What is Ki?

An interview with Yoshigasaki sensei 8º gives to Instructor Head of the Ki nonKenkyukai in Europe

What is Ki? Ki is a Japanese word, which is written with Chinese characters, for that reason has a meaning in Chinese and another one in japones, these meaning is very different and has created much confusion. Of course, for the meaning of the Chinese word in - I suppose that the serious pronunciación something asi as Qi - or something similar one would be due to ask the Chinese town, but since I am Japanese I prefer to use the word Ki in the way japones, that means something asi like which not this sure that it cannot be defined. In the daily life it can mean feelings, sensations or emotions or ideas, which do not estan todavia clear but you would estaran it ahead but. Or some motivation, etc, etc. It is for that reason that to understand Ki is very important, in the sense that this it is a process of understanding of our own life and to include/understand us to we ourself.

Sensei, has metodo I specify to teach in the classes of Ki and another different one in those from Ki-Aikido?

To teach in the classes of Ki is to practice basic slight knowledge. But the question is that it practices it of the Ki is made in the daily life, this is difficult but it is the only way. It is by that I make Ki-Aikido, is the meaning of so that we used the principles of the Ki for practices it physical of this martial art: the Aikido, with this people obtains a good exercise and it practices it of the Aikido is possible to be integrated in the daily life and of this form people are but easy much it to continue the practice during long time. Another reason is that practicing the certain techniques of Aikido things of the Ki are much more easy to explain and to understand. For that reason I really think that the Ki Aikido is a very good form to practice Ki.

When people speak on the Ki, this serious one as the hidden part of the martial arts like the Aikido. Podria to give some example us of nonmartial development in people?

The practice of the Ki is good for everybody but the question is that a superficial level is very easy to obtain by much people. But whenever you want to arrive at a level but deep your you must live with it, this is the difficulty. Normally people need a physical activity which podria to be yoga, taichi or a therapy, really is not important what. What it is really important is that people can use the principles of the Ki in her physical activities. It is why the Aikido is good, but if another people use the principles of the Ki in her daily life very well this.

Sensei, you have explained the difference between the classes of Ki and Ki Aikido, but She can specify, in a basic sense, why you you are teaching Ki in any case?

Why I teach the Ki is because nobody plus teaches it. This is basically why. But at the moment, in house, some times I ask myself of why I am teaching. When I hear other professors teach to enough times without sense or errors, or when I see meditation books, many of them full of are sinsentidos. For that reason my motivation is given so that there are many bad professors in the world, somebody would have to teach of correct form. This is the only motivation of my education.

It could give a science definition me, and also an indication of which science is making our society? Original science goes back to the Greek times. I suppose that at the Greek time science was the investigation of the Nature, the Universe, the human beings, etc..y this continues until century XV, before the industrial revolution, and the scientists were at the same time artists, as Leonardo gives Vinci, etc., and philosophers, so all this is connected. But then after the industrial revolution in England, science got to be very material, because they could use science for the intention of the material progress of industrialization. So, after that, the scientific industrial revolution got to be very material, which is not so good for the life, since material science is based on the material principle. Now people are beginning to use science for the life clearly in the last, because, we say 20 or 30 years, we have seen that the material progress is not sufficient. He is then, when professors of the university who try to understand the human life with called science human science or something similar. Here, it increases a danger, because to apply material principles in the life completely it is mistaken. So these errors are making damage and will create still more in our life. That is why of which my intention is to propose something that can replace material science; meaning with something, that that has a as good structure as science.

Sensei, what it means "Shin Shin Toitsu", and "unit of mind and body". It is just like coordination mind and body? What is mind and what he is espiritu? Both, unification of mind and body, or unit of mind and body, and coordination of mind and body are the translation of the Chinese or Japanese words, so it is the same thing. This unification of mind and body, I do not know the one who began this idea; perhaps the people of zen or the Chinese, I do not know it. But this unification of mind and body is only one part of which I am teaching. It is a good concept, but it is not so important. The mind is a concept: something that moves to the body. That is the normal concept of mind. Spirit is a religious word, so I never really use the word spirit. For me spirit is a word for the religious people who believe in God.

Following with which he finishes explaining, he could give me to a definition of the word meditation? The word meditation is also an English word, and really, I do not know the one who invented it. I cannot find no word Japanese that it corresponds with meditation, so is something that I do not know enough good. Let us say that it is an advisable word to describe certain activities with which we can try to understand our own life in relation to the world. So of some form, I use the word meditation to mean that the activities are unified with the life and the entire world.

Sensei, Ki and breathing seem to go together. Why it is thus, and there is a reason so that, in general, many we breathe inadequately? Ki, is something that is not sure but gets to be clear later. It stops most of people to breathe is also Ki, because most of people is not conscious of its own breathing. Some times the breathing apparently arrives, to be disturbed without the people of account of it; so to practice the Ki in the daily life it is a way to know our own breathing. But then, to do this, you must also understand the practice of the breathing like a basic practice of the diaphragm, which, must move well. That is the basic practice. And then, after that, we make the practice of nonbreathing, which means that your you must know your own breathing.

According to what I can feel in same me, a better breathing has many implications. There is something more what to say on the physical consequences of a good breathing. What are on the relation between breathing and emotions and with the conscience? The influence of a good breathing for the health, well, I suppose that a good breathing helps to maintain good health. I do not have the statistics, but I hope that it is thus. For the emotional part, also. Much people do not realize when they breathe of incorrect form. Evidently, when you breathe bad your emotions disturb yourself. Really, there is no problem with the emotions, only with the insane people, which causes that the breathing as well is disturbed. So that, practicing good breathing your emotions get to be clear and imperturbables. Then you will find that to have emotions it is good, and of some form all the emotions are pretty.

What is emotion? Emotion is a movement of the body caused or related to the movement of the diaphragm.

It could give an idea us of the functional meaning of the emotions? Why we have emotions? I do not know why, but that we perceived something of the outside we almost always have a reaction. When this reaction is not harmonious then the part that is not harmonious must be expressed by the movement of the body. For that reason, to have emotions is very good always. The only thing is when you are breathing of incorrect form and the diaphragm does not move correctly, then the inner movement is not harmonious and it is not good for the body. And if the emotions benefit to the body is well, but the reality for much people is that the annoying emotion to the body, that one is the problem.

It could give some idea us of conscience; what is conscience? Sees some improvement of the conscience thanks to the breathing Ki or the practice of the Ki? The word conscience is a word that almost I do not use because I do not understand really its meaning. Therefore I cannot answer the question. But I can say why I do not use the word conscience. To be conscious means that you perceive something that before you did not perceive. Therefore it is impossible to practice the conscience because you never can practice conscious being of something. For that reason it is reason why when your mind is free, then there is a possibility that you can be conscious of new things. The word is for that reason reason why never use conscience when I teach to people.

Pardon, I did not understand his definition of conscience. To be conscious of something means to pecibir something that was not perceived before. This is a discovery, is for that reason reason why we cannot practice it, because we cannot practice the discovery. We can only discover when the mind is free, therefore the practice consists of maintaining our minds free.

Sensei, often I have heard to him explain that the class of Ki is for our own development, and that the meditation is something more than therapy. But how a class of Ki be interesting for a therapist can. A therapist could get to be a teacher of Ki. Is that one the sense of the setsudo word? In the first place, the practice of the Ki is for our own life, whereas the people interested in the therapy mainly are interested in curing to other people, therefore are interested in other people. But then, the technique to do something for other people, to deal with other people, and the technique to deal with one same one is different. This is reason why always I say that this meditation, or the practice of the Ki, is not therapy. To explain this is specially important to see the difference between meditation and psychology. For that reason always I make clear that people do not use the meditation like a psycotherapy. And then, this setsudo is a Japanese word that I do not know who began to use it. It means to teach the truth. Therefore also there are two types of teachers. The teacher who teaches techniques that of some way are good for all. Most of the teachers they really are thus, specially the teachers of the schools. But then, this teacher of meditation is different in the sense that the meditation is what I see in my life. Therefore, I know my life, but never I can know if what is good for my life it is good for other people. The teacher of meditation knows if something is good for itself, but does not only know if it is good for others. Therefore I hope that what is good for me also is it for others, but never can be safe. It is by this reason why in meditation never we forced people to do something, simply we suggested and if they like they do it. But people do under her own responsibility. On the other hand, the other types of teachers who teach what is good for other people, must have enough experience to know the people and what is good for them. This is the difference between both types of teachers. But most of the teachers they are of the second type, that is to say, masterful who teach good things for others.

In the sayings of the Ki one becomes mention to the unification of mind and body. What it is deduced of there is that everybody has a great power that not always is available. It could explain a little more what means with being able? For much people this class of Ki still is related to healthful people and the martial arts. She could give some examples me for common people or people greater than do not have special physical abilities? He is quite simple in fact. There is a problem with the translation. This power means the ability to create changes in the life. For example, if you are ill and you cure yourself to same you, an ill person becomes a healthful person, that is to be able. Or if you have a great problem and you solve it, that is to be able. If everybody is anxious and you are in calm and night watchman, that is to be able. Therefore, any thing that makes a change in the life is to be able. Therefore, understanding the principles of the mind and understanding the principles of the body you can create better changes in the life. That means that you have more power, that one is the meaning. And then you must understand the principle of unification of mind and body.

Also I have made him this question because in the book "Ki in the daily life" of Koichi Tohei sensei, which surprises people more is a photography hers: the ankles in a chair, the head in another one and three people seated in its abdomen. This is very near the magic for many people. But of course this also suggests some physical power. Why it uses east type of examples in a book? In fact I am not, is a book of Tohei sensei. There are two things. Ever since he began with the Aikido it had experience with people who made Aikido, that means that they were people who were not interested in intellectual exercises. Therefore, with people thus it is easy to use physical examples. And also to the Japanese culture it does not like the logic with words, but plus the action with the body. Thus if he is wanted to arrive at the Japanese he is better to not as much express with a powerful body and with a powerful mind or a powerful word. It is a cultural question. I include/understand very well that that method is not so good for the European.

It could put a clear example of education of Ki for the European men and women? The Japanese have a very simple solution for the problem of education. They simply expel the thoughts and do something physically. Therefore, in certain way that one is the Japanese tradition: it is for that reason reason why they propose a physical method. The European try to continue thinking and to solve it with the thoughts; it is for that reason reason why I believe that he is better European them to use words and to explain the things very well. And the physical exercise only must be used to help to understand the words. In addition, I believe that they are good for the European, because they must have a solution with words, does not like to expel the thoughts.

You also began time back with the practice of the Ki. He could give an idea me of which he supposed that in his own daily life? In my daily life nothing because this I began it we say by curiosity, reason why he was more like a search. For me he is like making a scientific research. I investigate for the life.

It likes its work? Yes, yes.

When you teach Ki Aikido often uses the gravity concept to explain and to guide the movement. It could explain why the gravity to me is so important for us? The gravity is not important. When they are only made techniques of Aikido are important. But then, even for the people who do not practice Aikido is important to understand the gravity. Much people have a mistaken concept of the gravity, and with this mistaken concept they create errors in the daily life. That is the only reason for which I teach this ' to maintain the weight lowered in the classes of Ki for the people who do not practice Aikido. For the techniques of Aikido it is clear that it is very important.

That is everything, thanks sensei.

Interview made by Aragonen Holland in 1996 and translated by: Shelter, Elena and Maria Jose, of the Ki Aikido València

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