Important information about the "Aikido Association of India" email (please see the email at the bottom of this page).
A few years ago an Aikido group from India contacted my friend who has an Aikido Dojo in Israel. They wrote to him a similar letter as the one bellow... After agreeing on all matters, he waited for them at the airport. He saw some people who looked Indian, but no one approached him... after a while, when all the passegngers already left the airport, he went back home and tryed to find out what is happening with his guests. He phoned their number in India, and a woman said in a crying voice that they all had a car accident and they are in hospital... My friend's dojo members sent a present to the group in India and felt sorry.
After a while the police called my friend, and interrigated him for bringing illegal workers from India... apparently it was a scam. The Indian group cheated him. They actually did arrive in Israel, and just went to look for jobs here... The "accident" story was a cover story which was prepared in advance.
please be cafeful when you get an offer to invite people with nationalities that need visa for Israel, please be careful, and make sure you have all the people passports copies. It is important to contact immigration authoroties here to have their assistance to prevent such a case.
A group like this one contacted me too in the past, but they never agreed to send me a copy of their passport. They said they are some Indian police Judo team. They just tried again and again to get an invitation letter from me - probably nesecary when applying for visa to Israel.
Please do not discriminate, but its good idea to be careful and make sure you know who are the people you are inviting.
Yours,
Ze'ev Erlich
Israeli Aikido Organization.
AIKIDO ASSOCIATION OF INDIA
Head Office : 274-A, Block-H,Sector-12, Pratap Vihar, Ghaziabad (U.P.) 201 009 India
Branch office : GF-31, KONARK BUILDING, RDC, RAJ NAGAR, GHAZIABAD (U.P.) 201 009 INDIA
Mobile : 0091-9311111190 fax : 0091-120-2824100
E.mail : anilksi@hotmail.com
================================================================================================
MOST RESPECTED SENSEI
My self Anil Kaushik , president of aikido association of india like to come to your beautiful country Israel to learn aikido ( advance course) with my senior instructors team as we are very behind in aikido techniques.
I hope that your goodself will give me chance to learn it.As we think that Martial art and commondos of Israel is very very famous in the world, of course we shall pay your training fees, boarding fees and lodging fees.
I am sure of your very kind consent and approval to invite our team to your country.
waiting for your reply
Anil Kaushik
President
Aikido Association of India
Monday, 20 July 2009
Saturday, 18 July 2009
Silence's wonderful flavour
Silence's wonderful flavour
When Shimamoto Katsuyuki Sensei (7th Dan Aikikai and Zen priest) was young, he spent a long period of time in a zen monastery. When Sensei visited us in Israel just a few weeks ago, he spoke about his experience as a student of O-Sensei and also about his life as a zen monk.
My wife asked him about life in a zen monastery, and he told us that he cherishes his memories of many hours of hard work and meditation. He said that everyone used to go to sleep very early, in order to wake up at about 4:30am for morning work and meditation. The young monks have to wake up even earlier - at 2:30am, and to clean the whole temple so it will be shining and ready for the morning meditation. The rest of the monks still have two more hours of precious sleep, so the monks who wake up in the middle of night, have to be careful and silent. Each movement has a certain method (saho in Japanese). How to walk, how to stand and kneel, a way to fill the bucket with water, a way to spread water, a way to wipe the wooden floor, a way to squeeze the cloth... just like martial arts' kata. Of course, while quietly cleaning, no one is allowed to speak, not even whisper. It is time for cleaning the temple and the heart.
In the Zen monastery, it is also not allowed to speak while dining together in the dining room. The monks eat quietly their modest and simple vegetarian food.
Shimamoto Sensei's wife was listening quietly the whole time, and then she said: "when we eat in silence, we sometimes can discover a wonderful flavour".
Her words struck me. I was amazed by the deep meaning of these words, and I suddenly came to understand several things that were in my mind in the past few years.
A couple of years ago, I visited in Los Angeles to train and teach in a memorial seminar for O-Sensei and Furuya Sensei. Furuya Sensei was a great friend and teacher. In his dojo in Little Tokyo - Los Angeles, just above O-Sensei's photo, I saw an ancient Japanese calligraphy with the words: Shusei (practice serenity)
Fujita Sensei once told us: "A good dojo is a dojo with three qualities - The dojo must be clean, the dojo must have O-Sensei's image of photo hanging high enough so it can be viewed by everyone while training, and a dojo with people who train quietly. Since the day he said so, about four years ago, I have been trying to convey this message to my students, and training really became more quiet and more fruitful.
In silent training, we can find something wonderful.
Lets find a wonderful flavour in serenity.
When we begin our class and end it, we always sit quietly for a few seconds. At that time we have to look at O-Sensei's photo and remember that he is the one who created aikido. While looking at his image, we should try to realize those things that Aikido training gives birth to. At that time, we feel deep gratitude to O-Sensei. Thanks to him we are here together now, developing ourselves and our society through sincere aikido training. All thanks to him. To show our deep gratitude and respect we make a common Japanese gesture - a deep bow.
Please have a wonderful summer.
When Shimamoto Katsuyuki Sensei (7th Dan Aikikai and Zen priest) was young, he spent a long period of time in a zen monastery. When Sensei visited us in Israel just a few weeks ago, he spoke about his experience as a student of O-Sensei and also about his life as a zen monk.
My wife asked him about life in a zen monastery, and he told us that he cherishes his memories of many hours of hard work and meditation. He said that everyone used to go to sleep very early, in order to wake up at about 4:30am for morning work and meditation. The young monks have to wake up even earlier - at 2:30am, and to clean the whole temple so it will be shining and ready for the morning meditation. The rest of the monks still have two more hours of precious sleep, so the monks who wake up in the middle of night, have to be careful and silent. Each movement has a certain method (saho in Japanese). How to walk, how to stand and kneel, a way to fill the bucket with water, a way to spread water, a way to wipe the wooden floor, a way to squeeze the cloth... just like martial arts' kata. Of course, while quietly cleaning, no one is allowed to speak, not even whisper. It is time for cleaning the temple and the heart.
In the Zen monastery, it is also not allowed to speak while dining together in the dining room. The monks eat quietly their modest and simple vegetarian food.
Shimamoto Sensei's wife was listening quietly the whole time, and then she said: "when we eat in silence, we sometimes can discover a wonderful flavour".
Her words struck me. I was amazed by the deep meaning of these words, and I suddenly came to understand several things that were in my mind in the past few years.
A couple of years ago, I visited in Los Angeles to train and teach in a memorial seminar for O-Sensei and Furuya Sensei. Furuya Sensei was a great friend and teacher. In his dojo in Little Tokyo - Los Angeles, just above O-Sensei's photo, I saw an ancient Japanese calligraphy with the words: Shusei (practice serenity)
Fujita Sensei once told us: "A good dojo is a dojo with three qualities - The dojo must be clean, the dojo must have O-Sensei's image of photo hanging high enough so it can be viewed by everyone while training, and a dojo with people who train quietly. Since the day he said so, about four years ago, I have been trying to convey this message to my students, and training really became more quiet and more fruitful.
In silent training, we can find something wonderful.
Lets find a wonderful flavour in serenity.
When we begin our class and end it, we always sit quietly for a few seconds. At that time we have to look at O-Sensei's photo and remember that he is the one who created aikido. While looking at his image, we should try to realize those things that Aikido training gives birth to. At that time, we feel deep gratitude to O-Sensei. Thanks to him we are here together now, developing ourselves and our society through sincere aikido training. All thanks to him. To show our deep gratitude and respect we make a common Japanese gesture - a deep bow.
Please have a wonderful summer.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
About us in Japanese - Israeli Aikido Organization (Aikikai)
Israel Aikido Organization イスラエル合気道非営利活動法人 は１９９９年 ゼエヴ エーリッヒによってイスラエルで創立されました。ゼエヴ エーリッヒは７年間日本で合気道修行後、母国イスラエルのレホボット市で道場を開きました。道場長ゼエヴ エーリッヒは現在合気道（合気会）４段です。
この10年間で道場は大きく成長し、現在160名（大人７０名、子供９０名）、その内、有段者が20名います。
活動内容：
（１）レホボットの道場は週７日、毎日稽古があります。
（２）毎年 日本から合気道師範を招聘し、講習会を開催しています。
（３）年４回、全国合気道講習会（無料）、そして年２回、国立美術館とヘブライ大学で公式の演武会を開催しています。
（４）インターネットを通して合気道雑誌を日々更新、作成し、無料で提供しています。イスラエル全国紙、マアリブ新聞にも 時々合気道のコラムを掲載していました。
（５）ボランティアとして障害者に特別に合気道を過去７年間教えています。その際、イスラエル全国からボランティアの人が集まってきます。
（６）毎年 道場のメンバー数名を連れて、日本で合気道の稽古と日本文化紹介をしています。
我々の道場はすべての人が一緒に稽古することをモットーにしていますので、経済的困難な人たちにも道場に来れるようにしています。
我々の道場は平和の為の武道を創立した開祖植芝盛平大先生の理念に基づき、宗教間、民族間の対立を失くし、地域社会に貢献できる人間づくり、合気精神を基礎にしたコミュニティー作りをモットーとしております。
Friday, 29 May 2009
some early information about our July very special seminar...
some early information about our July very special seminar...
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Aikido Seminar with Shimamoto Sensei 7th Dan Aikikai
Aikido Seminarwith
Shimamoto Sensei
in Israel
June 9th - 11th 2009
Israeli Aikido Organization (Aikikai) N.P.O, is proud to host a seminar with Shimamoto Katsuyuki Shihan (7th dan) from Shosenji Dojo (Osaka - Japan).
Shimamoto Katsuyuki Shihan is a Zen Buddhist priest of the Toyonaka Shosenji temple. He learned aikido as a direct pupil of O-Sensei (the founder of aikido), and later from the late Osawa Kissaburo Sensei.
Our shihan - Fujita Masatake Sensei, is currently in hospital, therefore, Shimamoto Sensei who is a close friend of Fujita Sensei, agreed to come to Israel this year, to teach and to celebrate with us our organization's 10th anniversary.
We will dedicate this seminar to Fujita Sensei's quick recovery.
Shimamoto Sensei's students from Japan, Holland and Israel will also participate, and we are happy to welcome them and wishing us all a beautiful aikido training and celebration.
The Seminar will take place in the city of Rehovot at our dojo - Wiezman School - 3 Marshov St. Rehovot.
Schedule:
May 9th Tuesday
18:30 - 19:30 Kids Class (adults are welcome to join)
20:00 - 22:15 Opening ceremony and Aikido class.
May 10th Wednesday
20:00- 22:00 Aikido (adults)
May 11th Thursday
20:00- 22:00 Aikido (adults)
22:00 - 22:15 closing ceremony.
Seminar fee: 80 Euro
Accommodations: visitors can stay with host families (Student`s houses) or at a Hotel nearby. Please let us know as early as possible for early room reservations. Please pay host family your food expenses (about 10 Euro per day). A hotel nearby - About 50 Euro per person (per night) (private room) - including breakfast. Room for two people: About 40 Euro per person - including breakfast.
Please contact Ze`ev Erlich at +972-52-3302386 (In Israel - 0523-302386) to make Hotel and seminar reservation as soon as possible.
or by e-mail at: aikidobeisrael@yahoo.com
Monday, 9 March 2009
How old is wisdom?
How old is wisdom?
My favorite modern Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami recived recently Israel's prestigious literary award, the Jerusalem prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society. He gave an aoutstanding speach, which was followed by words by our president Shimon Peres. Peres said something beautiful: "buildings become old, but wisdom never becomes old"
photo from wsj
In Aikido, we first bow toward O-Sensei's photo, in respect and memory of his teaching and wisdom. His wisdom is ageless, Aikido's wosdom s ageless. Our body becomes old every year, but by working together, we create ageless knowledge and experience.
Our dear teachers.... some of them are already in heaven, some of them are unable to teach anymore. They worked so hard... I never knew Peter Bacas Sensei, but I know you, and I see an outstanding group of aikidoka. I enjoy training with you because you create an ultimative training enviroment and atmosphere. You are excellent desciples of an excellent sensei. I am sure Sensei is proud of you and happy.
While following the wisdom of our teachers, we should also remember the greatest Japanese Haiku poet - Matsuo Bashō' s (1644-1694) words:
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise, seek what they sought"
My favorite modern Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami recived recently Israel's prestigious literary award, the Jerusalem prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society. He gave an aoutstanding speach, which was followed by words by our president Shimon Peres. Peres said something beautiful: "buildings become old, but wisdom never becomes old"
In Aikido, we first bow toward O-Sensei's photo, in respect and memory of his teaching and wisdom. His wisdom is ageless, Aikido's wosdom s ageless. Our body becomes old every year, but by working together, we create ageless knowledge and experience.
Our dear teachers.... some of them are already in heaven, some of them are unable to teach anymore. They worked so hard... I never knew Peter Bacas Sensei, but I know you, and I see an outstanding group of aikidoka. I enjoy training with you because you create an ultimative training enviroment and atmosphere. You are excellent desciples of an excellent sensei. I am sure Sensei is proud of you and happy.
While following the wisdom of our teachers, we should also remember the greatest Japanese Haiku poet - Matsuo Bashō' s (1644-1694) words:
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise, seek what they sought"
Sumikiri: Stillness in the eye of the storm
Sumikiri: Stillness in the eye of the storm
The first time I came across the word sumikiri, was when I read a small but marvellous book called "The Spirit of Aikido" by 2nd Doshu - Kisshomaru Ueshiba.
The word "sumikiri" can be translated as perfect clarity, or pureness, but the book did not give any further explanation.
So... what exactly is sumikiri?
Our most basic training method, is with one partner, slowly and according to clear demonstration of our teacher. Later on, our training becomes more free, creative and dynamic, the attacks and the techniques become more realistic and versatile, and we also learn to resolve situation dealing with a large numbers of opponents.
In such dynamic training, we tend to get very excited and quite often we feel mental pressure and fear. If we continue our training for years and gain experience, we realize that gradually our mind remains relaxed even in such training. Although our body is moving fast and many techniques are applied quickly, our mind remains relaxed and clear - some describe it as: Stillness within motion.
Sumikiri in daily life:
Taking the risk of being crude, I would explain sumikiri as a mental state in which we act correctly and remain clear and relaxed in the midst of stressful situation. I think this can be a result of many years of training, and can affect all aspects of life: family, relationships, work, driving, inner conflicts, etc. Staying completely clear and relaxed under pressure is sumikiri.
Let the mud sink:
The most common example for sumikiri, is of a glass of water with some sand in it. When the water is in movement, the water will be muddy. When we let the water stand still, the mud will sink to the bottom of the glass, and the water will become clear. Even if our body moves dynamically, even if many people attack us at the same time, as a result of our years of training, our mind remains still and we can attain the state of sumikiri.
The eye of the storm:
An important teaching common to all martial arts, is the ability to be in the eye of the storm - where quietness prevails, and where we can remain relaxed. Storm is outside, but inside there is clarity and stillness. Developing such ability takes years, but each and every stage of development, affects all aspects of our life.
In the year 2004, a new book was published: "The Art of Aikido". The very first chapter is dedicated to sumikiri:
"Focus on stillness rather then motion in order to master aikido techniques.
for a heart instantaneously at one with the clear and serene sky, all of existence appears in crystal clarity. When the founder Morihei Ueshiba realized this state of mind, he felt bathed in golden light, and perceived the true mission of Aikido. The centre of a spinning top, appears to be completely still. That kind of stillness, rather then the rapid motion of the top, is where we should focus. It is where the secret of perfect clarity (sumikiri z.e) can be perceived. That stillness also lies at the heart of Aikido techniques. When speaking of the mysterious of centripetal and centrifugal forces, Morihei (O-Sensei z.e) Said: Large has no outside, small has no inside.
This is a maxim we need to reflect deeply."
Sumikiri zoom:
I think this wonderful photo of 2nd doshu is a perfect example for sumikiri. Please look at his relaxed face while executing a dynamic throw:
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