Teachings of O Sensei, part 2

On aiki no kurai

“O Sensei once said to me,

“Saotome, if you wish to understand aiki no kurai, study the world of nature. Think of how an eagle, flying high in the sky, is able to catch fish which swim beneath the water's surface. From the shore, where we must stand, the current of the ocean distorts our view; yet from high aloft the eagle sees the fish, indeed, the shadows of the fish, as if they were reflectedin a mirror. The eagle plucks the fish from the water as easily as we might pick up a stone on an open plain. Likewise, the eagle cannot match the swift-footed rabbit on the ground, but from the sky he easily follows the rabbit's course. Aiki no kurai is not only a teaching of the martial arts, but a lesson of nature itself. Nature is also our dojo. The intricate variations of the seasons, the beauty of the flowers in the field are our teachers, and they lead us to the highest consciousness of aiki. Any serious student of Aikido must observe the phenomena of the universe in motion to find the meaning of their study. As you come to understand these phenomena, you must apply your understanding to your practice of budo. This is my teaching.


On an occasion on which O Sensei lectured to a religious group. O Sensei said,

“The demonstration of Aikido that I just gave to you may have given you the impression of an old man playing with children. There is much truth in this impression. Unless you bring a sense of pleasure and of fun to your Aikido practice, the truth of Aikido is difficult to attain. I take great pleasure in my pursuit of the path of the gods. Aikido must be a dance of the gods. Remember the myth of “Ama no iwata biraki,” the opening of the rock door of heaven. In this ancient story Amaterasu Omi Kami, the sun goddess, hid herself in a cave and sealed it with a door of stone, and the whole world became veiled in darkness. In order to bring light back to the world the other gods devised a plan. They staged a dancing drama in front of the door to Amaterasu's cave. As they danced and celebrated, the sounds of their laughter and enjoyment reached the goddess's ears, and she opened the door a tiny way, curious to see what revels were going on outside her cave. At that moment, Teji Kara no Mikoto, the god of incomparable strenght, pushed open the rock door and led Amaterasu back out into the world, and the world was once again filled with her light. This old story provides a lesson concerning the duty of budo. Just as the strong god brought Amateras's light back into the world, budoka must work to create a paradise on this earth, to bring light to the world's people. This is the true purpose of budo. Just as you, who follow the teachings of your religion, all pray for peace and human happiness, the Aikido of Ueshiba works for precisely the same goal. In the eyes of God all of humanity is one family.
  “The young students who participated in this demonstration with me are shihan-dai. I send them to teach at universities and military academies. When they venture out on their own, they will become great teachers and aikidoka. Yet even then they will have far to go to master the real depths of their study. I myself am still a student of the way. The wisdom and the laws of God are immeasurable and unfathomably deep.
  “You might ask what is the most important thing in Aikido training. It is to look at yourself, your innermost soul. The reality of your own life must surely lead you back to its origins, to the beginning of the universe. If you suceed in doing this, you will intuitively realize that your past, present and future, already integral parts of your being, are manifestations of the divine will and the love of God. Each of the individual cells of your body carries a map of the divine plan of creation. Because of this we can realize directly the great love of the creator. Universal consciousness is our birthright. We must go beyond all atagonism and disunity. This is what constitutes aiki no kurai.
  “I would like to show you the kotodama of Aikido and the kagura mai, the dance of the gods as they stand on the floating bridge of heaven. It has been a long time since I performed this kagura mai. When performed with the spear, it symbolizes the working of the creative energy of the universe. It portrays the divine inspiration of the Kojiki, the legends of origin of Japanese mythology. It is the scientific laws of the universe represented through bu. The secret toward which this old man is training himself is the way to open the rock door that shuts the light away from the human mind. It is to change the world of war and ignorance into a world of divine light. It is to improve the spiritual quality of all human beings and to open their intuitive consciousness. This is the purpose of the original bu, which has been reborn as Aikido. That is why I call Aikido the budo of love. It is receiving the spirit of God.
  “Neither budo nor religion seeks only individual salvation. Their higher mission is the search for peace and harmony for the whole human race. Reading prayers and scriptures does not suffice. We must express this consciousness through our actions. This is the spirit and the intent of budo. The path must be of universal love for all sentient beings. Science has already produced enough weapons to destroy the whole world, yet the science of the spirit is miserably underdeveloped. As a result uneasiness and fear are omnipresent in modern society. But aiki is also omnipresent, and it is eternal; it is the function of life energy itself. Aikido was born of a deep wish to realize the unity of humankind and to tap the power of the harmony of creation and the true nature of the human spirit.