Thought
The gentle spirit - looks so fragile, but can crush. It is not as strong as
the mountain, it is not as fast as the river - because it is all that, and so
much more.Nature is it's friend, everything is it's friend and ally. It is so
much full of love, love that makes it shine in the dark. In the conflict there
is no winner so it doesn't fight and that's how the spirit lasts so long. Gentle
spirit only fights with it self.
Goodness - real feeling, evil - the abscence of feelings. You can call goodness
many names: ki, God, inspiration. Goodness needs no name, it needs to be
practiced. To fill yourself with good, force out the evil. But do not despise
it. Like it, so you can convert it to good. Always listen the nature, when you
don't know what to do, start thinking, and realise that there is no good or evil
- there is only your opinion. You are the heaven but you just don't know it yet.
Apply what you already know and discover what you don't know now. Do not do
kotegaeshi to kill, do it to improve. Do tai no henko to avoid evil, allign with
it and change it. Power of heeling is much greater and heavier than the power to
obliterate. Keep in mind aikido is both spiritual and physical. You will be
great only if your spirit is one of goodness and if your technique is natural.
These two must be in perfect balance, just like tenchinage. you can practice
techniques but unless you improve your heart, what you do can not and must not
be named aikido. There are many yudanshas that are not walking the way of
aikido. It is easier to fight others, they are forgetfull. We should forgive
them that. Sometimes we do bad things too, the difference is we are aware of it
and we strive to correct it.
As they say: Don't worry be happy!
Ivan Vatovic
Jovica Stanojevic dojo, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
"There is nothing so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as real
strength." Ralph W. Sockman
