🏯Week 2024-13: Yoshida Shoin - Collected Quotes

"If a general and his men fear death and are apprehensive over possible defeat, then they will unavoidably suffer defeat and death. But if they make up their minds, from the general down to the last footsoldier, not to think of living but only of standing in one place and facing death together, then, though they may have no other thought than meeting death, they will instead hold on to life and gain victory." (Yoshida Shoin)

"If Heaven does not completely abandon this land of the Gods, there must be an uprising of grass-roots heroes." (Yoshida Shoin)

"If the body dies, it does no harm to the mind, but if the mind dies, one can no longer act as a man even though the body survives." (Yoshida Shoin)

"In relations with others, one should express resentment and anger openly and straightforwardly. If one cannot express them openly and straightforwardly, the only thing to do is forget about them. To harbor grievances in one's heart, awaiting some later opportunity to give vent to them, is to act like a weak and petty man-in truth, it can only be called cowardice. The mind of the superior man is like Heaven. When it is resentful or angry, it thunders forth its indignation. But once having loosed its feelings, it is like a sunny day with a clear sky: within the heart there remains not the trace of a cloud. Such is the beauty of true manliness." (Yoshida Shoin)

"Life and death, union and separation, follow hard upon one another. Nothing is steadfast but the will, nothing endures but one's achieve­ments. These alone count in life." (Yoshida Shoin)

"Once a man's will is set, he need no longer rely on others or expect anything from the world. His vision encompasses Heaven and earth, past and present, and the tranquility of his heart is undisturbed." (Yoshida Shoin, 1854)

"Once the will is resolved, one's spirit is strengthened. Even a peasant's will is hard to deny, but a samurai of resolute will can sway ten thou­sand men." (Yoshida Shoin)

"One who aspires to greatness should read and study, pursuing the True Way with such a firm resolve that he is perfectly straightforward and open, rises above the superficialities of conventional behavior, and refuses to be satisfied with the petty or commonplace." (Yoshida Shoin)

"To consider oneself different from ordinary men is wrong, but it is right to hope that one will not remain like ordinary men." (Yoshida Shoin)

"What is important in a leader is a resolute will and determination. A man may be versatile and learned, but if he lacks resoluteness and determination, of what use will he be?" (Yoshida Shoin)

🆂Week 2024-12: On Samurais

"Samurai should always wish to keep to the righteous path and try not to fall into the way of depravity, no matter what happens. Those samurai who keep on with the right path will achieve high honours with the aid of Buddha and the gods, while those who have fallen into a corrupt way will naturally meet with misfortune and be laughed at by the people of the world." (Musha Monogatari, 1654) 

"As samurai, the following is the primary principle to keep in mind during daily life: in a time of order you should prepare  for war and in a time of disorder you should seek peace." (Heika Jödan, cca 1670)

"Samurai should hone themselves by first disciplining their minds. Alongside mastery over the mind should be mastery over the body. 'Discipline' means preparation, and to be 'prepared in the body ' means that a samurai must have a good foundation with the weapons that they carry: the katana, the wakizashi and all other kinds of martial tools." (Heika Jödan, cca 1670)

"Swordsman-ship is not something you persevere in just to achieve victory over others. It is also an art through which you can face troubles and clarify issues of life and death. This is an attitude that samurai must always strive to maintain, and so you should master this art." (Issai Chozan, "The Mysterious Skills of the Old Cat" ["Neko No Myoujutsu"], 1727)

"The hands manipulate the sword, the mind manipulates the hands. Cultivate the mind and do not be deceived by tricks, feints, and schemes. They are the properties of the magician, not the samurai." (Saito Yakuro, cca 19th century)

"Once the will is resolved, one's spirit is strengthened. Even a peasant's will is hard to deny, but a samurai of resolute will can sway ten thou­sand men." (Yoshida Shoin)

🥋Week 2024-11: Koichi Tohei - Collected Quotes

"Our lives are born of the Ki of the universe. Let us give thanks for being born not as plants and animals, but as human beings blessed with a universal mind. Let us pledge to fulfill our missions by helping to guide the development and creation of the universe." (Koichi Tohei, "The Value of Our Existence", 1966) 

"Aikido, though praised as a healthful system of self-defense techniques, would be nothing apart from the laws of the great universe. The martial way begins and ends with courtesy, itself an attitude of thankfulness to and reverence for nature. To be mistaken on this basic point is to make of the martial arts no more than weapons of injury and death." (Koichi Tohei, "Book of Ki: Co-ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life", 1976)

"Countless people have attempted to define the absolute power of the world of nature. Some praise it as god, some call it the Buddha, others call it truth. Still others convert nature into a philosophy by which they attempt to sound its deepest truth. Such attempts to define the power of nature are no more than striving to escape its effects." (Koichi Tohei, "Book of Ki: Co-ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life", 1976)

"Let us have a Universal Mind that loves and protects all creation and helps all things grow and develop. To unify mind and body and become one with the Universe is the ultimate purpose of our study." (Koichi Tohei, "Book of Ki: Co-ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life", 1976)

"The very name Aikido indicates its dependence on the laws of nature, which we term ki. Aikido means the way to harmony with ki. That is to say, Aikido is a discipline to make the heart of nature our own heart, to understand love for all things, and to become one with nature. Techniques and physical strength have limits; the great way of the universe stretches to infinity." (Koichi Tohei, "Book of Ki: Co-ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life", 1976)

"There is no conflict in the absolute universe, but there is conflict in the relative world." (Koichi Tohei, "Book of Ki: Co-ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life", 1976)

"You must practice to be able to return to essential principles at any moment." (Koichi Tohei, "Book of Ki: Co-ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life", 1976)

"After realizing a principle, unless you learn it with your body you cannot expect to get true understanding. Scholars in particular tend to learn in theory only." (Koichi Tohei)

"Be vigorous and full of energy, and make ceaseless efforts. This means that little things do not discourage you and that you approach all things boldly and with an attitude of determination." (Koichi Tohei)

"If might is right, then the world will tear itself apart. We must strive to create a world in which right is might." (Koichi Tohei)

"It is as true for individuals as it is for the world itself: everything comes in waves. If you ride the waves of change, you succeed. If you ignore them, you fail. When the wave is down, most people resist it by trying to go up. When the wave goes up, you should go up with it. When it comes down, you go down." (Koichi Tohei)

"Pour some water into a tub and stir it up. Now try as hard as you can to calm the water with your hands; you will succeed in agitating it further. Let it stand undisturbed a while, and it will calm down by itself. The human brain works much the same way." (Koichi Tohei, "Ki in Daily Life", 1978)

"Practice is not a matter of years and months. It is a matter of concentration." (Koichi Tohei)

"They say that a lion puts his all, even into catching a rabbit. You should make it a habit of putting your all into every little thing you do." (Koichi Tohei)

"When a watch is broken you take it apart to analyze what is wrong with it. When a technique does not work, if you analyze it carefully you can always find out what is wrong." (Koichi Tohei)

"When you coordinate your mind and body, you have unlimited access to the wisdom of the universe." (Koichi Tohei)

🥋Week 2024-10: Sadami Yamada - Collected Quotes

"Aikido means the oneness of the way of the spirit, of being at one with the life force." (Sadami Yamada, "Principles and Practice of Aikido", 1966)

"[...] before you can control your opponent's body you must first control his mind." (Sadami Yamada, "Principles and Practice of Aikido", 1966)

"Seek to become conscious of being filled with ki, the power of the universe, and to use that power well. To be at one with this great power is aikido, the way of the spirit." (Sadami Yamada, "Principles and Practice of Aikido", 1966)

"However keen you may be to begin your study, before you venture on to the mat and attempt any of the basic techniques it is necessary to know something of the principles that govern aikido, for unless you do understand a little about posture, movement, balance, gentleness and courtesy, you will not be a satisfactory pupil." (Sadami Yamada, "Principles and Practice of Aikido", 1966)

"To appreciate the best opportunity for attack and defence, you must fully understand the rhythm of movement." (Sadami Yamada, "Principles and Practice of Aikido", 1966)

"To gain mastery you must unite the qualities of spirit, strength, technique and the ability to take the initiative." (Sadami Yamada, "Principles and Practice of Aikido", 1966)

"We face the enemy and contend with him - if he turns away we let him go." (Sadami Yamada, "Principles and Practice of Aikido", 1966)

🆃Week 2024-09: On Technique

"Outer forms are taught to indicate the direction we should follow, so though they do, in fact, contain the truth - but if you specialize in them, jumping from one to another and devising new variations, you will lack the essence of the skills of the old masters. Using your own cleverness, you’ll end up as a collector of techniques and your skill will amount to nothing." (Issai Chozan, "The Mysterious Skills of the Old Cat" ["Neko No Myoujutsu"], 1727)

"Regarding technique, from ancient times it has been said that movements must fly like lightning and attacks must strike like thunder." (Morihei Ueshiba, "Budo", 1938)

"Having only techniques without principles amounts to nothing more than giving up one’s capital in order to follow an inferior scheme [to invest in a losing business venture]." (Yearning K Chen, "T’ai Chi Ch’uan: Sword, Saber, Staff, and Dispersing-Hands Combined", 1943)

"A chance to try your technique is in one instant never to be regained, so try it without hesitation." (Kyuzo Mifune, "Canon of Judo: Principle and Technique", 1956)

"In order to improve techniques we have to change the teaching method little by little, but I don’t think we will do something unreasonable like fixing a framework and forcing everything into it. I think we shouldn’t do that. The way aikido should be is spontaneous and naturalness itself. [...] Aiki techniques are varied and multi-faceted. They seem to be separate from one another, however, there is a unity and single order about them. This is where the exquisiteness of aikido lies, I think. Therefore, we have no intention of fixing a framework whether it be political, ideological or economic, that is, to form an organizational structure and force everything into it." (Kisshmaru Ueshiba, [interview] 1978)

"The subtle working of ki is the maternal source that affects changes in breath. It is also the source of martial art as love. When one unifies mind and body by virtue of ki and manifests ai-ki (harmony of ki), delicate changes in breath-power occur spontaneously and 'waza' (proper technique) flows freely." (Kisshomaru Ueshiba, "The Spirit of Aikido", 1981)

"In extreme situations, the entire universe becomes our foe; at such critical times, unity of mind and technique is essential - do not let your heart waver!" (Morihei Ueshiba, "The Art of Peace", 1991)

"In our techniques we enter completely into, blend totally with, and control firmly an attack. Strength resides where one's ki is concentrated and stable; confusion and maliciousness arise when ki stagnates." (Morihei Ueshiba, "The Art of Peace", 1991)

"Train not by thought, but by practice. Learn a wide variety of arts and skills, and do not fix on only one. Know not only your own techniques but also those of many others. Find out rationally what is an advantage and what is a disadvantage. Foster an intuitive ability to judge all things. Feel an essence that you cannot see on the surface. Pay attention to the very smallest of phenomena. (Everything takes its own course, and sometimes we get unexpected results.) Do nothing in vain, for the energy and time we have is limited." (Kazumi Tabata, "Secret Tactics: Lessons From the Great Masters of Martial Arts", 2003)

"Learning a technique is not an end in itself, it merely indicates where you need to start." (Masaaki Hatsumi, "The Way of the Ninja", 2004)

"In terms of the martial arts, there are two training methods: one focuses on the rational aspect of training while the other emphasizes the technical aspect. The martial arts owe its origin to people’s attempts to rationally unify the mind, body, and skill. In the martial arts, truth will reveal itself once your mind gains insight into the empty nature of the world and your body masters and perfects physical techniques." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Mind and technique correspond to each other. When one’s body is active, the mind is at peace. When one’s body is at peace, the mind is active. Keeping physical and spiritual balance is fundamental in a fight." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe."Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"When the harmony of the universe and the harmony of the mind connect, one demonstrates superhuman power. When the power and technique are in harmony, they are on the wave of senses." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)