Posts Tagged ‘spirituality’
The Origins of Aikido
The word ‘Aikido’ is produced by the combination of three characters in the Japanese language. ‘Ai’, which signifies ‘joining’; ‘ki’, which signifies ’spirit’ and ‘do’, which which means ‘way’. These three words in fact actualy do encapsulate the essence of Aikido as a type of martial art: ‘the joining of the spirit to find the way’. It was only in the period from 1930’s to the 1940’s that the name Aikido was formally accepted as the name of this martial art type.
Aikido uses ways that do not fatally injure or kill not like other kinds of martial art. The movements and skills being taught are just intended to divert attention or immobilize attackers. This is possibly the explanation why most people prefer Aikido, because of its focus on peace and harmony as opposed to violence and hostility. In deed, Aikido teacher, Morihei Ueshiba, is of the conviction that to control hostility without causing any harm is the art of peace.
Ueshiba, who is also called Osensei, which means ‘Great Teacher’, formed Aikido from the principles of Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. He incorporated the ways of the ‘yari’, the spear; the ‘juken’, the bayonet; and the ‘jo’, which is a short quarterstaff. But what ultimately separates Aikido from other forms of martial art is the fact that its practitioners can strike while empty-handed. Practitioners need no weaponry for their defense.
As a young child, he was greatly into physical fitness and conditioning. This was because of his oath to avenge his father’s enemies. In the end, his studies and actions brought him to the discipline of the various martial arts. He studied a few of them. He even has qualifications for fencing, fighting with spears, etc. He has learned it all. This is maybe the explanation why Aikido is such a disparate and multi-disciplinary kind of martial art.
Yet in spite of his skill, he remained discontented. He felt that there was still something missing. It was then that he turned to the religions. He studied under a spiritual leader, Onisaburo Deguchi of the sect named Omoto-kyo in Ayabe. Deguchi taught him to take care of his psychic growth. He then combined his spiritual beliefs and his mastery of the different martial arts and Aikido was born.
His involvement with this fascinating spiritual leader Deguchi also paved the path for his introduction to the elite political and military personnel as a martial artist. Because of this association, he was able to establish Aikido and even pass on his teachings to students, who have, in turn, created their own styles and movement in Aikido.
Aikido is a blend of the different styles of jujitsu as well as some of the techniques of sword and spear fighting, of which Ueshiba was an expert. To obtain an general picture, Aikido combines the joint locks and throws of jujitsu and the techniques of the body necessary when fighting with swords and spears.
Oriental in origin, it was brought to the West by Minoru Mochizuki when he visited France in 1951. He introduced the Aikido techniques to students who were learning judo. In 1952, Tadashi Abe came to France as the official Aikikai Honbu spokesperson. Then in 1953, Kenji Tomiki toured throughout the United States while Koichi Tohei stayed in Hawaii for a full year where he set up a dojo. Aikido then widened its influence in the United Kingdom two years after and in 1965, it reached Germany and Australia. At present, Aikido has centres all over the world.
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Tags: aikido, exercise, extreme sport, Fitness, Health, Hobbies, jujitsu, martial arts, other, recreation, self defense, self-help, spirituality, sport
Does God Really Speak Today?
One of the questions I get asked from time to time is “Does God speak to us today?” There are two camps of people within evangelical circles in this debate. One group says yes and one group says no. There are very mature Christians who find themselves on opposite sides of this question. My own answer is an unhesitating YES.
We can all think of a preacher on TV or a wierdo that we know who claims God is speaking through them when it is obviously not the case. For the sake of the argument among sincere Christians, let’s just throw that extreme example out for a moment and deal with the more subtle and delicate question of “Does God really speak to his people today apart from the Bible?”
The group that usually answers no to the question give examples of someone who told others that God spoke to them and they ended up being wrong and it hurt someone. This example is powerful because that is a very tough life experience. It seems to give God a bad reputation when someone does that. But is that any reason to really believe that God never speaks anymore?
Consider this: throughout time, God has used two tools in the life of his church. The Bible and the Holy Spirit. We all know people who interpret the Bible wrongly but we don’t throw it out because of that. Just like this, some people don’t know how to interpret what the Holy Spirit is saying or doing, but we shouldn’t come to the conclusion that he doesn’t speak anymore because of this.
The Bible and the Holy Spirit work together in our lives. We don’t possess a 100% fool proof method of interpreting what the Bible says or what the Holy Spirit says, especially about thorny ethical or moral questions. But just because we can’t be 100% sure of what they say all the time doesn’t mean that they are silent. We can’t be sure of what our best friends say some of the time, but we don’t write them off because we can’t always understand them. The fact that there are abuses or disagreements about what the Holy Spirit is saying doesn’t mean that we should cut off all belief that he speaks today.
A Bible passage to support the speaking role of the Holy Spirit is found in John 14:6. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads you into all truth.” If God the Holy Spirit really is inside of us after salvation, then he must speak to us. If he speaks to us, then God still speaks to us today. It doesn’t make sense that the Holy spirit is our advocate, helper, and comforter but that he never says anything to us. God does speak to us today. Listen to his voice.
Tags: Bible, Bible study, christianity, Devotions, God, Hobbies, Jesus, religion, scriptures, spirituality
Yes – The Cosmic Ordering Service Does Home Deliveries!
The thought of being able to order anything you want from the universe and actually getting it, is something more and more people are thinking about. Quite understandable really when one considers the sharp increase in the amount of publicity cosmic ordering has enjoyed recently.
It seems that everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon now that so many celebrities are vouching for it. The question remains though, what are your chances of success as an average person?
In essence, if you really believe something will happen, it usually does. When you start doubting this, you are actually jeopardizing your own chances of success without even realizing it. So yes, in theory, cosmic ordering should in fact work for everyone.
The cosmic ordering service allows you to have anything you desire. This is of course something with which some people disagree, saying they have never had the desire to be ill or to become seriously injured for example and yes, they are absolutely right.
The problem is not the cosmic ordering service, but rather the way you channel your desires. Avoid saying things such as; I really don’t want to get ill. This is a negative manner in which to seek your desires.
Alternatively, rather spin it around a little and say you are exceptionally healthy. In this manner, focus has been directed towards health rather than illness. It is this positive approach that is in line with the workings of the universe.
This is the area that many fail when they make affirmations or attempt to think positive. They see themselves as they are, not as they could be, and reaffirm their station in life instead of affirming the spot they should be and believing they are already received their cosmic order.
As we embark on our journey through life, our beliefs are often influenced by other people as well as different experiences. When we first started out in this life, we believed in ourselves and that all things were possible and now, we need to believe like that once more.
In a perfect world, a child would grow up with support and knowledge that they deserve all that they want. Instead, children are taught that it’s wrong to want a lot. It’s bad to receive whatever you want unless you work hard and long hours, and then you also have to have a special reason that you deserve the reward.
Always saying that we should count our blessings is wrong. Why should we settle for practically nothing? After all, there’s more than enough for everyone. In fact, there’s so much, it could stretch to the edge of infinity.
If you believe there’s not enough for you, beware, because this in itself is channelling negative desire. Don’t desire what another has, as this could be interpreted as meaning you don’t have enough, another negative channel. Instead, be happy for those who have plenty and simply remind yourself, there is enough for everyone.
The human brain can move a quark, the smallest particle we know of, simply by sending out waves of energy. This is not theory, but rather a fact which has been proven by modern science. Positive thinking releases positive energy and positive energy, gets positive results.
Changing old patterns and beliefs isn’t as easy as reciting a few phrases. You need to clear out the old beliefs that you’ve held for years. They hang in your mind with a firm hold unless you use the tools available to clear them away.
These tools, like self-hypnosis, binaural frequency waves and subliminal suggestion and affirmations, shoot past the logical portion of the mind into the belief portion, the subconscious. The help to clear away the old beliefs that stop you from using the cosmic ordering system to get everything that you want.
You need to believe that the cosmic ordering service can and does work, and you need to believe that as a human being, you can control your future and determine your own happy destiny.
Tags: cosmic order, cosmic order service, cosmic ordering, cosmic ordering service, Entertainment, spirituality
Buddhist Symbols and Their Meaning
Buddhist symbols are generally considered in relation to a particular culture or religious affiliation. Everebody heard about Eight Auspicious Symbols, dorje (vajra) and bell, stupa etc. In India, it is not surprising to find some commonly used Buddhist symbols, despite the fact that Hinduism is the main religion there. However, their representation and role serve totally different purposes. The Buddha lived about the 6th century but there has not been found any Buddhist art or symbols from this time. According to the Buddhist holy writings, the Buddha used such images and forms of art like the Wheel of Life in his teachings as symbolic representations to explain or elaborate a particular Buddhist teaching. Some artifacts dating to the time of Emperor Ashoka have been found and his conversion to Buddhism is believed was the first step to the spread of Buddhism around India and its neighboring countries.
Around the first century, all the Buddhist art excavations discovered have been purely symbolic in nature. The coming of the Buddha Tantra brought with it the art of Buddhist meditation by use of imagination and visualization techniques, a form of Buddhist meditation known as Tibetan Buddhism. A large collection of Buddhist art representing deities that was used in these forms of Buddhist meditation rituals can now be found in Buddhist temples throughout the region. Most of these collections were Buddhist literature and artwork.
The Buddhist temples housed mostly literature and artwork associated with Buddhism. The wheel, stupa and the lotus are often used in Buddhist meditation and are therefore not missing in Buddhist temples. Let?s take a look at some of these symbols and see their significance when it comes to Buddhism.
One of the Buddhist art symbols is the bell. This symbol has a natural function and is believed to dispel wicked spirits. It consists of the moondisc, dorje and the lotus symbols. The bell complements the dorje in the religious light. While the bell has a feminine representation to it of wisdom, the dorje represents compassion in the masculine gender.
The dorje is a substantive symbol that represents the invincible state of Buddha hood. The dorje is actually a scepter and is regarded as a very important ritual item in Buddhism meditation practices.
Incense offering is considered to be an important aspect of Buddhism. During the time of offering the incense, specific requests that touch on such areas as success, longevity and health are offered. During the Buddhist meditation that follows the incense burning, qualities like joy, love and compassion are meditated upon, and the one meditating takes refuge in such reflections.
One location that is important in Buddhist worship is Mount Kailash. This mountain peak is located on the Himalayan Mountains and is regarded as the central point of our vast universe. It is an important location for Buddhist meditation and has a religious connection to the 4 main religions of the region. These religions are Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Bon.
To many, Buddhist art and its accompanying symbols are simply visual mantras. However, it is claimed that contemplating on the significance of these forms of art present in Buddhist temples and used in Buddhist meditation, one will build an inner connection with the represented aspect.
Tags: buddhism, buddhist symbols, design, Design & Remodel, esoterica, ethnics, incense, india, meditation, oriental, spirituality, symbols, tibet, tibetan buddhism
