MORIHEI UESHIBA 1883-1969——“The Art of Peace”
THOSE WHO ARE ENLIGHTENED NEVER STOP FORGING THEMSELVES.
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 to realize your inner divinity . manifest your innate enlightenment.
YOUR VOICE is a very powerful weapon. When you are in tune with the cosmic breath of heaven & earth, your voice produces true sounds. Unify body, mind & speech & real techniques will emerge.
YOUR MIND should be in harmony with the functioning of the universe; your body should be in tune with the movement of the universe; body & mind should be bound as one, unified with the activity of the universe.
STUDY how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly & freely between the rocks. Also learn from holy books & wise people. Everything — even mountains, rivers, plants & tree — should be your teacher.
THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR IS TO ESTABLISH HARMONY.
CAST OFF limiting thoughts & return to true emptiness. Stand in the midst of the great void. This is the secret of the Way of a Warrior.
TECHNIQUES employ four qualities that reflect the nature of our world. Depending on the circumstances, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water or as empty as space.
THERE ARE MANY PATHS leading to the top of Mount Fuji but there is only one summit — love.
IF YOU ARE CENTERED, YOU CAN MOVE FREELY.
AIKIDO is not a technique to fight or defeat an enemy. It is the way to reconcile the world & make human beings one family.
THE REALIZATION of our true substance & potential is the purpose of creation.
THERE ARE NO CONTESTS IN THE ART OF PEACE. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within.
WHEN YOU BOW deeply to the universe, it bows back; when you call out the name of God, it echoes inside you.
YOU are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity & manifest your inner enlightenment.
THE PURPOSE of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body & polish the spirit.
LOYALTY & DEVOTION lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love.
THE BEST STRATEGY RELIES UPON AN UNLIMITED SET OF RESPONSES.
CREATE EACH DAY ANEW by clothing yourself with heaven & earth, bathing yourself with wisdom & love & placing yourself in the heart of Mother Nature.
IN YOUR TRAINING DO NOT BE IN A HURRY FOR IT TAKES A MINIMUM OF TEN YEARS TO MASTER THE BASICS & ADVANCE TO THE FIRST RUNG. Never think of yourself as all-knowing, perfected master; you must continue to train daily with your friends & students & progress together in the Art of Peace.
YOUR SPIRIT IS THE TRUE SHIELD.
THE REAL PURPOSE of the martial arts must be to purge oneself of petty ambitions & desire to obtain control of one’s own character.
IF you have life in you, you have access to the secrets of the ages, for the truth of the universe resides in each & every human being.