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Aikido
Chi Kung
Kalarippayattu
T'ai Chi
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Aikido
"Aïkido
is not meant for a country or a person alone. Its unique aim is to
accomplish God's work... When I am asked if the principles of my budo
are inspired by religion, I say no. The principles of my budo enlighten
religions and lead them to their goal.. The Path means to be united with
God's will and to put it into practice. Aïkido is the path which
gathers human beings together, leads them to union... It is the path of
the world harmonisation which makes of humanity one house."
Morihei Ueshiba
Traditional martial
art
Aïkido is a martial art, which was created in the 1920s by Morihei
Ueshiba, a master who attained the highest level in the traditional
Japanese martial arts. There are no competitions in Aïkido; an
aggressor's attack may be stopped without harming or injuring him/her. Aïkido
is a path which aspires for the unity of mankind, the unification of the
self with the universe, the union of Spirit and Matter. Seen as such,
and in the perspective of the integral development of the being as
emphasised by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, it is no wonder that Aïkido
has always been greatly valued in Auroville.
Successive teachers
The art of Aïkido has been introduced in Auroville by André Pithon who
is presently teaching in Tahiti, then taught by Aurovilians Ananda and
Michiko, and finally by Aurovilians Serge and Luisa, who both studied in
Paris for two years with Jacques Bonemaison, 6th dan, following the
teaching of Tamura Sensei Shihan himself a close disciple of the
founder.
Multi-national group
Today, a dedicated group of 25 children and 20 adults of all
nationalities - American, Brazilian, Dutch, French, German, Indian,
Italian, Korean, Spanish, South-African, Russian - is studying Aïkido
in Auroville. During these last years, we have been privileged to have
regularly the visit of Henri Avril and Jean-Pierre Pigeau, 5th dan, who
are, under the guidance of Tamura Sensei, high-level national
instructors of the French Federation of Aikido and Budo (FFAB). These
workshops help us not only to enrich our practice but also to have our
progress evaluated.
Auroville Aikikai
It is important to note that 'Auroville Aikikai' ('Ai' means harmony,
love, peace; 'ki' means energy; and 'kai' association) is not affiliated
with any official organisation and that, though there is a process for
evaluating particularly the progress and level of children, Auroville
Aikikai is not entitled to attribute official grades that could be
recognised by the Aikido So Honbu in Japan or by the FFAB, or by any
other affiliated organisations.
Free research and
experimentation
Most essential is the fact that, though its practice is developing on
the main lines that are elaborated by Tamura Sensei Shihan within the
context of the FFAB, Auroville Aikikai wishes to preserve the necessary
space conducive to the free research, study and experimentation that are
inherent to the universal spirit of Auroville without rigid statutory,
regulative and hierarchical constraints.
It is in this spirit
that Auroville Aikikai proposes to be a meeting point for all who strive
to practice the art of Aikido in the true spirit of sincerity, harmony
and unity envisaged by O Sensei.
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