Images of the path

We are featuring an exhibit of Roger Hoffmann's photography at our new Dojo, a series of five images taken in Japanese gardens.









Roger sees the progression on the path easily expressed here and this is his description to each of the images:

Practice - "You don't know what you don't know"









1. Reading, watching, thinking vs. doing.
2. Just do it.
3. Follow the class even if you don't know or understand what you are doing.
4. Lots of repetition.
5. Your mind might not get it, but your body is learning.
6. Get into a schedule.
7. Not haphazard.
8. Predictable.
9. Repetitive, risk of boredom, push through, there is so much depth to
Aikido.
10. Keep an empty mind, beginners mind.

Path - "You know what you don't know"








1. Junior kyu levels
2. Not all who practice join the path.
3. Commit to the path, the dojo, your sensei, your fellow students, your
community.
4. Understand what it means to practice in and out of the dojo.
5. There is more Aikido off the mat than on the mat.
6. Study the path, learn about the founder.
7. Learn about the art, the waza, your body.
8. Find understanding, not just knowledge.
9. Now you have a sense of the depth of Aikido and realize how much there is
to learn.
10. Don't get discouraged.

Balance - "You don't know what you know"








1. Senior kyu levels
2. Complex interplay of opposites.
3. Hard, soft, empty, full, stable, unstable, gounded, free, ura, omote, high,
low, inside, outside, work, family, life, balance, time, money, commitments.
4. The "center" of the path, the world of relative existence.
5. You will be here for a long time so get comfortable.
6. Explore the opposites but don't get stuck in them.
7. Observe but don't judge.
8. Discriminate but remain accepting.
9. You are learning a lot and might not even be aware of it.
10. When you observe and train with a new student, you will realize what you
have learned.
11. Be thankful for those ahead of you on the path and be a good sempai to
those who are joining.
12. Don't get ahead of yourself or become unbalanced.
13. Stay humble.

Integration - "You know what you know"








1. Dan level
2. Just the first step, a new beginning.
3. But now you actually know what you know.
4. However you still have not arrived (and never will).
5. A dan grade is not the final destination. It is simpy the mark of a serious
student.
6. Stay humble.
7. Be a good sempai.
8. Simplify while retaining balance.
9. Opposites start to dissolve into unity.
10. There is no more "uke" and "nage"
11. Learn how to throw yourself.
12. Learn how to develop and empty mind.

Formless - "Beyond knowing"








1. Shihan
2. There is no "you" and no mind.
3. Beyond waza
4. The journey is the destination
5. There is no practice and no path

Just before the move

Two weeks of construction are behind us. 6 tons of demolished walls, air ducts, and drop ceiling materials have been cleaned out of the space.
This is the time for the finishing processes: painting, tiling, flooring and, finally, moving in.

We are so fortunate to have so many people around us who genuinely care and connect with our Dojo.
So many donated from their time and energy. We received paint donation, labor at cost, and variety of provisions that made the construction process much shorter and cost effective than originally anticipated.

The excitement is in our hearts. Our first class at the new space will be on Monday, June 22nd. I hope many of our friends will come and help us infuse some great practice energy into our Dojo's new home.

Day 4 | floor plan demolition is done

Day 5 | AC ducts are pulled down








Day 6 | ceiling demolition is done








Day 10 | ceiling is covered








Day 11 | the sign is installed








Day 12 | at night








Day 14 | painting is done

New home

On Saturday afternoon, as I was signing the lease for our new Dojo space, I noticed that I wasn't having the feeling I usually have when signing significant agreements; the butterflies were not fluttering in my belly. It was a solid and quiet feeling, that was not accompanied with doubt.


View Larger Map

This morning, the construction process started with demolition of the present layout.
This unit used to be the headquarters of a mortgage company, with lots of cubicles, offices and a massive amount of internet and telephone wires. In the next few days these will be cleared, the drop ceiling will be removed and a large, open space will be waiting to be filled with a very different kind of work. As a very dear friend of mine wrote:
"The photo of your new dojo space is one of the most ironically wonderful things I have seen in a long time--in a collapsing economy shady organizations that sell housing loans go out of business and become dojos. Excellent!"

May this place be a home for transformation, evolution, heart-opening, learning, joy and smiles.








Day 1 | demolition