Ueshiba's Shobu Aiki

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Morihei Ueshiba, o-sensei of Aikido, gave this final message to those fortunate who would be brought towards further enlightment:

"Budo that embodies the feeling of universal compassion is based on the creative energy of the universe (takemusubi). All the others are nothing more than arts of destruction. In the beginning I called it takemusubi aiki; later I decided to call it shobu aiki, the budo that creates wisdom, judgement, the mind of a sage.

The true victory of shobu aiki is to strike down and destroy the mind of doubt and conflict within yourself. It is to realize and carry out the destiny you have received from divine providence. Regardless of how this may be philosopically explained, unless it is actually put into practice, you are no different than anyone else. Through the practice of aikido, this power and ability is added unto you.

The underlying origin of budo is the spirit of universal protection, nurturing and salvation. It is to give renewed energy to yourself and others. Human beings are the children of the divine universal spirit and if they are unhappy it is because they turn away from their own nature. Man has selfishly created the sense of good and evil and then forgotten the essence of his own nature. Within divine love there is no good or evil, no happiness or unhappiness. There is only constant giving in an attempt to pay back some part of the precious gift of life that one has received and even now continues to enjoy.

You should never be trapped by the idea that you have problems, that you are a person of deep karma, or that you are one of little value. This is insulting not only to yourself but to others as well. All people share the same divine origin. There is only one thing that is wrong or useless. That is the stubborn insistence that you are an individual, separate from others. Give thanks and show gratitude. Work for the paradise on this earth. In this way your true nature will continually unfold."

Quoted from The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido by William Gleason, 1995, Chapter 1, translated from Ueshiba's Takemusbi Aiki.

For further thought, consider Force and Violence, Aikido's Oxymorons.


	EASTWIND.NET \| Aikido home Zantoppa Kai Aikido \| Understanding Aikido \| Aikido's Oxymorons \| Program Overview \| Schedule of Classes \| Force and Violence \| Ueshiba's Shobu Aiki \| Pictures Ueshiba's Shobu Aiki Morihei Ueshiba, o-sensei of Aikido, gave this final message to those fortunate who would be brought towards further enlightment: "Budo that embodies the feeling of universal compassion is based on the creative energy of the universe (takemusubi). All the others are nothing more than arts of destruction. In the beginning I called it takemusubi aiki; later I decided to call it shobu aiki, the budo that creates wisdom, judgement, the mind of a sage. The true victory of shobu aiki is to strike down and destroy the mind of doubt and conflict within yourself. It is to realize and carry out the destiny you have received from divine providence. Regardless of how this may be philosopically explained, unless it is actually put into practice, you are no different than anyone else. Through the practice of aikido, this power and ability is added unto you. The underlying origin of budo is the spirit of universal protection, nurturing and salvation. It is to give renewed energy to yourself and others. Human beings are the children of the divine universal spirit and if they are unhappy it is because they turn away from their own nature. Man has selfishly created the sense of good and evil and then forgotten the essence of his own nature. Within divine love there is no good or evil, no happiness or unhappiness. There is only constant giving in an attempt to pay back some part of the precious gift of life that one has received and even now continues to enjoy. You should never be trapped by the idea that you have problems, that you are a person of deep karma, or that you are one of little value. This is insulting not only to yourself but to others as well. All people share the same divine origin. There is only one thing that is wrong or useless. That is the stubborn insistence that you are an individual, separate from others. Give thanks and show gratitude. Work for the paradise on this earth. In this way your true nature will continually unfold." Quoted from The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido by William Gleason, 1995, Chapter 1, translated from Ueshiba's Takemusbi Aiki. For further thought, consider Force and Violence, Aikido's Oxymorons.