What is "Aiki"?

Now we come to a pivotal and definitive term for the blog as a whole: "Aiki" or 合気.

In a previous post, we looked at the meaning, or meanings, of "ki", so that won't be repeated here. The Japanese word "ai" 合 means joining, fitting or harmonizing. Since ki has a range of meanings, the compound word composed of ai and ki has a similar range of meanings. Let's consider them one by one, from least to most subtle. It is also possible to interpret aiki as a verb or as a noun. It may refer to different aspects of what is going on, as we shall also consider. Keep in mind that the following are each aspects of the meaning, according to this writer's own understanding. The "real" meaning of the word includes all of them at once, along with (presumably) other meanings, aspects or nuances not yet known to me.

On the physical level, aiki refers to harmony between the physical energy of the bodies of the partners, or between one person's bodily energy and energy in the environment, even gravity. Aiki can be found and harnessed in almost anything we do, really. It is a good idea to alway try to be increasingly aware of this. In Aikido, the most common aiki is that between two partners in training, or else between an attacker and the aikidoka. That is to say, one harmonizes with the ki of the attacker or the training partner as the case may be, and then one is able to redirect the energy, deflecting and neutralizing the attack, and usually the attacker him- or herself.

Very recently, in a video clip, I heard one instructor give one possible definition of aiki as "doing the technique correctly", which I understood to mean that the effectiveness of a technique is entirely on aiki. Now, as I said, we can also join our energy with energy in the environment around us, natural energy, whether kinetic or potential. There is also aiki between the different parts of our own body: the combined energy of a "full body" movement is much more powerful than just moving one limb.  We experience these when we act upon objects around us. An example in my own experience from other kinds of martial arts is in the practice of board-breaking. I did this while training in Tae Kwon Do, and I also own a plastic "rebreakable board" for solo training.

There is definitely aiki in this practice! Keep in mind that instructor's definition. No doubt most people who have tried board-breaking have sometimes failed to make the break, and sometimes succeeded. Same board, same arm or leg... so what's different? Only how we move, how much energy we can focus on the action. When we properly harmonize and focus the energy of our body parts, and with the natural energy, it almost feels like the board isn't even there, and our blow or kick goes right through the board. If we fail, though, the board is firm barrier, and chances are the strike will be painful.

Aikido, of course, does not use that method of practice, but even for aikidoka, the example may help to illustrate that aspect of aiki. I would draw your attention to the feeling of, how doing it right makes it feel remarkably easy, and how opposite that is to the feeling when one fails to properly harness the available energy. In Aikido itself, the analogy is that skilled Aikido is smooth and flowing, even to the person experiencing the technique at the hands of the expert. Many accounts make clear that this perception is the same even for those who are themselves highly skilled and experienced. For example, we can read many accounts by senior students of the Founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. When they trained with him, or assisted him in demonstrations, as they recount, they are continually struck with wonder at how he was able to so easily throw or pin them. This, despite their own skill.

The same aspect can be seen from another angle in the basic teaching that in Aikido, one is not supposed to use bodily strength to muscle a technique into success. In judo and jujutsu, one may perform techniques in that way, often the same or very similar techniques; but the very definitive feature of Aikido is its strict emphasis on aiki. If you have to use significant muscular strength, you're not using aiki, and thus not doing Aikido. Of course, a student first has to learn how through practice.

This physical aiki, again, can be found in almost everything we do with our bodies. It can be applied one way or another in most martial arts, and will certainly improve one's abilities. The martial art of Aikido, though, has the special claim of concentrating on aiki as both a basic rule of technique and at the same time, the highest goal. This comes out particularly in the highest, most "subtle" meanings of aiki.

A mid-level kind of aiki is that of the mind, will and intention. One "everyday" "real life" example of this can be seen in the concept that the best kind of leadership is persuasive, rather than compulsive or dictatorial. The best way to get someone to do what you want, is to persuade them, rather than force or intimidate them. To some people this might sound like a slimy tactic, but that is a misunderstanding. Consider that the best way to persuade someone is to show them that your way will benefit them. And furthermore, to a person of goodness and integrity, the best way will be mutually beneficial. So, in this way, the best solution, and the best persuasion and leadership, all involve the correct harmonizing of the energy of will toward the best solution for everyone involved. In this situation, everything is in as much harmony as possible. Thus, it is aiki.

In terms of martial arts application, I will try to share what I understand and glean from what experts have said and written. We can only really learn it by doing it in training, remember! These words are no more than a teaser. Perhaps the most important mental aiki in combat is to perceive the intent of the attacker, and blend with it and its physical expression (the attack itself) so as to be able to redirect it, or sometimes to simply flow past it. One can also exercise aiki by leading the intention and focus of the attacker or partner, and subtly take control of it and the attack. As the Founder of Aikido both states and demonstrates, this can be done by leaving or creating an apparent opening in one's defenses, thus leading the other person to move in the way that you want them to, and then you blend the physical energies, and perform the technique to its conclusion.

Finally, at the highest and most subtle level, there is the spiritual energy and the goal of harmony between one's own spirit and the universal spirit. Some people don't believe in any such thing, and some people are positively offended by such ideas. Any readers in the latter group would probably be happier moving on to a different post at this point. ;) For the rest, it's of primary significance that Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei saw his aikido as ultimately a spiritual practice with that goal in mind. At the same time, his own words tell us clearly that this does not mean that he required his students to follow in his own spiritual footsteps; his live-in students attended his daily prayers and other spiritual activities, but he did not mandate anyone to do the same things; he recognized that different people each have their own religions, and he recognized truth in all religions. As such, people can seek spiritual aiki in light of their own religion and its practices. For that matter, one can use other martial arts as spiritual practices, too; this is not limited to Aikido.

O-Sensei was a member of the religion called Omoto-kyo, which is a form of Shinto with a shamanistic element to it, and with a universalistic outlook, which means in this case that it sees truth in other religions, not just itself; and that different religions can bring their followers to their desired spiritual goals, "salvation" or "enlightenment" as defined by each. He was also from childhood a student of the Japanese branch of esoteric Buddhism, that is to say, Shingon Buddhism, and elements of this can be seen in his spiritual teachings, and he sometimes uses recognizably Indian words and concepts, presumably coming through his Shingon studies. For example, it is said that he sometimes equated Japanese "ki" with Sanskrit "prana".

Those who wish to explore his spiritual teachings in depth can and should the two extant collections of spiritual lectures that he gave. "Aiki Shinzui", 合気神髄 literally the Essence of Aiki, is formed of the transcripts of lectures that he gave to his students during Aikido classes.  John Stevens Sensei has translated this into English as "The Secret Teachings of Aikido." The other collection is "Takemusu Aiki" 武産 合気 , which is the transcript of a special series of lectures that Ueshiba gave to a spiritual society headed by one of his friends; it has been translated into English as "The Heart of Aikido", also by Stevens Sensei. Also of interest will be Stevens' "The Essence of Aikido", which contains some of the same material, along with explanations, and several other types of material that together make a good introduction to the other two books.

I intend to, from time to time, explore different details of his practices and teachings. This is a sometimes-complex topic, so I will not attempt to summarize it here, beyond a little teaser, which cannot help but be inadequate. In O-Sensei's view, and that of the Omoto-kyo - as far as I currently understand it - there is  ultimately a single universal spirit, the source of all, that expands into various deities, which in turn form the cosmos and of which all things and beings are in some sense a part. It is not clear to me if there is ever a personality to this Spirit, or if it is an impersonal spirit, in their view. In any case, all living things are also spirit, or kami, and it is our true nature to be in harmony with each other and the supreme spirit. Hence, the highest aiki of all is that spiritual state.

Now, to end this post, we will drop back down to the martial art level, and go in a different direction. The highest form of physical aiki is "takemusu aiki", which you may recognize as the name of one of the lecture anthologies. In terms of martial art, takemusu aiki means something like "spontaneously generated martial techniques of aiki". One who has achieved this level of aiki, in a martial situation, naturally and spontaneously does whatever deals with the attack, far beyond this or that technique learned. This requires mastery of both physical and mental aiki, and perhaps even spiritual aiki.

I will end with a thought of O Sensei's, paraphrased from one of his didactic poems (doka): Don't waste time looking for secret teachings, just keep training. Despite the name of Stevens Sensei's translation of one of the lecture collections, in fact, there are no "secret teachings". It could be said that Aikido is itself an esoteric level of martial art, but anyone who is practicing it is already part of the "secret". In that regard, always remember that Aikido was refined from other arts, and some of the most important teachers of other martial arts (such as Judo's Founder Jigoro Kano) sent chosen advanced students to O-Sensei for what might be seen as "graduate-level" training. So, the distinct elements of Aikido training as different from those of other martial arts are in themselves the only "secret teachings". Some people have difficulty understanding O Sensei's spiritual talks, but that does not make them secret, it's just that people need some prerequisite background education to understand many of his allusions. And even without a word of those oral teachings, it is still the practice only that is needed. One simple proof: at no time has promotion in the art required that one know or understand those lectures and teachings; the student just has to show that they can DO aikido at the level expected for the rank. Just train!

What is "ki"?

I'm going to devote several posts to defining some essential terms, as I currently understand them. Current understandings are open to change from experience, training and learning. I aim to share future changes when they happen.

The obvious place to begin is "ki", a Japanese word. Non-Japanese people who know of it at all are usually aware that it is regarded notoriously hard to define clearly, or to translate into English. This is true to some extent even for Japanese people: they do know what it means as it is a common and pervasive word in Japanese and in a vast variety of phrases and idioms... but it is still apparently hard to give a succinct definition to it. There is a fine essay on the topic, forming part of the excellent book Nihongo: A Japanese Approach to Japanese by Makoto Sugawara.

Despite all this supposed difficulty, however, I actually find it easy enough to translate, as "energy", provided we include that word's figurative and metaphoric usages as well as strict scientific definitions: the English word "energy" and the Japanese word "ki" both really share a similar range of meaning from physical power to certain nebulous feelings to emotional states. So, it's not really that ki is hard to define or understand; it's much more that it is a broad concept that can be used in different contexts, with different but ultimately-connected specific contextual meanings. Morihei Ueshiba is said to have sometimes defined ki with the Sanskrit word "prana", which literally means "breath" or derivatively life-energy. (A connection between breath, spirit and energy is inherent in many different languages and religions, including Old English and its Germanic and Indo-European ancestors; Japanese; the Semitic languages and others, so it shouldn't be unfamiliar to most people.)

In the context of this blog, several of the possible meanings are important. Physical energy is significant, both kinetic and potential. This is true for any martial art. There is also mental energy, which includes attitude, firmness of will, intention, etc. And to those who believe in such things, there is spiritual energy. Depending on one's philosophy or theology, however, there may or may not be clear lines between these different kinds of ki/energy.

Practically speaking, if ki or energy is mentioned, do not waste effort trying to make some overaching definition for it, just understand it in the context. There may well be connections to other meanings, but start first of all with the obvious one that fits the context, and then you may pursue possible deeper meanings. For example, in the martial arts contexts, we may speak of harnessing and using an attacker's own ki to deflect the attack, and perhaps neutralize the attacker. The most obvious meaning is the physical energy of his or her motion and strength. Mental energy also comes into play since there is no attack without the intention to attack and the will to attempt it.

Again, I find "energy" to be sufficient, though very broad, translation and definition of "ki". I don't recommend trying to find any more specific definition, except in specific contexts. Practical training is essential to increasing understanding, in any case. Investigate for yourself... if you can get or borrow the book I mentioned near the top, it is well worth reading if you are interested in the Japanese language. Look at a kanji dictionary, and look up this "ki" 気 , observing the many different phrases and compound words that can be built with it, each reflecting an aspect of its meaning.

Our next step will be to explore, in a future post, "aiki" (合気). In brief, it means "to harmonize ki", but we'll at that in more depth next time. 　

Introduction

Almost-Armchair Aiki will be about "aiki", including, but not limited to, the martial art and spiritual way named Aikido as founded by Morihei Ueshiba. It will also touch on other related topics, including other martial arts, other modes of spirituality that include aiki or analogous concepts, and perhaps relevant science.

Why "Almost-Armchair"? It signifies my unusual, maybe even unique (judging by my conversations with several long-time Aikidoka) history with and relationship to Aikido. First, it's important to know that as of this writing, I haven't formally studied Aikido, which however, I hope to correct as soon as possible. Despite this, Aikido and many of the concepts it is based on have been part of my life in one way or another since childhood. I have also trained in martial arts, both formally and informally, throughout my life, though not always as intensively as might be wished. I have certainly been exposed to, and tried to practice, aiki, through this and through different spiritual practices. Yet as far as Aikido itself is concerned, I have an unusual, very patchy, range of knowledge. There are some things that, not having formally trained, I know little or nothing about, and certainly many things I cannot do, as far as Aikido techniques. Yet, there are others that I do know enough about to speak on, and have gleaned insight on from my experiences and studies. But again, our overall topic is "aiki" rather than "Aikido" per se; Aikido is one discipline dedicated to aiki, but there are others, under other names.

In part, this blog is meant to help me to express and clarify my thoughts and realizations as part of my own development, and in part I hope it will also help others. If I write about things that I don't yet actually know much about, which is to say, the armchair side of things, I will try to make that clear. I will generally try to give sources or reasons for my thoughts; or else to say if something is my own thought or speculation. If I don't specify, it will often be because I believe something to be common knowledge, at least among those familiar with the topic. Readers who see a need for clarification on something in a post are welcome to ask.