Advanced Aikido. Phong Thong Dang

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.

      AIKIDO PHILOSOPHY BEYOND THE DOJO

      Foster and polish the warrior spirit while serving in the world; illuminate the Path in accordance with the divine will. (UESHIBA, M. 1991, P. 28)

      Aikido is a powerful and effective means of personal transformation. aikido teaches its philosophical ideation of nonviolence through practical application and training rather than lecturing. Seldom does one hear lengthy lectures on the use of aikido for personal insight, growth, and transformation. Recently, several individuals and books have taken aikido out of the dojo and into the personal and professional lives of its practitioners. Their contributions and insight are worth the investment of time and energy. A higher level of personal transformation becomes the message and messenger of higher social transformation.

      Aikido is a means of social transformation only as far as it is a means of personal transformation. Social, and spiritual, transformation means seeing beyond one's self. The social realm extends to one's training community, one's sensei, the school, the style, and the larger aikido world community. It extends to one's family and friends. It extends to the community one lives in. It extends until one sees the common unity in his or her country and the world. It extends until the one includes the all. Society tends to transform one person at a time until it reaches a critical level of acceptance. The more people who express the values and philosophies of aikido in their personal and professional life, the more social choices and responsibility transform. Advanced students of aikido will naturally practice personal and social responsibility because they practice aikido. There should be no distinction or discrimination between the rules of respect inside or outside the dojo's walls.

      CONCLUSION

      There is much controversy about the spiritual aspects of aikido training. Because of its spiritual emphasis, many people have questioned if a denial of their current faith is required for advancement. Hopefully, this chapter has helped all practitioners understand that the basic spiritual concepts and beliefs of aikido, though based on Shinto and Omoto doctrines, are common to all spiritual faiths as well as social and cultural awareness and responsibility It is not necessary to undergo any conversion per se, but there is a requirement to accept a nonviolent noncompetitive philosophy of harmonious alignment with others, a quest for personal experience and insight, an acceptance and blending with the repetitive patterns in nature, and the use of creativity to overcome selfishness and work for the mutual benefit of all. Many advanced practitioners of many faiths have found that the training and discipline of aikido complements and strengthens their own individual expression of spirituality.

      The inner development of the advanced aikido practitioner incorporates the spiritual concepts in a comprehensive training philosophy.

      Chapter 2

      Training Philosophy

      Practice these methods intently with your entire mind and body, temper yourself ceaselessly and advance on and on; weld yourself to heaven and earth and unify practice and enlightenment. Realize that your mind and body must be permeated with the soul of a warrior, enlightened wisdom, and deep calm. (UESHIBA, M. 1991, P. 27)

      The inner development of the advanced aikido practitioner establishes, incorporates, and utilizes a practical but comprehensive training philosophy.

      In the beginning, aikido students simply show up for class and follow the examples of the instructor. Eventually, after consistent and persistent training, the student of aikido understands that the instructor can only teach a limited amount. The student's true success in aikido depends on one's ability to research, understand, and apply the aikido concepts to one's technique and training.

      Training in aikido occurs long before you set foot in the dojo. That is the formal training. To get the most out of training, you must develop a good training philosophy. This chapter will present insights into and guidelines for developing an advanced aikido mindset, the hierarchy of training skills, training goals, physical motor training, training psychology, etiquette, dojo training relationships, keiko, shugyo, misogi, takemusu-aiki, and thoughts about the future.

      DEVELOP AN ADVANCED AIKIDO TRAINING MINDSET

      The appearance of an "enemy" should be thought of as an opportunity to test the sincerity of one's mental and physical training to see if one is actually responding according to the divine will. When facing the realm of life and death in the form of the enemy's sword, one must be firmly settled in mind and body, and not be at all intimidated; without providing your opponent with the slightest opening control his mind in a flash and move where you will — straight, diagonally, or in any other appropriate direction. Enter deeply, mentally as well as physically, transform your entire body into a true sword, and vanquish your foe. (UESHIBA, M. 1991, P. 31)

      Wherever the head goes, the body follows. To get your body to train, first you must get the right training mindset. There are a few mindsets that can help a student of aikido, or any art in life, progress faster. The idea is not always to simply train more, but to train more effectively and wisely. One of the best training mindsets is to accept that one is learning a martial art, that it will take time to learn, and that you will make mistakes regularly, which give you the opportunity to train and learn.

      Train as if your life depends on it. As a martial art, train as if you intend to use aikido someday to protect your life or the life of loved ones. Do not train as if your life is currently threatened, but train as if someday it may be. Take your training seriously with the proper intent and intensity for practical real-world applications.

      As a spiritual art, train as if your spiritual life depends on it. No matter what your training partner does, you must uphold your own level of ethics and behavior. One's spiritual development depends on sticking strictly to one's work and progress. No one can do it for anyone else. We can help our training partners, but we cannot do it for them anymore than they can do it for us.

      Train as if you enjoy it. O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba stressed taking training in aikido seriously as a discipline and a dangerous martial art. He also wanted aikido practiced in a joyous manner, celebrating the spiritual nature of the art. Research also suggests that one learns better and maintains training longer if the process is enjoyable.

      Train with intense intent. As mentioned, two items that are very important in training are the intent and the intensity with which one trains. Intensity follows intent. If your intention is to spend time socializing with your fellow students, then the intensity of your training will be minimal. If you train with the intent only of achieving physical fitness, you will train with a higher intensity than is the case when the intent is socializing, but not enough to be able to defend yourself. If you train with the intent that you will be able to defend yourself someday if you need to, you will train with a higher level of intensity. Decide what your intent is and train with the appropriate intensity to achieve it.

      Train consistently and persistently. Progress does not just come. Acquiring skill requires consistent attendance and persistence in training.

      At first, train with a goal in mind. This will help focus your training. Training without a goal in mind is like taking a journey without a destination. You may travel around in circle and get nowhere. Next, train just to train with no specific goal or intent in mind. This is more process oriented, rather than content or intent oriented. Training with no specific goal means that you have a direction set, to progress, but no real destination as in reaching a specific goal or rank. Eventually, the training comes on its own. Training becomes the intent, content, goal, and process all in its own right. The destination and journey become one. Training is not something that you do. Training becomes identity and who you are.

      Train to make a statement. Initially train as if your behavior while training is making a statement about who you are. What do you want people viewing your training to think about you? Train in such a way that your behavior communicates that statement.

      Train for self-improvement and to improve others. The higher principles of aikido stress the