Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Budo and Zen

    Uploaded by

    kjhlkjashdflkjashdfl
    428 views2 pages
    Toyoda Sensei discusses the relationship between Zen and Aikido. While Zen and Aikido are separate traditions, Zen training is required for his uchideshi students who are learning his style of Aikido. Zen provides an understanding of the deeper philosophical elements of martial arts training. O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido, had an internal training that drew from Shinto practices, but he did not systematize or pass this on. Toyoda Sensei believes Zen is the best way to understand this aspect of training. The goal of both Zen and Aikido is to "win over yourself" and realize one's true nature, seeing that there is no separateness between

    Original Description:

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    Toyoda Sensei discusses the relationship between Zen and Aikido. While Zen and Aikido are separate traditions, Zen training is required for his uchideshi students who are learning his style of Aikido. Zen provides an understanding of the deeper philosophical elements of martial arts training. O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido, had an internal training that drew from Shinto practices, but he did not systematize or pass this on. Toyoda Sensei believes Zen is the best way to understand this aspect of training. The goal of both Zen and Aikido is to "win over yourself" and realize one's true nature, seeing that there is no separateness between

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    428 views2 pages

    Budo and Zen

    Uploaded by

    kjhlkjashdflkjashdfl
    Toyoda Sensei discusses the relationship between Zen and Aikido. While Zen and Aikido are separate traditions, Zen training is required for his uchideshi students who are learning his style of Aikido. Zen provides an understanding of the deeper philosophical elements of martial arts training. O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido, had an internal training that drew from Shinto practices, but he did not systematize or pass this on. Toyoda Sensei believes Zen is the best way to understand this aspect of training. The goal of both Zen and Aikido is to "win over yourself" and realize one's true nature, seeing that there is no separateness between

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    On Zen and Budo

    A Lecture by Toyoda Sensei

    Zen is Zen, Aikido is Aikido. These are two different traditions. That is why I don't
    force regular students or instructors to do Zen training at my dojo. I encourage them, but
    some of them don't have an interest or just can't take it. I understand. Zen training is
    difficult. That's ok.

    But my uchideshi are required to do it, because they came here to learn my Aikido. If
    they want to learn my Aikido, then they have to do Zen training. In all of my classes, if
    you know about Zen, you will hear me say familiar things. I'm using Zen stories and
    words all the time when I talk about Aikido, simply because that's my background.

    Zen is part of the tradition of Buddhism, but we don't get stuck on it as a religion in the
    Western sense. To us, it's a training method. Even Shakyamuni Buddha said not to
    believe what is handed down from the past, but to find things out through your own
    experience. Zen has this spirit. So it doesn't matter what your religious background or
    beliefs are. You can still get benefit from Zen training. Just sit, just go to the zendo, just
    go to sesshin, and you will find out for yourself.

    In Japanese Budo, martial Ways, and in Japanese culture in general, there are a lot of
    influences from Zen Buddhism. Not all samurai practiced Zen, like some people say.
    Other forms of Buddhism were more popular at different times. Some samurai even
    became Christians. It's probably accurate to say, actually, that the true religion of the
    samurai was loyalty to one's lord and clan...to the way of the samurai, in other words.
    You can read this history if you want.

    But for many people Zen has provided an understanding of the deeper elements of martial
    arts training. Especially in Aikido, we have very deep philosophy and very high goals in
    our training. O-Sensei practiced various forms of breathing exercises and meditation that
    come from Shinto. However, he didn't pass these on to anyone. Whenever I heard him
    speak about these things, I couldn't understand what he was talking about. He always
    talked using old stories form Japanese myths. No one really understood what he said,
    and mostly we didn't care. We just knew that we liked how he moved, that he was an
    amazing martial artist.

    But he had that deep internal training. Because it wasn't something he systematized and
    passed down to us, I believe Zen is the best way to fill in that gap.

    The famous saying of O-Sensei is masakatsu agatsu. In English, people translate this,
    "the best victory is to win over yourself." What does this mean? To win over yourself
    means to see yourself for what you really are, to see your true nature.

    That true nature isn't different from the nature of the entire universe. When you can see
    this, then you understand that no one is really your enemy. In the martial arts, the enemy
    is you! And a real enemy, another human being trying to harm you, is also you in the
    deepest sense. You are not different from each other. This is literally true, not just a nice
    idea.

    O-Sensei also said, "I have no enemy." I think that is what he meant. From his
    standpoint, with his realization, there was no such thing as an enemy, because there was
    no separateness.

    To have this realization, we do Zen training and martial arts together. Martial arts
    training can help you develop intensity and sharpness and a life-or-death urgency. This
    improves our Zen. Without this urgency and awareness you can't progress in Zen. At the
    same time, Zen develops deep calm and insight and compassion. This makes us true
    martial artists, the kind of people who can be useful to society.

    This is my understanding of how the "sword that takes life" can become the "sword that
    gives life". Through our training and discipline we cut ourselves. We cut the ego, which
    is to say that we see ourselves for what we truly are. Then we can wield the great sword -
    our existence, our life - correctly.

    - Recorded by M. Moore

    You might also like