Zen in Ten: "Heaven Is Right Where You’re Standing"
The Heart of Aikido Is Peace
Hello Spark Zen readers! In an effort to keep this aging heart-mind-body active and limber, I took up the practice of Aikido in October 2022. I had the good fortune of finding a wonderful, heart-centered, and non-competitive dojo: Heart of San Francisco Aikido. So far it’s been fun, challenging, and illuminating. Below are quotes from The Art of Peace by the founder of this Japanese martial art Morihei Ueshiba Sensei, whose life spanned from 1883 to 1969. I hope you find Ōsensei’s words as uplifting, profound, and nourishing as I do. Peace from foggy San Fran!
“The art of peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.”
“One does not need buildings, money, power or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you’re standing, and that is the place to train.”
“All things material and spiritual originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force. The universe emerged and developed from one source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization.”
“The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world. There is evil and disorder in this world because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source. Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger. Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.”
“If you have not linked yourself to true emptiness, then you will never understand the Art of Peace.”
“The Art of Peace functions everywhere on earth, in realms ranging from the vastness of space down to the tiniest plants and animals. The life force is all pervasive and its strength boundless. The Art of Peace allows us to perceive and tap into that tremendous reserve of universal energy.”
“Eight forces sustain creation: movement and stillness, solidification and fluidity, extension and contraction, unification and division.”
“Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are good as dead. The Art of Peace is a celebration of the bonding of heaven, earth, and humankind. It is all that is true, good, and beautiful.”
“Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life. Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside. Next, breathe up all the fecundity and vibrancy of the earth. Finally, blend the breath of heaven and the breath of earth with that of your own, becoming the Breath of Life itself.”
“All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is the truth and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together. When the myriad variations in the universal breath can be sensed, the individual techniques in the Art of Peace are born.”
Thank you. I’m glad you have taken up the practice of Aikido. When I was 16 years old, I watched a pilot movie called kung fu. It changed my life that night. I went home, told my mother about the experience. I wanted to be like that man man; a Buddhist monk who knew kung fu. My mother handed me the book “ the Wisdom of China & India.” In it I read the Dhammapada. In the middle of the night I went onto the roof of my parents house and looked at that bright morning star and decided I needed to become a Buddhist monk and I needed to learn kung fu. There was no kung fu in Los Altos when I was 16 years old. Only karate and judo. I wanted kung fu. I also wanted to be a Buddhist monk. I found a Kobun Chino and haiku Zendo in Los Altos (after reading Zen Mind Beginners Mind). I then found out about a kung fu teacher, a Chinese man in Palo Alto at the YMCA. I started taking lessons and continued for the next 40+ years as his closest disciple. I considered him my teacher, my father, and my best friend. He died in 2015 and for a while I took over his school in Campbell.
I now practice tai chi, and a little of the kung fu every morning regardless of work or what my day looks like. It goes hand-in-hand with Zazen the practice of seeing in being in every moment good and bad Yin and yang. I’m very grateful for the teachings and continue to find piece from them. No harm just kindness and compassion whenever able. (Working at Costco at the door gives me endless opportunities!)
Thank you and happy practice !
Gassho,
Don Hopkins
San Jose
That’s a great story from Don.
I really loved this Zen in Ten. Most inspiring. Heather—how are you doing with Aikido. Is it difficult?