Inspecting the Diamond’s many sides

The first time I entered our dojo and watched Sensei teaching class, I knew something was going on that I could not see, and I was hooked.

The study that takes place in dojos like ours all around the world is the result of many roads converging within and then re-emerging from

one person. O Sensei postulated, shaped, and founded Aikido based on a lifetime of martial arts study and personal martial experience. His first students were highly skilled and accomplished martial artists from a range of systems, including Karate and Ju Jit Su. They say he (and the art he created) was like a diamond, which is brilliant from any perspective but not exactly the same on all sides.

Sensei is a strong proponent for seeing other perspectives (he often mentions soft eyes). By remaining the empty cup, we give ourselves the opportunity to understand the diamond from more than one side. That’s why it is good rishiki (dojo etiquette) to follow the instruction of whoever is leading the class as closely as possible, because that effort is your best chance to understand the perspective of the Aikidoka (practitioner of Aikido) instructing.