Respect and Martial Courtesy in an Aikido
Dojo
Aikido practice begins in courtesy and ends in courtesy. Bowing
at the door of the dojo, bowing onto and off of the mat,
expressing thanks to the instructor and your practice partners,
may be viewed as empty formalities, but this view is not
helpful. As you grow and ripen in the practice, you will come to
see the dojo courtesy as one more expression of a tacit
principle at Aikido's heart: mutual respect.
Respect for Aikido itself often arises from your original motive
for practicing: fascination, fear, anger, or a desire to be
stronger. As you are transformed in the practice, your
appreciation of Aikido will grow richer.
Respect for your instructor may spring from your realization of
the effort it took to progress and persevere. Gratitude is due
to all those who give their own practice time to foster
improvement in others. Special gratitude is due to those
pioneers who created Aikido out of their personal effort,
understanding, and integrity.
Respect for your partner is a necessity during practice. The
Aikido maxim, "Loving attack, peaceful reconciliation," has
meaning only in a situation of mutual respect. The absence of
respect for one another leaves the door open for enmity, petty
combats, and an atmosphere of useless competition. Your progress
in understanding and in performance can be stifled in such an
atmosphere, but will thrive where honest effort is matched with
honest cooperation. The important challenge is to yourself.
Respect for yourself will grow as you push back the limits and
work toward the deeper realization of your powerful unified mind
and body. As practice makes you stronger, you will find that
with increased power comes an increased responsibility to use
your strength for positive ends. By grounding you in present
awareness, Aikido can help you reclaim your memories and survey
your future with hope.
Aikido is a lifetime practice, and as the Way stretches out
ahead, no end is in sight. The honest goal is to continue
forward, step after step. Rather than feeling puffed up with
pride at our achievements, we feel humbled and challenged by the
distance still to be traveled, and by the example of those who
have gone before us.
Humility, gratitude, respect, hope, and commitment are all
expressed in the forms of martial courtesy. The repetition of
these forms is intended to establish the habit of a correct
attitude for practice. Whatever you practice sincerely and often
becomes your second nature, so try to learn the bow's meaning,
and mean it when you bow.
David F. Nachman, 1989
