Japanese culture
Satori is not enlightenment
The word "satori" has been used by Zen people for many years in Japan and most probably someone in Europe or United States translated it as "enlightenment".
The real meaning of "enlightenment" is intellectual and philosophical movement in Europe. See Wikipedia if you are interested.
So "enlightenment" has nothing to do with "satori". Satori is based on physical experience. Enlightenment is intellectual and philosophical. I suppose some Indian guru mixed them in order to get many students in Europe and US. It happens very often that people twist the meaning of words for commercial reason. It is happening all the time in our society and we all have to careful not to be brain-washed by them.
26. April 2020
Do not try to change the world
Many people including famous philosophers and professors are talking about changing the world and they are wrong. Their mistake come from the fact that the world has changed with the use of coal and petrol.
First industrial revolution based on coal only created weapon industry because the extraction of coal from underground was still based on human labour.
The second industrial revolution based on petrol change the world because petrol came out of the ground without human labour and after that combustion engine replaced human labour. This is the change created by the use of material energy. However, use of material energy cannot be continued in the future. Climate change and pollution and the end of petrol production will come inevitably.
It does not mean that we have to change the world. The idea of changing the world is based on use of material energy and only material part of the world can be changed through technology, Technology cannot solve the problem of the world because it is technology itself which created the problem.
Life cannot be changed. Life can only be created. It is useless to try to change the bad people. The only thing we can do is to wait until bad people die and hope that their children will become good people.
We should try to create the good world instead of trying to change the world.
Japan had a very highly developed civilisation in 19 century without use of coal or petrol. Then Japan could develop technology based on coal and petrol very quickly. There must be something which can create a bridge between technology and way of life in the Japanese culture.
I always tried to develop Aikido and taught it in order to create the world for the future.
11. April 2020
What is Zen?
There is a big misunderstanding about what Zen is. It is evident that it was born in Buddhism and developed in China and then came to Japan. However, Zen developed in Japan completely different from the Indian or Chinese origin. That is why the Japanese Zen may not be a part of Buddhism. Even Buddhism itself, it is well-known that the Japanese Buddhism is very different from Buddhism in other countries such as Tibet ,Vietnam etc.
The most important thing about Zen is that it is not meditation. It is a physical practise of trying to achieve the ability of seeing one's own body regardless of one's psyche (feelings, thought, desire, emotion, etc). Then one will understand that the body can make decisive act without a decision as a thought. This is the purpose of Zen and this understanding creates a big relaxation and happiness.
Why one sits long time in Zen?
When one sits for a long time, it becomes very painful to keep the posture. One needs thoughts or desires to create a change but does not need them to keep on the same posture. So one learns to control one's body without thoughts or feelings. Then one may be able to see one's own body independently of one's psyche..
25. March 2020
Questions & Anwers:
Question:
I’m not sure if the Japanese words Joden and Okuden are related with ‘teaching communication’ so that the question can be a nonsense, what are the difference between both degrees in with respect to ‘teaching communication’?
29/4/2020
Answer:
In any country the language is not used correctly and the reality does not correspond with the name. That is why I am not interested to explain the concept or the meaning of the word unless it helps teaching of Ki and Aikido.
Okuden comes after Joden so the understanding should be deeper. "Oku" means deeper.
29/4/2020
Question:
Why the edge of the katana is curved?
29/4/202
Answer:
Find out by yourself before asking questions. If you do not find the answer after 3 months research, ask me.
29/4/2020
Question:
What does Dan and Den mean?
25/4/2020
Answer:
Dan (段) means difference of height like stairs in English.
Den ( 伝) means communication. In this case a teaching communicated from a teacher.
25/4/2020
Question:
Please, could you explain the main characteristics of the Shintoism?
23/4/2020
Answer:
No. I do not know enough to explain it.
23/4/2020
Question:
Is there any relationship between Aikido and Zen?
23/4/2020
Answer:
No.
23/4/2020
Question:
Don’t Kyudo and Iado come from Japan?. Are they consider Jujutsu?
23/4/2020
Answer:
They come from Japan and they are not part of Jujutsu.
23/4/2020
Question:
What is Satori??
23/4/2020
Answer:
Satori is a Japanese word used by Zen people for a long time. There are two words,"wakaru" and "satoru". In Japanese "satori" is a noun and "satoru" is a verb. "wakaru" means to understand something by dividing into several components. It is analytical understanding used in science, technology and politics. One can teach so that the students can "wakaru". It is a result of intelligence. On the contrary "satoru" can be done only by oneself from his life experience. It corresponds to wisdom.
Practise of Zen is supposed to give a inner experience of the practitioner so that he/she reaches to "satori". What you "satoru" depends on your experience and so there are many different "satori" according to the activity of your life. Zen training gives you an experience of seeing your body without interpreting with words or names. Then you experience a well being purely physical similar to a healthy baby in a good environment. So you feel as if you are newly born and this is the origin of the word "sensei" meaning someone who is born before you. Strictly speaking a sensei should have satori but just like everyone is a gentleman or lady these days, the word "sensei" is used just for a teacher, doctor, lawyer, and even for a politician in modern Japan.
In Zen community, a Zen master is supposed to have "satori" but unfortunately most Zen masters did not. It is known that one master who had "satori" tried to convey it to his students but he should be happy if one of his students got "satori". The question is that there is no way to judge objectively if someone had satori or not.
The problem of Zen is that they are too much centred on seeing the body and most masters do not know seeing thoughts. It is important to mention that the Japanese culture was founded by the teachings of Ikkyu who could see his thoughts and his body. He was always criticising other Zen masters that they were not really masters. It is because Zen masters may see their body but do not see their thoughts. So"satori" is not enough to create a life or the world.
Another problem of "satori" is that it requires hard practise and most people do not practise hard enough. So there are probably no Zen masters who got "satori" in the last 100 years in Japan. That is why modern Japanese Zen masters do not try to get "satori" anymore and it is good as such. Only "satori" without seeing thoughts is not so useful to create a better world so "satori" is useless in modern world.
23/4/2020
Question:
Modern Hindus and almost everybody speaks about Karma. What is the Japanese concept of Karma?
Is it in connection with the free mind I spoke about earlier?
13/4/2020
Answer:
I do not know very well Indian culture.
There is no concept of Karma in Japanese except Buddhist who are just copying Indian idea which was brought by Chinese.
I suppose uneducated Japanese people who are influenced by Buddhism can use the concept of Karma in order to accept bad things which happened in their lives.
I cannot see any relationship with the free mind. I even do not know if it exist or not. It is similar question as if God exist or not.
Personally I do not care if they exist or not. They have no influence over my life so I cannot say anything about them..
13/4/2020
Question:
You wrote "I do not know the purpose of meditation".
Does it mean that one should find his one purpose with meditation (if so how to know that we are doing something, or we are on the wrong path?) or that one should practise meditation without purpose?
13/4/2020
Answer:
The word "meditation" is European language and European culture is based on Indo-European culture.
Since I am a Japanese, my mother tongue is Japanese and there is no word or concept which correspond to "meditation".
That is why I do not know what "meditation" means and I can only imagine from what European people write about it.
That is why I do not know the purpose of meditation because it seems to me that each European person who talk about meditation seems to have different purpose.
I do not teach meditation because I do not know what it is. I only teach how to create one's life including Aikido techniques.
Zen is a Japanese word and Japanese concept and so I know what Zen is. That is why I say Zen is not meditation.
I basically teach to see yourself which is your thoughts and your body. After you see your thoughts and your body, you will be able to understand your imagination which is always working inside you. That imagination is real yourself.
13/4/2020
Question:
Earlier you said that Zen is not meditation but a physical practice.
When you on the other hand engage in a meditation practice is that characterised exclusively by being a mental practice or does it or can it contain both a mental and physical practice?
For example when sitting in seiza and doing breathing exercises I imagine that it has elements which regards to both a physical and mental practice.
13/4/2020
Answer:
All human act is based on mental and physical.
Zen needs to have a definite physical form. Meditation is not limited by a fixed physical form.
The name and the concept of meditation is born in Indo-European culture and developed.
So I prefer not to mix the two different concept.
The most important difference is the purpose of the practise. The purpose of Zen was Satori. I do not know the purpose of meditation.
However, nowadays in Japan, no Zen masters are interested in Satori anymore and so Zen practise has become just a kind of meditation now.
13/4/2020
Question:
Where the Omoto kyo sect, and through it, Ueshiba Morihei and Tohei Koichi, influenced by pacifist and non-violent ideological movements (such as Tolstoi or Gandhi for example) during the last years of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th?
7/4/2020
Answer:
Ueshiba Morihei was following Omotokyo but Tohei sensei did not join Omotokyo because it was already prohibited by the Japanese government when he started Aikido.
As far as I know, Omotokyo people did not know the existence of Toltoi or Gandhi and other European ideological movement.
Both Ueshiba and Tohei also did not know any European non-violent philosophy. Non-violent idea existed in Japan since Buddhism came to Japan 1500 years ago.
7/4/2020
Question:
Is it Mu Shin practicing enough for complete Zen practice?
If not what else do you need to practice for complete Zen?
6/4/2020
Answer:
I do not teach Zen.
If you want to practise Zen, you must find a Zen teacher and ask him questions about Zen.
6/4/2020
Question:
Can you explain the difference between Zen and Shinto?
4/4/2020
Answer:
They are completely different. Zen is a training and Shinto is religion.
You have to compare Buddhism and Shintoism. They are both religions.
Zen is not Buddhism. It is true that Zen is born from Buddhism but it changed while it traveled in China and developed in Japan.
Many academic people are confused and use the term Zen Buddhism. This is a typical mistake of academic people. Just like Christianity was born from Judaism, Christianity is different from Judaism.
Zen in Japan specially developed so much that it has nothing to do with Buddhism. Actually Japanese Buddhism is also very different from original Buddhism which still remains in South east Asia.
You just have to study separately if you are interested to know them.
4/4/2020
Question:
Do you believe that from Egypt, the Roman Empire and the current political and economic systems collaborate so that most of the world's culture is not continued, or developed?
And instead of the 1% of the world having the wealth and the remaining 99% having to submit to those who have that wealth? Could developing culture be a peaceful way to change this that has been so installed in us since ancient times?
2/4/2020
Answer:
Until 200 years ago, culture has been developed together with the economical growth and stimulation of different culture and people.
However, use of petrol was discovered around 1870 and it was used to dominate the whole world. This world wide domination stopped the development of culture.
Now military force based on technology and money economy is controlling the whole world and even though many people have a lot of time in their lives, they cannot develop culture anymore.
Culture develops when people could create their own lives according to their own ideas but now it is very difficult for most people to create their lives. This is why culture in general is stagnating all over the world.
Even though it is difficult, it is still possible to create one's own life.
That is the purpose of my teaching.
2/4/2020
Question:
Why Japan developed it's culture?
2/4/2020
Answer:
Culture in general depends on economy.
When people do not have to work in order to survive, they start cultural activities.
Economy in the beginning was based on agriculture such as in Egypt or Roman Empire. After that money became important for economic growth. However, money as paper or coins were developed only in the last two or three hundreds of years. Before that period, precious metal was used as money.
In Japan they discovered a big silver mine and it is said that they produced one third of the world production of silver. This silver production created a big development of the Japanese economy in 16th century.
In Europe precious metal from South America created economical development from 17th century. This is why Japanese culture is developed as well as Europe.
2/4/2020
Question:
What is the meaning of Kyu and Dan system in Aikido and where do they come from?
What could be their use nowadays and how should a practitioner consider them?
31/3/2020
Answer:
Aikido, Judo, Kendo,Karate, and Jujutsu are new activities invented last 140 years in Japan.
Of course their techniques come from the older generations but the structure was first invented by Kano Jigoro as Judo.
Then Kendo followed and Karate was born. Since Karate came from Okinawa which was at that time Chinese culture, some called Karatedo but many did not.
Then Aikido followed. After that they decided that all schools which are not Judo, Kendo, Karate,and Aikido can be called Jujutsu.
Before Judo there was no grading system such as Kyu and Dan. Students just practised and when they become very good, teacher could write a letter of recommendation if necessary.
Since Kano was a professor of University, he invented a grading system copying from school system. Then Kendo, Aikido, and Karate followed. So the grading system of Kyu and Dan is around 120 years old.
The use of grading system is to encourage students to practise and keep dojo activities.
Human society needs many forms in order to keep and develop. Some forms are good and some bad. Aikido people should try to keep the grading system good for practise.
31/3/2020
Question:
What is Mu Shin?
30/3/2020
Answer:
Mu Shin is a Japanese word which is normally translated as No Mind.
It means that you do something without thoughts, feeling, and emotions, etc.
When you repeat the same act many times, you naturally do it with Mu Shin.
So sport players normally play with Mu Shin. However, even sport players have difficulty to deal with their thoughts, feelings and emotions between their actions.
Good example is tennis players. Most tennis players have difficulty to deal with psychics between their actions and sometimes one plays fantastically well when one keeps one's Mu Shin through out the match.
So the difficulty of Mu Shin is to keep your mind without psychics between your actions. This is what Zen masters tried to achieve in their daily lives.
The way is to see your body. If you see your body, your psychics. will disappear.
30/3/2020
Question:
What is sword of no mind, was it a personal martial art of Yamaoke Tesshu or did other samurai practiced it as well, was it a martial art used on a battle field or was it more like spiritual practice?
30/3/2020
Answer:
I have never heard "sword of no mind" in Japanese language.
"No Mind" is a translation of "Mu Shin" in Japanese and many Zen masters talked about the importance of "Mu Shin".
Several sword masters including Yamaoka naturally learned "Mu Shin" and tried to use the concept in their practise and teaching of sword. It has nothing to do with battle field nor spiritual practise. It is a practical concept of sword technique.
Spirituality is a Christian or Indo-European idea and it does not exist in Japan. Zen or Shintoism do not have spirituality.
30/3/2020
Question:
What would you like to give the next generation of Aikido teachers in consideration?
How should the new generation of teachers prepare themselves for teaching and having their own dojo?
What of your aikido legacy would you like to see reflected in the new generation of teachers?
30/3/2020
Answer:
This is a question of journalist and I do not deal with journalists.
I only teach. Everyone should create one's life in one's way and I only try to help it by teaching.
30/3/2020
Question:
"If you do not know what to do, just sit comfortably and do not move."
I guess that by sitting comfortably you mean comfortably sitting in seiza or agura?
29/3/2020
Answer:
It is better to be sitting in Seiza or Cross legged but any posture can be OK as long as your body is relaxed and comfortable.
29/3/2020
Question:
Please explain this with an example:
"Then one will understand that the body can make decisive act without a decision as a thought"
28/3/2020
Answer:
If you do not know what to do, just sit comfortably and do not move.
First try to make a decision and if it is impossible to decide, continue to sit without doing anything. At some moment your body starts to move and do something. In the beginning it may take several hours.
Once you understand it, just keep in your mind questions and things that you have to do without forcing yourself to do them. Then you will see that your body suddenly start doing what you should do.
That is the correct moment of doing it.
This is the only way to do the right thing at the right moment. People try to do the right thing but doing the right things at the wrong moment may give a bad result.
28/3/2020
Question:
According to a part of medical science, it says that feelings and thoughts influence our state of health, which is why they distinguish between positive and negative minds.
How can Zen practice contribute to a healthy body?
27/3/2020
Answer:
Medicine is a part of therapy and this is the fundamental difference from Zen or Ki training.
First difference is objectivity and subjectivity. There are two things one can do; to others or to oneself. Science and medicine are based on the idea of what one can do to others. It is easier to do something to materials because materials normally do not react. So science was developed basically on materials.
Medicine developed on people who are almost dying because then they react less. So most medical operations are done while the patient is made to sleep and does not feel anything and so cannot react.
Psychology is developed on the basis of science and medicine so it is also based on the idea of what Psychologist can do to the patient.
What is positive mind and negative mind? Positive mind makes the body works better and negative worse.
Scientist cannot see your thoughts but can measure your body and guess if your body functions better or worse. Then they imagine that your thoughts are positive or negative and study using statistic.
After that psychologist can use the statistic in order to help patients.
Since the understanding is based on statistic both doctors and psychologist can help only 50 (more or less) percent of the patients.
Zen or Ki Training is what one can do to oneself. So it is impossible to define what positive or negative mind or thought is.
You must also understand that you cannot control your mind or thought. That is why you must control your body and that is Zen or Ki Training.
You must understand your body without using names so that your thoughts or psychi (feelings, emotions, etc) do not influence your body. Then your body naturally tries to function better.
This is the basic nature of life. Oriental medicine is based on this understanding and they try to help you to achieve it but in Europe governments do not accept this idea.
27/3/2020
Question:
What is the meaning or which is the way to do? of, to express yourself inside yourself without expressing toward outside ?
26/3/2020
Answer:
Do not talk and observe your own thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
In other words, listen yourself.
26/3/2020
Question:
Is it possible to practice Zen without sitting for a long time ?
For example, when driving a car or walking in the woods ?
26/3/2020
Answer:
When you are moving your body, it is better to observe your thoughts.
This is not Zen practise but a part of Ki training.
It is similar to comtemplation used by religious people in Europe.
26/3/2020
Question:
When sitting for a long time and pain comes do we continue to sit with the pain?
Isn't pain an indication that our body is being damaged?
26/3/2020
Answer:
A pain indicates abnormality but not necessarily damage. You must be able to distinguish a pain which is not harmful and one which indicates damage.
Normally the pain you experience by sitting is not damaging your body but I cannot guarantee.
All training must be done by taking risk by yourself. I know many people who damaged their feet or knees by jogging but they did not feel pain while jogging.
Cancer normally does not give pain while it is damaging the body. That is why you must be able to see your body and not be dependent on feeling of pain.
26/3/2020
Question:
There are a lot of stories of Zen masters becoming enlightened. Is this the same kind of enlightenment we get in Indian traditions?
25/3/2020
Answer:
Since I do not know any Indian master personally. I can only judge by what they said or wrote.
Most probably Indian people are talking about different psychological transformation but it may depend on each person and I cannot generalize my opinion.
Anyway it is not important to know about others. The only important thing for you is if you see your body or not.
25/3/2020
Question:
Being able to see one's body regardless of psyche seems very pragmatic.
But is it possible to achieve this state of living all the time or is it something we should try to find only at moments of stress in our lives?
25/3/2020
Answer:
Traditional Zen practise is aiming for this awareness of the body all the time but it requires years of practise and it is known only one out of thousands could achieve it.
Personally I have never heard of any Japanese Zen masters who achieved it recently.
So it is enough that you practise Aikido and Ki so that you have a certain degree of your body and freedom from your thoughts and feelings.
25/3/2020