The Way of Aikido

I have just finished reading, The Way of Aikido, Life Lessons from an American Sensei, by George Leonard. This book is about 10 years old, and was not on my list of books to read, but I found it fascinating. It echoed a lot of messages from Thick Naht Hanh's books.



Aikido is another martial art from Japan, which differs form all the others, because it is as much a mental effort as a physical effort. It really has more to do with Buddist philosophy than the others.



It is not a series of counter attacks. There are just 2 techniques: centering and blending. George Leonard calls it blending, when you merge with your attackers point of view, and escape, while also protecting the attacker. You see, they truly believe that there are more than just 2 options, win and lose. This is a western concept. There are many other options available if you change your perspective. They teach you to see from the other's position and provide a third alternative. the goal is to protect yourself from harm, without harming the other. Basically to disarm the other by taking away the threat.



It also works with verbal attacks and other areas of life, not just physical attacks.



Many people advocate Centering Yourself, but this is the only book with instructions. To center yourself, focus on your center. In Chinese, this is the dan tien, and is located an inch or 2 below the navel. That's it. Simple, isn't it?