What is Kaizen Aikijitsu?
By
Prof. Theodore Wilson 8th Dan Founder & Chief Instructor
Of The Kaizen Aikijitsu
Today,
Kaizen Aikijitsu is practiced primarily as a method of physical,
moral, and spiritual development. Aikijitsu is often said
to be like life itself: multifaceted and paradoxical as
such it defies easy definition. Ask a novice practitioner
what Aikijitsu is and he or she will probably give you a
detail explanation of the technical or mental aspects of
techniques and philosophy. But ask a master of the art and
he will usually reply with a simple, "I don't know,"
he is not being evasive nor falsely modest. Instead his
answer reflects an understanding of the complexity and depths
of Aikijitsu. He understands that even after a lifetime
of study much Aikijitsu will remain enigmatic and unexplainable.
The
pursuit of these qualities, truth, goodness and beauty are
the elements of the practice of Kaizen Aikijitsu. Rather
than focus on the opponent, the student concentrates on
the quality of his thoughts and actions, knowing that if
they can be made pure and calm, his/her body will naturally
correct itself and the technique will be true. To achieve
this the student must unify the three spheres of action:
mind (attitude), body (movement) and technique (unity).
In
this state there is no distance between man and woman and
the universe-all are in perfect harmony. The idea of goodness,
which also includes such qualities as courtesy, compassion,
morality, and a non-aggressive defense, is closely associated
with the search for truth. On the other hand, proper attitude
and behavior, in combination with simple etiquette, create
a state of mental and physical calmness that gradually becomes
a normal way of life.
Tranquility
comes when the student learns to resolve the various mental
and physical conflicts that arise during the practice of
Kaizen Aikijitsu. Naturally the more he is able to do this
the better he is at creating a state of mushin (inner calmness),
which is the root of tranquility. Smoothness, rhythmical
movement, controlled breathing and concentration is very
much part of dignity and grace. The concept of Kaizen Aikijitsu
is to strive to do better.
In
general people fear change they prefer to stay within the
confines of knowing rather than risk the failure of learning
of new knowledge. Learning is an experience that provides
an opportunity of growth.
One
should understand the importance of not giving in to failure,
we have a saying (winners never quit, quitters never win)
with this mental attitude one tries to reach some level
of perfection of mind and body without ego. One should remember
the perfection is usually measured in terms of technical
proficiency but technical skill is limited, the body no
matter how well trained will age and physical ability will
deteriorate accordingly. But the mind, or to be more precise,
the spirit has unlimited potential for improvement.
The
key to developing this potential is to understand that the
practice of Kaizen Aikijitsu is endless, the reward comes
not from the attainment of perfection, but from its unending
pursuit in the learning of oneself.
