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MANY OF THE TECHNIQUES of aikido originated in other martial arts that O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba studied, but what makes aikido unique is its strong philosophical and spiritual base. Aikido is not just about how you move your body, it is also about moving your mind. The mind must learn to let go of a warlike philosophy of hate and fear, common to most martial arts, and embrace a loving philosophy of peace and harmony. The paradox of combining a martial art and a loving philosophy demonstrates that inclusion is much more powerful than exclusion: When the power of love and the power of martial arts are combined, the result is far more powerful than either could be alone.

At first, it would seem that an opponent and a defender are in two distinctly different positions, yet neither position could exist without the other. Understanding, accepting, and harmonizing this relationship to each other, instead of accepting the separation and difference from each other, is what makes aikido's philosophy unique.

Before O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba's creation of aikido, the concept of attack and defense formed the basis of most martial arts. Aikido was the first Japanese martial art in which the actual training practice, application of technique, and philosophical foundation all work together.

Philosophical Principles of Aikido

Philosophically, aikido began as, and continues to be, a martial art. The goal of traditional Japanese martial arts is victory on the battlefield. History teaches us that such victories are very short-lived, however; they only lead to more fear, resentment, and eventual retaliation. The goal of aikido is victory over self, rather than victory over others.

The symbol of traditional Japanese warfare is the sword, and many of aikido's unarmed techniques come directly from the art of sword fighting. Some traditional schools teach the sword movements before the unarmed movements, but this is to give students a sense of how the movement or technique should be done. The practice of sword techniques helps students to appreciate the origin of the technique within an armed fighting context, illustrates a practical application, and demonstrates the principles of aikido in action. The sword master's fluid skill shows the total coordination of a well-executed aikido technique. Every movement is carefully practiced and precise, using every part of the body and mind.

This unification of body and mind is one of the reasons that aikido is a spiritual discipline, as well as a martial art. By realizing that all of their movements must come together in the present action, students of aikido become aware that they can be one with everything around them.

This emphasis on the philosophy, or worldview, of aikido often makes understanding the art difficult for the beginning student. On one level, the student of aikido must adopt a worldview that accepts violence and attacks. On the other hand, aikido does not meet like with like—aikido does not retaliate with more violence and attacks. It is easier to understand the details, or more subtle qualities, of aikido by first understanding the larger picture that they fit in. The basic techniques of aikido demonstrate the principles and philosophies of aikido; they illustrate, and make practical, aikido's underlying, ever-present philosophical concepts and generalizations.

Budo: The Way of War

The first philosophical term one should understand is budo. Do translates as "way" or "path." Bu translates as "martial." Budo is the "martial way" or "martial arts." True budo has more to do with protection than victory. Warriors do not fight so fiercely because they hate the enemy; they fight fiercely because they love the people they protect. Many modern martial arts schools and media presentations miss this underlying motivation, the positive intent that was so important to O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba's vision and dream. Aikido is an extension of the budo code of love and respect for others, and is also a means of self-discipline. Training in aikido stresses cooperation, not competition, between training partners.

As: Harmony

Ai can be translated as meaning "harmony," "unity," or "to join and become one." The concept of harmony in combat is hard for most people to comprehend. We are all used to fighting force with force, to meeting attack with resistance. The idea of meeting an attack with love and harmony appears contradictory and impossible.

Within the concept of harmony is the necessity for difference. Music is the easiest example to illustrate this. For harmony to occur, two or more different notes must exist. There must be a certain interval between notes, usually a 1-3-5-7 spacing. Together the notes produce one chord—in essence, the different vibrations combine and become one chord. Discord happens when the notes are not at a proper distance from each other. The concept of distance, referred to as ma-ai in aikido, refers to the ability to combine with another's energy of attack in a way that is the behavioral equivalent of musical harmony. While you may not be in control of your attacker's position at first, you are in control of your distance, or interval, from him. As in music, when you change the position, or distance, from the attacker to the defender, you can turn discord into harmony.

Ki: Energy, Spirit, and Life

Ki translates as "spirit," "energy," "essence of life," "life force," and "universal energy." Energy is also the power to act, lead, affect, or respond. The goal of aikido is to harmonize the ki of the individual with the universal ki. The energy within is the same as the energy without. An aikidoka, a practitioner of aikido, enters and blends with the universal ki through training. This allows him to feel the ki of an approaching opponent, to sense his energy before he comes into range, and to enter and blend to avoid harm. In this context, enter and blend mean to move along with the line of momentum of an attack. With practice, an experienced aikidoka can sense or detect the attack before physical contact is made. It is as if through training, the aikidoka reads the energy, or ki, of his attacker and can "roll along with it."

It is actually quite easy to illustrate this sensing of ki. We have all had the experience of sitting down next to somebody and feeling his or her bad mood. The more intense the feelings, the farther out the energy seems to travel, and the easier it is to actually sense it from across the room. Positive emotions have the same effect, but instead of pushing people away they draw us to them. We all like to be around someone who is positive. If both positive and negative ki is expressed and felt, then you have to choose which you send away and which you let in.

The essence of all life is breath, and ki is closely associated with the breath. Your breathing rate and depth change with both your emotional and physical experiences. Breath is one of the few automatic systems of the body that we can take conscious control over. Fluid, relaxed breathing is necessary for the proper execution of aikido techniques. The aikido practitioner inhales as a training partner approaches, creating a breath vacuum, or emptiness, to receive the partner's ki. The aikido practitioner exhales with the execution of movements and throws. This adds a dimension of ki into the kokyu-nages, or breath throws.

Ki, as energy, exists in all things and is the common element linking us all together. Ki allows us to feel connected with one another. Ki training develops your sensitivity to the movement of others and to your own power, by connecting and harmonizing the ki.

Do: The Way, or Path

It is often through a life of discipline that one finds the way of nature and the natural course that the essence of all things follows. This principle of do is the way into, and beyond, your individual life to what is natural and universal. Do is the basis of personal identity and the loss of that identity into the greater way of the universe. The awareness of the greater way is the basis of spirituality in aikido.

The imagery most often used is that of water. Water does not need to decide what direction to flow. It simply follows the natural lines of geography. It uses the principle of gravity and flows to the lowest point, along the line of least resistance. Having the way of water allows you to have the flexibility to flow around obstacles without direct confrontation. Yet, if confrontation occurs, water has the ability to wear down even the toughest rocks to forge great valleys and canyons.

Omoto: The Great Origin, or Beginning

O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba was spiritual by nature and a follower of the Omoto religion. Omoto literally translates to "great origin." It was a new religious sect founded by an illiterate, but enlightened, woman named Nao Deguchi (1871-1947). This Shinto sect picked up popularity during the early twentieth century until the Japanese government suppressed the movement, destroyed their property, and imprisoned their leader. O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba became a believer in 1919 and maintained his relationship with them until his death in 1969. Many consider the influence of the Omoto religion to be the philosophical and spiritual foundation of aikido.

The four teachings and four principles, or rules, of the Omoto religion influenced O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba and the development of aikido. The divine plan teaches human beings to lead a significant life. The basic teachings are (1) to harmoniously align ourselves with life and the universe, (2) to receive a revelation of celestial truth and its lessons, (3) to know the innate patterns of behavior for man, society, and the cosmos, and (4) to become aware of our instinctual creative drives. The four fundamental principles are (1) to gain purity of mind and body, (2) to maintain our optimism by believing in the goodness of the divine will, (3) to strive for progressive social improvement, and (4) to find the unification and reconciliation of all dichotomies. These principles are manifested throughout the universe. By practicing them, an individual can live in harmony with the universe and lead a heavenly life in spirit and body.

Some would say that the experience of war is what prompted O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba to remove the deadly strikes from aikido. Others would say that it was the spiritual awakening of his Omoto faith that led him to devise an art of resolving conflicts aligned with philosophical and spiritual truths.

Sangen: The Triangle, Square, and Circle

The triangle, square, and circle are central to the philosophy of aikido, and symbolize important aspects of the art. The triangle represents fire and water, and symbolizes various trinities such as mind-body-spirit and past-present-future. The triangle represents the flow of ki and a stable physical posture. The circle is the universal symbol for infinity, eternity, serenity, and perfection. The circle is fluid with no beginning and no end. As you accept and understand the principle of the circle, you will find that it is big enough to apply to your whole life, yet small enough to apply to your aikido techniques. The square is stability, order, and applied control. Together, they represent and symbolize the interrelatedness and harmony of humankind (triangle), earth (square), and heaven (circle).

Another interpretation (Dobson and Miller 1993, p. 153) uses the triangle, square, and circle to illustrate different ways to handle conflict. Attack is always fear-based because, without some type of fear, there would be no reason to attack. The triangle represents an attack. Two triangles, facing point-to-point, represent the fight response. A triangle facing away from another triangle (the original attack) represents the flight response. Flight is also fear-based. The freeze response, another fear-based response, is a square just sitting there letting the triangle attack. It is only the circle that blends and flows with the attacking triangle. The circle blends with the attack by not directly resisting it but moves out of the way in a spiraling circular pattern along the triangle's line of attack. This is both symbolically and literally the way aikido faces conflict.

The triangle represents the aikido ready stance, often referred to as the triangle stance because the feet are positioned as a triangle for balance. The triangle stance is established by placing the lead foot facing forward and the rear foot at a perpendicular ninety-degree angle slightly behind but aligned with the front foot's heel. This forms a triangle which provides balanced support and maneuverability. The circle represents the pivoting footwork (tenkan) that gives aikido its grace and power. The square represents points of balance and remaining firmly grounded. Enter with the sharp point of the triangle, move as a circle, and suppress with the firmness of the square (Fujita 1997, p. 24).

Beyond the Mat

The philosophical side of aikido, as a way of harmonizing spirit, is not only a way of war or fighting, but also a way of life. The consistent and persistent practice of aikido not only changes the way you move, but also the way you think.

Due to the nonaggressive philosophy underlying aikido, its benefits easily carry over into other areas of a practitioner's life outside the school. Aikido training teaches one to stay relaxed and calm in stressful situations, and to take things one step at a time. Already several books and organizations apply the philosophy of aikido to other areas such as psychotherapy, education, relationships, mediation, and communication. After you have trained in basic aikido for a time, you will begin to see the unique philosophy of aikido helping you in all areas of your life.

The learning and practice of aikido are ongoing. O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba was a great believer in continuous and repetitive practice. Eventually, as you master the skills, you will discover the principles behind them. As you read this book, you will find that some themes and points are consistently and continuously repeated. That is because learning takes continuous and repetitive practice.