Shinichi Tohei's Ki Weblog

Absolute Evaluation

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to apply the Ki principle (mind moves the body) which is the fundamental of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.

It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.

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Absolute Evaluation

The 29^th All Japan Shinshin Toitsu Aikido Taigi Competition was held on 1^st August 2010.

As this is competition, there were the rankings and prize winners. Please keep training with pride if you won a prize.

The results are important in a competition, however, the rankings and winning a prize are considered a “Relative Evaluation”. These are decided since there is a group of people participating in the competition.

In addition, there is an “Absolute Evaluation”. (Here we are not referring to the “Absolute Scale” and “Relative scale” used in the educational field.)

This Absolute Evaluation is “whether the participant can perform to the best of his or her ability”.

If he/she was able to show their real ability, it was great. On the other hand, there must have been participants who were not able to show their abilities due to nervousness and pressure. This is a great pity.

I would like all of participants to consider not only the Relative Evaluation, but to count the Absolute Evaluation as a matter of great importance. If you were able to perform to the best of your ability, it should be highly regarded, above and beyond that mere rankings. The only person who can really evaluate your actions in such a way is yourself.

The purpose of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido is not only to learn the techniques, but also to master “mind and body unification”. By unifying mind and body, people can perform to the best of their abilities.

The first principle among the “FOUR MAJOR PRINCIPLES TO UNIFY MIND AND BODY” is “Keep One Point.”

FOUR MAJOR PRINCIPLES TO UNIFY MIND AND BODY

1, Keep one-point

2, Relax completely

3, Keep weight underside

4, Extend Ki

In order to experience our highest ability in an important situation, we need to “calm our mind”.  For this purpose, we must know where our mind is. If you are getting tense in your body, then your mind comes up to your head or upper body, your posture will be unstable, and you will not be able to use your body as you wish. If you set your mind into the infinitely small point where you cannot put physical tension (one point in the lower abdomen), your posture will be stable and you can use your body as you wish.

This point is very useful for many athletes, so players in the Baseball Major Leagues and the Olympics are learning eagerly.

In my position, I face many situations that put intense pressure on me.  However, I consider each such event as an opportunity to train Mind and Body Unification.  Some examples of this kind of event:

・    A situation in which we need to produce a good result

・    A situation in which we are looked at by many people

・    A situation in which we need to achieve success in a fixed time

The above are situations that put pressure on us. In these situations, the outcome of our daily effort of training makes itself known.

All the participants in the Taigi competition had schoolwork, jobs, and family dealings in their daily lives.  And by their own choice they have participated in the competition that puts this kind of pressure on them. So this is a great opportunity that only such participants can experience.

For both those who were able to show their abilities, and who were not, please make good use of the experience to the future trainings. If you could not participate this time, please try to participate in the next competition.

If you are engaged with something in earnest, it is natural that you feel pressure in an important situation. Pressure itself is not bad. There are two kinds of people; those who can show their abilities even under pressure, and who cannot.

In order to perform to the best of your ability in an important situation, you should_______ .

This is mastered by neither fighting spirit nor guts, but by training.

Let us train together, from now on.

[Subject]

・    What phrase could be inserted in the underlined blank above? There are countless answers.

Develop an eye

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to apply the Ki principle (mind moves the body) which is the fundamental of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.

It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.

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Develop an eye

This time, the article is for instructors and members who train Shinshin Toitsu Aikido.

Some time ago, there was a special TV program about a teen-aged girl who was working in a high-class Japanese-style restaurant. She had the desire to become a chef and have her own restaurant in the future. Therefore, she wanted to work in this high-class restaurant. However, at first, she was not able to get the job. Even so, she kept returning to the restaurant and repeating her desire to work, repeating anxiously, “I will work very hard at whatever you give me to do”.

Finally she was given an opportunity, and was permitted to work as a cleaner. She went earlier than any other workers every day and sought to do any type of work, of course including the cleaning job. And she learned more through each task she performed.

One day, her hard work caught the chief chef’s eye. He began to take her to the market with him every morning. He did not explain anything to her, but went around and chose ingredients to be used in the restaurant. She watched carefully and took notes. Gradually, she developed the eye to judge which ingredients were best. 

Later, the interviewer asked her on the TV program, “Why did you want to work in this restaurant in the first place?”

She replied,

“I wanted to develop my eye to judge what is first-class”.

“What is first-class” is, in this case, not only the ingredients, but also includes any other aspects such as plates, bowls, and services. What she tried to do at the beginning was to develop an eye. I was impressed that this teen-aged girl had such an idea.

Koichi Tohei Sensei’s book “Shinshin Toitsu Aikido” was a text book for training Shinshin Toitsu Aikido, first published in 1972. Recently, this book has been re-printed for those who do not have the original book. This new printing includes a DVD of Koichi Tohei Sensei’s Shinshin Toitsu Aikido performances when he was 49 years old. I recommend that everybody watch this film repeatedly.

Let us assume we are going to take a long journey in the future. If the goal is clear, we can proceed toward it step by step. However, if the goal is unclear, we do not know where to go and will get lost.

It is the same with the training of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido.

By watching repeatedly the DVD until Koichi Tohei Sensei’s every motion is seared into your memory, this will enter into your subconscious mind. In other words, in this way you will make your goal clear and you will get closer to the goal step by step in your daily training. Without this, you will not know where to go and get lost.

Sometimes I receive questions like,

“Is this not too high a level for beginners?”

However, this is not correct. Because you are the beginner, you should begin by seeing the very best one. It may be too late to see this after you become a senior.

This book (including the DVD) is valuable as historic material, and also the contents of the book and DVD relate directly to our daily training. “Without a clear purpose” or by “following your own self-satisfaction”, you can not master this training. I would like you to develop your own eye by studying this book and DVD.

Before beginning her long journey as a chef, the teen-aged girl made clear at the beginning that ______________. It has been several years since the TV program. I wonder how she is now?

It is very interesting.

[Subject]

・    What phrase could be inserted in the underlined blank above? There are countless answers.

Relaxing

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to apply the Ki principle (mind moves the body) which is the fundamental of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.

It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.

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Relaxing

“Relaxing” is important not only for performing the techniques of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido but also for performing the other styles of Budo and various sports. This is because by “relaxing”, we will be in the state of mind and body unification, our posture will become stable, and we will be able to move our body in the ways that we require.

However, some people misunderstand the training of “relaxing”. Most of these are from the younger generation in Japan. In the beginning, before we train “relaxing”, we tend to engage in our practice with seriousness, in earnest, and even desperately. Consequently, our body may get tense at the beginning. However, as our training progresses, we realize that we do not need to use any extra physical power and we begin to understand the true meaning of relaxation.

In this age of abundance, people do not need to struggle to get food. Therefore there are many young people who live with only a minimum of effort. As a result, there is an illness among the young that we could call “being unable to be in earnest”. If we teach these young people to relax, they may misunderstand “relaxing” to mean “slacking off”. If they get used to “slacking off” (cutting corners) and are lazy even though they are young, they will surely have a lot of trouble in the future.

The instructors of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido should be aware of the above tendency when teaching the younger generation.  I teach students to “train in earnest” even though they may get physically tense at the beginning. Subsequently I teach them how to “relax”. For those who are already training in earnest, such as top athletes, I teach “relaxing” from the beginning and they get the point. The way of teaching differs depending on the students.

The other misunderstanding is the idea that “physical power itself” is bad. We use some physical power when just sitting. We cannot even sit without any physical power. The greater power we have, the heavier the objects we can move.  What is bad is not the “physical power”, but the “tension”. If we have tension in our body, we will lose the state of mind and body unification, posture will become unstable, and as a result we will not be able to move our body in the ways that we want.

For engaging in sports, it is necessary to train the muscles required to perform each kind of sport and to have greater physical power. However, adding extra power in each motion beyond what is necessary to complete the movement is not needed. In such a case, “relaxing” should be learned.

“Relaxing” is also different from a state of collapse. We can do nothing when in a state of collapse. This misunderstanding is quite common.

“Relaxing” is, in other words, to __________ . It has a very deep meaning.

The following is the subject for this month.

[Subject]

・    What phrase could be inserted in the underlined blank above? There are countless answers.

Continue to Learn

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to apply the Ki principle (mind moves the body) which is the fundamental of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.

It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.

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Continue to Learn

I teach in seminars and give lectures many times throughout a year. All weekends and national holidays are used to teach, and only a few weekdays are left for me as non-teaching days.

Consequently, it is absolutely necessary to set aside time for my own training and learning in addition to the time I spend for teaching. The time for teaching is like the small, visible segment of an iceberg, and it is necessary for all of us to have a greater amount of time for learning, which is like the invisible segment of an iceberg.

For example, let’s talk about “the way of communicating”.

“If you want to become able to communicate well, go to the Yose (a vaudeville theater, where comic storytellers perform)”. This is what I was told by Koichi Tohei Sensei when I was an Uchideshi. Fortunately, there was a Yose called Shinjuku Suehirotei near the

Tokyo

main office where I trained at that time, and by saving my money carefully I was able to attend many performances.

In the Yose, inexperienced performers show up during the first part of the show. The audience often realizes that the inexperienced performers do not have much confidence, so the audience becomes quiet and shows no reactions. As time goes on, the experts show up. The moment that the particularly great performer shows up (more correctly, even before he shows up), something changes. The atmosphere in the audience is also different. We can only feel such an atmosphere in the theater, not by watching TV or listening to CDs.

At the beginning, I could only think “This is fun!”. As time went on, I began to wonder “Why is this best performer so much more fun?” and “What exactly is the different from the other performers?” And I considered “the difference from myself” and recorded what I found in my notebook.

Finally, I found that the very best performer takes great care in such details as his eyes, facial expression, motions, pauses between words, loudness of voice, and so on. And, to this day, I apply what I learned there in my teaching. Of-course I am neither a professional comic storyteller nor a professional entertainer, so making my audience laugh is not my purpose. So even though the practices of a good comic storyteller may seem unrelated to us, there is a similarity with our work of “communicating to others”.

I repeated my usual practice of “watching carefully”, “thinking it over”, “practicing” and “verifying”, and out of this I came to my current way of teaching. Before, it was hard for me to teach many people at the same time.  However, now I can teach thousands of people. I understand well the real meaning of Koichi Tohei Sensei sending me to Yose.

Several years later, there is still one problem waiting for me.

Now I teach my uchideshies “how to communicate” and what I have learned from Yose in the past. However, there are still those who do not improve well. These are the ones who do not go to Yose, while offering some excuse or other. It is probably because their learning attitude is “being taught”, rather than “seeking”. While we have the attitude of just being taught, nothing will be mastered. Something can be mastered only by repeatedly “watching carefully”, “thinking it over”, “practicing” and “veryfying”.

Anyway, in order to teach people as well as master the techniques of Shin-Shin-Toitsu-Aikido, it is essential to continue to learn. If I do not continue to learn, I should not be in a position to teach. “Only those who continue to learn can teach”, this is the general principle for the instructors of Ki Society.

Those who continue to learn can be called ____________.

Let us continue to learn together.

The following is the subject for this month.

[Subject]

・    What phrase could be inserted in the underlined blank above? There are countless answers.

Seisei-Ruten (The universe is constantly growing and moving)

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to apply the Ki principle (mind moves the body) which is the fundamental of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.

It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.

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Seisei-Ruten (The universe is constantly growing and moving)

The world is constantly changing. At the same time, the status of our mind and body is also constantly changing.

There are people who feel they are very much aware of the changes in the outer world, but may not be aware of the changes of their inner world.

Let us assume that one day we felt a particular meal was not so good when we ate in a restaurant we usually frequent. That may have been because the quality of the restaurant became lower, or because the condition of our health was not so good. We should not forget the fact that we ourselves are constantly changing.

It is the same as the feeling of gratitude.

Let us assume somebody took care of us very well one day. We would be full of gratitude in our mind just after the receipt of this great assistance.  However, that feeling of gratitude can change over time. It can fade, or sometimes even be completely forgotten. This is not a moral matter, but is natural to human beings. In order to maintain a feeling of gratitude, it is necessary for us to make some effort and have technique.

One method is to write a note about the feeling we have when we received this great help from someone, and to re-read that note regularly. Another way is to remember the feeling whenever we write a Happy New Year card or seasons greetings to the person who generously helped us in the past.

Only when we make such efforts and take the necessary actions, can we maintain a feeling of gratitude. It is important not to allow our feelings to fade as time goes on.

Let us assume that we generously cared for a friend. This care may have been simply from a genuine giving spirit, with no desire for reward. However, our attitude towards this person may change as time goes on. When we forget the gratitude that was felt by the one who we took care of, we may then require a reward in return for what we gave.

Only when we make some effort and take the necessary actions, can we maintain a sense of genuine kindness towards those who received help from us in the past. In this way, it is the same whether receiving great care from some one, or giving generously to someone.

It is a similar case when dealing with our motivation.

Beginning in April, there are many language courses offered on NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai - the Japanese news organization). At this time, many people purchase a text book and have a great motivation to learn. However, they often loose that wonderful motivation within one month! Our motivation is always big at the beginning, but it can fade as time goes by, unless we do something to maintain it. In order to keep our motivation, it is necessary to make an effort and have some techniques.

Most people have the capacity to grow and improve, however, there is often no effort or technique made, and if that is the case, they will drop the subject they have been engaged in half way through.

The specific efforts and techniques to maintain strong motivation are _______________ .

It is absolutely important to understand the fact that the status of our mind and body is constantly changing.

The following is the subject for this month.

[Subject]

・    What sentence could be inserted in the underlined blank above? There are countless answers.

Life Power

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to apply Ki principle (The mind moves the body) which is the fundamentals of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.

It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given in each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.

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Life Power

All human beings have the power of sustaining life that is called “Life Power”.

Due to the development of medicines, many lives can be saved these days. Medicines can be absolutely necessary for our daily life, however, many people are too dependant upon medicine.

When I taught a director of a major pharmaceutical company in the past, he told me that regardless of the type of medicine, whether it be newly developed medicine, Chinese traditional herbal medicines, supplements, or otherwise, all of these have side effects.  When we take something (not only medicine) inside our body, we will always have not only the desired effects but also unwanted effects. Thus, even if we are talking about food, it is necessary to take a well-balanced meal.

“The point of medicines is sales, not cures”.

I heard that many people working in the pharmaceutical industry have such an idea, which is very frightening.

No matter how powerful the medicine, there will be no actual effect unless people have their life power. What cures the illness and the injury is our life power. It is not the medicine itself that cures the illness or the injury.

Life Power is not visible and therefore not easily acknowledged. So we may become dependant on medicines.

A few days ago, one student caught a cold and took medicine immediately. When I asked him why he took the medicine, he told me that he was going out so he wanted to cure the cold immediately by taking medicine. Here, the concept of “Life Power” is totally missing. He is young, so if he had a good rest for both mind and body so that his life power became lively and active, he would have become well in a day or two. However, he has actually had a cold over two weeks long.

One of the factors contributing to making our life power vigorous is “the circulation of blood”.

Generally speaking, when we are out of condition, some parts of our body become stiff or painful. In many cases, the stiffness and pain are related to each other. When we have severely stiff shoulders, our shoulders and neck can become as hard as steel. Because of this stiffness, the blood vessels that carry blood through this area to our head are limited, and as a result we will feel ill or have a headache.

One of the hygiene methods that came out of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido is Kiatsu-ho. When our stomach is out of condition, we naturally put our hand on the stomach. In Japanese, this has been called Teate (“touching by hand” is the literal translation, and “treatment” is the free translation) from long ago. Kiatsu-ho is the same thing.

By placing the tip of the finger that is extending Ki to the body part that is in bad condition, the stiffness becomes soft and the pain gets eased. Since the stiffness becomes soft the circulation of the blood becomes active, and as a result the Life Power becomes vigorous. Kiatsu-ho is effective in many cases, such as the easing of stiff shoulders, lower back pain, and the recovery from bone fracture and bruise.

Everybody has Ki and can apply it. Ki is not given only to exceptional persons and is not an exceptional ability.

Let me repeat the issue here that medicine is a helpful tool for our daily life, however, the problem is that people tend to become dependant on medicine and forget the importance of Life Power itself. Kiatsu-ho makes our life power vigorous.

Other than Kiatsu-ho, there are many important things that help to make our Life Power vigorous. For example ______________ .

Let us activate our Life Power and go ahead to the new season!

The following is the subject for this month.

[Subject]

・    What sentence will be inserted in the underlined space ________? There are countless answers.

The Ability to Learn

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to apply Ki principle (The mind moves the body) which is the fundamental of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.

It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given in each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.

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The Ability to Learn

A few days ago, I dined with a university professor who is a close friend. I teach a liberal arts class at the university, therefore we discussed the ability of university students to learn as an important subject common to each of us.

It is said now, and has been said in the past, (in a negative manner),

“It is not acceptable how young people behave these days…”

Indeed, I am sometimes surprised at the ideas held by students. A common understanding between the professor and me is the fact that university students nowadays lack the ability to think for themselves.

To the question “1+1=?,” the answer “2” will be concluded. However, for the real problems we face in our daily life, there is no fixed answer like this. Therefore, what we must do is discover the solution to life’s questions by ourselves.

Sometime ago, one university student consulted with me about his career. He began by asking,

“What kind of career should I pursue?”

I am not a fortune-teller so I did not have a fixed answer for him. According to his story, he entered the university due to his parents’ strong encouragement. However, he could not decide about his career for the future before his graduation, so he entered a post graduate school at the university. I was surprised at his lack of ability to think for himself, as he is a post graduate student and already in his mid-twenties.

Under the current education system in

Japan

, students are encouraged to seek fixed and prepared answers to problems. This kind of problem solving will not help these students to successfully engage in a future that is uncertain.

“Should I marry this man?“

This is the most extreme question I have ever been asked. I can only advise but I can never decide on behalf of any student regarding such a question.

I sometimes hear the same type of questions in a dojo.

“How can I perform this technique?”

This is the type of question that reveals the questioner is not willing to think for himself, and this will not support further learning. This type of student does not try to think for himself, but instead just seeks the answers easily and without effort. If you want to ask the above question to support further growth, what should that question actually be?

When I teach, I only give some hints to improve the students, so that they can learn by their own thinking and practice. Then, the important practice of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido becomes their ability to think for themselves, find a good method, and master that. In other words, their overall ability to learn will improve in this way. The ability to learn is applicable to every situation, including jobs. If we are given the answer (which looks like the answer) by the others and stop thinking for ourselves, we are not able to gain the ability to learn.

Not only the instructors of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido, but also people who play a leading role in every field, should once again consider what the teaching is.

Teaching is ______?_________. The answer here is the way the ability of students to learn will be improved.

The following is the subject for this month.

[Subject]

・    What sentence will be inserted in the underlined blank above? There are countless answers.

The Mind moves the Body

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to practice and validate the Ki principle (Mind moves body) which is the foundation of Ki-Aikido in our daily life. Therefore, it has no meaning if you just read it without practicing it.

The fundamental method of mastering anything is practice. However, it is not enough just to practice, but it is also important to validate how one has changed as a result of the practice.

It is easy to lose what you have learned without practice. On the other hand, you will never lose what you have learned through practice and validation. Therefore, please read, practice, and validate the contents of my article for at least one month.

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The Mind moves the Body

The most fundamental and important thing in learning Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido is the “Ki Principle” (The Mind moves the Body).

We all have the mind and the body. The body has color and shape. It is visible and touchable. On the other hand, the mind does not have color and shape. We do not understand well the other’s mind or even our own. Since long ago, it has been said, “the mind is not something that can be grasped by the senses”. However, it is not actually true. The state of the mind is reflected in the state of the body. Thus, through the state of the body, we are able to know the state of mind.

A few days ago, one member asked one of Uchideshi to hand over something to me. But the Uchideshi left the thing there and forgot to give it to me. Then I found it where it had been left behind. I called him immediately and warned him severely regarding this behavior. In response, he just kept apologizing by saying “I will not forget next time”, “I will not do the same again”. However, by simply apologizing many times, the Uchideshi does not truly improve, because he does not necessarily understand the principle “the Mind moves the Body”.

If his actual state of mind does not change, then it will, once again appear in his life as a mistake. In that same state of mind, he will repeat that same mistake again. It is vital to know the state of our mind. Therefore, I always instruct the students “to confront (see) their mind”, rather than simply accusing them of their mistake.

The following is the conversation between me and the Uchideshi (A):

I:            “Why have you left the thing which was supposed to be handed over to me there?”

A:           “I am sorry. I will be more careful from now on”.

I:            “Your apology is not really what I want. I am asking why you have left the thing.”

A:           “I thought I would place the thing there and come back to take it later, but unfortunately, I forgot it.”

I:            “Why did you think it was all right that you would come back later?”

A:           “Since I had other things to do, I made those other things my priority.”

I:            “If you could not bring it to me yourself, then why couldn’t you ask somebody else to do so?”

A:           “……. Probably I could have done that, however, this idea did not come to me at the time.”

I:            “Then, why did that idea not come to you?”

As such, this exchange of conversation could have lasted forever. However, this Uchideshi was not saying this with any evil intent. He did not recognize that he was simply offering excuses.

The point is that he could not realize that the mistake he had made was a reflection of his state of mind. Unless he knows the state of his own mind and amends this state of mind, he will repeat the same mistake again and again. Unless he confronts (sees) his state of mind, he cannot become a good instructor. Therefore, I didn’t forgive him prior to making the cause of the mistake clear.

After the several exchanges in our conversation, his real feelings appeared as follows;

A:           “…. In fact, I felt a bit of bother.”

I:            “Why did you feel it was bothersome?”

A:           “Probably I did not care and didn’t respect the person who asked me. I took my own business precedence over the person’s wishes.”

I:            “Do you think it is OK for you to keep having that state of mind?”

A:           “No, I would like to change the state of my mind, otherwise I will repeat the same mistakes again.”

Some people never change even after such a process as above. But still, I do not want to give up encouraging them to “confront (see) their mind”. Fortunately, this Uchideshi got the point and has never committed this same mistake since that time.

It can be considered that the execution of both the techniques of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido and activities in our jobs in daily life, are the reflection of the state of our mind.

We can know the state of our mind by observing the state of our body. And then, after knowing the state of mind, we can amend the way of we use the mind. By continuing this processes, we will be able to improve.

The following is the practice and validation for this month.

[Point of practice]

・If there was a mistake in your job or daily life, see what the state of your mind was at the time.

[Point of validation]

・    After seeing the state of your mind, amend the way you use your mind.

・    Write down how you changed consequently.

Considering the other's Ki

A Short Instruction:
The purpose of this article is to practice and validate the Ki principle (Mind moves body) which is the foundation of Ki-Aikido in our daily life. Therefore, it has no meaning if you just read it without practicing it.

The fundamental method of mastering anything is practice. However, it is not enough just to practice, but it is also important to validate how one has changed as a result of the practice.

It is easy to lose what you have learned without practice. On the other hand, you will never lose what you have learned through practice and validation. Therefore, please read, practice, and validate the contents of my article for at least one month.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Considering the other’s Ki

This is a story of what took place while I was traveling from Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen (Bullet train) a few weeks ago.

There were two business persons sitting across the aisle from me. They appeared to be an employer and his employee. They jumped onto the train just before the doors shut.

I did not intend to listen to their talk on purpose, however, due to their loud voices, their conversation was difficult not to hear.

Employer:  “I told you to wait for me at the north exit of Yaesu district, didn’t I? Why were you waiting at the north exit of Marunouchi district? (* There are many exits in the Tokyo station.)”

Employee: “I am very sorry, sir. I only remembered the word ‘north exit’ you mentioned…”

This humorous conversation lasted until the train reached Nagoya station (* Nagoya is in the central part in Japan between Tokyo and Osaka.)

The face of the employer was really red in anger and he was scolding his employee with a severe voice. The employee got totally frightened.

Employer:  “Hey! Now I am really thirsty, so go and buy me something to drink!”

Employee:  “Yes, sir!” (His answer was very good.)

Usually there are salespeople coming through the train with food and drinks. However, the fellow could not wait for this and so gave his employee money and sent him to purchase the drink. After a few minutes, the employee returned with a drink.

Employee:  “Sorry for making you wait, sir! Here is the drink for you.”

Employer:  “Hey, this is a hot coffee. As thirsty as I am, do you expect me to drink this really hot drink all at once?”

Employer:  “Oh…., I am very sorry, sir…”

The employer had said that he was thirsty, so therefore the employee should have bought a drink with mild temperature.

Their conversation was so funny that I could not take my eyes off of them.

Employer:  “I am a little bit hungry.  Please go to buy something for my breakfast.”

Employee:  “Yes, sir!”

Again, he could not wait for the salesperson to come and made his man run. I was guessing “In considering the man’s Ki, probably a sandwich would be the right thing to bring.” The employer mentioned in their conversation that he drank alcohol too much the previous night, and since this now was the following morning, I guessed that he would not want to have a heavy meal.

Then, the employee returned.

Employee:  “Sorry for making you wait, sir! Here it is for you.”

Employer:  “Hey you! This is just a packet of rice crackers and peanuts! What should I do with this?!”

Of course, the packet of rice crackers and peanuts was unwanted by the employer.
Then the employee asked him,

Employee:  “I am sorry sir, should I have bought a beer as well?”

Employer:  “Stop it! Are you making fun with me?”

Employee:  “Absolutely not, sir!”

Employer:  “OK, no more arguing. Now, please go and buy sandwiches!”

From their conversation, I understood that they were going to business negotiation in Nagoya, so beer would absolutely not have been the right thing there.

The employee was trying hard to serve the boss, however, one of the causes of this man’s wrong answers and actions is that he was “not considering his Ki”.

By directing and sending our attention (Ki) to others and putting ourselves into the other’s place, we can understand the other’s intention (Ki).  Even when we try hard to do our best, if we act when considering only our own preference, we can not serve what others want or need.  When we think “I am not being appreciated even though I am trying my very best!”, in most cases this means we are only acting according to our own preferences.

In order to “put ourselves into the other’s place”, first we need to know that person. In order to know the person, not only should we ask questions properly, but we should read his or her feelings through normal conversation and facial expressions, which reveals attitudes.  The capability of reading (considering) the other’s intention (Ki) can be improved through training.  This is especially important for people who have a job in which they daily need to contact and communicate with the other people.  For them, this is vital training.

The following conversation is the end of these men’s funny story.

Employer:  “I will sleep a little, so please wake me up when the train arrives to Nagoya.”

Employee:  “Yes, sir.”

Probably the boss went to bed very late the previous night, so he fell deeply asleep immediately. Then the train arrived at Nagoya station.

Employee:  “Sir, the train already arrived at Nagoya station.”

Employer:  “How come are you waking me up after arriving at Nagoya?!”

Then the employer rushed to get off the train. While he was sleeping the contents of his luggage were spread around untidily. If his employee had awakened him some minutes earlier, it would have been better.

Their conversations and actions were like a comedy show. After that, I wondered how their business negotiation went.

On the other hand, this employer has a responsibility as well.  He must take into account whether his employee is capable of considering his boss’ intentions (Ki). This employer was wrinkling his forehead and was quite irritated, so the employee was nervous about being scolded again all the time. Thus, the employee was unable to direct his Ki in the way that was required.

I train Uchideshies and it seems that I am very scary for them, so I sometimes have an experience similar to the employer in the above story. Each time this happens, I correct my attitude.

Without considering the opponent’s Ki, we can not perform Aikido techniques.  In this story, we can see the importance of Aikido in daily life.

The following is the practice and validation for this month.

[Point of practice]
・When you are requested to do something by someone else, you need to think by putting yourself in the other’s place (Consider other’s intention, or Ki).

[Point of validation]
・Ensure if what you did was really what the other person wanted you to do.

Strengthening Ki

A Short Instruction:

The purpose of this article is to practice and validate the Ki principle (Mind moves body) which is the foundation of Ki-Aikido in our daily life. Therefore, it has no meaning if you just read it without practicing it.

The fundamental method of mastering anything is practice. However, it is not enough just to practice, but it is also important to validate how one has changed as a result of the practice.

It is easy to lose what you have learned without practice. On the other hand, you will never lose what you have learned through practice and validation. Therefore, please read, practice, and validate the contents of my article for at least one month.

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Strengthening Ki

A person’s state of “having strong Ki” does not mean the person has a “stern character”.

When starting something new, we often worry about the possibility of failure. If an idea, such as “Can I really do this?” comes to our mind, we will not be able to send our Ki properly to what we are supposed to do. When we worry in thinking that “It might fail!”, or “What should I do if I fail?”, our ability to follow through to completion and continuation will be lost.

Only by continuing to strongly remind ourselves with the idea that “I can definitely do this!” or “I will definitely keep doing this until completion!” can we successfully complete any action. This ability of firmly maintaining plus Ki is the same as the state of “having strong Ki”.

Often, when people have worries in their mind, they tend not to face those worries. They do not admit the fact that they have worry.  Instead they may say, “I am not feeling any worry”. However, when they intentionally avoid feeling worry, they still continue to experience the worry.

As long as we try to run away from the worry, it will chase after us.

One way to succeed is to change our way of thinking.  For instance, we can change our way of thinking from “What should I do if I fail?” to “How and with what method can I succeed?” Certainly, that may be a good way and sometimes the worry is mitigated at once. However, changing the way of consciously thinking is just a temporary measure and is not a complete resolution.

We have “Conscious mind” that we can recognize and “Subconscious mind” that we cannot recognize. 

Conscious mind is formed from materials stored in the Subconscious mind.  Therefore, if minus materials are stored in the Subconscious mind, the Conscious mind is likely to become minus. In order to strengthen Ki, changing the contents of Subconscious mind is necessary.

The specific way for the above is “Meirei-Anji-ho (The Power of Suggestion method)”. The way to practice this method is to stand or sit in front of a mirror and say to the reflection of yourself in the mirror “You have strong Ki”. It is most effective to not say this in the first person using “I”, but to say it in the second person using “You”. While doing this, you must not have any doubt in your mind. Also, what you say should be only one thing. Saying many things is not good. After that you need to go to bed and sleep without watching TV or reading a book, etc.

While you are sleeping the Subconscious mind is primarily active, rather than the Conscious mind.  Therefore, if you speak to your reflection in the mirror just before sleeping, what you say will easily pass into the Subconscious mind during sleep. You need to continue this method daily, for at least three months.

What happens as a result? This will be known only by the person who actually puts it into practice. I absolutely do not recommend what I do not practice. In my position, I am required to always produce a result, however, if I slacken my Ki, I will get worried. But while doing the above “Meirei-Anji-ho”, I can overcome any worry that I may have for whatever I may need to face.

Even now, this is one of my crucial trainings.

The following is the practice and validation for this month.

[Point of practice]

・Do the Meirei-Anji-ho from today for three months.

[Point of validation]

・Write down any change you experience every day.