Empty Yourself and Let the Divine Come Through
“Unite yourself to the cosmos, and the thought of transcendence will disappear. Transcendence belongs to the profane world. When all trace of transcendence vanishes, the true person ‐ the Divine Being ‐ is manifest. Empty yourself and let the Divine function.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
If Your Heart Is Large Enough
“If your heart is large enough to envelop your adversaries, you can see right through them and avoid their attacks. And once you envelop them, you will be able to guide them along the path indicated to you by heaven and earth.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
The Vastness of the Path
“The Path is exceedingly vast. From ancient times to the present day, even the greatest sages were unable to perceive and comprehend the entire truth; the explanation and teachings of masters and saints express only part of the whole. It is not possible for anyone to speak of such things in their entirety.
Just head for the light and heat, learn from the gods, and through the virtue of devoted practice of the Art of Peace, become one with the Divine.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
The Victorious Path of Non-Resistance
“The Art of Peace is the principle of nonresistance. Because it is nonresistant, it is victorious from the beginning. Those with evil intentions or contentious thoughts are instantly vanquished. The Art of Peace is invincible because it contends with nothing.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
An Empty Mind WIth A Body Full of Light and Heat
“Always keep your mind as bright and clear as the vast sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with the power of wisdom and enlightenment.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
Moving Around Your Center
This advice is not just for martial artists: keeping a stable serene center is one of the most important skills that any of us can learn.
“Move like a beam of light: fly like lightning, strike like thunder, whirl in circles around a stable center.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
Life Is Growth
“Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
Manifest Your Innate Enlightenment
“Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
Training In The Art of Peace
“Daily training in the Art of Peace allows you inner divinity to shine brighter and brighter. Do not concern yourself with the right and wrong of others. Do not be calculating or act unnaturally. Keep your mind, set on the Art of Peace, and do not criticize other teachers or traditions. The Art of Peace never restrains, restricts, or shackles anything. It embraces all and purifies everything.”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
Sage Advice
“Spring forth from the Great Earth;
Billow like Great Waves;
Stand like a tree, sit like a rock;
Use One to strike All.
Learn and forget!”
–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)
