao') can be defined as 'path', or 'road'. The way of the Tao is the way of Nature and of ultimate reality. Tao is often described as a force that flows through all life. A happy and virtuous life is one that is in harmony with the Tao, with Nature.
So the philosophy of Taoism understands Tao as the One Thing which exists and connects the Many things. Tao, Nature, Reality are One. According to the Book of Changes [주역, 周易], One action of Yin and another action of Yang make Tao. In the nature, female meet male to accomplish the Tao, just like the heaven as a Yang and the earth as a Yin meet to accomplish. Two opposite energies combine to make a harmonized energy. When Yin and Yang harmonize, genesis is occurred.

"A human being is part of the whole called by us universe ... We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive." - (Albert Einstein)

The word Tao is nothing less than an expression of the profound unity of the universe and of the path human beings must take to join, rather than disturb, that unity.

The path begins with an understanding of the origin of the universe. "Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of the way," stated the ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching.

Tao and Aikido
When one grasps and masters the flow of ki of all the phenomena in the universe as it is, one is in the state of "mu-i-shi-zen" and "absolute nothingness." To strive to attain such a state is a true way of life for humans. This is what Taoism teaches.

In Japan, they transmit and learn culture through forms, often becoming captive in those forms, so much so that the Japanese culture has been called a "culture of form." Forms are the heart/mind of our forebearers and a mode of transmission of the same. It is known that, when we learn or train in something, we pass through the stages of shu, ha, and ri. These stages are explained as follows. In shu, we repeat the forms and discipline ourselves so that our bodies absorb the forms that our forebearers created. We remain faithful to the forms with no deviation. Next, in the stage of ha, once we have disciplined ourselves to acquire the forms and movements, we make innovations. In this process the forms may be broken and discarded. Finally, in ri, we completely depart from the forms, open the door to creative technique, and arrive in a place where we act in accordance with what our heart/mind desires, unhindered while not overstepping laws.

In Jikishinkage-ryû and Mutô-ryû, it is said that we must rid ourselves of all habits that we have acquired since birth without noticing or intending. This is in order to completely deny our impure egos and take away any distinction among mind, body, and technique. We achieve this negation by thoroughly practicing forms and attacks, to the extent that body and mind are forgotten.

To practice by forms means to be able to repeat the same thing. In repeating the same thing, we rid ourselves of habit and make our bodies absorb that which is correct.

______

The final word:

To achieve Tao, we must discard ourselves of our old habits, let go of our petty desires and strive to be one with the universe. We must become free from this bondage, or self manifested prison, that exists in our fears and preconceived notions. We must learn to dream again and tune in to our creativity, using it as our catalyst for the journey. To achieve Tao, one must be free from all things, including ones self, living in the moment at it is present now.

_________

Today Amber and I both trained in the morning class. Sensei taught the class as we trained with the jo for the first hour and techniques for the second hour.

Domo Arigato