In The Art of Peace, Morihei Ueshiba -- the founder of the popular Japanese martial art aikido -- shares a collection of teachings that illustrate the real way of the warrior based on compassion, wisdom, fearlessness, and love of nature. Spirituality and Practice has called Morihei Ueshiba's The Art of Peace “poetic and profound". We're delighted to share an excerpt with you here.
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 inner enlightenment, foster peace in your own life, and then apply the art to all that you encounter. 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. All things material and spiritual originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The present, past, 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.
This is how the universe came into being. There was no heaven, no earth, no universe -- just empty space. In this vast emptiness, a single point suddenly manifested itself. From that point, steam, smoke, and mist spiraled forth an aluminous sphere and the sacred sound of soo was born. As soo expanded circularly up and down, left and right, major and breath began, clear and uncontaminated. Breath developed life and sound appeared. Soo is the word mentioned in many world religions. All sounds and vibrations emanate from that word. Your voice is a very powerful weapon.
When you are in tune with the cosmic breath of heaven and earth, your voice produces true sounds. Unify body, mind, and speech and real techniques will emerge. The art of peace emanated from the divine form and the divine heart of existence. It reflects the true, good, beautiful, and absolute nature of creation and the essence of its ultimate grand design. The purpose of the art of peace is to fashion sincere human beings. A sincere human being is one who has unified body and spirit, one who is free of hesitation or doubt, and one who understands the power of words.
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