Koichi Tohei Sensei always told us to live with the Universe.
We live our life based on the values which come from our past experiences. Each person has their own gauge at to what is acceptable, and it is very important that it be the true and accurate gauge. When the correct gauge is forgotten, we cannot see what is true. This gap in our perception often grows further apart, day by day, little by little.
If the gap becomes huge all the sudden, we might be able to notice easily. However, when the gap grows slightly each day, we cannot realize, and we finally become aware it only after something wrong happens.
We have heard stories of someone humble becoming arrogant after his business grows, and as a result, many good people leave him.
When people succeed again and again, they tend to repeatedly act in the same old patterns. Or, they get bloated with pride, and sometimes make a tragic mistake.
In the beginning, they may think “This is not right.” But then, they change their idea to “Maybe, this is OK for me,” and widen their acceptable range, and finally fail.
I think this all comes from the person following the wrong inner gauge. Therefore, we need to know that we cannot necessarily trust our own method of gauging our actions.
To avoid this, we need to remember “to live with the Universe.” This means not to live with one’s own measure, but to live based on Universal principles.
Recently, I had a chance to stay in a forest for two days without computer or iPhone. While there, I could just feel the great nature, and I could not think of too many things, and there was only something very important. I had a feeling that all of my overcomplicated thoughts had been released.
And after I came back from there to my daily life, I have noticed something very important.
I had been using my own gauge to see everything in life and it was not accurate.
Ki-Aikido training is based on Universal principles. Natural posture and natural movements come out of a natural state of mind. We train at the dojo to learn this natural state.
To start our new year (April in Japan), I would like to begin with this fundamental practice “to live with the Universe” again.