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The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido by William Gleason

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Overview

"The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido is a necessary book, both timely and well written. William Gleason's book is the first to explain the spiritual teachings of the founder in detail.

Specifications

Binding	Paperback
Publisher	Destiny Books
Country of Origin	USA
Number of Pages	203
Pubilcation Date	1995
Condition	New

Product details

Aikido Book
by William Gleason
teachings of Ueshiba
basic of Zen and Shinto
Great read

The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido Description

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.

'On the Back' of The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido

"The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido is a necessary book, both timely and well written. William Gleason's book is the first to explain the spiritual teachings of the founder in detail." - Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, author of The Principles of AIkido

The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido is the fist book by a leading American aikido teacher to examine how this twentieth-century martial arts sprang forth from the ancient spiritual traditions of Japan. William Gleason, a fifth-degree black belt, offers a lucid commentary on the teachings of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido. Many of Ueshiba's teachings appear here for the first time in English.

Ueshiba considered aikido to be not a fighting method or a competitive sport but rather a means of becoming one with the laws of universal order. Aikido, he insisted, is rooted in the principles of the kototama, a set of sacred Japanese syllables. Examining the basic tenets of Shinto and Zen, Gleason shows how the concepts as One Spirit, Four Souls, Three Origins, and Eight Powers describe the generation and movement of ki, which is teh source of the martial artist's strength.

More than 160 photographs illuminate the application of the kototama to the actual movements of aikido. In 22 photographic sequences, the author and his students demonstrate several complete forms in detail. Yet Gleason's depth of analysis makes this book far more than a mere technical manual. The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido will be a priceless resource for both the novice and the seasoned practitioner of the martial arts.

WILLIAM GLEASON has studied aikido and Japanese medicine and philosophy for more tha two decades, including ten year' study in Japan. The director of Shobu Aikido of Boston, Massachusetts, he also has trasnlated books by George Ohsawa and Mitsugi Saotome.

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