bookend to the Tao Teh Ching, . . and good for any aikidoka or any martial artist for that matter in making peace and harmony an overarching goal in the struggle of the everyday, Very interesting book on the traits of a warrior to emerge victorious over himself, Martial arts like aikido here is used to create a mind body balance, movement like water, rain,birds etc very much inspired from the way of Zen.
I think these virtues of calm, fearlessness, endurance, rhythm can be useful in everyday life as well, The book that changed my life ! If you'd like a pageaday philosophical affirmations book, then this one's for you, I don't mind the bitesized
chunks this book can be broken into, but for the most part, the subject matter isn't my cup of tea, Several quotes did stand out to me, though,
"Be grateful even for hardships, setbacks, and bad people, Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace, "
"Failure is the key to success each mistake teaches us something, "
"Fiddling with this and that technique is of no avail, Simply act decisively without reserve!"
"Cast off limiting thoughts, . . " the rest of that quote wasn't as important to me
I did, however, notice that other editions arepages longer, Part of me wonders what I missed, while the other part is thankful that I accidentally read the shortest version available, Prior to discussing content, it is important to note that The Art of Peace is literally a pocket book with the physical dimensions being,x.x.inches.xxcm. Consistent with the small physical size, the thoughts/aphorisms contained in this book, acquired from Moriheis collected talks, poems, and calligraphy, and from oral tradition are also very brief most being a sentence or two in length.
Translation of the material was provided by John Stevens: a Zen scholar and Aikido instructor,
While John Stevens certainly has the background to compile The Art of Peace, as the person reviewing this book, I have NO knowledge of Aikido and no prior knowledge of the founder: Morihei Ueshiba.
That being said, at the very beginning of the book it was plain for even me to see that the essence of Moriheis teachings are truly based on a system of harmony within that allows us to interact in a harmonious way without.
“Unlike the authors of oldtime warrior classics such as The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings, which accept the inevitability of war and emphasize cunning strategy as a means to victory.
Morihei understood that continued fighting with others, with ourselves, and with the environment will ruin the earth, What we need now are techniques of harmony, not those of contention, ”
Many of the quotes/aphorisms are profound and they inspire the reader to ponder various aspects of life in general, The wisdom is essentially timeless because the ideas are a philosophy on life, a way of living in harmony with the universe, not simply a series of techniques to throw an opponent across the room.
Indeed, the “real way of the warrior is based on compassion, wisdom, fearlessness and love of nature, ”
Other ideas put forth by Morihei Ueshiba that I particularly made note of:
Life is growth, If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead,
'There are many paths leading to the top of Mount Fuji, but there is only one summit love, '
'A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing, '
'Each day of human life contains joy and anger, pain and pleasure, darkness and light, growth and decay, Each moment is etched with natures grand designdo not try to deny or oppose the cosmic order of things, '
'ULTIMATELY, you must forget about technique, The further you progress the fewer teachings there are, The Great Path is really No Path, '
As much as I enjoyed, and will certainly benefit from, reading the ideas of Morihei Ueshiba, the fact that no specific sources were provided with the individual thoughts is a disappointment.
I dont have any doubt that what John Stevens shares is accurate, its just that I would like to examine some of these quotes/aphorisms in context or I would like to follow the train of thought all the way to the station.
On the other hand, if the intent of not providing the source information was to compel the reader to go on a journey of discovery, then I would say that the aim was successful because I will certainly be reading other books on the philosophy of Morihei Ueshiba.
In the end, if I had to sum up the essence of Morihei Ueshibas thoughts, as they appear in The Art of Peace, it would be thus: Walk softly and carry a big stick.
Lots of wisdom to meditate on in this relatively slim volume of teachings from the Aikido master Morihei Ueshiba, Although I can't lift a suitcase Morihei Ueshiba's definition of someone strong enough to practice Aikido, I still observe lots to learn from a great teacher, Morihei Ueshibas The Art of Peace: Teachings of the Founder of Aikido translated by John Stevens in book form is very different than the audible version Brian Nishii narrates.
Every year I pick a word to reflect fordays, PeaceistheWord
Besides my faith phrase “Peace, be still”, am journeying deeper into what peace means, for me,
How to share this space and energy with others has become a door to a better connection, Great joy. What I wanted to be when I grew up, happy,
Along the way have a stack of books to read to encourage me along the way,
I've been reading the hardcover version which is the same as the pocketsized one, Except for the number of pages as the smaller ones require more to fit some of the writing,
Truth be told as other reviewers note first learned of the book on an episode of The Walking Dead,
I didn't know the Audible was expanded until after listening to hear it not match the book, Then read the summary with Audible, I intended to listen to the audio of the print and continue reading visually, Reflecting on the many ideas and thoughts of peace Mr, Ueshiba shares.
Tremendous book intro to the print version, for me, Its brief outlining of what to expect has me wanting more,
I'm jumping between the hardcover and Shambhala pocket classic which is a tiny version, Has the same content. I can take it with me to enjoy between appointments or while taking a break from a project,
Past the introduction based on the author's life, the remainder of the book has a fruitful context, Each page is similar to a sevencourse meal of wisdom,
The madefor audible version dives way deeper into Mr, Ueshibas life. What made him who he is and more indepth about Aikido,
I like the explanation about this physical aspect of what peace can express,
I think the only part that didn't float my literary boat was the assertion people who ground their life within a particular faith are wasting their time.
Manmade belief systems are extinct,
This is my take of what was said, I completely understand where the intention is coming from, But not how it was asserted,
It's my understanding that faith isn't stagnant, If people are compelled to be earthly in their practice it's not for me to judge, Or insist it's irrelevant or worthless anymore,
Grown adults who are living their best life make decisions for the good of themselves, families, friends, others, Whatever they conclude is their belief for whatever reason is up to them, If they believe in God it's between them and God and depending on how they express this is the community in which they vibe,
This all said, I'm super fond and will continue reading the print version,
As for the audible version, it's a lot of interesting facts, But not why I picked up the print version,
for the Audible
for the print version, Because it's easy to digest, Reflect upon each page where a unique idea is shared,
These remind me of Bruce Lees quotes and often compare them to scriptures that are important to my prayer life,
Hope this review is helpful and encourages you to pick a word for the year toward practicing living your best heartfelt life Your greatest opponent is always yourself.
. . this book although focused on Aikido will help anyone find the 'centering' that is so important before any action is taken which could be used against you if not properly contextualized.
This book has many insights that go beyond 'martialarts' can be read as a way to interact with the sphere of life we all share, I want to learn Aikido now, The real way of the warrior is based on compassion, wisdom, fearlessness, and love of nature, So taught the great Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the Japanese martial art of Aikido, Aikido is a disciple Ueshiba called the “Art of Peace, ” It offers a nonviolent way to victory in the face of conflict, and he believed that Aikido principles could be applied to all the challenges we face in lifein personal and business relationships, as well as in our interactions with society.
These succinct and pithy teachings are drawn from his talks and writings, The collection is compiled by the renowned modern Aikidoist John Stevens, a disciple of Ueshiba, Ive been vegan foryears, and, since at least the eighth grade, Ive upgraded my religious stance from agnostic to areligious to atheist, Labeling myself as an atheist was primarily politically motivated, an easy way to identify myself as an oppositionist of organized religion, It was an indicator of who I wasnt, not who I was, and didnt really express the spirituality that was at the core of my veganism, When I joined Facebook circa, I coined or borrowed I dont recall seeing or hearing it anywhere before I used it, but very well may have the term “karmic veganism” to describe my religious views.
That remains, to this day, a much more accurate descriptor for how I see myself and my place in the world through a constructive, rather than destructive, lens.
Over the past half decade or so, Ive increasingly felt as if Im moving against the grain of the modern world, or at least navigating it at a slower pace.
As the world fills up with more things to do, more places to go, more stuff to have, I find myself looking to do less, own less, be less to get more from less.
If my life over the first forty years was about acquiring, the past five have been more about curating what surrounds me so that I might reduce my physical, emotional, and spiritual clutter and create more space for calm, peace, and balance.
It is in this spirit that I approached Morihei Ueshibas “The Art of Peace, ” This edition, translated and edited by John Stevens, contains a brief overview of Ueshibas life and his own spiritual path that led to the creation of aikido and served as the foundation for his teachings.
These collected aphorisms werent written by Ueshiba himself rather, they were compiled by his students from his talks, poems, and calligraphy, Although ostensibly aimed at practitioners of aikido, Ueshibas words transcend such limitations, presenting themselves as keys to anyone looking to live a life based on the four great virtues of bravery, friendship, wisdom, and love.
In this hectic and crowded modern world, “The Art of Peace” serves to help cleanse oneself of maliciousness, get in tune with ones environment, and clear ones path of obstacles.
This isnt a onetime read these are lessons one can come back to again and again, enlightening and enriching oneself with each rereading, I know I will. .
Pick Up The Art Of Peace Constructed By Morihei Ueshiba Listed As Script
Morihei Ueshiba