Living in Flow

My wish to have an extraordinary new year is apparently granted.

At first, it was to be just another trip to Sumba, planned long ago, mainly work-related and touching base with extended family members, having new year’s dinner at the beach, having a dip in the deserted kilometer-long beach, etc. It would have been an ordinary thing for me. But then yesterday, two days before I’d go there, we got a phone call from a relative informing us that on Christmas Eve, a cousin was stabbed to death in a drunken brawl between two groups. The details of the incident is still to be sorted out.

I am frankly more upset about the circumstances of the death than being saddened by it.

So now, I’m finding myself having to prepare to participate in a traditional burial, together with my fellow clan members. We are to bring traditional ikat clothes as gift for the deceased, and a male water-buffalo to accompany him to the afterlife. There will be dancing and singing and ululating wailings and  lamentations…

I will write more about it after I’m back to Jakarta. As for now, bye-bye internet access.

May your new year be as surprising as mine.

Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) was history’s greatest martial artist. He was the founder of Aikido, which can be translated as "The Art of Peace." Morihei Ueshiba is referred to by the practitioners of Aikido as O-Sensei, "The Great Teacher". The following quotations have been compiled from O-Sensei’s collected talks, poems, and calligraphy, and from oral tradition.

————————————————————————— —–

One

The Art of Peace begins with you.

Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace.

Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow.

You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter

————————————————————————— —–

Two

One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.

————————————————————————— —–

Three

All things, material and spiritual, originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force. The universe emerged and developed from one source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization.

————————————————————————— —–

Four

The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world. There is evil and disorder in the world because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source. Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger. Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.

————————————————————————— —–

Five

If you have not Linked yourself To true emptiness, You will never understand The Art of Peace.

————————————————————————— —–

Six

The Art of Peace functions everywhere on earth, in realms ranging from the vastness of space down to the tiniest plants and animals. The life force is all- pervasive and its strength boundless. The Art of Peace allows us to percieve and tap into that tremendous reserve of universal energy.

————————————————————————— —–

Seven

Eight forces sustain creation: Movement and stillness, Solidification and fluidity, Extension and contraction, Unification and division.

————————————————————————— —–

Eight

Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead. The Art of Peace is a celebration of the bonding of heaven, earth, and humankind. It is all that is true, good, and beautiful.

————————————————————————— —–

Nine

Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life. Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside. Next, breathe up all fecundity and vibrancy of the earth. Finally, blend the breath of heaven and the breath of earth with your own, becoming the Breath of Life itself.

————————————————————————— —–

Ten

All the priciples of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is the truth, and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together.

W.