The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido by William Gleason

The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido by William Gleason

Morihei Ueshiba, who founded Aikido early in this century, intended that his martial art would give form to profound spiritual truth, and lead to a unification of the world's peoples. He saw Aikido not as a fighting method or as a competitive sport but rather as a means of becoming one with the laws of universal order--ki, or life energy. Unfortunately, the subtleties of Ueshiba's teachings, veiled in the esoteric terminology of Shinto, can be puzzling for even the most advanced practitioners. They are not passed down today, and have never been introduced to the West. Gleason, a fifth-degree (Godan) black belt in Aikido, recognizing the importance of the spiritual aspects of the discipline, researched its roots in Shinto, and in this book is able to offer a clear explanation of Ueshiba's teachings.

* Unlike the common "how-to" manuals on basic technique, this is the first book to introduce the underlying spiritual principles of Aikido--the elusive concept of kototama (word souls), expressed as one spirit, four souls, three origins, and eight powers--and how they relate to the forms.

* Teaches the student how to use Aikido to accomplish spiritual goals.

* Reveals little-known teachings of Shinto and Aikido, relating them to Buddhism, Christianity, and other spiritual teachings.

William Gleason has spent more than two decades studying aikido, Japanese medicine, and philosophy, including ten years in Japan. He is the director of Boston's Shobu Aikido and has translated works by George Ohsawa and Mitsugi Saotome.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780892815081
ISBN 10	0892815086
Title	The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido
Author	William Gleason
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Year published	1995-11-16
Number of pages	216
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.