Ki Breathing Translation
Ki Breathing Translation
byKoichiTohei,March,2005
EnglishtranslationauthorizedbyKinoKenkyukaiHeadquarters,Tokyo,Japan
TableofContents
TableofContents..............................................................................2 Preface .............................................................................................3 HistoryoftheAuthor ........................................................................7 Chapter1:HumanBeingsAreOnewiththeUniverse ....................13 BreathetheKioftheUniverseThroughYourBody ............................... 14 TheMoreYouExtendKi,theMoreYouReceiveKi ................................ 14 MindHasPower ............................................................................... 16 ChangeEverythingAroundYoutoPlus............................................... 20 ToBePlusWhenYouAreUnderAdverseCircumstances ....................... 21 KnowYourStateofMind................................................................... 23 PlusWayofThinkingAccordingtotheUniverse ................................... 25 MindMovesBody ............................................................................. 28 Chapter2:CorrectPostureisanElixirofHealth............................31 CorrectPosturePreventsDiseasesandOtherProblemConditions.......... 31 AnyoneCanCheckIfTheirPostureIsNaturalorNot ............................ 32 TheConceptofKiTesting................................................................. 37 Shisei(inJapanese)HasTwoMeanings.............................................. 40 HowtoCarryHeavyBaggageEasily ................................................... 42 Chapter3:OnenessofMindandBodywiththeUniverse...............45 FourMajorPrinciplestoUnifyMindandBody....................................... 45 ConcentrateYourMindattheOnePointintheLowerAbdomen............. 46 MeaningoftheOnePointintheLowerAbdomen.................................. 47 AMagicPot ..................................................................................... 49 AlwaysKeepOnePointintheLowerAbdomen..................................... 50 RelaxationistheMostPowerfulState ................................................. 51
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Preface
Ireachtheageofeightyfivethisyear.IhavebeenteachingKibreathingall overtheworldbeginningwithJapan,U.S.A.,Europe,Russia,Asia,Australia etc. IfyoudoKibreathingcorrectly,itwillhelpyoutoovercomeanykindof illnessnaturally.Mostmoderndiseasesarecausedbylackofoxygeninthe cell. Ifyourcellslackoxygen,youmayhavecoldhandsandfeet,headaches,stiff shoulders,roughand/ordryskin.Inadditionyoumayexperienceproblems withyourtongueandnailsorinflammationoftheeyes. Itiseasiertogetcancer,cerebrovasculardiseaseanddementiaifyourcells arelackingoxygen. Therefore,itisimportanttobringfreshoxygenthrougheverycapillary vesseltomaintainyourhealth. Modernpeoplelivewithalotofstressandtheybecomeirritatedorupset. Thiscausesbloodvesselstocontractandmakesitdifficulttobringfresh oxygenthroughoutthebodyeffectively.Badposturewillalsoconstrictblood flow.Thisisaweaknessinmodernpeople. Whatkindofbreathingexercisecanwedotomaintainourhealth? Therearemanybreathingmethodsinthisworld,suchasTandenbreathing, Yogicbreathingandsoon.Insomemethodsofbreathing,exhaleandinhale
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timearedecided.Inanothermethod,youexpandyourlowerabdomenwhen youinhaleandholdinyourlowerabdomenwhenyouexhale. Thesebreathingmethodscauseyoutoinhalestronglyorstopyourbreath intentionally,orputstrengthinyourlowerabdomen.Thesebreathing methodsmakeyourcapillaryvesselstocontractmakingitdifficulttocarry oxygenthroughoutyourbody.Theyarejustpracticingdeepbreaths,which onlyexchangeairinyourlungstemporarily. Thebreathingmethodthatwillcarryfreshoxygenthroughoutyourwhole bodyis"KiBreathing". KibreathingmethodscomefromanoldShintobreathingcalledMisogino Kokyuho"Nagayonoden".(Misogibreathing) Basedontheonenessofmindandbody,Idesignedthisbreathingmethod tobewholebodybreathingandnamedit"KiBreathing". CharacteristicsofKibreathingarebreathingwithonenessofmindandbody, andtobreathenaturally.Kibreathingdoesnotrequireyoutocontrolyou breathnortostopyourbreathintentionally.Youjustbreatheeasilywitha naturalposture. Itisgreatlymisunderstoodthatifyoustraininlaboredbreathing,itisgood foryourhealth.Itisdifficulttocontinuelaboredbreathing,howeverifthe methodofbreathingiseasy,naturalandeffective,anyonecancontinue. TheimportantthingistoknowWhatisnatural?Whatisbreathing naturally?Howtobreathenaturally? Ifyoureadthisbookthroughtotheend,youwillunderstandwhatoneness ofmindandbody,andwhatisnatural. Myhopeisforallthepeopleintheworldtohaveabright,happylife. Aboutthirtyyearsago,IfoundedKinoKenkyukai(KiSociety)tostudyKi principlestogether.
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Wehavemanybranchesallovertheworldnow.AndIamverygladthat manypeoplepracticeKiprincipleswithgreatearnestnessandhavea positivelife. ThosepeoplewhocancometotheseclassesandpracticeKihaveadesire fortruth,motivationandhealth. Therearemanypeoplewhodonothavetheenergytoattendclassbecause theyaresufferingfromdiseaseormisfortune.Iespeciallyhopeforthese peopletostudyKiprinciples,becomeconsciousofthegreatpowerthatis naturallyours,andovercometheirmisfortunes. Itisdifficulttostudyanythingbyoneself.Ifyoustudywithyourfriendsand encourageeachother,youwillbeabletocontinuestudyingKiprinciples. Therefore,IhopeyouwillstudyKibreathingwithyourcompanionand/or friendsandcontinuetheKibreathingeveryday. Itismygreatpleasurethatthisbookwillhelpthosepeople. Aboutfortyyearsago,Ipublishedabook,KIINDAILYLIFEtotheU.S. andEurope.Thisbookhasbeenreprintedaboutseveralthousandeveryyear instraightsuccession.Andthisremainsalongsellerbook. Thisbookisbasedonthebook,KIINDAILYLIFE.AndconcerningKi breathingpart,IhaveupdatedthewayofteachingtheKiBreathing methodstobeeasytounderstandforbeginners. ManypeoplepracticeKibreathingandtheyhaveproventheeffectivenessof Kibreathing.Therearemanybenefits. Boostimmunefunction(toactivatelifepowerandincreaseone's resistancetodisease) Relaxbothmindandbody(bothmindandbodybecomecalm) Havegoodbloodcirculationwholebody(improvecoldfeetandhands, inabilitytoconceive) Becomehealthyandhaveradiantskin(gainyourbeauty) Lessstress(tobeabletocontrolyouremotions) Gethighqualitysleep(toimproveapneaandfatigue)
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BydoingKibreathing,wholebody'sbloodcirculationbecomesgood. Therefore,peoplewhohavedevelopeddiabetescanlowerthelevelofsugar intheblood.Also,youcanrecoverfromcoldfeetorhayfever.Brokenbone recoversveryfast.Hairlinefracturewillbecuredinafewdays. BydoingKibreathingandKiatsutherapy,manypeoplerecoveredfrom cancer,aftereffectofbraininfarctandcerebralapoplexy. Mindbecomescalm,therefore,youcangetoverautonomicataxiaor depression. IwillteachyouKibreathingbasedononenessofmindandbodyinthe book. First,IwillexplaintoyoubasicwaysofthinkingtounderstandKibreathing. Then,IwillteachyouaposturewhichisafundamentaloftheKibreathing andKibreathingitself.Ihopeasmanyreadersaspossibleunderstand naturalposture,naturalbreathingandnaturallife.AndbydoingKi breathing,Ihopeyouwillliveamorefulfillinglife. March,2005 KoichiTohei
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HistoryoftheAuthor
KoichiToheiwasborninShitaya,Tokyo,in1920.Whenhewasthreeyears old,hewentbacktohishometownlocatedinTochigiprefecture.Hewas veryweakwhenhewasyoung.Healwaysneededadoctor.Hisfather worriedabouthim.SohisfatherstartedtoteachJudotoKoichiTohei.He wasawardedblackbeltinJudowhenhewas14yearsold. Whenhewas16yearsold,heenteredKeioUniversity.HepracticedJudo verysincerely.Buthepracticeditsointenselythathecontractedpleurisy. Asaresult,hehadtotakeayearofffromtheUniversity.During recuperation,hereadmanybooks.Hethenbeganaseriousselfexamination period,whichconcludedwiththeunderstandingthathismindwastooweak. Afterherecoveredfromhisillness,hepracticedZenandMisogibreathing earnestly. WhenKoichiToheiwas19yearsold,hebecameadiscipleofMasterMorihei UeshibaandstartedtopracticeAikido.(In1969,KoichiToheiwasawarded the10thdan,thehighestrank,fromMasterMoriheiUeshiba.) KoichiToheienteredthearmysoonaftergraduatingKeioUniversity.Hewas 23yearsoldatthetime.Hebecameaplatoonleaderinthearmyandwas senttoChinaforfouryears.Hediscoveredthatifonthebattlefield,one's defensesaredownforjustamoment,thiscouldmeandeath.Considering thiscircumstance,hedecidedtodoKibreathing200timesaday.Bydoing Kibreathingonthebattlefield,hemasteredkeepingonepoint.Sometimes hecouldnotcalmhisbreatheventhoughhedidKibreathing.Whenhefelt likethis,henoticedthatitwasbecausetheenemywashiddensomewhere nearby.
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The1950s
Mr.SadaharuOh(Japaneseprofessionalbaseballplayer) WhenMr.OhjoinedtheGiants(Japaneseprofessionalbaseballteam),his personalgrowthseemedsluggish.KoichiToheitaughthimonepointinthe lowerabdomenandtostandononefootwithKi.ThisisknownasIppon ashidahou(Hittingballstandingononefoot)
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playersinhisteamtotheKidojoandaskedthemtostudytheprincipleofKi fromKoichiTohei.
KoichiToheiwenttotheUSandEuropenumeroustimestoteachKi principlesandKiAikidoinover20statesintheUSandallovertheworld.
The1970s
Takamiyama(JapaneseSumowrestler) KoichiToheitaughtKiprinciplestoTakamiyamaattherequestofhisstudent inHawaii.Afterthis,Takamiyamabecameachampionofthetournament. However,bythistimeinhisSumocareer,hisstablemasterwouldnot permithimtostudyanythingotherthanSumo.Therefore,hecouldnot studyKiafterthat.
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The1980s
Chiyonofuji(Japanesesumowrestler) Atthattime,ChiyonofujihadjustbecomeYokozuna(highestrankin sumo).Atthispointinhiscareer,hehadamatchwhichresultedinthe dislocationofhisleftshoulder.Hewasafraidthatitwouldtakealongtime toheal,andhebegantoworryaboutacomeback.However,hereceived KoichiTohei'sKiatsu,andherecoveredcompletely.Afterthat,hewonsixty ninetimesinarow.Thisisastupendousachievement.
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The1990s
KoichiToheiputemphasisonseminarsforcompaniesandthetrainingof businesspeople.KoichiToheitaughtover400businessmenwhoattended
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KoichiTohei'sKiDojo,whichwassponsoredbyJapanManagement ConsultantsAssociation.AndbeforeMr.HidekiMatsuiwenttotheUS,Koichi ToheitaughthimKiprinciples.KoichiToheitaughthimtosendKitothetip ofthebatandhowtorelax. KoichiToheihastaughtKiprinciplestomanypeopleovertheyearsincluding aworldfamouspianist,photographers,artists,singers,KabukiandNoh actors,calligraphers,philosophers,policemen,narcoticinvestigators,the bodyguardofPresidentoftheUS,andmorefromthroughoutoftheworld. TheylearnedKiprinciplesandtheyachieveremarkablesuccess. EspeciallyKibreathingisstudiedbymanyofthesepeople.Forexample, narcoticinvestigatorslearnKibreathingtoeasetheirmentalpressurefrom theircases.Also,musiciansandoperasingersalsolearnKibreathingto develophervocalskills.PhotographersarealsolearningKibreathingtobe onewiththeUniverse.
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Chapter1:HumanBeingsAreOne withtheUniverse
First,let'sthinktogether.Wheredidwecomefrom? Everyoneanswerswewerebornbecauseourmother'seggwasfertilized withthefather'ssperm. Well,wheredidthespermandeggcomefrom? Firstweneedtounderstand,whatwasthebeginningofhumanbeings? Notonlyhumanbeingsbuteverythinghasitsbeginning.Anythingthathas formmusthaveabeginning.Forexamplethesunissaidtobeblazingnow, buttheremusthavebeenabeginningofthefire.Theremustalsohavebeen afire,beforethefirestarted.Ifwetracethehistoryofallthings,wecan onlysaythateverythingcamefromsomethinginvisible.Thisiscalled"Mu" inZenworld.Butthisdoesnotmeanjustnothing.Thisalsomeans"thereis nothing,butsomethingexists".Ifwethinkthisway,ourmind,body,sun, star,earth,animal,plants,everythingwasbornfromsomethinginvisible. Thatis,everythingcamefrominfinitelysmallparticles.Kiistheinfinite gatheringofinfinitelysmallparticles. Mathematicallyspeaking,thebasicentityofmathematicsisthenumberone. Theearthisone.Apebbleisone.Ifitisreducedbyhalf,whatremainsis alsoone.Ifitisreducedbyhalfinfinitely,itdoesnotbecomezero.Ifthere isone,halfofitalwaysexists.Kiistheinfinitegatheringofinfinitelysmall particles.Inthiswaythesun,thestars,theearth,plants,animals,and humanmindandbodyareallbornofthekioftheuniversal.Kiisthe Page13
BreathetheKioftheUniverseThroughYourBody
Ourlivesareliketheamountofwaterwemighttakefromthegreatseaand holdinourhands.Wecallthis"I".Yes,itisthesameascallingthewater ourwaterbecauseweholditinourhands.Ontheotherhand,fromthe standpointofthewater,itisapartofthegreatsea.Althoughifweopenour handsthewaterwillfallbacktothesea,evenasitremainsinourhandsitis inconfluxwiththeoutergreatsea.Ifwerefusetoletthewaterflowwithits own,itwillgostale. Ourlivesarepartoftheuniversalkienclosedinthefleshofoutbodies. Thoughwesaythatthisis"I,"viewedwiththeeyesofthemind,itis actuallythekioftheuniversal.Eventhoughthatkiisencasedinflesh,itis inconfluxwithandactiveasapartoftheuniversal.Whenwebreathe,we breathethekioftheuniversalinwithourentirebody.Whentheconfluxof ourkiandthatoftheuniversalisunimpaired,weareingoodhealthandare lively. WeliveinharmonywiththeUniverse.Harmonymeanstointeractwiththe KioftheUniverse.Breathingisimportanttokeepthisharmony.Webreathe theKioftheUniversethroughoutourbody.KiBreathingistoactivateand interchangewiththeKioftheUniverse.Thisisthebestwaytoactivateyour lifepowerandkeepyourhealth.
TheMoreYouExtendKi,theMoreYouReceiveKi
SomepeoplethinkofKiasasupernaturalpower. However,Kiisnotasupernaturalpower.Kiistheinfiniteenergywhich existsamongus.ItisimportanttoapplyKiinyourdailylife.Thisisthekey tohaveabetterlife. Page14
IusethewordKiinKanji(Chinesecharacter)likethis A)notusing
(hereinaftercalled
(hereinaftercalledB).IpresideoverKinoKenkyukai(Ki .
Society).AndIalsowriteKinoKenkyukaias
WhyamIusingAinsteadofB?AistheoldwaytoexpressKiinKanji.So, somepeoplemaythinkIusethisbecauseIamold.Butthisiswrong.The kanjiAiscombinationofmeaningtheuniverseandinfinite.InthekanjiB, theword isincluded. This meansstopKi.Therefore,Idonotusekanji Bbecauseitdoesnotexpressrealmeaning. ItisimportanttothinkaboutKI.Everyonesaysthattheywanttomakethe mostoutoflife.Whatisafulfillinglifeforyou?Ifyouhaveenoughthings, canyousayyouhaveafulfillinglife? Work,life,money,lovethereshouldbemanyanswers.Idefineafulfilling lifeastheUniversalKiisfulfillingbothourmindandbody.Wearepartof theUniverse,therefore,itisnaturalthatourKIandtheKioftheUniverseis alwaysinterchanging.WecallthisstateasikiteiruorIkioshiteiruin Japanese.Andwhenwedothis,wehavevitality. AsIstatedbefore,ifourKiandtheKioftheUniverseispreventedfrom interchanging,webecomebadcondition.Andifthisinterchangeisstopped completely,wewilldie.WecallthisikiohikitoruinJapanese. IfweextendKi,wecanreceivefreshKifromtheUniverse.Andwecan interchangeKibetweentheUniverseandourselves. SomepeoplesaythatifweuseKi,Kiwillbedrained.Therefore,theyseldom useKi. WeshouldnotstopextendingKi.IfwestopextendingKi,wecannot interchangeourKiwiththeUniverse.Ifthewaterisstagnant,thewaterwill gobad.However,flowingwaterwillnotgobad. Kiissimilartowater.EvenifKiappearstobestopping,Kiisalways interchangingwiththeUniverse.ItistruethatKicanbecomedepleted. However,itisalsotruethatthemoreweuseKi,themorewereceiveKi.If
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weinterchangeourKialwayswiththeUniverse,ourlifepowerwillbe activatedandwewillbecomehealthy. TheUniverseneverstops.TheUniverseisalwayschanging.However,we cannotfeelthismovementbyoursenses. Weareontheearth.Theearthrotatesdailyandgoesaroundthesun. However,wehardlyrealizethis.Ifyouaresittinginachairwithoutmoving, yourbloodiscirculatinginsideofyourbody.Thereisnothingwhichdoesnot moveintheUniverse.YoucanunderstandthatitisunnaturaltostopyourKi ifyouunderstandtheprincipleofnature. Breathingissimilar,ifyouexhale,naturallybreathcomesin.Ifyoutryto stopyourbreathintentionally,thisisunnatural.Byunderstandingthis principle,youwillbeabletodoKibreathingcomfortably.
MindHasPower
OurKiisapartoftheUniverseandourbodyisthevesselusedtohouseour Ki. Themindisthatthing,givenbytheUniverse,withwhichwemustprotect andbringupthephysicalvesselandwithwhichwemustpromptandcontrol theexchangeofourownKiwiththatoftheUniverse. Perhapswecouldmakeacomparisonbetweentheprocessesinvolvedinthe generationofelectricityandthoseintheflowofKi.Inthegenerator,the basicessenceofelectricitybecomeselectricityandflowsouttoactivate machines.TheUniverseisfilledwithKi,ourmindsimilartoanelectrical generator,weuseourmindtoreceiveKi,whichinturnbecomesourownKi, theKithatmovesourbody. Infact,ExtendKimeansbyusingourmindpositively,mindgeneratesKi justlikeapowerplantgenerateselectricity.Thismeansbyusingmind positively,ourKiinterchangeswiththeKioftheUniverse.
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Therefore,IcallplusKiastoextendKi,minusKiastopullKi.Now,Iwill talkaboutplusKiwhichisimportanttodoKibreathing. IfIaskHaveyoueverbeeninjuredorcaughtacold?,mostofthepeople willsayYes.AndifIaskHaveyouevergotangry,sufferedsadness,had aconflict?,nobodywillanswerNo. DidIaskyoutwoseparatequestionsabove?Mostofthepeoplethinkthat firstquestionisquestionaboutbody,andthesecondquestionisaquestion aboutmind. Butlet'sconsiderwell.Whenwegetsick,wearesensitiveaboutsmall thingsandeasytoanger,beafraid,suffersadness,bejealousandhave conflict.ManypeoplebecomesickmentallybythinkingasOthersareliving happily.WhyamIsick?WhatkindofbadthinghaveIdone? Asdescribedabove,physicalailmentiscloselyassociatedwithmental issues.Physicalailmentsareonthesurface,however,thecauseofsickness comesfrommentalsourcesinmanycases. Thereasonwecatchcoldisnotonlyduetothefactthatwebecome physicallyweaker,butalsofromproblemsoriginatedfromthemind. Whenpeoplegetsick,manypeoplethinkonlyabouttheirbodyandforget abouttheirmind.Manyofthemdonotrealizetheirownmindproblemsand thinktheywillgetwelliftheytakemedicine.Theyarelivingforgettingsome thingsandarelivinganunnaturallife. Iwilltalkaboutmyexperienceswithunnaturallifewhichforgetsaboutmind andonlythinksaboutbody. Isufferedasevereillnessinthepast.BeforeIwasborn,mymotherhada closeencounterwithdeathfromseverepneumoniawhichadoctorgaveup onashopeless.Afterthat,Iwasborn.Therefore,shewasincredibly protectiveofme. EvenafterIenteredelementaryschool,mymothermademeabsentfrom schoolifIsneezedonce,becauseshebelievedIwasweakchild.Iembraced
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itandIwasabsentfromschoolmanytimes.Iattendedschoolonlysix monthsuntilIwasinthe2ndgrade.Ihadacaretakerwithmeonmyway toandfromschooltoprotectmefrombeingbulliedbypupils. However,themoremymothertookcareofmewell,themoreIgotsick.If somekindofsicknesswastoappear,Iwasthefirstonetocatchthe sicknessinmyfamily. Myfatherchangedmyweakmindandbody.Hemademewearlightclothing eveninthewinter.Also,hetaughtmeJudo.ThankstoJudowhichmyfather taught,Igotstrongandhealthy.WhenIenteredtheJudoclubinJuniorhigh school,IwasawardedablackbeltinJudoat14yearsofage. Iexperiencedotherdifficultiessoonafter.JudowhichIlearnedforhealth gavemesomeimportantlifelessons.WhenIwas16yearsold,Ientered KeioUniversity.IhadbeenpracticingJudo,therefore,IenteredtheJudo clubatKeioUniversity.Imetwithmisfortunewhileattendingspringcampof theJudoclub. DuringpracticingJudo,Iwastangledwithahugeseniorandweboth tumbled.Myleftchestwashitveryhard.IwenttothehospitalandfoundI hadcontractedpleurisy.Thedoctortoldmetoenterahospitalimmediately. Luckyforme,myfeverwentdownthenextday.Thedoctorpermittedmeto leavethehospitalaftera17dayhospitalstay.IthoughtthatIcouldspend myUniversitylifelikebefore.However,mydoctortoldmeunexpected wordsattheverylastmedicalexamination.HetoldmetonotpracticeJudo anymore.NotonlyJudobutalsotennis,tabletennisandsoon.Hepermitted metotakewalks.Healsotoldme,Yourbodyislikeacrackedcup.Ifyou hityourchestagain,itwillbetheend.Therefore,youshouldnotraiseyour leftarmhigh,andyoushouldnotdoanythingthatwillcauseshocktoyour chest.Youshouldnottalkinaloudvoicebecausethisshocksyourchest. Thedoctor'swordsbroughtmebacktomyyoungdayswhenIwasweak. Afterthat,Italkedwithothersinaverysmallvoice.WhenItrippedovera smallstonewhiletakingawalk,IfeltshockonmychestandIwasworried aboutthecrackinmychest.Therefore,IwasnervousevenwhenItooka walk.
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WhenIwenttotheseashoretoahealthresortfortherapy,someonesaid, Seabreezeistooroughforpleurisy.Youshouldgotothemountains. Therefore,whenItookawalkalongtheseaside,Iworeamask. Suddenly,Ihadahighfeverofnearly40degreescentigrade.Thedoctor saidthiswasarecurrenceofpleurisy.Itookmedicineforthefeverand loweredit.Thiswasmydailylife. Notonlywiththedoctorbutitiscommonpracticethatifwehaveasevere attackofsickness,suchaspleurisy,weshouldrestquietly.Thisiscommon practiceformostpeople. However,incontradictiontoabove,Ididthingswhichmostpeoplewould consideroutofthenorm.WhenIgotsick,mymindbecameweak,andI tookthingsinaminusway.Bydoingthis,Ifoundthateverythingwentbad throughmyexperiences. Idecidedtochangemyselffromlivingaminuslife. IvisitedTetsujuOgurasensei,aseniorstudentofTesshuYamaokasensei whohadbeenknownasaswordmasterandanexcellentcalligrapher. Ibeganmypracticeofmisogi.Misogiisthepracticeofthebreathwhich camefromJapaneseShinto.Thispracticeissittingalldaylongformany daysandexhalingbreathwithaloudvoiceasmuchaspossible.Weloseour voiceinahalfday.Inadditiontothat,theseniorshitthebacksofthe participantsduringthispractice.Makingloudvoice,Beinghitonmyback IdidthesethingswhichIwasprohibitedtodobymydoctor. WhenIstartpracticingMisogi,myleftcheststartedtohurtandIworried aboutarecurrenceofillness.However,Ipromisedmyteacherthatitwas okaytodieatthedojoduringpracticebeforeIstarted.Therefore,Imadeup mymindtoletthingsgo.Iwaspracticingforgettingaboutmysicknessand mypaindisappearedduringpractice.Afteroneyear,Iwenttothehospital andtookamedicalexamination.Thepleurisywascompletelygone.In general,theheavypleurisysuchasmineleftpatternsofpleurisy.However, therewasnotraceofpleurisy.
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MypleurisywascuredbydoingMisogi.Thisexperienceletmeknowifwe trainourmindandbodyandusemindinapositiveway,wecanusethe greatpowerthatisnaturallyours. IfIhadcontinuedmylifeasthedoctorsuggested,Iwouldnothavemadea loudvoice,run,playedsportsandwouldhaveworriedabouttherecurrence ofpleurisyatalltimes.Itiseasytoimaginethatthiswasnotagoodlife. Thedoctoradvisedonlyaboutthebody. WecallbodysicknessYamaiinJapanese,andbothmindandbody sicknessarecalledByokiinJapanese.Myexperienceshowsthatwecannot growstronginhealthifwetakecareofonlyourbodyandwehaveworries orsicknessinourmind. Ifyouhopetogrowstronginhealth,itisimportanttorealizenotonlythe visiblebodybuttheinvisiblemind.Mindhassuchapower.
ChangeEverythingAroundYoutoPlus
Bothaplusandminusthinkingmethodapplytopracticallyeverything.For instance,apersonmightseeafewofhisfriendstalkingtogether.The personwithaplusattitudewillthinknothingofit.Thepersonwithaminus attitudewillimmediatelywonderifperhapstheyaresayingsomethingbad abouthim.Bythinkingmorethanisnecessaryaboutsuchthingsthis negativeperson'sattitudewillbecomemoreandmorenegative. Itisimportanttorealizethatplusattractsplusandminusattractsminus.If youareinaminusframeofmind,youwillthinkminus,dominus,and changeeverythingaroundyoutominus.Becauseminuscallsminus,ifone thinggoesbad,everythingwilllookbad.Ifyoufightwithyourwifewhen youleavethehouseinthemorning,thewholedaywillgowrong. Letoneilltemperedpersoncomeintoagroupoffourorfivewhoare happilychattingtogether,andeveryonewillgosilentandgloomybecause thatoneperson'sminusispowerfulenoughtochangeeverythingaround himtominus. Page20
OnthecontraryifyourKiisplus,yourthoughts,deeds,andeverything aroundyouwillbeplusalso.Whenyouareplus,youarehappyin everything.Evenifyouareinadifficultsituation,youcanmaintain calmness.Yourplusmindcallsplus,everythinggoeswell. Happinesscomesinthroughalaughinggate.ThisisaJapanesesaying. LaughingisplusKi.Thissayingmeansthatpluscallsplus,andhappiness willcometoyou. Apersonwithastronglyplusnatureenlivensagroupoffourorfivepeople talking.Becausehispowerfulplusisabletochangehissurroundingstoplus. ItissaidthatAbravegeneralhasnocowardlysoldiers.Becausehis powerfulplusinfuseshismenwithcourage.Ontheotherhand,acowardly generalwillinfectevenhisbravemenwiththesamedisease. Ifweareinterestedinmakingthewholeworldandallofsocietybrighter, notjustourselvesalone,wemustindividuallydevelopourownplus attributesandwiththemattempttochangeeverythingaroundustoplus.
ToBePlusWhenYouAreUnderAdverse Circumstances
Asickpersonisusuallyminus.Aminuspersontendstogotoanotherminus personandsay,Areyoualsosick?Iamsufferingfromthistypeofillness. Itishardtobesick,isn'tit?Inthisway,thepersonbecomesmoreminus. Themoreminusheis,themoreplusheshouldseekfromastronghealthy person. Mostpeopleinahospitalareminus.Evenahealthypersontendstobecome minuswithoutknowingitifhestaysinsuchacircumstanceforalongtime. UnderthesecircumstancesonemusttrytoextendKiplus. Let'ssaythemanaboveyouonthejoboryourteacherhastoreprimand you. Youtakeitineitherasminusoraplusway.
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Youshouldrealizethatyouarebeingcorrectedbecauseyoudidsomething wrong. Ifyoutakeitwithagoodwillbeforebeingreprimanded,andresolvenotto repeatthemistake,thecauseofscoldingwillvanish.Laterevenifthe teacherorthehigherofficialreprimandsyou,youcanuseyourplusKiand takethecorrectionasyoushould. Andyoushouldnotmoveyourmindaboutthismatter.Thereisnoneedto becomedowncast.Themanwhoisscoldingyouwillsympathizewithyour plusKi,andwithoutevenknowingit,hisKiwillbecomeplus.Hewillloseall desiretobeangry,andwhenhemightfindcausetoreprimandyouten times,hewillmakedowithonlyoneortwo. Ontheotherhand,youshouldnotbecomeminusbybeinghostileand resentfultowardthereprovingperson.Ifyousnivelandlookasifyouare abouttoburstintotears,yourminusattitudewilltransfertotheman reprimanding,whowillbecomeangrierthaneverandreprimandyoumore thanheshould. WealwayspracticeextendKiinourKitraining.Becausewealwayspractice plusKi,thetraininghallisalwaysfilledwithplusKi.Someonewhoisnot wellorisactuallytoosicktoengageinpracticecanchangehisownKifrom minustoplusbyjustcomingtothetraininghallandwatchingandreceiving partoftheabundantsupplyofpositiveKi. AnyonewhoisnotactivelyengagedinthetrainingprogramandwhoseKi becomesminusfindsthatitisextremelydifficulttochangebacktoplus.He canchangeitbackifhehasthehelpofthepositiveKiofalargenumberof people. Whenthingsaregoingwell,anyonecaneasilykeephimselfpositive.We havetodisciplineourselvestochangenegativetopositivewhenconditions areadverse.Sincepluscallsplus,apositivedispositioncanleadtoaplus fate. OurKiisinterchangingwiththeUniversalKi.IfweextendourKiasmuchas possible,wecanimprovethisinterchange.WecanextendKiallthatwelike becausethesupplyisinexhaustible.
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KnowYourStateofMind
Manypeopleunderstandtheimportanceofplusmind.However,itisnotan easythingtobeplusmindalways.Whenweareinastateofminusmind, wedonotrealizeitbyourselves.Beforetryingtokeepplusmind,you shouldknowyourstateofmindcorrectly. Kibreathingisimportanttoknowyourself.IfyoudoKibreathingeveryday, yourbreathbecomescalm,andyourmindalsobecomescalm.Ifyourmind becomescalmlikethecalmstillsurfaceofthewater,yourmindreflectsall thingsclearly.Inthisstate,youcanknowyourstateofmindcorrectly whetheryouareinaminusstateofmindorobsessedwithsomething. IteachthisstateofthemindasLikethecalm,stillsurfaceofthewaterthat reflectsthemoonandaflyingbird,truelivingcalmnessistheconditionof ourmindthatreflectsallthingsclearly. Thestateofmindissimilartothesurfaceofthewater.Whenyourmindis disturbedbyworry,upsetandnervousness,yourmindislikewaterwith manywaves.Thispreventsyoufromseeinganything.Ifthesurfaceofthe wateriscalm,itreflectsthemoonasthemoonandabirdasabirdlikea mirror. ThemostimportantthingisthatwecanrealizetheUniverse.Letuslive dailybycalmingourmindsbypracticingKibreathing.Bydoingthis,it remindsustohaveamindthankfultotheUniverseandourmindbecomes plusnaturally. Therearenotalwaysgoodthingsinourlives.Evenifyourmindbecome plus,ifsomeminorminusthingshappened,yourmindcanbecomeminus
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easily.Therefore,notonlypracticebeingplusmindbyKibreathingbutalso youneedtraininginyourdailylifetokeepyourmindplus. Training,however,doesnotmeanthatyouforceyourselftothinkofminus mattersasplus.Thiswayofthinkingcreatesstressforyouandminuswill callminus. Therefore,howcanwetrainourmindstobeplus? Youhaveaconsciousmindwhichwecanrecognizeandasubconsciousmind whichwecannotrecognize.Subconsciousmindislikethestorehouseofthe mind.Thematerialsstoredinthesubconsciousmindformtheconscious mind.Generally,thisiscalledactionofthemind. Therefore,evenifyoutrytobeplusmindedonthesurface,ifyour subconsciousmindisminus,youcaneasilybecomeminus.Tochange subconsciousmindtoplus,youwillneeddailypractice. Theeasiestpracticeistousepluswordsinyourdailylife.Wordshavea greatpower.Thewordsyouspeakarespokentheclosesttoyou.Therefore, itdeeplyworkswithyoursubconsciousmind. IfyousaytoyourchildYouareafailedchildagainandagain,itspeaksfor itself.However,youmaycarelesslysayminuswordstoyourself,phrases suchasIcannot,Ihateandsoon. IfyousayIcannottoyourself,thisgoesintoyoursubconsciousmind. Therefore,whenyoudosomething,youthinkIcannotfirst. Tokeepplusmindalways,yousaypluswordsalways.Evenifyousayminus words,youcanalteryourwords. Whenyouchangeyoursubconsciousmindtoplus,youcanrealizethingsin apluswaynaturally. Benaturalisveryimportant.Thereisnostresswhenyouarenatural.If youjustwanttobepositivewithoutpracticingtochangeyoursubconscious mind,youcannotchange.
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Therearemanywaystopracticechangingyoursubconsciousmindtoplus. Oneofthewaysisforyoutowrite,Iwillbeaplusmindedpersonona sheetofpaperandputitinyourdiningroomorbedroom.Byseeingit everyday,itwillhavegreateffect.AnotherwayistosayYouwillbea positivepersontoyourselfinamirrorbeforegoingtobed.Thisisalsovery effective. Evenifthesewaysaresosimple,manypeoplewillnotdoit.Manypeople askmeHowlongshouldIdothis?Ianswer,Untilyouwillhavechanged. Youneedtodoitforatleastthreemonths. Thereisalotofminusinformationthatyouareexposedtosuchasviolent crimeandcriminalactsontheTVnewsorinthenewspaper.Medianeedto reportthetruth,therefore,thatwillnotchange. Ifyouputminusinformationinyourmindvaguely,itwillhaveaminus influenceonyourbodywithoutyounoticing.Theminusstoredinyour subconsciousmindwillappearincertainsituations. Itisveryimportanttokeepyoursubconsciousmindplusforprotecting yourself.Theartofselfdefenseisnottheonlywaytoprotectyourself. First,youneedtocalmyourmindbypracticingKibreathingandbeplus, furthermore,bypracticingtochangeyoursubconsciousmindeveryday,you canmastertruepluslifepermanently.
PlusWayofThinkingAccordingtotheUniverse
Manypeoplethinkthatthepluswayofthinkingisimportant.Ontheother hand,therearepeoplewhothinkthatthepluswayofthinkinggivespoor resultssometimes.Whichiscorrect?Theimportantpointistodefineplus. IsaidthatitisimportanttoliveaccordingtotheUniversalprinciples.We shouldalwaysthinkthatbeplusmeanstruepluswhichisaccordingtothe Universe. TobeplusaccordingtotheUniverseisnotadifficultthing. Page25
Sometimes,aplusthingformeisnotaplusthingforothers.Ifyourbenefit isanonbenefitforothers,itisthesame. Trueplusistobeplusbothforoneselfandothers.Ifonlyyoubecomeplus, somethingiswrongwithyourwayofthinkingorapproach.Byforcingyour selfcenteredplusontoothers,therewillbeobjectionsandconflict. Ifyouareabusinessperson,youcannotprospermuchifitisadisbenefitfor yourcustomer.Evenifthebusinesspersonearnsalot,ifthebusinesshas environmentallydestructivepractices,thebusinesswillnotlastlong. Donotthinkprosandconswithselfishmind.Weneedtothinkofbenefits forcustomers,aswellasforthepublicbenefitandtheUniverse. Currentlythemediatalksaboutnationalbenefitmanytimes.Similarly,if onenationisonlythinkingofitsowncountry'sbenefit,thisisnottrue nationalbenefit.Thetruenationalbenefitneedstobenefitothercountriesas wellasourowncountry.Ifanationseeksforonlyitsownbenefit,therewill beconflictorwar. Thisisthesameasourcommunicationindailylife.Manypeoplehave similarlyexperiencedthis.Ifyoutellsomethinggoodtoothersbutothersdo notagreewithyou.Wecanseemanysceneslikethiswhenparentstelltheir children,Iamsayingthisforyourbenefit. Itistruethatparentssaidsomethingfortheirchildren.However,sometimes itisparent'shopenotthechildren'shope.Manytimesparentsareunaware thattheyforcetheirhopeonchildren.Ifthisoccurstherewillbeconflict betweentheparentsandchildren. Everyhumanbeingrecognizesthingsthatarepresentedinaselfcentered way.Therefore,weneedtoverifyalwaysifourownpluscoincideswiththe universalplus. Ifyourplusisonlyforyourself,yourstateofmindbecomesselfcentered, andyouwillalwayshaveconflictwithothers.Ifyoucannotgetalongwith otherswellevenifyoutrytobeplusmind,pleaseevaluatetoseeifyour plusisalsoplusfortheUniverse.Thisisthepitfallofthinkingplus sometimes.
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Somemaysay,Weneedegotogrow.Ifthisegomeansthemindwhichis goodforbothyouandothers'growth,thisisnotego. HowwillwebeabletoknowifownpluscorrespondstotheUniversalplus? TheKibreathingwillhaveagreatrole. BypracticingKibreathing,yourmindbecomescalm,andyourminddoes notclingtoanyspecificthoughts.Ifyoudothisyouwillrealizeifyourway ofthinkingiscorrectorwhatyoushoulddo. IdefinethisstateofmindasLivingcalmness(OchitsukiinJapanese),and callthismindReiseishin(mindwhichisdirectlyconnectedtothemindof theUniverse). DuringWorldWarII,mylifewassavedmanytimesbypracticingKi breathing.TherewasnotimetopracticeKibreathingsittingwhileonthe battlefield.Therefore,IpracticedKibreathingwhilemarching.Usually,my mindgotcalmnaturally,however,myminddidnotgetcalmsometimes. Whenmyminddidnotcalm,Isentasolderoutonreconnaissance immediately.Thenwefoundtheenemy'sambushalways.Ihadexperience ofacalmmind,andIcouldidentifydangeroussituations. SincereturningfromtheWorldWarIIbattlefield,Ihavecontinuedthe practiceofKibreathingtothisday.Ifmyminddidnotbecomecalmeven afterIdidKibreathing,thiswasthesignofadangerousorbadcondition.Ki breathingsavedmylifesomanytimes. IhavetaughtKiprinciplestohundredsofbusinesspeopleatKoichiTohei's KiDojo(seminar)sponsoredbyJapanManagementConsultants Association. Businesspeopleneedtomakeimportantdecisionseveryday.Ifthosepeople makedecisionswithaselfcenteredmind,theresultswillalwaysbewrong. IfyoumakedecisionsaccordingtotheUniverse,youcanmakedecisions correctly.
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BydoingKibreathingandcalmingyourmind,youcanalwayskeepyour mindcalm.BusinesspeopleespeciallyneedtodevelopReiseishin.
MindMovesBody
Mindandbodywereoriginallyone.WecallthisShinshinichinyo(oneness ofmindandbody). Therelationshipbetweenmindandbodyiscomparedtowhenyoustandin frontofthemirrorandreflectionofyourimageinthemirror.Inthis examplestandinginfrontofthemirrorismindandthereflectionofyour shapeinamirrorisbody. NoonesaysIbecometwopeoplewhenoneseesthereflectionofone's shapeinamirror.Bothmindandbodyareyou.However,mindhasnocolor, noshapeandcannotbegraspedbythefivesenses.Ontheotherhand, bodyisvisibleandtangible.Humanbeingsrecognizemindandbodyas separatebydifferenceoftheirnature. Bodyreflectsourmind. Whenyousmilestandinginfrontofthemirror,thereflectionofyourfacein themirroralsosmiles.Ifyoufeelsadandstandinfrontofthemirror,the reflectionofyourfaceinamirroralsolookssad.Thereisanoldsayingthat thereflectionofyourfaceinamirrorneversmilesinadvance.Mindmoves body. Hereisasimpleexample.RaiseyourhandwhilethinkingIwillneverraise myhand.Canyoudoit?YoucanraiseyourhandbecauseyouthinkIcan raisemyhand. Tothecontrary,let'sthinkbodymovesmind.Bodyisinfluencedbyyour surroundingsallthetime.Ifthebodymovesmind,mindisalwaysdisturbed byyoursurroundingsandwillneverbecomecalm.Mindmovesbody, therefore,wecanhavestrongmind.Evenifmybodygetssick,mindwillnot necessarilybecomeill.Evenifmybodyisexposedtoadverse Page28
circumstances,mymindwillnotnecessarilybeaffectedbyadverse circumstances. Bodyisvisible.Mindisinvisible.Therefore,manypeopleonlythinkabout howtousebodyandtheydonotthinkabouthowtousetheirmind.There arebigdifferencesbetweenusingbothyourmindandbodywhendoing thingsandwhenyoudothingswithoutusingmindbutonlyusingbody.Each movementhasqualitywhenweusemind. IfIgiveyouanexampleinourdailylife,youwillunderstanditmoreeasily. Whenyoudosomething,youmighthaveinstancesthatyouthinkIdonot wanttodoinyourmindbutyouphysicallydoitanyway.Thisisastateof mindandbodyseparation.Inthisstate,yougettiredeasilyandnothing goodcomesofit.Ontheotherhand,whenyoudosomethingwhichyou wanttodoinyourmind,youwillfeelalmostnofatigueandyoucanwork efficiently. Whenyoudonotuseyourmindpositivelyanduseonlyyourbody,youare practicingtheseparationofmindandbody.Inthelattercase,whenusing mindpositivelytothepurposeandusingbody,thisisthestateofonenessof mindandbody. Acommonexampleofseparationofmindandbodyoccurswhenyouare walkingupstairs.Ifyouarepreoccupiedwithotherthoughtsandwalkingup stairs,itiseasytomissastepandstumble. Anotherexamplecanoccurwhenyouleaveyourhomeandcannot rememberlockingthedoortothehouse.Byhabityoumayhavelockedthe door,howeverwhenleavingthehouseifmindandbodywerenotworking together,youwillnotremember. Haveyoueverhadtheexperiencewhereyoureyesjustseeletterswhen youreadabook,resultingintheneedtorereadthepagesagainto understandthecontent?Thisisanotherexampleofseparationofmindand body. Asdescribedabove,onenessofmindandbodyandseparationofmindand bodycanoccurfrequentlyinourdailylife.
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Todaypeoplearetaughtmindandbodyasseparateitems.Manypeople tendtothinkofmindandbodyasdifferentinnature.Peopletendtothinkof theseparationofmindandbodyasnatural.Ifyoutrytoputtwothingsin one,itisdifficult.Mindandbodywereoriginallyone.Therefore,itisnatural tousethemtogether. Tousemindandbodytogether,itisnecessarytoremembermindmoves body.Beforeusingyourbody,youshoulduseyourmindclearlyfirst.By doingthis,youcanuseyourmindandbodytogether. Inthefirstchapter,Iexplainedtheimportantwaysofthinkingto understandKibreathing.Inthenextchapter,Iwilltalkaboutnatural posture(posturewithonenessofmindandbody)whichisnecessarytodoKi breathing.
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Chapter2:CorrectPostureisan ElixirofHealth
CorrectPosturePreventsDiseasesandOtherProblem Conditions.
Indailylife,anyonecanhavehealthylifeinmindandbodyiftheycan alwaysmaintainacorrectposture.Youmightbesurprisedathearingthis. Oryoumightsaythatyoucannotbelieveit.However,thisistrue.Ifyou practicecorrectpostureallthetime,youwillbeabletopreventdiseasesand otherproblemconditions. Thelengthofahumanbeing'sbloodvesselsis96,000kilometer(abouttwo andahalftimesaroundtheearth).Wehavebloodinourveins.Bloodhasa verycrucialrole.BloodflowcarriesOxygenandnutritionthroughoutour wholebody.Atthesametime,bloodgathersbodywastesandcarbonic anhydride.Materialsareexchangedbetweenbloodandbodytissuethrough bloodcapillaries. Badpostureconstrictsbloodflow,therefore,thisbecomesthecauseof manydiseases.Asaresult,yourlifepowerwilldecline,youwillget discouragedandhavenopowertobearmanyhardships. Badpostureleadstothedisorderofthemindandbody.Ifchildrenpractice poorposture,whentheygetold,theywillhaveproblemswithcurvatureof thespine.Inthiscondition,itisnaturalthattheywilleasilygetdiseasesand experienceotherhealthproblems.
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Whatmostpeoplebelievetobecorrectpostureisinfactwrong.Thereare twotypesofwrongposture. OneisposturewhichisloosingKi.Everyonecanunderstandthisaswrong posture. Bypracticingahunchedposture,internalorgansarecompressed.This constrictsbloodflowtothebrain,youfeeldisorientedandyourbreathing becomesveryshallow.Ifyourbreathbecomesshallow,itiseasytodisturb yourmind,whichcausessomepeopletobecomeupseteasily. Anotherwrongpostureistotenseyourbody.Youmightlearnthispostureat schoolorattheofficeknownasKiotsuke.Whenyoudothis,you straightenyourback,throwbackyourshouldersandstraightenyourarm andleg.Thispostureisbelievedtobecorrectposture.Actually,thisis wrong. Ifyoumakeyourbodytense,youfeeltense.Ifyoubecometense,it compressesyourbloodvesselsandconstrictsyourbloodflow.Unnatural posturemakesunnaturalmovement,andthisbecomesthecauseforother healthproblems. Thecorrectpostureistheposturewhichisthemostcomfortable,themost stableandwhichallowsyoutomoveanytime. Ifthecorrectpostureisacomfortableposture,youcanmaintainthis postureallthetime.Whenyoupracticethisnaturalposture,itfollows universalprinciples.
AnyoneCanCheckIfTheirPostureIsNaturalorNot
Wesitandstandfrequentlywithoutthinkingaboutitinourdailylife. Therefore,notmanypeoplethinkdeeplyabouttheirsittingpostureand standingposture.However,let'sthinkaboutthequalityofyourposture.You mighthavenotheardthephrasequalityoftheposture,butthisisvery important. Page32
Ihavealreadywrittenthatchildrenaretaughtcorrectpostureaschestout andbackstraightatschoolandhome.Thatis,posturethatputsstrainon thebody. Ifpeoplearetaughtthatthisiscorrectposture,mostpeopledonotdoubt thisandbelievethatitiscorrectposture.Butthisisabigmistake.True correctpostureisnottheposturethatputsstrainonyourbody. Truecorrectpostureisthemostcomfortableandstableposture,whichis callednaturalposture. Thetroubleisthatpeopledonotknowhowtocheckifitisnaturalposture ornot.Peoplewholivedduringthepreindustrialera,livedduringatime thatmachineswereatanearlystageofdevelopment.Therefore,people learnedthemostnaturalwaytousetheirbodythroughheavywork. Inparticular,it'sfeltthatpeoplecalledmastersorexpertshadoutstanding techniquesandperformedtheirdutieswithnaturalposture.Itcanbesaid thatbecausetheydidtheirworkwithnaturalposture,theycouldcreate masterpieces. However,nowadays,peopledevotemostoftheirtimetodeskworkand heavyworkisdonebymachines.Childrenspendmuchtimeoncomputer games.Asaresult,peoplehavelesschancetousetheirbody. Ithinkthatthismakesitdifficultforpeopletomasternaturalposture. However,thereisawaythatanyonecancheckifitisnaturalpostureornot. IdevelopedaKitesttochecknaturalposture.Let'sdothefollowing exercises. YouwillneedonepersonwhoreceivesKitest(A)andanotherwhogivesKi test(B)here. First,Astraightensherspineandstandsstraightandstiff.Thisisshownby photoNo.1.BtouchesaroundA'schestwithherrighthand,thenBpushes straighttowardAwithoutinterruption.Andthen,A'supperbodyloosesits stabilityandshebecomesoffbalanceandmoves.
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Somepeopleoftensay,Becauseshewaspushed,itisnaturaltomove. However,thisisnotcorrect. Let'ssayA'sweightis50kg.IfAisasackofhammers,canBmoveitwhen pushinglightlyasBdidA?Yes,itisimpossibletomove. However,ifitisapersonwithweight50kg,thepersonismovedveryeasily. IfAmovesbyBpushinglightly,thisshowsthatA'spostureisunstable.Just becausesomeoneisphysicallylargerorstrongerdoesnotmeantheyare stable. Ifoneusesnaturalposture,therewillbenaturalstability. Also,itgoeswithoutsayingthatphotoNo.2hunchedposturewillbe movedeasily. NextIwillexplainwhatcorrectstandingpostureis. Firstruninplace.Bydoingthis,youwillfindthemostnaturalfootposition anddistancebetweenyourfeet. Nextstandonyourtoeswithyourheelsofftheground.Ifyoustandonyour toesyoumightwobblethefirsttime,butifyoupracticethisseveraltimes, youcandothisnaturally. Ifyoucangetstabilitywhenyoustandonyourtoes,theneaseyourheels downtotheground.Atthistime,pleasecheckifyourpostureislikephoto No.3correctposture.Bodyshouldbeleaningslightlyforwardasshownin thephotoNo.3. ThendotheKitestasyoudidbeforeBtouchesaroundA'schestwithher righthand,thenBpushesstraighttowardAwithoutinterruption.Acan understandthatherpostureisstablewithoutdoinganythingmore. Bystandingonyourtoesandeasingyourheelsdowntotheground,wecan getstableposture. Letmeexplain.Itisimportanttouseyourmindandkiforyourcorrect posture.
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Inmostofthecases,peoplestandwiththeirweightontheirheels.Inother words,theirmindreachesonlytotheirheels. Whenwemeasurethelengthofyourarmsandhands,everybodymeasures thelengthfromshouldertofingertip.Whataboutlegandfoot?Usually, peoplemeasurethelengthofthelegandfootfromhipjointtoheel. However,thetoeisalsoapartofthefoot. Whenwearepracticingstandingwithcorrectposture,itisnaturalthatour mindorKigoestothetipofthetoe.However,ifpeoplestandwiththeir weightontheheel,thismeansKigoesonlytotheirheels. ThepeopleofthepastworeJapanesesandals.Therefore,iftheirKididnot gototheirtoe,thesandalswouldcomeoff.Mostmodernpeoplewear shoes.Therefore,iftheirKidoesnotgotothetoe,theshoeswillnotcome off.Instead,shoesweardownattheheelsmuchmoreandoftenunevenly. Yourbodyisyours,therefore,itisnaturalthatyourKigoestoalloverthe body.Thisisnaturalposture.IfyourKigoestoyourtoe,youcankeep naturalpostureandnaturalstability.
KiTest:Standing,ChestOutPosture
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KiTest:Standing,HunchedPosture
KiTest:Standing,CorrectPosture
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TheConceptofKiTesting
IwillexplainsomeimportantpointswithKiTesting.Itisnotimportantifyou moveornotmove.WhenyoureceiveKitest,youcanresistnottomove intentionally.However,ifyouthinkdonotmove,youbecometenseandas aresult,youloosenaturalstability.Thereisnovalueintryingtonotmove. TheposturewhichisinharmonywiththeUniverseortheposturewith onenessofmindandbodyhasnaturalstability.Ifyourpostureiscorrect, yourpostureisnaturallystable.Youdonothavetobraceyourself.The posturewithonenessofmindandbodyisnotonlystablebutallowsyouto moveatanytime.Ifyourbodyistense,youcannotmovefreelyatanytime. Page37
Ifyoutenseyourmusclesinyourlegsorlowerabdomen,youcannotbe stableandcannotmovefreely.ThepostureinharmonywiththeUniverseis theposturewithonenessofmindandbody.Inthisposturenaturalstability iskeptandyoucanmoveanytimequickly.Let'sdoKitestwhilesitting (Seiza). First,riseonyourkneesasshowninthephoto.Manypeoplehaveahabitof puttingtheirchestoutandbecomingtense.Moveyourshouldersupand down.Youmustmoveonlyyourshoulder.Youwillfindthatitisdifficultto moveyourshouldersupanddownwhenyouaretense. Ontheotherhand,ifyouhaveahunchedposture,itisdifficulttomoveyour shouldersupanddown.Thepositionthatallowsyoutomoveyourshoulders upanddowntheeasiestisthenaturalpositionoftheshoulder. Next,sitdowncalmly.Whenyousitdown,pleasedonotpushdownonyour lowerbody.Whenyousit,crossyourbigtoes,oneovertheother.Itdoes notmatterwhichtoeisabove. Checktobesurethatyoumoveyourshouldersupanddownseveraltimes. Putyourhandonyourlaplightly.Donotpushdown.WhenyoureceiveKi test,youwillfindthatyouarestablenaturallywithouttryingtonotmove. ThisisSeiza(sitting)posturewithonenessofmindandbody. HowtoSitSeizaCorrectly
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Shisei(inJapanese)HasTwoMeanings
Therearethingsthatyouhavelearnedthatareforgotteninourdailylives. Shisei(inJapanese)isoneofthem. TheJapanesewordShiseihastwomeaningssinceolddays.Oneisposture whichreferstothebody,theotherisattitudewhichreferstoyourmind. Whenwesayyourattitudeindoingthings,thismeansstateofmind. WhenwesayShiseiwotadasuinJapanese,thishastwomeanings.One meaningistoadjustposture,anotherisimproveone'sattitude.Whenwe hearthesewords,wetendtothinkonlyaboutourphysicalstateandforget aboutstateofmind. Mindmovesbody.Therefore,ourstateofmindreflectsinourstateofbody completely.Ifyoupracticecorrectposture,yourstateofmindisalso correct. Ifyourpostureisstable,yourmindisalsostable.Ifyourhavesloppy posture,yourstateofmindwillalsobesloppy. Forthisreason,itisveryimportanttomastercorrectposturetoeducate childrenwhentheyareyoungerastowhatiscorrectposture. Originally,ShiseiinKanjiiswrittenas . meansposture,and
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meansmomentum.Thestateofonenessofmindandbodyreflectsthe postureandmakesthepersonlooksbigger.Whenamasteractsonthe stage,themasterlooksbigger.ThisisareflectionofmindwhichextendsKi. Let'spracticetoseehowbodyisaffectedbythestateofyourmindthrough aKitest. First,pleasecheckyourstandingposturetomakesureitiscorrect.Next practicetheKitestasIdescribedearlier.Withoutchangingyourposture, focusyourmindonthetopofyourhead.ThenperformtheKitest.Youwill findthatevenifyoudonotchangeyourposture,youwillnotbestable. Ifyouconcentrateonthetopofyourhead,yourposturebecomesunstable. Whenwegetangry,wesayyourangerrises,andwhenwegetnervous, wesaytochokeup.Whatcomesup? ItisKi.Kirisestotheheadcausingyourbloodpressuretorisewhichmay causemanyhealthproblems.Sometimeswesaytoblowyourtop. Next,withoutchangingyourposture,concentrateonyourlowerabdomenin aplacewhereyoucannotputstrength.Thisplaceiscalledonepointinthe lowerabdomen. Calmyourmindatthisonepoint.IfyoureceivethesameKitest,youwill findthatyourpostureisstable. Ifyoucalmyourmindinyourlowerabdomen,youwillnotgetangryeasily. Toconcentrateonyourlowerabdomendoesnotmeanputstrengthinthe lowerabdomen.Manypeopletendtomisunderstandthis,soweneedtobe careful. StartingwithKeeponepoint,IcreatedFourmajorprinciplestounify mindandbodytokeeponenessofmindandbody.Iwillexplainitinthe nextchapter. Ifyouhavetroubleincontrollingyouremotions,checkyourposturetomake sureitiscorrectandcalmyourmindinyourlowerabdomen.Inthisway, youwillbeabletocontrolyouremotions.
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yourfaceforwardjustalittle,theweightofyourheadpressesonyour shoulderandyourshoulderbecomestense. IpresideovertheKiSocietywhichisrecognizedbytheHealth,Laborand WelfareMinistryinJapan.TherearemanyvisitorstotheKiSocietythat haveproblemswithstiffshoulderandrequestassistanceandcounseling.By teachingselfKiatsu(healingwithKi)andcorrectposture,theirstiffshoulder willimproveandtheywillnothavestiffshouldersrecuragain. Therearemanydisordersbecauseofbadposturesuchasbackache,knee ache,etc.Bypracticingcorrectposture,mostofthosedisorderswill disappear. Bylearningcorrectposturewithonenessofmindandbody,youcanperform dailymovementsveryeasily. Ifyounursesomeoneinahospitalorathome,thiscanbementallyand physicallyveryhardonyou.Manypeoplewhocareforseniorsorpatients havebackacheandfatigue,therefore,theystrugglewiththeirownmental care. Ihopetheystudythiscorrectposture. WehaveaseminarcalledKifornursingpeople.WhatIteachinthis seminarwillhelpcaregiversbycorrectingtheirposture,thusmakingthings mucheasierforthem. Onceyourfatigueisgone,youcanrelaxyourmind.Thiswillenableyouto takecareofyourownmentalhealth. Anyonecanpracticecorrectposture.
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Chapter3:OnenessofMindand BodywiththeUniverse
FourMajorPrinciplestoUnify MindandBody
Inthischapter,Iwilltalkaboutonenessofmindandbody(shinshinToitsu inJapanese). Mindandbodyaredifferentinnature.Mindandbodyarealsooriginallyone. Therefore,itisnaturaltousethemtogether.Itcanbedifficulttocombine twothingsthataredifferentinnature. AsIhavedescribedinformerchapters,mostofthepeopleusetheirmind andbodyseparately.Therefore,itisnecessarytoalwayspracticeusingmind andbodytogether. Iwanttodiscussnotaboutthetrainingbutaboutbeingonewiththe Universe. WhenwedosomethingwhichdoesnotfollowUniversalprinciples,wewill expecttroubleordisorderwithourlivesoroursurroundings.Mindandbody areone.Therefore,itisnecessarytousethempracticingUniversal principles. Onenessofmindandbodymeanstopracticeyourstateofmindaccordingto theUniversalprinciplesandlivewithUniversalprinciples.
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IestablishedFourmajorprinciplestounifymindandbodyasthewayto practiceonenesswithmindandbodyforanyone. Thefourmajorprinciplesareapracticalwaytopracticeonenesswiththe Universe.Practicingthefourmajorprinciplesisnotthepurposeofour trainingbutratherawayforallofustopracticeonenesswiththeUniverse. Fourmajorprinciplestounifymindandbody 1.Keeponepoint 2.Relaxcompletely 3.Keepweightunderside 4.ExtendKi Thesefourmajorprinciplesarelikenedtofourdifferentroutestoclimbto thetopofthemountain.Inthesamewaythatwecanclimbtothetopofthe mountainfromanyofthosefourroutes,byperformingoneofthesefour principles,anyonecanexperienceonenessofmindandbody.Youdonot havetodotwoorthreeatonce,onlyoneatatime. Let'smeexplaineachprinciple.
ConcentrateYourMindattheOnePointintheLower Abdomen
Everybodyknowsitisimportanttocalmonesownmind.Well,whereshould wecalmourownmind? ThisplaceisonepointinthelowerabdomenwhichIwilldescribe. PeopleoftheOrient,fromancienttimes,haveplacedemphasisonthe importanceofthelowerabdomen(SeikatandeninJapanese)asthebirth placeoftruehumanstrength. Theyhavealsotendedtopracticeamistakenbeliefthatsimply Page46
concentratingphysicalstrengthinthelowerabdomenwouldproducea powerfullowerabdomen. Itistruethatthelowerabdomenisimportant,however,thelowerabdomen isnottheplacetoputphysicalstrength.Itistheplacetocalmyourmind. Ifyoumerelytenseyourlowerabdomen,achainreactionwillcauseyouto tenseyourchest,too.Andifyoucontinuethisforalongtime,youwill developpainsinyourstomachandyouwillexperienceanelevatedblood pressure. Youshouldnotforgetthatmindmovesbody. Asthelowerabdomeninvolvestheconceptofarea,itisnaturalthatifwe concentrateinthisarea,wewillbecometense. Forthisreason,Ihaveselectedonepointinthelowerabdomenwherewe cannotputstrengthandisaninfinitelysmallonepoint.Icallittheone pointinthelowerabdomen(seikanoitteninJapanese). Allofthebeginnersmisunderstandtheonepointinthelowerabdomentobe locatedinaplacetoohighinthelowerabdomen.Theonepointismuch lowerthanyouthink,abouttheheightofyourpubicbone. Thisisaboutseveralinchesbelowthenavel. Bycalmingyourmindintheonepoint,youcandevelopapowerfullower abdomenwithoutbecomingtense.Wecallthisprocessonenessofmind, orconcentratedmind.Bycalmingourmindsintheonepointinthelower abdomen,wecandevelopapowerfullowerabdomen.Andwewillhave balance.
MeaningoftheOnePointintheLowerAbdomen
Letusthinkmoredeeplyabouttheonepointinthelowerabdomen.
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TheUniverseisalimitlesscircleorspherewithalimitlessradius.ThusIcan saythatIamthecenteroftheUniverse.EvenifItakeasteptotheleft, youcannotsaythattheUniversetomyleftsidehasbecomeastepshorter. TheUniverseisstilllimitless. ButifIsayIaloneamthecenteroftheUniverse,itwillbeamistake. EveryoneisthecenteroftheUniverse. Alimitedcirclehasonlyonecenterbutalimitlesscirclehasasmanycenters asyouwant. TheBuddhataughtthiswhenhesaid,Tenjotengayuigadokusonwhich means,IammyownLordthroughoutheavenandearth.Iamnoman's man,butmyown. TheBuddhaalsosaid,Banbutsunibushoari,whichmeans,Allthingsin theUniversehavepotentialBuddhahood. Butinlateragesthepriestswronglyinterpretedthistosay,OnlyBuddhais holy. TheUniversecondensedbecomesmyself.Andfurthercondensed,it becomestheonepointinthelowerabdomen. Theonepointisnotreallyatangiblepoint,butthepointinwhichyou infinitelycondensebyhalfandhalfandhalfinyourmind.Whenitreaches thevergeofbeingtoosmalltobevisualized,keepconcentratingitinyour mindandletitcontinue. Thismovementofinfinitecondensingresultsincalmness.Thisistheexact meaningoftheonepointinthelowerabdomen. Whentheonepointistoosmalltofeel,andyoustopconcentrating,it becomesdeadcalmnessinsteadoflivingcalmness. Livingcalmnessisthestablestatecontaininginfinitemovements,anddead calmnessispowerwithoutmovement.
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AMagicPot
Thereisanoldstoryaboutamagicpot. Onemerchantcametosellanoldpot.Peoplecomplainedbecausethepot wasveryexpensive.Themerchantsaid,No,itisnotexpensiveatall.Itisa magicpot. Whatkindofmagiccanitperform?peopleasked.Themerchantsaid,Put anythingyoulikeinthepot. Theythrewwhatevertheyhadaroundintothepotanditallvanished.Itwas trulyamagicpot.Suchpotsmustbeveryuseful. Weallhavesuchamagicpotintheonepointinthelowerabdomen.Thisis aninfinitelysmallpointwhichcanengulfanything. Forexample,ifsomeonespreadsfalserumorsaboutyou,youcouldlose yourtemperwhenyoutellthistoyourbrain.Bythrowingitawayintoyour onepoint,youneednotbecomeupset.Torepressitwouldonlyresultinthis angercomingoutlater.Thisisnotgoodforyourhealtheither. Justthrowawayeverythinginyouronepointandalwayssmile. Ifyoulivethisway,eventhoughlightningstrikesbesideyou,youwillnotbe shakenupbythesoundandtheflashoflight.Theywillbeinstantly absorbedintotheonepointanddisappear.Ifyoudothis,youcanenjoytea evenwhenyouhavelightningstrikenearyou.Youdonothavetobeshaken upbyit.
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Asonetriestokeephisonepointindailylife,oneshouldbeableto maintainaperpetuallyrelaxedstateofmindandbody.Onewilldevelopa mindwhichisimmovableevenwhentheworldaroundcollapses,andamind whichisasvastastheoceanwhichcanengulfeverythingandremain unpolluted. Peopleintheworldusuallybelievethatrelaxationmeanslossofpower.That iswhytheycannotrelaxinanemergency.Theytensetheirbodyinstead. Youwillrealizetheimportanceofrelaxationinanemergencyforthefirst timewhenyourealizethatrelaxationisthemostnaturalandstablestate. Mostofmoderndiseasesarecausedbynervousproblems.Stress,irritations, angeranddepressionmakethefineveinscontractanddisturbthe manifestationofthelivingpowercausingvariousdiseases.
AlwaysKeepOnePointintheLowerAbdomen
Somepeoplemaywonder,"Ifwethinkonepointinthelowerabdomen always,wecannotdoanything".Iwillanswerthisquestion. Itseemsreasonableatfirstglance.However,alwayskeepingonepointin thelowerabdomendoesnotmeanalwaysthinkingtheonepoint. Theonepointinthelowerabdomenisnotavisiblepointbutthepointwhich isinfinitelycondensed.Evenifyouronepointbecomestoosmalltofeel, whenyouconcentrate,justcontinue. Onceyoucalmyourmindinyourlowerabdomen,youcankeeponepoint withoutthinkingaboutitaslongasyoupracticeanaturalposture. Calmyourmindinyouronepointinthelowerabdomen.Yourmindand bodywillbecomeonewiththeuniversenaturally.Itisimportanttocheckif youcalmyourmindinyouronepointinthelowerabdomenbeforedoing anything.Let'spracticekeepingonepointinourdailymovementswhenwe arestanding,sittingandwalking.
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Iemphasizethisbecauseitisimportant:keeponepointdoesnotmeanto becontinuouslythinkingconsciouslyofyourlowerabdomen.Ifyouare constantlyfocusingonyourlowerabdomen,youwillnotbeabletoperform dailytaskscorrectly. Whenwekeeponepoint,wefeelrelaxed.Onceyouunderstandthisfeeling, youcanapplythisfeelingtoyoudailyactivities. Thismeanstoperforminthemostnaturalstate. Sometimesourmindmaybedisturbed.Ifyoufeelthatyourmindis disturbed,youcanpracticeKeeponepointonceagain. Whenyougetangryorexcited,youlooseyouronepointinthelower abdomen.Whenyougettiredorstiffshoulder,youlooseyouronepointin manycases.Inthesecases,youcancorrectyourselfandkeeponepoint onceagain. Atfirst,wemaytendtolooseouronepointandforgetiteasily.However,by practicingkeeponepointagainandagain,youcankeeponepointforlonger periodsoftime.Whenyoulooseyouronepoint,youwillrealizeitinstantly. Whenyoufaceimportanttasks,youneednotbeupsetifyoukeeptheone point.
RelaxationistheMostPowerfulState
Justasabowkeptstrunglosesitsusefulness,sohumanscannotmaintain continualtension.Itisveryimportanttorelaxinyourlife. However,Childrenbeforeanentranceexamoftenfindthemselvesunableto answerquestionsthattheycouldanswerundernormalcircumstance. Athletesbeforebiggamessometimestightenupanddopoorly. Whydopeoplefeelthatitisimpossibletorelaxwhensomethingimportant ishappening?
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Firstofall,thisnotionarisesfromtheillusionthatwhenoneisrelaxed,heis weak.Thefactisthatifyourelaxproperly,youareverystrong,asyouwill seefromtheexamplesweshallmentionlater.Werelaxatimportantand tryingtimesbecauserelaxationmakesusstrong. Somepeopledonotknowhowtorelaxandfeelthattheyareunabletodo so. Torelaxmeanstobeateaseandleavethingsintheirnaturalcondition.We canrelaxifwecanmakethingssettledownintheirproperplaces. Theproperplacefortheweightoftheupperbodytosettleistheonepoint inthelowerabdomen.Firstfindtheplace,wheretheweightoftheupper bodynaturallysettles.Setitthere,andrelaxtheupperbody.Theweightof alltheotherpartsofthebodywillsettledownattheirproperplacesfora stateofoverallrelaxation. Ifamandoesnotknowthehousetowhichhemustreturn,evenifyoutell himtogohome,hecannot.Ifyoudonotknowtheplaceinwhichtosettle yourstrength,evenifwetellyoutorelax,youcannot. Whenyouaretryingtorelax,andyoudonotknowwheretosettleyour strength,yourstrengthremainsinsomepartofyourbody.Ifyoutryto relaxtheshoulders,thebellyistense.Ifyoutrytorelaxyourbelly,yourleg becomestense.Inthiswaysomepartofyourbodyisalwaystenseandyou cannotrelaxcompletely. Mindmovesbody.Therefore,therootofbeingtenseisinthestateofyour mind. Keeponepointisthesameasrelaxcompletely.
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