The place beyond

We just got back from the Bay area, where spent the last days of our Summer vacation, with family, friends and in training with our teacher, Shibata Sensei. In the hours spent on the mat in Berkeley, I tapped into a familiar place, a place that is beyond fatigue and exhaustion. During my years of apprenticeship I often used to visit this place while pushing the envelope; the body all achy and fatigued, the mind becoming silent - a place of great emptiness. At the end of my last class, I became quite weary. Just then I was granted about fifteen minutes to revisit this space. It is a space of surrender and letting go - not out of choice, but one that develops organically when one continues to put out effort. There is no energy to waste on anything extra like, thinking or being self-conscience. By concentrating on the present moment alone, one may find a very fulfilling place.

Within these rare moments lies the truth about a larger capacity we can stretch to, despite our limiting beliefs. In the book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience", Mihaly Csiksczentmihalyi writes: "The knowledge - or wisdom - one needs for emancipating consciousness is not cumulative. It is not a cognitive skill and as well as intelligence requires commitment of emotions and will. It is not enough to know how to do it, one must do it consistently and it is a painfully slow process to modify our own habits and desires."

In many types of physical and mental practices, people describe their top experiences as "being in the zone", "in the flow", or "being at one with things". It is a mental state attained by a person fully immersed in the activity. Practitioners of the varied schools of Zen Buddhism apply this concept to aid their mastery of various art forms such as in the realms of visual arts or martial arts. The concept of moving through our limiting thoughts while uncovering new capabilities may be practiced in many areas of life. In a recent study done on athletes, it was found that the end point of exercise occurs when the subject can no longer continue the activity due to pain, weakness, or boredom. Shortly following the exercise, however, most subjects report that they could have worked longer.

The place beyond awaits those who are willing to penetrate through their self limiting beliefs into the other side, choosing to swim through the waves of pain and fatigue, monotony and sweat, and into the Zone.

image:
Katsushika Hokusai
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
c. 1829–32 color woodcut, 25.7 × 37.8 cm

Student | Teacher

"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth"."
~ Dan Rather

Last night we had our first "Introductory to Aikido" class at our Dojo. The class was open to the public, and was meant to allow people who never practiced to see what Aikido is about, and how does it feel being in a Dojo, and on the mat. There were four guests that joined us.

Having a few people on the mat that are not my students, revealed some new feeling; I could really sense the relationships that are already established with my students. It also brought a strong presence of my relationship with my teacher, Shibata Sensei. This relationship, made of trust, inspiration and great care, has been life defining for me. Not always I understand him, yet I know I want to, and wish I could. "Maybe in another ten years...", I say to myself. Not always I do as expected, I make mistakes. Yet I know he will make sure I learn from them. This connection is not very verbal, but very much renewing and stirring. I am in deep thankfulness to have that in my life.

I see my students as people whom I have much to learn from. The Dojo as a school in which everyone, including myself, are studying. Aikido is a life practice, and as such, we must respect the commitment and openness of all who are attending classes; giving from their time to improve and evolve, and in doing so - sharing their energy with everyone else who is there. We have to respect our Uke who gives us a platform on which we can study techniques, and to Nage, who gives us the opportunity to learn how to blend. We also have to respect Sensei, for always being there for us, every day.

Have you ever heard the Chinese proverb: "Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."? The teacher cannot teach and make the student learn. It is the student, who has to actively watch, train and embody. Shibata Sensei used to tell us we have to "steal" - that was our job, and he couldn't do it for us. I learned from my teacher much about Aikido and Japanese culture, but most of all I learned from him about the Japanese Heart.

Having a student-teacher relationship is a blessing. It is a constant reminder to remain thirsty, to seek and look deeper and deeper, while we keep our hearts wide open.