kokoro
Protector
just for something to post in here, an interview from the Official Site by Jamie Calderon. I just copied and paste, left out the replies, you can guess why. Well, hope you still find it interesting.
Questions were posted by members of the Official Board.
cheers
Rob
J.C
The following is an interview I had with Steven Seagal Sensei pertaining to the questions posted by the members of the Steven Seagal message board.
Q----During seminars and other Aikido demonstrations, Take Sensei always uses guys that are black belts as uke’s (usually his own students from what I have heard). Why is it that he never uses women as uke’s?
SS----Well that’s just not true. I use women all the time, but for demonstrating I use the people who are the most adaptive and the best aikidoist that are there. Whether they are my students or somebody else’s students but I use women all the time.
Q---- I understand there is some philosophy
that is incorporated with Aikido could you please expand just a little on that. I’m new to the art of Aikido and perhaps could you explain a bit on your style.
SS----I recommend to that person to read some of the Aikido books. You know it’s like saying I understand there’s some philosophy to Christianity and to Buddhism. Aikido is all philosophy. And I don’t want to write five or ten chapters on the philosophy of Aikido to substitute as in taking the time to read a book. You know what I mean. Aikido’s basic philosophy is emptiness, learning, mediation on oneness and we demonstrate that through technique and we learn to perfect it through technique by practicing the philosophy. Who ever it is should really take the time to read one of the better books on Aikido.
Q---Take Sensei how much of an influence did Hiroshi Isoyama Shihan have in your aikido training and how much did you train with Isoyama Shihan?
SS---A tremendous influence. I Trained with him many times and have done many teachings and seminars with him. He is one of my best friends and one of O’sensei’s closest disciples and has had a tremendous influence on me. He is my brother, my big brother, my good friend, my sempai, and my teacher.
Q---Can you explain a little bit about your weapons training?
SS---- I mean I’ll say this; I don’t want to get into that too much because I don’t want people chasing the more esoteric sword stuff. I studied several different sword styles, several different masters outside of aikido in Japan. Two in particular and I was able to study them to the point where the teachers of these styles probably gave me their entire kabum. All of their teachings inner outer secrets, and they are tremendously important to aikido and when I find a student or students that are devoted enough and have the understanding, and enough aptitude for those things, I will be very very happy to share those things.
Q----From your training days in Japan to the present day, how much has Aikido changed from what you witnessed and studied compared to what is taught today??
SS----Well, I think since the death of Osensei, many of the original aikidoists shihan are dead, and uh, everybody that studied with osensei had their own interpretation of his technique. Many of them went off in their own directions, and had students who became teachers, who had students who became teachers, who had students who became teachers. And in general when that happens the original essence of the art and its basics, philosophy and technique start to expand in some ways and degenerate and disintegrate in other ways. And that’s what happens.
Q----Do you think Aikido should be taught with the philosophies of O'Sensei intact (by this I mean the ideals of his later years) or should that be left to each individual to pursue, and should just the Martial side of Aikido be focused upon??
SS---I think that O’sensei’s teachings should be protected and intact in every way shape or form. You know the mental, the philosophical, the spiritual and the physical. Uh however, in order for people to understand somebody is going to have to be involved in the study of the spiritual side and many people are not. Even back in the day in my opinion 90% of the people who studied from O’Sensei did not understand a word he was saying about the spiritual side, they didn’t go to the source, they didn’t study, that they just wanted to learn technique.
Q----Does Take sensei recommend kotodama practice for furtherance of technical ability?
SS----Any spiritual practice done correctly will enhance the ability of the individual.
Q----Should the picture of O’sensei not be enshrined. Should that picture of O’sensei not be in the shomein?
SS----I think the picture of O’sensei should be in the shomein but on the side of it. Sure. I think, in my opinion, in my humble opinion the center should be the deity, the gods; the center should not be of O’sensei it should be to the side of the shomein. With O’sensei that’s the way it always was when we was alive and after.
Q---- In conclusion Sir is there anything you would like to say?
SS-----All I want to say is that if the people are practicing Aikido, everybody should understand fundamentally they are practicing to develop the physical technique and perfect their spiritual self simultaneously. And all of this inherently means that we are practicing to get along, and if we can’t embrace and appreciate other people’s views, we can at least learn to tolerate them and it’s my deep wish that people do not engage in any kind of rivalry or fighting on the Internet or any other place.
This concludes my interview with Sensei. Thank you!!!
Questions were posted by members of the Official Board.
cheers
Rob
J.C
The following is an interview I had with Steven Seagal Sensei pertaining to the questions posted by the members of the Steven Seagal message board.
Q----During seminars and other Aikido demonstrations, Take Sensei always uses guys that are black belts as uke’s (usually his own students from what I have heard). Why is it that he never uses women as uke’s?
SS----Well that’s just not true. I use women all the time, but for demonstrating I use the people who are the most adaptive and the best aikidoist that are there. Whether they are my students or somebody else’s students but I use women all the time.
Q---- I understand there is some philosophy
that is incorporated with Aikido could you please expand just a little on that. I’m new to the art of Aikido and perhaps could you explain a bit on your style.
SS----I recommend to that person to read some of the Aikido books. You know it’s like saying I understand there’s some philosophy to Christianity and to Buddhism. Aikido is all philosophy. And I don’t want to write five or ten chapters on the philosophy of Aikido to substitute as in taking the time to read a book. You know what I mean. Aikido’s basic philosophy is emptiness, learning, mediation on oneness and we demonstrate that through technique and we learn to perfect it through technique by practicing the philosophy. Who ever it is should really take the time to read one of the better books on Aikido.
Q---Take Sensei how much of an influence did Hiroshi Isoyama Shihan have in your aikido training and how much did you train with Isoyama Shihan?
SS---A tremendous influence. I Trained with him many times and have done many teachings and seminars with him. He is one of my best friends and one of O’sensei’s closest disciples and has had a tremendous influence on me. He is my brother, my big brother, my good friend, my sempai, and my teacher.
Q---Can you explain a little bit about your weapons training?
SS---- I mean I’ll say this; I don’t want to get into that too much because I don’t want people chasing the more esoteric sword stuff. I studied several different sword styles, several different masters outside of aikido in Japan. Two in particular and I was able to study them to the point where the teachers of these styles probably gave me their entire kabum. All of their teachings inner outer secrets, and they are tremendously important to aikido and when I find a student or students that are devoted enough and have the understanding, and enough aptitude for those things, I will be very very happy to share those things.
Q----From your training days in Japan to the present day, how much has Aikido changed from what you witnessed and studied compared to what is taught today??
SS----Well, I think since the death of Osensei, many of the original aikidoists shihan are dead, and uh, everybody that studied with osensei had their own interpretation of his technique. Many of them went off in their own directions, and had students who became teachers, who had students who became teachers, who had students who became teachers. And in general when that happens the original essence of the art and its basics, philosophy and technique start to expand in some ways and degenerate and disintegrate in other ways. And that’s what happens.
Q----Do you think Aikido should be taught with the philosophies of O'Sensei intact (by this I mean the ideals of his later years) or should that be left to each individual to pursue, and should just the Martial side of Aikido be focused upon??
SS---I think that O’sensei’s teachings should be protected and intact in every way shape or form. You know the mental, the philosophical, the spiritual and the physical. Uh however, in order for people to understand somebody is going to have to be involved in the study of the spiritual side and many people are not. Even back in the day in my opinion 90% of the people who studied from O’Sensei did not understand a word he was saying about the spiritual side, they didn’t go to the source, they didn’t study, that they just wanted to learn technique.
Q----Does Take sensei recommend kotodama practice for furtherance of technical ability?
SS----Any spiritual practice done correctly will enhance the ability of the individual.
Q----Should the picture of O’sensei not be enshrined. Should that picture of O’sensei not be in the shomein?
SS----I think the picture of O’sensei should be in the shomein but on the side of it. Sure. I think, in my opinion, in my humble opinion the center should be the deity, the gods; the center should not be of O’sensei it should be to the side of the shomein. With O’sensei that’s the way it always was when we was alive and after.
Q---- In conclusion Sir is there anything you would like to say?
SS-----All I want to say is that if the people are practicing Aikido, everybody should understand fundamentally they are practicing to develop the physical technique and perfect their spiritual self simultaneously. And all of this inherently means that we are practicing to get along, and if we can’t embrace and appreciate other people’s views, we can at least learn to tolerate them and it’s my deep wish that people do not engage in any kind of rivalry or fighting on the Internet or any other place.
This concludes my interview with Sensei. Thank you!!!
And Take' Sensei, I adore you...
