Budo Contemplations

 

 

The budoka must have a contemplative soul or he/she is nothing.  Contemplation brings interiority and thus depth to our training.  This is not to say that contemplation is a thing of the mind only.  When we think of contemplation, we must always think of it as “active contemplation.”  Meaning, contemplation demands equally of thought, of action, and of will.  The role of contemplation is to awaken and/or prepare the body/mind to better receive and note the Divine nature of the universe.  Contemplation generates a need within us to be as close to God as possible.  It eases the effects of our growing dissatisfaction with the material world.  Therefore, contemplation, most of all, lays out the path of Love before us.  If the gardener uses gardening tools to cultivate his/her garden, the budoka must use contemplation to cultivate his/her consciousness.  Under such a postulate, it is not important whether we come up with answers or solutions.  The raising of questions and of issues is all that matters.  Budo Contemplations are efforts toward this end.

A General Bibliography and the Issue of Translation

At What Cost Our Spirit

Budo and the Joy of Work

Cold Mountain

Daily Training

Embracing Our Incompetence

Etiquette and Imitation

Faith, Discipline, and Humility

"For me" Aikido

Group Discussion on Takuan Soho's "Fudochishinmyoroku"

Meditations

Natural Offenses

On the Exchange, "Old Man Ueshiba"

Persevere

Rank Gains Meaning by Being Meaningless

Revolutions with Nothing New

Self-Attained Wisdom

Sensei and Caveats

Shikantaza

Silence and the Mystification of Aikido Waza

The ABCs are not Poetry

The Contemplative Life

The Dark Nights of Spiritual Maturity

The Ideological Myth of Aikido

The Living Way: An Application of the Thinking of Thomas Merton to Budo Training

The Narrative of Noah

The Non-waza of Waza

The Practice of Commitment

The Road of Compassion

Training as a Teacher

Waiting For The Buddha Will Kill Your Art

We Are What We Do

When Aikidoka Speak and the Silence that Ensues

Why do we train? - A Conversation Between Two Teachers

* More Coming Soon
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