Forged in Fire

There are many challenging moments in a human life.  Dealing with death, conflict, parenting, and driving tests are a familiar few.  It seems that we never know just what we are capable of until we encounter some form of crisis or challenge.  In the culture of the Aikido Dojo, test practice provides this type of challenge.  When the opportunity to test arises, there is an interesting mixture of excitement and fear for those who greet that challenge.  Often, individuals resonate with one feeling more than the other, but a certain amount of fear and excitement is natural, in fact, they often blend together.

In this time we put our effort into the fine detail of our art, with a laser-like focus.  The heat is turned up on our training.  There is an enormous amount of growth that occurs at this time.

At our dojo, we have a test every two months.  At the beginning of training, students have the possibility of testing every time the period comes up.  As they advance in rank, the required time mandates that they wait longer.  This marks a beautiful new stage in training.  Where early on, the student makes great gains by ingesting large volumes of information and developing basic proficiency in a number of skills, there comes a time when time is most needed for growth.  Ripening can not be rushed, and although the extra waiting may not be appreciated by the eager junior student, it is absolutely critical for continued growth and development.

In one way, the test is a test.  Failing is an option, and a very real one if there has not been enough practice and development.  When the student is successful, the test becomes more of a demonstration of what has already been achieved or realized.  At the higher ranks, there is also a very real sense of growing into a rank after a successful test and promotion.

This can also be a time to cultivate the sempai / kohai relationship.  When our own test is not imminent, test practice allows us to help our juniors.  Having to check and explain a technique is a valuable tool for refining our own understanding.  However, sometimes test practice is a time when the ranks of the dojo thin.  Those who are not eligible for the upcoming test sometimes fade into the woodwork.  Taking care of the business of our lives is very important.  If we fail to take care of work and family, our training can become a stress on our lives, or even an impossibility.  When I observe this drop in attendance however, my concern is that we are prioritizing regular keiko over test practice.  Holding either type of training in priority over the other fails to recognize the distinct value found in each.

At our dojo, we spend approximately one quarter of the year in test practice.  This type of training should not be trivialized.  May the bumps on the road you travel make you a better driver.

All in the family

Both of my daughters have recently started taking Aikido.  It is a lot of fun to do this with them.  However, as an assistant in the class, I find that we all have a better experience when I stay way from them during the actual class.  There is something difficult about having Daddy as a teacher.  They respond to me as Daddy, rather than as a teacher.

Soon they will be testing for their first belt.  I look forward to posting a family picture in which everyone holds a rank.  (my wife is 8th kyu).

Work Where You Are

We spend a lot of our lives trying to get somewhere. We imagine that there is some end to the to-do list. This seems like a simple mistake, but it is a costly one. When I started Aikido training, Shodan was at the end of the list. When I reached Shodan, there was Nidan; the new end of the list. When I started Zen practice, I had a huge list of things that had to happen before my practice became authentic: sit 20 minutes, sit every day, do retreats, have a meditation room.

Both situations contain the same fundamental error. Teaching Aikido to beginners and children, I am coming to see that every stage of practice is complete on its own (something that was easier to see in Zen practice). Each stage has its own challenges and difficulties. Doing that first roll is no less daunting for the white belt than doing that first freestyle is for the senior student. Each level requires its own set of skills, but the deeper solution always goes back to the same place. Posture, balance, and timing. It's one of the things I really like about Aikido, is that we all train together, encountering these challenges right where we are.

The development of my Zen practice has had a similar character, but it has been harder to see at times. The more rooted the practice becomes in my life, the easier it is to see the practice outside of the meditation room. With that expansion, a universe of challenges arises. All the bumps that I encounter in the day are seen as things about myself that I am sticking to. This makes for some brutally honest work. In the end, it too sends me back to the basics; Zazen.

Analogies are tricky things. They may seem brilliant at the time, but they are inherently limited. If I have to offer an analogy in place of the to-do list, it would be doing laundry. It does not end. The washing is complete and perfect, just like the drying, folding and putting away. How we approach it will determine if it is a chore or the natural, beautiful function of our daily lives.

Osu & Gassho