<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' version='2.0'><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:50:23 +0000</lastBuildDate><title>Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu Dojo Blog - Indianapolis Martial Arts - Ted Hanulak Sensei</title><description/><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/blog.html</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>61</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-6491086580895987255</guid><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:48:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-23T09:50:23.957-04:00</atom:updated><title>O-Nami</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/O-Nami-718319.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/O-Nami-718308.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the early days of the Meiji era there lived a well-known wrestler called O-nami, Great Waves. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;O-nami was immensely strong and knew the art of wrestling. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public he was so bashful that his own pupils threw him. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;O-nami felt he should go to a Zen master for help. Hakuju, a wandering teacher, was stopping in a little temple nearby, so O-nami went to see him and told him of his trouble. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Great Waves is your name," the teacher advised, "so stay in this temple tonight. Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing all in their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The teacher retired. O-nami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradually he turned more and more to the feeling of the waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. He patted the wrestler's shoulder. "Now nothing can disturb you," he said. "You are those waves. You will sweep everything before you." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The same day O-nami entered the wrestling contests and won. After that, no one in Japan was able to defeat him.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/o-nami.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-4689602160677088706</guid><pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:17:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-22T10:20:05.550-04:00</atom:updated><title>Stool Head</title><description>Many Zen pupils were studing meditation under the Zen master Sengai. One of them used to arise at night, climb over the temple wall, and go to town on a pleasure jaunt. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sengai, inspecting the dormitory quarters, found this pupil missing one night and also discovered the high stool he had used to scale the well. Sengai removed the stool and stood there in its place. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the wanderer returned, not knowing that Sengai was the stool, he put his feet on the master's head and jumped down into the grounds. Discovering what he had done, he was aghast. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sengai said: "It is very chilly in the early morning. Do be careful not to catch cold yourself." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The pupil never went out at night again. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/stool-head.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-7855459799711095688</guid><pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:10:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-21T10:13:46.496-04:00</atom:updated><title>Smashed to Bits</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/incense-721333.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/incense-721330.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A woman of Nagasaki named Kame was one of the few makers of incense burners in Japan. Such a burner is a work of art to be used only in a tearoom or before a family shrine. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kame, whose father before her had been such an artist, was fond of drinking. She also smoked and associated with men most of the time. Whenever she made a little money she gave a feast inviting artists, poets, carpenters, workers, men of many vocations and avocations. In their association she evolved her designs. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kame was exceedingly slow in creating, but when her work was finished it was always a masterpiece. Her burners were treasured in homes whose womenfolk never drank, smoked, or associated freely with men. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The mayor of Nagasaki once requested Kame to design an incense burner for him. She delayed doing so until almost half a year had passed. At that time the mayor, who had been promoted to office in a distant city, visited her. He urged Kame to begin work on his burner. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At last receiving the inspiration, Kame made the incense burner. After it was completed she placed it upon a table. She looked at it long and carefully. She smoked and drank before it as if it were her own company. All day she observed it. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At last, picking up a hammer, Kame smashed it to bits. She saw it was not the perfect creation her mind demanded. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/smashed-to-bits.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-2966850732993980956</guid><pubDate>Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:15:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-20T11:16:42.626-04:00</atom:updated><title>Hot and Cold</title><description>A monk asked Tozan, "How can we escape the cold and heat?" Tozan replied, "Why not go where there is no cold and heat?" "Is there such a place?" the monk asked. Tozan commented, "When cold, be thoroughly cold; when hot, be thoroughly hot. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/hot-and-cold.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-6747791226096166803</guid><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:06:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-18T09:07:46.944-04:00</atom:updated><title>Sweaty Realization</title><description>Kasan was asked to officiate at the funeral of a provincial lord. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He had never met lords and nobles before so he was nervous. When the ceremony started, Kasan sweat. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Afterwards, when he had returned, he gathered his pupils together. Kasan confessed that he was not yet qualified to be a teacher for he lacked the sameness of bearing in the world of fame that he possessed in the secluded temple. Then Kasan resigned and became the pupil of another master. Eight years later he returned to his former pupils, enlightened. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/sweaty-realization.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-1049146615041949627</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:24:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-15T16:02:31.525-04:00</atom:updated><title>The Grass and the Trees</title><description>During the Kamakura period, Shinkan studied Tendai six years and then studied Zen seven years; then he went to China and contemplated Zen for thirteen years more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When he returned to Japan many desired to interview him and asked onscure questions. But when Shinkan received visitors, which was infrequently, he seldom answered their questions. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One day a fifty-year-old student of enlightenment said to Shinkan: "I have studied the Tendai school of thought since I was a little boy, but one thing in it I cannot understand. Tendai claims that even the grass and trees will become enlightened. To me this seems very strange." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Of what use is it to discuss how grass and trees become enlightened?" asked Shinkan. "The question is how you yourself can become so. Did you ever consider that?" &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I never thought of it in that way," marveled the old man. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Then go home and think it over," finished Shinkan. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/grass-and-tress.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-6825382745116818119</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:49:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-14T09:54:18.317-04:00</atom:updated><title>"Mind Weeds"</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Shunryu-Suzuki-795918.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Shunryu-Suzuki-795844.gif" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"When the alarm rings early in the morning, and you get up, I think you do not feel so good. It is not easy to go and sit, and even after you arrive at the zendo and begin zazen you have to encourage yourself to sit well. These are just waves of your mind. In pure zazen there would not be any waves in your mind. While you are sitting these waves will become smaller and smaller, and your effort will change into some subtle feeling.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"We say, 'Pulling out the weeds we give nourishment to the plant.' We pull the weeds and bury them near the plant to give it nourishment. So even though you have some difficulty in your practice, even though you have some waves while you are sitting, those waves themselves should help you. So you should not be bothered by your mind. You should rather be grateful for the weeds, because eventually they will enrich your practice. If you have some experience of how the weeds in your mind change into mental nourishment, your practice will make remarkable progress. You will feel the progress. You will feel how they change into self-nourishment. Of course it is not so difficult to give some philosophical or psychological interpretation of our practice, but that is not enough. We must have the actual experience of how our weeds change into nourishment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Strictly speaking, any effort we make is not good for our practice because it creates waves in our mind. It is impossible, however, to attain absolute calmness of our mind without any effort. We must make some effort, but we must forget ourselves in the effort we make. In this realm there is no subjectivity or objectivity. Our mind is just calm, without even any awareness. In this awareness, every effort and every idea and thought will vanish. So it is necessary for us to encourage ourselves and to make an effort up to the last moment, when all effort disappears. You should keep your mind on your breathing until you are not aware of your breathing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"We should try to continue our effort forever, but we should not expect to reach some stage when we will forget all about it. We should just try to keep our mind on our breathing. That is our actual practice. That effort will be refined more and more while you are sitting. At first the effort you make is quite rough and impure, but by the power of practice the effort will become purer and purer. When your effort becomes pure, your body and mind become pure. This is the way we practice Zen. Once you understand our innate power to purify ourselves and our surroundings, you can act properly, and you will learn from those around you, and you will become friendly with others. This is the merit of Zen practice. Bt the way of practice is just to be concentrated on your breathing with the right posture and with great, pure effort. That is how we practice Zen."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;by Shunryu Suzuki&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice," &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/mind-weeds.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-1064322616293787829</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:46:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-14T09:47:34.786-04:00</atom:updated><title>Errors</title><description>"It is better to destroy one's own errors than those of others." - Democritus &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/errors.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-5670605509491084617</guid><pubDate>Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:33:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-13T19:34:40.302-04:00</atom:updated><title>Instructor Or Forum Buddies - Who Teaches You How To Grapple?</title><description>Let me tell you a story about Grappler X that decides to join a grappling gym after looking at a few MMA fights and a few episodes of TUF. After doing some research and finding the best school in the area (which is where every newbie wants to train), he makes his decision and joins the team.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After a few lessons, Grappler X isn't too satisfied with his progression rate and decides that he needs something else to make him better. He's tired of getting submitted in class and isn't doing all the fancy moves that he's seen on cable, DVDs, and in the magazines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As Grappler X is getting dressed in the locker room one day after class, he hears some guys talking about a cool website where he can go and download all the cool grappling DVDs and a forum where guys get together to discuss grappling techniques. Grappler X decides to check out the sites and he's completely blown away at what he finds. Finally, the entire encyclopedia of grappling from A-Z is at his disposal and access to grapplers around the world to give him the best advice on how to progress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Months go by and Grappler X STILL isn't happy with his progress. He's knows more techniques than his classmates, but isn't quite as good as they are. He has a better understanding of advanced techniques than they do, but doesn't really know how or when to apply them. Since his skills aren't developing and he doesn't know what the problem is or how to fix it, he places blame on the obvious target...the instructor and team. If it wasn't for them, he would be better than he is. So, he decides that the answer is to change schools (from the recommendation of his grappling expert buddies on the forum) where they'll be more receptive to "his way of learning" techniques. Unfortunately, the cycle repeats itself and Grappler X runs into the same problem, only this time, he loses interest and quits grappling.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This story happens far too often and at every belt level when a grappler reaches that "fork in the road" to decide who's going to teach them: the instructor they see in person each week or faceless grappling forum experts that dispense training advice, routines and instructional DVD recommendations, mostly while rarely training as much as they advise themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With the abundance of grappling material these days, it's very easy to fall into self-deception and believe that we can coach ourselves into top-notch grapplers. And the more advanced you are as a grappler, the easier it is to fall into the self-deception trap. And though there may be some exceptional athletes capable of doing it, they are the exceptions, not the rule. It's the wise grappler that realizes that it's better to follow a guide that has successfully completed the journey instead of listening to someone who "has an idea" of what should happen along the way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The bottom line is this: if you want to be the best grappler you can be, listen to the instructors and coaches that know you on the mat (observing your strengths and weaknesses) and avoid the faceless, unproven "experts" dispensing their mat wisdom from the safety of their keyboards and DVD recommendations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Paul M. Greenhill, "The Wise Grappler", is the creator of The Wise Grappler System and author of The Wise Grappler Ezine, a weekly ezine that provides grappling and mental mindset training tips for the older (over 35) and non-traditional/non-competitive martial artists. To learn more about "The Wise Grappler" and to sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit his site at &lt;a href="http://www.thewisegrappler.com "&gt;http://www.thewisegrappler.com &lt;/a&gt;or &lt;a href="mailto:paul@thewisegrappler.com"&gt;paul@thewisegrappler.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(c) 2008 Paul M. Greenhill&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Article Source: &lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Greenhill"&gt;http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Greenhill&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/instructor-or-forum-buddies-who-teaches.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-5679634327607843873</guid><pubDate>Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:28:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-12T14:30:20.073-04:00</atom:updated><title>A Buddha</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Buddha-1-708338.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Buddha-1-708335.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Tokyo in the Meiji era there lived two prominent teachers of opposite characteristics. One, Unsho, an instructor in Shingon, kept Buddha's precepts scrupulously. He never drank intoxicants, nor did he eat after eleven o'clock in the morning. The other teacher, Tanzan, a professor of philosophy at the Imperial University, never observed the precepts. Whenever he felt like eating, he ate, and when he felt like sleeping in the daytime he slept. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One day Unsho visited Tanzan, who was drinking wine at the time, not even a drop of which is suppposed to touch the tongue of a Buddhist. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Hello, brother," Tanzan greeted him. "Won't you have a drink?" &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I never drink!" exclaimed Unsho solemnly. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"One who does not drink is not even human," said Tanzan. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Do you mean to call me inhuman just because I do not indulge in intoxicating liquids!" exclaimed Unsho in anger. "Then if I am not human, what am I?" &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"A Buddha," answered Tanzan. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/buddha.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-6922785642369087386</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:45:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-09T10:48:10.492-04:00</atom:updated><title>The Importance of Bowing in the Japanese Martial Arts</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/jap-bow-726066.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/jap-bow-726063.gif" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For some Americans bowing can be a problem. Americans are taught from an early age never to bow down to anyone. Bowing is perceived as a sign of weakness. That same American then walks into a Japanese dojo to study a martial art and the first thing he or she is taught is how to bow. Bow to the Sensei, bow before entering the dojo, bow toward the kamidana before stepping on the tatami, bow to fellow students, etc. a lot of bowing to say the least.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why not just get rid of it? Why not just shake hands? Why not? because it is perhaps the most important part of the training. Besides a sign of respect to your Sensei and fellow students, bowing is an act of mindfulness. The bow stops us from just walking around the dojo with our heads in the clouds. The bow helps remind us that the sword is sharp and can seriously injure us. The bow reminds us that the dojo is a place that represents 100's of years of history. A history of blood, sweat, and tears and that needs to be honored in every bow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As a Sensei I am humbled every time a student bows to me. It reminds me of my awesome responsibility to that student and his or her training. My teacher always used to say "the day you think you deserve the bow is the day you should stop teaching." The bow keeps the ego in check.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All things are revealed in a single bow. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By Ted Hanulak &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ted Hanulak is the head instructor / Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis &lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;http://www.aiki-jutsu.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Article Source:&lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak"&gt;http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/importance-of-bowing-in-japanese.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-7657539465087737288</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:23:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-08T10:27:52.522-04:00</atom:updated><title>Living in the Moment - Better Get Started Now</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Ted-Hanulak_105526-730593.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Ted-Hanulak_105526-730591.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People constantly live in the future or the past, all the while the "now" is passing them by. We have a habit of lamenting the past or worrying about the future. It is ok to learn from the past. It is also ok to plan for the future. But we must remember that all that exists right now is this very moment. We must live in the present moment. How do we do that?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;An Intellectual Understanding&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The past is gone. It cannot be changed. Why lament it? The fact that you ran away from a fight in forth grade or you missed the winning touchdown pass in the big high school game should not define the rest of your life. For many it does. The bars are filled with "has-beens" or "never-has-beens". Every moment is an opportunity to change your life. Every moment is a fresh start. When you think in these terms, the future has endless possibilities. But you just can't daydream about what is to come. You must live every moment. The future is now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Practice&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meditation is a good tool to help live in the present. There are exercises such as "Shikantanza" (Jap.) "to just sit", where you fully concentrate on only what you are doing at that moment. It is a skill. A skill must be developed and practiced in order for it to improve. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Being aware of everything you do all day. Making everything you do or not do, important. For example, in the simplest of terms; You are going to go to the movies. Getting dressed, walking to your car, driving over to the theater is just as important as the movie itself. The journey is as important as the destination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With a little understanding and practice you can learn to appreciate every moment of your life. Even the so-call mundane moments.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ted Hanulak is the head instructor / Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis &lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;http://www.aiki-jutsu.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Article Source: &lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak"&gt;http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/living-in-moment-better-get-started-now.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-4025713736346325820</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:40:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-07T10:40:59.994-04:00</atom:updated><title>Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu Projections</title><description>&lt;object width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eY9-lRHLsVw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eY9-lRHLsVw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/senso-ryu-aikijutsu-projections.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-7476047030148901027</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:53:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-07T10:41:38.271-04:00</atom:updated><title>Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu Randori</title><description>&lt;object width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0SJWGapUzps&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0SJWGapUzps&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/senso-ryu-randori.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-1751011387636637227</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:27:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-06T09:28:26.813-04:00</atom:updated><title>Meditating Girl</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/japanese_woman-700885.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/japanese_woman-700874.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once upon a time, Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, went to an assemblage of Buddhas. By the time he arrived, all had departed except for the Buddha Sakyamuni and one girl. She was seated in a place of highest honor, deep in meditation. Manjusri asked the Buddha how it was possible for a mere girl to attain a depth of mediation that even he could not attain. The Buddha said, "Bring her out of meditation and ask her yourself." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So Manjusri walked around the girl three times [a gesture of reverence], then snapped his fingers. She remained deep in meditation. He then tried rousing her by invoking all his magic powers; he even transported her to a high heaven. All was to no avail, so deep was her concentration. But suddenly, up from below the earth sprang Momyo, an unenlightened one. He snapped his fingers once, and the girl came out of her meditation. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/meditating-girl.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-1665451725047745532</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:27:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-04T14:29:19.560-04:00</atom:updated><title>No True Spirit</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/musashi-747108.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/musashi-746997.gif" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If we watch men of other schools discussing theory, and concentrating on techniques with the hands, even though they seem skillfull to watch, they have not the slightest true spirit. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645)  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/no-true-spirit.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-2090131389752048362</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:39:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-03T09:41:56.186-04:00</atom:updated><title>Life</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Ieyasu-795557.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Ieyasu-795553.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy burden. Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not. Persuade thyself that imperfection and inconvenience are the natural lot of mortals, and there will be no room for discontent, neither for despair. When ambitious desires arise in thy heart, recall the days of extremity thou has passed through. Forbearance is the root of quietness and assurance forever. Look upon the wrath of the enemy. If thou knowest only whatit is to conquer, and knowest not what it is to be defeated, woe unto thee; it will fare ill with thee. Find fault with thyself rather than with others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616)  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/life.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-1342578163035888517</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:07:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-02T10:12:52.159-04:00</atom:updated><title>Proper Bowing in Dojo | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu</title><description>&lt;object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-e32732294fbe4b6d" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqgAAAEbqiT-pXmimn7VDny7-dKrUpZRpwrgPZyNte9iIcInTGB0wVyMjyILt0yPtoF2SLmFlHGoBmrynVUwQIsr_OWZ1yErc6T7KReltHZXshy-fMgmHtih7xcrwuIB4KSZuxkrdOzqEQQNECWxzJHGors8to5K_Qp8PxmxR9kQygrr1FYcAoQzoj8WxuDh4m1VDSQot7bURSIJ2OmGqn9rWqhns6fV8Gi9gxv4cTDxPnor6%26sigh%3D6AD0H2NRzi4lda5W3ZiIKQ8pOSQ%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0&amp;amp;nogvlm=1&amp;amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3De32732294fbe4b6d%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DMjj__QEZu_wRM6bxaWnUsqKjyOA&amp;amp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den"&gt;
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&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/proper-bowing-in-dojo-senso-ryu.html</link><enclosure type='video/mp4' url='http://www.blogger.com/video-play.mp4?contentId=e32732294fbe4b6d&amp;type=video%2Fmp4' length='0'/><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-275837473796239352</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:54:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-02T09:55:45.701-04:00</atom:updated><title>Kamiza</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/kamiza_zafu-740162.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/kamiza_zafu-740158.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kamiza (上座, Kamiza?) is a term used in Japan to refer to the 'top seat' within a room. The opposite term referring to the 'bottom seat' within a room is Shimoza. The Kamiza is the seat or position that is most comfortable, usually furthest from the door (because this is warmest). In a traditional Washitsu room it would often be a Zabuton placed so the person sitting there has their back to the Tokonoma. In a modern, Western-style room it would often be a comfortable armchair or sofa.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When entering a room in Japan on a formal occasion it is of great importance to assume the correct seating position, and to leave the Kamiza free for the most important person present, be that a special guest or the person of highest rank. However, if one humbly sits in the Shimoza position and is then encouraged by the host to move to the Kamiza, it is quite acceptable to do so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The term Kamiza is frequently confused by martial arts practitioners with Kamidana, a Shinto shrine often found in Dōjō (martial arts training halls).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/kamiza.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-749498321139685443</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:25:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-07-01T10:41:03.391-04:00</atom:updated><title>Searching for the Buddha</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Buddha_face-731059.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/Buddha_face-731053.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A monk set off on a long pilgrimage to find the Buddha. He devoted many years to his search until he finally reached the land where the Buddha was said to live. While crossing the river to this country, the monk looked around as the boatman rowed. He noticed something floating towards them. As it got closer, he realized that it was the corpse of a person. When it drifted so close that he could almost touch it, he suddenly recognized the dead body - it was his own! He lost all control and wailed at the sight of himself, still and lifeless, drifting along the river's currents. That moment was the beginning of his liberation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/07/searching-for-buddha.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-6162638205435393722</guid><pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:22:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-30T09:25:46.558-04:00</atom:updated><title>Faults</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/hagakure-741350.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/hagakure-741347.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To give a person one's opinion and correct his faults is an important thing. It is compassionate and comes first in matters of service. But the way of doing this is extremely difficult. To discover the good and bad points of a person is an easy thing, and to give an opinion concerning them is easy, too. For the most part, people think that they are being kind by saying the things that others find distasteful or difficult to say. But if it is not received well, they think that there is nothing more to be done. This is completely worthless. It is the same as bringing shame to a person by slandering him. It is nothing more than getting it off one's chest.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To give a person an opinion one must first judge well whether that person is of the disposition to receive it or not. One must become close with him and make sure that he continually trusts one's word. Approaching subjects that are dear to him, seek the best way to speak and to be well understood. Judge the occasion, and determine whether it is better by letter or at the time of leave-taking. Praise his good points and use every device to encourage him, perhaps by talking about one's own faults without touching on his, but so that they will occur to him. Have him receive this in the way that a man would drink water when his throat is dry, and it will be an opinion that will correct faults.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is extremely difficult. If a person s fault is a habit of some years prior, by and large it won't be remedied. I have had this experience myself. To be intimate with all one's comrades, correcting each other's faults, and being of one mind to be of use to the master is the great compassion of a retainer. By bringing shame to a person, how could one expect to make him a better man? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Hagakure&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/06/faults.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-8822139908091795029</guid><pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:59:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-29T10:01:28.918-04:00</atom:updated><title>The Way of the Samurai</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/hagakure-769785.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/hagakure-769772.gif" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not particularly difficult. Be determined and advance. To say that dying without reaching one's aim is to die a dog's death is the frivolous way of sophisticates. When pressed with the choice of life or death, it is not necessary to gain one's aim.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We all want to live. And in large part we make our logic according to what we like. But not having attained our aim and continuing to live is cowardice. This is a thin dangerous line. To die without gaining one's aim is a dog's death and fanaticism. But there is no shame in this. This is the substance of the Way of the Samurai. If by setting one's heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way. His whole life will be without blame, and he will succeed in his calling. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Hagakure&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/06/way-of-samurai.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-1739991596598199370</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:39:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-28T09:44:25.621-04:00</atom:updated><title>Regrettable</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/samurai_daimyo-739684.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/samurai_daimyo-739667.gif" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is truly regrettable that a person will treat a man who is valuable to him well, and a man who is worthless to him poorly. &lt;br /&gt;One should have insight into this world of dreams that passes in the twinkling of an eye. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hojo Shigetoki (1198-1261)&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis Blog | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/06/regrettable.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-5761165602459212662</guid><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:19:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-27T09:21:59.376-04:00</atom:updated><title>Living in the Moment</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/beach-748986.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/beach-748983.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People constantly live in the future or the past, all the while the "now" is passing them by. We have a habit of lamenting the past or worrying about the future. It is ok to learn from the past. It is also ok to plan for the future. But we must remember that all that exists right now is this very moment. We must live in the present moment. How do we do that?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An Intellectual Understanding&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The past is gone. It cannot be changed. Why lament it? The fact that you ran away from a fight in forth grade or you missed the winning touchdown pass in the big high school game should not define the rest of your life. For many it does. The bars are filled with "has-beens" or "never-has-beens". Every moment is an opportunity to change your life. Every moment is a fresh start. When you think in these terms, the future has endless possibilities. But you just can't daydream about what is to come. You must live every moment. The future is now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Practice&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meditation is a good tool to help live in the present. There are exercises such as "Shikantanza" (Jap.) "to just sit", where you fully concentrate on only what you are doing at that moment. It is a skill. A skill must be developed and practiced in order for it to improve. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Being aware of everything you do all day. Making everything you do or not do, important. For example, in the simplest of terms; You are going to go to the movies. Getting dressed, walking to your car, driving over to the theater is just as important as the movie itself. The journey is as important as the destination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With a little understanding and practice you can learn to appreciate every moment of your life. Even the so-call mundane moments.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ted Hanulak is the head instructor / Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis &lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;http://www.aiki-jutsu.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Article Source: &lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak"&gt;http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/06/living-in-moment.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345473707103604624.post-2804547640181808433</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:02:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-26T09:05:07.479-04:00</atom:updated><title>Burn the Books</title><description>&lt;a href="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/burning_book-778726.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://aiki-jutsu.com/uploaded_images/burning_book-778717.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once there was a well known philosopher and scholar who devoted himself to the study of Zen for many years. On the day that he finally attained enlightenment, he took all of his books out into the yard, and burned them all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;a&gt;href="http://www.aiki-jutsu.com"&gt;Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu | Ted Hanulak Sensei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://aiki-jutsu.com/2008/06/burn-books.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (shidoin)</author></item></channel></rss>