My Attraction to the Spirit and Philosophy of Aikido

By Vanessa DeVilliava (Aikido Schools of New Jersey)

"Aikido is the principle of nonresistance." This seemingly simple statement resonated with me the day I joined the dojo. In the beginning, I looked at it in a very superficial way. I looked at it only from its most basic and physical level. If someone attacks me, I should not allow my energy to clash against my opponent's energy. Rather, I should blend with it, redirect it, and safely neutralize it. This is the reason why I am very much attracted to Aikido. I can defend myself without seriously injuring my attacker.

The techniques in Aikido have the potential to be dangerous. Protecting your attacker is a deliberate and conscious choice. It is a choice that stems from great respect, compassion, and a deep appreciation for every living thing. This was O Sensei's greatest gift to us. O Sensei not only taught us the techniques, but he also impressed upon us a sense of responsibility for others. This sense of responsibility extends to nature as well. We ought to be good stewards of Mother Earth who nourishes us.

To me, no resistance is synonymous to peace and nonviolence. However, Aikido is not about passive nonresistance, which can lead the human spirit to stagnatation. Aikido is about active nonresistance. Moving forward, I want to be clear on how to distinguish between passive and active nonresistance.

If I am attacked, and do not do anything, I am engaging in passive nonresistance. What does that accomplish? While it's true I did manage to avoid conflict, there are indeed unintended consequences. Feeling of shame or resentment may arise. Even worse, I may harbor violent feelings toward my attacker, but since I chose to do nothing, my feelings of anger may be projected on the people around me. It may appear that I value peace and nonviolence, but the end result may create unrest, even possible violence. Peace at all cost is not true peace at all.

Let us now examine the response of active nonresistance in the same situation. In Aikido, the emphasis is that people are basically good. If someone attacks me, it does not mean the attacker is bad, rather it means that he/she has temporarily lost his/her mind. Our job as Aikidoka and moreover as compassionate beings is to actively restore balance. Subduing or overpowering my opponent would not be in keeping with the spirit of Aikido. Instead, I would make my movement and technique so natural and flowing that the attacker would not feel compelled to resist. In this way, my attacker would be practicing AikidoÕs principle of nonresistance even though he/she would not realize it.

One of the biggest challenges for me in Aikido and my own personal life lies in this area. I tend to be a passively nonresistant person. There are times when I train that I know how to do a technique, but I hesitate executing it for fear that I might end up hurting my uke. In my personal life, there have been times when someone would attack me verbally and I would not say or do anything. This would cause me to feel resentful not only to myself, but also towards my attacker. In my mind, I would go over everything I wanted to say but did not. And, because I was angry with myself, I would take out my anger on others around me.

In my culture, as perhaps in other cultures, the word conflict has such a negative connotation that we are conditioned to avoid it at all cost. We do not see conflict as an opportunity to grow, or to restore balance. We see it only as a threat to "peaceful" existence. But as we discovered earlier, peace at all cost is not true peace at all. Sensei Stickles said something in class that still resonates with me today. He said that if nage is only 80% committed to a technique there is a 20% chance that there will be a conflict. I need to have 100% commitment to my techniques, and my practice. I also need to further my 100% commitment to restoring balance within myself, and maintaining balance in my relationship with others people as well.

Practicing Aikido has helped me to grow and be better prepared in dealing with conflict situations. A few years ago, I might have mistaken being assertive with being aggressive. Now, I have developed the ability to distinguish between the two. Even though there are still times I struggle to be assertive, I take comfort in accepting that as I struggle, I am still growing, and not burdened by complacent or helpless feelings.

Moreover, there are times when my growth has come in the form of better understanding me. For example, in his book, The Philosophy of Aikido, John Stevens describes the four souls of Aikido philosophy. Each of these souls represents a different aspect of human nature. The first one is "kushi-mitama" or wonderful soul, representing the part of us that is "intelligent, profound, mysterious, and sensitive". The next soul is named "aramitama", the wild soul. Although "aramitama" possesses positive aspects as "the seat of courage, valor, and industry", of the four souls, only "ara-mitama" has the potential to be dangerous, and destructive if unchecked. "Nigi-mitama" is described as the pacific soul. It is the source of peace and gentleness. Finally, there is "sachimitama", the happy soul, our optimistic self.

As a Psychology major, I tend to view my experiences from a psychological perspective. So, personally speaking, the impact of Aikido philosophy is greatest on me at the physical, psychological, and spiritual levels. In terms of the four souls, I consider ara-mitima to be my shadow. It is the part of me that I do not want to see, and that I do not want others to see in me. However, I must acknowledge that both the positive and negative aspects of ara-mitama exist within me. Accepting its positive aspects while denying or suppressing its negative aspects will not make a complete being. It will only make me fearful of my own self. If I take the spirit of aikido to heart, I must embrace and be accepting of my whole being. Once I do this, I can embrace and accept others.

Another reason why I am so attracted to Aikido is that O Sensei reminds me of one of the most loved saints in the Catholic faith. St. Francis of Assisi and O Sensei lived centuries apart, and in much different parts of the world, and yet their spirituality mirrored each other. They both possessed extraordinary gratitude for all living creatures. It is because of this profound gratitude that St. Francis and O Sensei were able to see people and nature for what they really are, brothers and sisters who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Both of them lived their lives practicing what they preached, and I am grateful to have learned so much from each of them. I live my life trying to follow in their accomplishments.