gateless gate

We are a gateless gate between the outer infinity and the inner infinity. Our "duty" is to remain gateless between these two infinities.

warrior math

7 X's down, 8 X's up!

death-dealing life lovers

One of the problems I have with "modern" medicine (is it post-modern now? I can't keep up with our designations of our era. How about "rapid transitional" medicine?) and the societal attitudes it represents is the seeing of death as an enemy. For heaven's and mercy's and pity's sakes! We come from death and to death we return -- the eternal cycling and recycling. What's that saying? "Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die."

And never mind that we as a nation, as a people are death-dealers, whacking folk down every day, plus eradicating entire species, poisoning the earth. If death is such an enemy, why are we so snuggly with it? We don't mind causing the death of others ("collateral damage"), it is our precious selves we wish to preserve.

There can be no death without life, so I say get rid of life and there will be no death. What? You find fault with my logic? The greatest curse I could put upon you would be that you live forever (as the particle you are).

Rather than life and death, I see ongoing transformation. We are continuously dying and being reborn. Keeping people alive is primarily a selfish motive. When they die, we take it as a personal affront. All you stalwart defenders of life out there, relax and smell the compost!

condensing

The experiential act of condensing is different from that of contracting. In contracting, one freezes up, loses the freedom of one's bodymind. In condensing, one is fluid yet is small as a pinpoint at one's core.

(IV) Notes: 1974 Tohei Sensei Ki Development Session

A physics teacher in the class asked: "Light waves and sound waves can be expressed by formulas. Can ki be expressed by a formula? Do you have a formula for ki?"

Tohei Sensei: "Yes. Very simple. One."

(III) Notes: 1974 Tohei Sensei Ki Development Session

Talk:
"Some think there is no fighting in aikido. In aikido, you do not allow others to control you. Keep control of yourself through the four principles. When you control yourself, you control the situation. Harmony does not mean do with me what you will. When you are in harmony with nature, you are in control."

Exercises:
Exercise. Put your hand on your head. Tell yourself it is glued and cannot move. Have partner test. (Similar to weight underside,)

Exercise. Sit lotus. Keep one-point. Have partner push from behind. After an interval, get up and walk away.

Exercise. Bend to tie shoe. Keep one-point. Partner push from behind.

Exercise. Make contact with other's extended arm very gently -- like a towel draped over his arm, same gentleness. With ki, push other's arm down.

(II) Notes: 1974 Tohei Sensei Ki Development Session

Exercises:
The "two-point," middle of the forehead, third eye is the focus for many. Put your mind at the two-point and allow partner to test you for stability. (Unstable)

When your mind is at the one-point, it is also at the two-point. Test. (Stable)

Sit down on floor. The strict lotus position with chin pulled in leads to grimness, mouth pulled down. (Sensei demonstrates.) Test it for stability with your partner. The lotus with erect spine but relaxed arms and shoulders with Ki is stable. Test.

Tohei Talk:
"I am the center of the universe. But not the only center. Because I am the center, there is no one above me, beneath me, in front of me, behind me."

"Sleep is the restoring of Ki. With Ki, one can sleep when one chooses for as long as one chooses, regardless of the surroundings."

(More to come)

(I) Notes: 1974 Tohei Sensei Ki Development Session

After warmups, we paired off and taught each other the basic principles of ki. Sensei listened and made corrections as needed. At the clap of his hands, we focused our attention up front where two students (different ones each time) explained with demonstration of the particular principle. We learned from teaching and were taught to teach from the very first day.

"An aikido teacher measures his success by how well his students teach."

Four Ki principles:
Keep one-point
Weight underside
Extend Ki
Relax correctly

Exercise: Why put the mind at the one-point (the hara)? Pair off. Put your mind in your toe; in the top of your head; at the one-point. Partner pushes you, starting gently, then applying more pressure. See what happens.

Exercise: How large is the one-point? Make it the size of a basketball; softball; golf ball; pinpoint. Partner pushes each time. Partner does not know what size you have chosen.

Exercise: What is the effectiveness of relaxation? Test Ki while stomach muscles tense and while they are relaxed. Focus on one-point both times. Partner pushes.

(More to come)

1974 Notes from one of Tohei Sensei's Talks

Notes from one of Tohei Sensei's 1974 talks --

Breathing and meditation --
You can't chase two rabbits at once and catch one.
Either breathe or meditate.

War--
Sensei received order to go to war, went to war.
Did not kill anyone. Turned people loose.
Better they not die in jail.

When choosing men for patrol, did not say #1, 3, 10, come with me. Said all who want to drink liquor come with me. Only took "plus-ki" men with him.

Problems--
What to do with problems. Love them.

Universe--
Universe will look after you. Will wake you up when enemy comes,
not with friend. "While the universe needs me, I don't have to die."

Children--
Oldest son studies nuclear physics. Father-son can't go same way.
"I have many children. My students." Instructors taught strictly.
One small mistake is magnifed if they teach it. He is not as hard on us. We would run away.

(More to come)

1974 Ki Training -- Sensei Koichi Tohei -- Initial Impressions

In the summer of 1974, I was fortunate in attending a six-week training in Ki Development taught by Sensei Koichi Tohei. I had been practicing (and teaching) Isshinryu Karate for 15 years and was looking for something less violent. With this posting, I will begin transcribing my notes taken during that time.
***
The first time I saw him (Sensei Tohei), he looked at me with a calm, almost tender gaze. He sat on a bench against one wall of a large room filled with mats and chatting, laughing people. I was a day late.

"Sensei, this is my friend, George Breed."

A smile of acknowledgment revealing gold dental work.

I took my place on the mat with the others and was soon going through the warmup exercises in my first aikido class. We were fortunate in receiving instruction directly from Koichi Tohei, master of Aikido.

Tohei Sensei seems to be many men in one body. In street clothes, he looks like a Japanese businessman on vacation -- grey hush-puppies, blue socks, navy-blue full-cut slacks, and a white open-necked short-sleeved shirt. Though he moves gracefully, few would suspect his agile speed and power.

During the question and answer sessions he holds with us, Master Tohei could be taken for a visiting lecturer in a cultural exchange program. Highly alert but relaxed, he listens carefully to each question. Almost all his answers contain humor -- such as walking around the dais on all fours to illustrate the difference between human and animal movement. His teaching often takes the form of a parable based upon some past experience.

A desperate mother sent her unmanagable son to Tohei for aikido instruction. "I looked at this boy for one week and even I could not find his good points. Finally I said, 'You are very good at being bad. Someday I will find your other good points.' He was so surprised. From that day on, he began to change."

This man who is so relaxed and gentle, who plays the flute and sings (some of us got together with him at night), who shakes hands with a soft welcome rather than with a macho squeeze, can also show overwhelming ferocity, is as fierce as a samurai -- the boldest and most fearless of warriors. His voice becomes powerful and commanding. The shock waves of his kiai, a power-releasing and enemy-inhibiting shout, can be felt many feet away.

A master swordsman, Tohei showed us how to allow an attacker's force to pass harmlessly, then with one easy fluid motion to cut his throat twice and stab him in the kidney. This, by the way, was a little extracurricular knowledge. Aikido is based upon nonviolence.

(More to follow)

Fuji snail

If this snail
sets out for
the top of Fuji
surely he will
get there

Unified in spirit what
cannot be accomplished?

--Tesshu

(Click for closeup)