Aikido the Japanese Martial Art
Aikido is a Japanese martial art currently practiced throughout the world. Behind the
powerful catapulting throws and immobilizing locks and pins of Aikido lie some very
simple principles: remove yourself from the direct line of your enemy’s attack, and
through the absorption and deflection of the force of the attack, your enemy is taken out
of balance and defeated by the energy of his or her own aggression.
Aikido does not use strength against strength, but stresses body and mind
relaxation to direct the opponent’s force away. Because its main purpose is not to take
the offensive in injuring or harming the opponent, Aikido has often been called a
“nonviolent” martial art.
In daily practice, the student of Aikido seeks to achieve the firmness, stability,
sobriety and elegance which make Aikido one of the most powerful and beautiful ways of
artistic expression, while conserving its potential as one of the most devastating offers of
self-defense.
Aikido may be practiced by all people regardless of age, sex, religion, or previous
athletic ability. Systematic Aikido practice leads to increased aerobic capacity and to
overall body conditioning through both flexibility and strength training.
The general philosophy of Aikido makes extensive use of the concept of Ki.
The name Aikido can be translated as ‘the way of harmony of Ki’. Exactly what Ki ‘is’ is
a somewhat controversial issue. Aikido is one of the more spiritual martial arts and has
been referred to as ‘moving Zen’. “Ai”- come together or to harmonize “Ki”- the spirit of
the universe’ “Do”- the way Ki is the force behind all things.
Everything in the universe has Ki. Ki is the essence of our world. It is the basis of
all matter, every phenomenon, emotion, sense, direction, will, consciousness and
conscience. Ki is also an energy which can be very useful in our daily lives when used
properly. Ki is our life force which keeps us alive. Ki is the binding force of our mind and
body. We can be very efficient if we unify our mind and body. However, it is rather
difficult to maintain the oneness of mind and body throughout our daily lives without
something to bind them together. As electricity keeps the computer and the robot
working together, Ki keeps the mind and the body working in sync.
Some believe that the physical entity Ki simply does not exist. Instead, the spirit,
Bibliography Suzuki, Shunryu. Zen Mind, Beginner Mind. New York & Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1982. Young, William A. The World’s Religions, Worldviews and Contemporary Issues.
After attempting to make contact with the opponent, the fighter immediately follows up with the recovery phase: flexion at the knee, lateral flexion of the spine opposite the aforementioned direction, during a slight rotation of the torso, extension of the hip, and dorsiflexion of the foot. This brings the fighter back into the fighting stance with the opposite leg in the front and is now ready to perform the next strike or counterstrike.
That action is known as force. A force is something that acts on an object while it is either in motion or at rest, and tends to overcome the inertia inherent of either state. (https://www.britannica.com/science/force-physics), Sir Isaac Newton’s first and second laws of motion explain how the force acts on an object and how it affects its
something else there, the mind, that interacts with our bodies and makes us feel, think,
Zen Buddhism teaches of a concept called wu-nien, or “no-thought”. This of course is not a literal absence of thought, but it is rather a detachment from the thou...
Hasaki, a knowledge sutra. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 19 Mar 2012.
To a person not conversant with this art, Jujitsu may be considered as a foul or derogatory term in Japanese. However, Jujitsu us one of the most effective and deadly forms of martial arts taught today. Unique among other forms of combat, Jujitsu holds the position of a “parent art”, of from which other forms of martial arts such as Aikido, Judo and several Karate styles were extracted. Jujitsu is a combination of all levels of combat. It incorporates chokes, striking, grappling, nerve and pressure point attacks, joint locks, redirection of momentum and throws.
In everyday life it appears that the body is overlooked in its relation to the mind. This notion of body and mind separation is not something that necessarily sits well with people. The debate can sit on either scientific knowledge or religious beliefs. Currently this is what we deal with when this sort of debate occurs. With the various belief structures prevalent in humans we can’t assume argument is stronger than another.
together. It is that energy that makes one whole. In the Native stomp dances, in the
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Philosophy is one of the most important aspects of any traditional martial art. The philosophies of many martial arts such as Taekwondo, Kung Fu, and Karate are based off of Confucianism and principles from Confucius’s The Analects. Although traditional martial arts contain philosophical teachings, modern martial arts have lost their meaning, or “art.” The popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has contributed greatly to the loss of meaning in modern martial arts. By examining the philosophy’s importance in The Analects, one can see how martial arts is more than a physical set of skills.
BuddhaNet - Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
The psychophysical dualism or mind-body distinction is the counterposition between two essentially irreducible elements: soul and body. Such dualism implies, as we will show, the more discussed issue of philosophy of cognitive science and philosophy of mind: the mind-body problem (MBP, henceforth) whose the en...
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge and skills that an indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment. IK is unique to given cultures, localities and societies and is acquired through daily experience. It is embedded in community practices, institutions, relationships and rituals. Because IK is based on, and is deeply embedded in local experience and historic reality, it is therefore unique to that specific culture; it also plays an important role in defining the identity of the community. Similarly, since IK has developed over the centuries of experimentation on how to adapt to local conditions. That is Indigenous ways of knowing informs their ways of being. Accordingly IK is integrated and driven from multiple sources; traditional teachings, empirical observations and revelations handed down generations. Under IK, language, gestures and cultural codes are in harmony. Similarly, language, symbols and family structure are interrelated. For example, First Nation had a
When I think about knowledge the first thing that comes to my mind is education. I believe that knowledge comes to people by their experiences in life. In other words, life is an instrument that leads me to gain knowledge. Many people consider that old people are wise because they have learned from good and bad experiences throughout their lives. Education requires work, dedication and faith to gain knowledge. We acquired knowledge through the guidance of from parents, role models, college/University teachers and life experiences.