The Art of Peace: Teachings of the Founder of Aikido Author: Visit Amazon's Morihei Ueshiba Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0877738513 | Format: PDF
The Art of Peace: Teachings of the Founder of Aikido Description
Review
“This small, elegant book is filled with the wisdom and artistry of a great man. This collection of Morihei Ueshiba’s sayings and poetry resonates with deep meaning, making this a gem of a book. The book itself is of very high quality—compact and well-bound, with clear print and beautifully reproduced images of Ueshiba’s calligraphy. A CD of the book, read in a clear, calm voice, is also a very nice inclusion. It is an important collection for the reflective artist, and practically applicable to those intent on living a grounded, sensitive life.”—
Journal of Asian Martial ArtsLanguage Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese
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- Paperback: 126 pages
- Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (November 10, 1992)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0877738513
- ISBN-13: 978-0877738510
- Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 3.1 x 0.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
This is a gem of a book (it will fit in the palm of your hand) which contains the core teachings of Morihei Ueshiba, the enlightened founder of Aikido. Before Ueshiba experienced his three enlightening visions he was already one of the greatest martial artists in history, after the visions he became a force of nature....
Central to these deceptively simple teachings is the principle of becoming one with heaven and earth. Where heaven and earth meet is the center of the cosmos. When your center also corresponds with this place, then you are undefeatable.
While Aikado is truly the way of the warrior, the definition of warrior has been restored to its cosmic meaning. A warrior strives to restore harmony and balance to the world. A warrior puts things right in accordance with the Way of Heaven.
You will not find a great deal of specific techniques in this book. As the master states, one should not depend too much on the mastery of specific techniques. Nor should one focus too much on any specific aspect of an opponent, neither his eyes, his sword, his tricks. Instead one should reach out and encompass the entire opponent within the sphere of your being. You should flow with him, engulf him. Meet fire with water.
On the other hand, there is no substitute for practice, practice, practice. This is what attunes our body with the Ki. This is what forges a body like iron is forged into steel.
Unlike classic martial texts such as _The Art of War_, this book will be of limited appeal to the materialist. Ueshiba makes it clear that he rejects materialism. He rejects bondage to things. You are to forget your little self and detach from objects. He rejects unnatural imbalances in the world of any kind.
Named for the mythical (?) and mystical kingdom in the East, Shambhala Publications is known for bringing some of the greatest and sometimes most obscure philosophical writings of Mankind to the attention of the general public. Heavily (though not exclusively) concerned with Buddhist and Taoist thought, Shambhala Pocket Classics are an attractive set of unabridged minibooks which fit comfortably in a shirt pocket, making them perfect for reading on planes, trains, and automobiles. Titles in the set include THE BOOK OF TEA, WAY OF THE JEWISH MYSTICS, ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES, THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD, TAO TE CHING, POEMS BY EMILY DICKINSON, THE ART OF WAR, and this volume by Morihei Ueshiba, THE ART OF PEACE.
Written as a conscious counterpoint to Sun Tzu's immortal classic, THE ART OF PEACE is a collection of aphorisms and short maxims which set forth Ueshiba's philosophy of life. Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido ("The Art of Peace") often referred to as O'Sensei the Great Teacher, is widely considered the greatest martial artist the world has ever seen. Aikido is regarded as the most difficult and effective of the martial arts, finding it's basis wholly in the ability to invert an aggressor's force. Aikido relies on physical conditioning and a series of locks and throws rather than injurious kicks and punches. It has been documented that in his seventies Ueshiba could restrain an attacker with one finger or evade multiple attackers with such grace that he appeared to become invisible to them.
Ueshiba was a pacifist at a time when Japan was becoming increasingly militaristic. He credited his development of Aikido to a series of visions which occurred over the course of his lifetime and convinced him of the universatility of humanity.
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