We have added this section because Sensei Tony feels that to train only in the technical art one will never find the completeness, O-Sensei put together from the many varying physical and spiritual challenging life’s path he followed combining them all and called it Aikido.
The aim is to find Aikido: ‘The spiritual path to divine love’
First, we must challenge ourselves physically to know how to shed the natural strength we developed from birth. Depending on one’s age the longer it may take to release this relied upon body power and exchange it with inner power, power of one’s mind the peace found gains strength that cannot be equaled however much one trained the body.
“Those who initially wish to train in the martial side of the art, known as Takemusu, ‘The fighting way’, may wish at some stage in their Aikido journey try bringing this together with ‘the spiritual path’, as did O Sensei.
Only you can consider when the time is correct for you to think if your training, has it exhausted its mileage? The need to look in different directions, to gather an understanding of why the techniques are no longer improving, after trying a multitude of ways of changing body postures, angles, etc. At last, you know that blindness has arrived at your mind’s door?
As with O Sensei, you may have to follow many different routes to find your spiritual, divine path many know this as finding pure love, for this, only you can decide which paths of knowledge you will need to take.
No one person can tell another what to study or how to find the depth of study to accomplish this in a set time frame.
The world is full of many wise beings but nature, and listening to one’s inner self truly listening can save the miles of travel, to hear another when all one needs is to sit, ask a ‘clear question’ and listen to the answer of your spirit-mind and all questions will in time be answered?
This section may be for the few rather than the masses as most Aikidoka feel they do not need any more than what ‘mat training can give’ What this section will try to do is to offer some very diverse links, places for you to look, then you can decide for yourself if you wish to add this information to your life search.
You may add articles from your favorite web sites, tell us a bit about the link as well please, plus (giving us the link). Anything that is Aikido-related or spiritual web-related links.
We hope you will ask questions promoting conversation that others may answer and share, in what they have found, in hopes that you can help each other and those who search with you. Use the contacts section, add your questions on any aspect of an Aikido or related thought or theme that is of interest.
The main ingredient offered is for you to take from this website content, but only what you need, what you sense from deep inside your heart and mind, only you know when it is the right time. It may be to you the food of knowledge that is now ready and been waiting for you to call? Taking you on to enlightenment and completing the puzzle of O Sensei’s Aikido.
This does not have to be a religious path you do not have to think of it that way? Some may say that the word ‘spiritual’ is religious but to me, in the search for true Aikido knowledge, I hope you are looking to connect the part inside of you that may not feel complete; by reading and believing in a spiritual direction that speaks to you, I hope you receive the development that we are all looking for.
To build the body, just train; to build the mind, just train; to be complete, just listen to your Self. We rarely ever do.”
Sensei Sargeant
