Aikido is considered a modern martial art with foundations in a very old and combative form of jujutsu known as “aikijujutsu” as well as classical Japanese sword fighting. The founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, was a martial artist of considerable skill and real-world experience, having been involved several life-or-death conflicts where he actually had to apply his martial prowess.
Ueshiba dedicated his life to the practice and study of martial arts and was a thoroughly trained warrior. But he was also a man who, like many of us, had a deep desire to find his purpose in life. The search for truth led him to a very strict offshoot of Shintoism known as Oomoto. Ueshiba’s life experiences, especially those stemming from the horror of war along with his devotion to spiritualism led him to a fundamental conclusion that would change his view of martial arts.
His conclusions on the reality of self-defense and combat led him to alter most of the destructive and fatal techniques of his fighting system, thus Aikijutsu became Aikido: The Art of Harmony. The basic premise of aikido is that a person needs to first find harmony and balance in himself and create harmony with others, especially in conflict. Rather than clash with or destroy an opponent, it is incumbent on the aikido student to blend with negative energy and redirect it in an attempt to find a mutually beneficial outcome. In terms of self-defense, this means that an aikido practitioner has a moral obligation to “protect” rather than dispatch an aggressor. Of course, this requires a great deal of skill and devotion.
I know a lot about aikido because I spent more than 25 years studying, teaching and training in the art. The practice of aikido changed my prospective on martial arts and life in general. I listened to men whom I continue to respect and admire, talk about self-perfection through aikido training and I’ve spent a great deal of time and energy trying to physically, mentally and spiritually grasp these concepts. After many years on the mat, a lot of good and bad memories and some permanent injuries, I’ve reached a conclusion: I respectfully disagree.
I have a moral obligation to avoid conflict, to maintain my control and composure when people attack me with accusations and insults or cut me off in traffic. I must strive to live the faith I proclaim, to raise above the inclination to hit back with a barrage of verbal weapons or passive-aggressive behavior. If I identify myself as a Christian, I must remember Christ’s message on the greatest of commandments: Love God with all that I am, and love everyone (not just people who agree with me) as I love myself. Simple edicts, very difficult in practice.
But my moral obligation ends when a person’s aggression turns to physical application. Threaten my life or the lives of those I love and I will do my best to stop that aggression, whether that means breaking something or ending the life of an assailant. And since I’m not very fond of guns, I have to train hard every day to make my mind and body a weapon capable of, at the very least, putting up a good fight. Rather than redirect aggressive energy, I will accept it (uke for those who understand) and strike, quickly and decisively to end the conflict. That's the goal, anyway. I have no desire to have us both reach a mutually beneficial conclusion other than you coming to the realization that this was the wrong house to break into in the middle of the night. You're not here asking to borrow sugar.
As I see it, (very important phrase here) the problem with aikido training today is the humanistic notion that there is no evil or “sin” in the world. The idea that everybody is basically good (not a biblical concept, by the way) and people are a product of their circumstances rather than their choice. Circumstances have an influence on choice, but YOU make the choice. Kind of like deciding to take out a college loan, but I digress. Because everybody is basically good, the aikidoka must avoid causing unnecessary harm.
If the martial art I practice dictates that I have to place myself “above” someone who clearly wants to harm me, then my technique and training will reflect that philosophy and I will most likely end up in a hospital or morgue. Aside from daily self practice, my skills will only improve if my training partner is actually trying to hurt me…not help me “create” the art. In my own search for truth, I have come to realize that training myself in potentially damaging or lethal arts places far more responsibility on me to avoid conflict all together. It would be egotistical for me to believe I can redirect someone’s energy and put them in a neat little armbar rather than condition myself to beat them to the punch. Anyone who means to do you harm is not going to harmonize with you.
So, out of respect for the founder and all of those who study the art, I no longer teach aikido. We incorporate many of the principles and concepts into our karate and tai justu classes, but I think if someone is truly on the Aiki path, their road to self-discovery is heading in a different direction than my own.
Some of those closest to me would disagree, but there really is evil in the world. And there really is sin. Our capacity to sin influences the evil we bring into the world. If we seek to avoid sin or whatever expression you want use, we ultimately create a better world. But evil is real and it does not play favorites, nor does it discriminate. Knowing that we all have the potential for evil is the key to understanding moral obligation.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho