Great Throughts Treasury

"Don't let your thoughts be concerned with immediate questions of victory or defeat; rather it is necessary for the "ki" of your thoughts and feelings to blend with the Universal. Should your "nen" get no further than your own physical body, you will never experience a change of mental levels (lit. metempsychosis). With the blending comes true 'becoming', true creation. If you achieve this, then your mental activities take on divine power, and all things become clear and obvious. Then again, when your thoughts extend between the physical you and the Universal, your body becomes one with the universe, and you stand in the center of its transcendence of trivial human affairs. This is the deepest teaching of Budo."

"God feels uneasy when confined in the small wooden house we call a shrine. he likes to manifest himself everywhere in the whole universe. Let us ask him to be in each of us. Once God is within us, we come to know that, today is in the past, and in the future too, and that both the past and the future are in today as well."

"First we must cultivate the self. Then we must put our own homes in order. Next we must build our nation and finally enter into harmony with the Universe."

"Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter."

"Harmony and unity represent the limitless possibilities of the entire universe."

"Fight masses of the enemy as if they were one man, and deal with one enemy as if he were many; this is the way you must do battle. Move in such a way that without openings [suki] you make one principle fit the myriad of possibilities."

"Fill yourself with the power of wisdom and enlightenment."

"Everything that exists on the face of this earth represents the hallowed achievements of the love of the Great Universe. Therefore, the Spirit of the Universe blends the human and the divine, and is a Joint celebration of the one-body-ness of all that exists. This mission behooves all of you to make every effort within your powers to bring each thing to fruition. The holy works of the Universe may have many forms and aspects, but they are nothing more than manifestations, different faces of the same, single Universe. Just as there are any number of apparitions in the Universe, so there must be as many different ways that human beings can take part in this mission, each person striving in accordance with the various talents of this universal love that he or she has received. The root source of these operations of Universal Love is soul or spirit it is an expression of love. Aikido exists as one of the very purest manifested forms of this root source."

"From ancient times deep learning and Budo have been twin wheels of the path. Through the virtue of practice enlighten both the body and soul. 30 years ago I was extremely weak of body. At that time I secretly harbored a dream. In this dream I wanted to be the strongest man in all of Japan ? no, more than that, in the entire world! I decided I would become the possessor of a martial power unequaled by anyone. With this dream before me I trained severely. One day a navy man confronted me, a person said to be a 7th dan holder in Kendo. Strangely, as I faced him I felt as if my body was surrounded by a shining brightness and I easily secured victory."

"Everything becomes a part of the union. Without this, true strength cannot be realized. And, without this all of your training would be for naught. It is here that Aikido serves as the Aiki of Heaven and Earth, that which unified Heaven and Earth before the time of Emperor Jimmu. Applying the voiceless voice, it is necessary to organize the Ki of the spirit. It is necessary to activate the Ki that operates in the realm of the Ame-no-Uki-Hashi (The floating Bridge of Heaven). The same is true of the movements of the Earth. It is here, in the cycles and movements of the heavens that we first find the core teaching."

"God's universal law of creation and existence is the principle that clearly reveals the precious workings of His beautiful universe. All things originate from one thing. Therefore one should observe the genuine appearance of all that exists and keeping this visage in your abdomen, make it the foundation of a larger self. As a result of this your eyes will be opened. This is where unceasing reflection and devotion to training toward spiritual goals must not be subverted by laziness in the face of duty. The result of all this is a unification of the spiritual and the physical self, a mind and body that have reached a state of accord. For people who train diligently in Aikido it becomes important to bring home to budo the laws and principles of existence, as God had intended. So doing, the pure image (a clear view) of things as they really are according to God's law becomes visible to our eyes. This insight makes it possible to create Aikido techniques because of progress in understanding the Principle of Aiki, which in turn means that no matter what subtle changes take place in the universe you will, of necessity, become aware of them. This is truly grasping the genuine appearance of things, because without this vision one can never apprehend that the continual flux of the universe takes place according to Universal Truth. And in ignorance of this truth we are unable to fully put into action our mission as human beings in this world. In order to reach the truth of reality, it is important "to Aiki" with the principle of the Universal."

"I am the Universe."

"I felt the universe suddenly quake, and that a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one. At the same time my body became light. I was able to understand the whispering of the birds, and was clearly aware of the mind of God, the creator of the universe. At that moment I was enlightened: the source of budo is God?s love ? the spirit of loving protection for all beings? Budo is not the felling of an opponent by force; nor is it a tool to lead the world to destruction with arms. True budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature."

"I have everything within myself, for the universe is inside me. I am the universe itself. I would say that I am not myself, and that no one but myself is in the universe. I do not concern myself with. There will be no peace on the earth as long as we busy ourselves with petty affairs and interfere with one another. Good or bad, we all belong to the same family created by God. God wishes us to keep the family united and harmonious. In order to comply with his will, we should abandon every attachment, and also avoid relative things. Fortunately we can serve God by creating an ideal human society through training Aikido."

"If he attacks with ki, strike back with ki; if he comes with water, strike with water; if he comes with fire, strike with fire. Think about such things and their relationship to modern scientific warfare when you train."

"If it were not for a circle with spirit in it, man's prosperity or his spiritual improvement would be hard to expect. Holding this spirit within, the body becomes one with the universe."

"If you face an enemy who is coming in to attack in this manner [tegatana shomenuchi] and always block with a broad or imposing frame of mind as if enveloping the enemy inside your kokoro, you will be able to tell your enemy's movement in advance [premonition]."

"If you have life in you, you have access to the secrets of the ages. For the truth of the Universe resides in each and every human being."

"If your opponent tries to pull you, let him pull. Don't pull against him; pull in unison with him."

"In a real battle, atemi [the moment of contact becomes a strike] is seventy percent, technique is thirty percent. The training that we do in the dojo is designed to teach us various sorts of techniques, the correct way to move our body, effective ways of using our power, and how to create a relationship with the other person."

"Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train."

"In Aikido, the other is present but, at the same time, is not. If one simply moves according to the motions of one 's everyday practice, strangely enough, the other moves in the same manner. In this way, all one has to do is to execute techniques as one does normally during daily training and one's partner will naturally follow along. This is the mystery of what is called Aikido."

"In answer to the question of where this center resides, one must reply that it is within the Self. Without applying the true strength that results from application of all of the wisdom and sense at one's disposal, Aiki is truly difficult."

"In front the enemy prepares to attack, but behind him, I am already standing."

"In essence, the sword is the soul of a warrior and a manifestation of the true nature of the universe; thus, when you draw a sword you are holding your soul in your hands. Know that when two warriors face each other with swords, the body and soul of each individual is illuminated as they come together in a world that needs to be rid of falsehood and evil. An enemy that appears along the Great Path of divinely inspired swordsmanship enables a warrior to activate universal principles, and thus serves as an aid to the harmonization of all elements of heaven and earth, body and soul? glories that endure forever."

"In order to establish heaven on earth, we need a Budo that is pure in spirit, that is devoid of hatred and greed. It must follow natural principles and harmonize the material with the spiritual. Aikido means not to kill. Although nearly all creeds have a commandment against taking life, most of them justify killing for reason or another. In Aikido, however, we try to completely avoid killing, even the most evil person."

"in regard to kamae (hanmi), it is essential that your feet should always be open at a sixty-degree angle [the most stable posture]. If you face your opponent full of openings, you will be at a great disadvantage." (initially, the angle formed by the feet appear to be closer to ninety degree's opposed, but during/following execution of a technique point out at a sixty degree angle)."

"In our world there are a great number of people who do not shine with the Truth of the Universal. Many such people are not able to function in harmony with the Truth of the Universal because they are ignorant of the Laws of the Universe. As a result they are also unable to manifest their true nature as human beings to its fullest extent. This inability exerts an effect on all the various manner of beings as it is the cause of their suffering. For those people who come to realize these facts and so are determined to walk the Great Path that fosters and protects the whole universe, the way begins by aiming at unifying their own body and spirit. Polishing the soul of the Universal, they must gain control of Aikido which is the Great Way of accord between the Heavens and the Earth and which protects the Three Worlds of Reality, the Spirits and the Gods. By doing so they must illuminate the laws of the Truth of the Universal. In order to become versed in the Harmony of truth, it is vital that one not go against the Truth of the Universal."

"In the Art of Peace we never attack. An attack is proof that one is out of control. Never run away from any kind of challenge, but do not try to suppress or control an opponent unnaturally. Let attackers come any way they like and then blend with them. Never chase after opponents. Redirect each attack and get firmly behind it."

"In the past, Martial Arts were mistakenly used to support the seemingly unending killing that characterized Japan's past. Aiki, on the other band, is to save human life. Put another way, Aiki is the way of preventing injury to others. Respect for human life is the way of Aiki, and this is why the "Ai" of "Aiki" is closely related to another Japanese word "Ai," which means "Love." It is because of this relationship, in fact, that I originally named my own way "Aikido." This also means that the "Aiki" mentioned by martial arts practitioners of old is fundamentally different in both content and form from what I refer to by "Aiki." I hope that everybody will think carefully about what I am saying here. As I have been discussing, this is not the way of fighting and defeating others with, strength and weapons but is, rather, the Way of harmonizing the world and of bringing, humankind together under one | roof as a single family. This is the Way of the great spirit of, Love (Ai) of God, the Way of, serving as a part of the great workings of the Universal Harmony. This Way is the Way of the Universe, and the training of Aiki is the training of Divine Works. Realization of this adds the strength of the Universe, and makes one One with the Universe itself."

"In the past, there have been a number of superlative masters of martial arts but we should never forget the great number of them who disappeared on the battlefield of this material world simply for lack of enough training in the true spirit of budo, in sincere love, and in the battle against the self."

"In the training of budo, you are sure to be beaten when your mind is seized with what is conflicting with the mission which God provided for you. Budo originates in the divine love which protects everything on the earth. True budo is the way through which one can realize that every function of the universe is within oneself ready to come into play. Aiki feels sorry to see a man forget what is the basis of all creation and stray away from it. To put that basis out of one's mind implies the beginning of sinning against God."

"In true budo there is neither opponent nor foe. True budo is uniting with the centre of the Universe. It is the work of love. It is neither fighting nor killing. Rather, true budo gives life and nurtures all things."

"It behooves us to develop our bodies, foster our ki, further our wisdom and virtue, and our common sense, as well; and, by austerely training ourselves in the Universal Principle, rebuild our own minds in order to create a genuine self. In other words, Aikido is a technique of purification (misogi). One uses this misogi technique to develop the great spirit of loving protection of all things by keeping the laws of existence and the laws of God, and so fulfill one's life mission. To do these things one must take up the stance of the true victory of self-mastery."

"It is a circle with spirit in it that helps man prosper in oneness of his body and mind. In the circle of Aikido spirit, there are countless techniques ready to come forth at any moment."

"It is enough to simply manifest the Great Family of the Universe, in other words the Great Single Spirit of the World. Put another way, it is sufficient if the Spirit, Godly Form and Divine Movements manifest themselves within this world. Another way of describing this is to say that we should create a world with Spirit and Matter in harmony. It will not do to favor one over the other, as both Spirit and Matter are, in fact, one."

"Keep your mind as bright & clear as the vast sky, the great ocean & the highest peak, empty of all thoughts."

"Kicking leaves you momentarily on one foot, and for that moment you are in a very weak position. If you were to be swept off your feet, you would be finished. This is why lifting your feet off the ground is crazy."

"Like the light that pierces the darkness, you must discipline yourself with ever deepening training [keiko]."

"Man must realize that he is the 'Senses of Creation', and that the Universe and he are one. Working the child Of the Universe (or, as the person of religion would say, the Divine Child of God), we must give our utmost for this world in order to prevent it from falling into chaos. This, in turn, requires that we give way to everything. We must put ourselves always behind others. We must, in this way, bring everything in creation to life. This way of Aiki brings Spirit together with Spirit. Aiki extends the way of the macrocosmic life force of the Universe together with the Divine Form of Order to the macrocosmic animate forms of the animal world. Aikido is the way of making the above clear. Aikido is the way of making this one's own."

"Many people seem to be under the impression that I have never lost or encountered any failures. This is not true; I have, in fact, many failures in my past, most of which were caused by weak-heartedness. On one occasion I traveled to Kanagawa prefecture to give a demonstration of Aiki together with instruction at the local police department. I was greeted there by my partner, who turned out to be a tall Judo instructor. At one point during the session when I was trying to explain a certain point my partner resisted, and I damaged his wrist. As a result of this experience, however, I was given an important spiritual lesson of not acting contrary to the Way, and of maintaining love for one's partner at all times. It was after this that I determined to completely adopt a position of truly benevolent love. Another failure in my past came during a visit to a small fishing village while traveling around the countryside. There I encountered a stout amateur sumo wrestler who was a good 6 feet in height weighing well over 200 pounds. He quickly challenged me to a fight, and I accepted. I was not defeated, yet was unable to grab hold of him, owing to the sweat that made his body extremely slippery. In time, we both began to tire, at which point I then discovered the mysterious way of controlling someone with a single fingertip by manipulating their Ki. In this way, the Aiki Principle of Tanren training was born. Looking back over the past this way, you will note that I experienced many failures. And yet, with each failure came a new lesson or technique, the cumulative result of which was the completion of the Way of Aiki. There are, in addition to these stories, numerous others about life-or-death situations in which I was attacked by people with wooden Bokken swords or, in some cases, live blades. It was through these various experiences that I was able to enter into the: Way of Shugyo training that I continue to practice today."

"Master the techniques of Aiki, the way of the Gods and no foe will ever attack."

"Material science has made great strides recently, whereas spiritual science remains highly underdeveloped. This world will become peaceful when Material and Spiritual sciences are harmonized, and when order is restored to people via the Ki of the Great Universe. Needless today, it will be difficult to achieve this only via physical practice of Martial Arts and without keeping our Aikido abreast of the movements of the Universe. What upsets the universal balance, in fact, is when we forget the Original One which, in turn, creates two separate origins of both spirit and matter, following this, the Universe prospers and life and physical bodies are given to all in Creation, prior to being reared atop the Great Way of Universal Love and Protection. We then teach the rearing process of Life as the past, present and future within our lives and breaths, and are granted purity upon unifying with Heaven. For this reason, those who, practice the Martial Arts should, never forget the Spirit of the Original One, and should strive to honor this at all times. We must endeavor to fulfill our roles as people born into this world as a spiritual and material part of this greater whole. We, must, therefore, never forget that this Original One is the Great Parent of the Universe."

"May the Kami of Earth and Heaven watch our acts of purification."

"May you be happy, may you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be filled with loving kindness and compassion for all beings."

"Moreover, if the human mind once takes charge of water and fire, in accord the principles of 'Water-Fire, Yin-Yang", when your enemy attacks with water, you strike with water, with fire then hit with fire. Today, it is important to train thinking all this in terms of modern scientific warfare."

"My physical training came to an end. Now, I have begun to study the way of the gods."

"My technique is 70 percent atemi (striking) and 30 percent nage (throwing)."

"No voice can be heard, no heart can be seen. Follow the divine and their will be nothing to ask of the gods."

"Non-resistance is one of the principles of Aikido. Because of that principle Aikido always wins. People whose minds are wicked or those who like fighting are defeated without fighting."