|
|
Aikido
of San Jose
190 Martha Street.
San Jose, Ca. 95112
Body/Mind Quantum Self-Defense
Jack Wada, Chief Instructor
“To
know the self is to know the universe.”
-Morihei Ueshiba
Quantum is a term that refers to the new physics of extremely small sub-atomic particles. What we term reality does not hold at that level. Things are largely space. Tiny amounts of space can hold tremendous energies. Subatomic particles flash in and out of existence at the speed of light. All is not as it seems as in our nice, ordered, material universe.
What might the quantum term have to do with self-defense and Aikido in particular? At the sub-atomic level things are both wave and particle. In aikido practice we train in physical forms of attack and defense. Yet a common experience is that within the physical movement there is the perception of something else. Students often refer to it as “a movement within the movement”. This also might be described as some kind of energy flow. In Japanese it is simply referred to as “Ki”. So the wave particle duality may in aikido be form/energy. The study of the forms of attack and defense is merely the beginning and hopefully leads to much deeper levels of understanding and experience.
Another duality is that of mind and body. Am I my body? Am I my mind? Where lies my true nature, my true self? Aikido has a lot to do with resolving dualities. Is it possible that the attacker is on some level an expression of oneself?
At a very deep level the whole universe may be composed of energy and information, essentially “non-stuff”. A wax candle and a glass jar are composed of essentially the same components at the sub-atomic level. It is the way in which their respective energy and information are put together that produces their differences and creates their uniqueness. The ordering of all energy and information in the universe suggests an intelligence to all things. Perhaps we are all thinking, intelligent beings in a thinking, intelligent universe.
The founder suggested that there is an essential harmony to the universe. Feeling that he himself was one with the universe, he said that any attacker would in attacking have to first break that harmony and then attack the universe itself. There was no way he/she could win, ie defeat the universe. So in this way, the fight was over before it could even start. Deepak Chopra has coined the term “Quantum Healing” for healing that may occur at this “no time, no space” level, citing cases for which traditional medicine has not answers.
Thus Quantum Self-Defense is a term that ultimately refers to a return from duality to one-ness, between self and universe, attacker and defender, this and that……….
Ultimately, quantum self-defense is self-defense without the hyphen
Thank you for a wonderful year of training in 2000. There are many of you in whom I have seen a much deeper reflection of the spirit of Aikido. Let's move on together into a still more spirited 2001.