Читать книгу Advanced Aikido онлайн

46 страница из 79

There is a deep sense of humility based on personal experience of knowing there is so much more than the individual learned ego identity. Knowing how much one does not know opens one to more learning. True humility is based on acceptance that one has something to be humble about, and accepting that any skills or abilities developed do not make someone any better than anyone else does. Humility is based on the acceptance of the imperfections of being human. The imperfect construct is the learned ego identity and the mental constructs used to define the perceptions of reality. In the midst of severe training (shugyo and misogi) one responds instinctively without the internal reference and analysis of the learned ego identity. There is no longer an "I" that is detecting, assessing, deciding, and responding.

To have a spiritual experience in aikido training, one needs only to train with honest and genuine intent and intensity. Instructors in aikido or spiritual practices can only point the way. They cannot make it happen. One cannot make a spiritual experience happen either. With honest intensity and intent, one must let the spiritual experience happen on its own, at its own time, and in a way that is personally idiosyncratic. The spiritual experience, truths, and benefits of aikido training are simply waiting for one to get out of the way. Truth has always been there waiting and available to all who seek it and are open to letting it come into their life. Aikido provides a means and a place to practice these truths.