Aikido

Aikido was born of several martial ways of Japan. When somebody practices aikido, he or she experiences which kind of possibilities and power are offered by a relaxed, open and stable position. This position is very valuable in hectic and chaotic circumstances and helps us keep a clear view of what is happening. Through the body we find our relaxed state of being and our rest, both of which contribute to clear insight and right effort.

Aikido invites us to stay connected whenever mutual communication is strained. Connected with ourselves, with others, with the situation. This connection enables us to stay present and alert and to handle constant change.

In need of an example?
Say somebody takes a hold of me. This affects me, quite literally. I might become angry, or terrified. The tension that my body is building up, has a function, but it also hinders my staying connected and feeling what the other person is trying to get through to me. Where does he pull me? Is she pushing me? Where exactly do they put force on me? By relaxing, without becoming weak like jelly, I am able to scan the situation, to feel what is going on. I can start looking for an opening for change.

Buddhist traditions

One Zen-Buddhist master once remarked: ‘a day without work is a day without food.’ My Calvinist ancestors would have nodded in approval. The Zenmaster, however, wasn’t speaking to people like you and me, urging us to work harder. He was admonishing monks not to look down on labour and even to acknowledge the opportunities for growth and enlightenment that daily work offers. Since life is inherently bound up with work, we unceasingly encounter possible enlightening situations.

Experiencing joy and growth in our everyday jobs is a great gift. Most of us look for a job that can offer a degree of happiness. This search for happiness (and our failure to find happiness of a lasting kind) is what prompted the Buddha to pose his Noble Truths: There is suffering, there is a cause to suffering, there is an end to suffering and there is a path that leads towards that goal. Virtue, mindfulness and wisdom are part of this path, the Buddhist traditions tell us. We can practice these in our speech, in our acts, in our work, in the way we direct out energy and attention and by our resolve. The Buddhist schools that have flourished during the last 2500 years or so, have left a great variety of pointers that can help us. Are these instruments and directions still valuable for people in the 21st century? I think so, and I consider it a great challenge to offer my part of a translation.

Nonviolent Communication™

The most valuable moments in my life are determined by the quality of connection with what goes on in me and in others. But how easily does this connection suffer! There are times when I have difficulty making or restoring these connections. Somehow I cannot seem to do what is right and what feels good, for myself and others. Opinions collide, needs seem irreconcilable. Nonviolent Communication™ (NVC) is an apparently simple process to get connected to what is alive in you, and to what would enrich your life at this moment. It is a process which makes use of expression of observations, feelings, needs and requests, based on compassion, presence and consciousness.

The founder of NVC is the American Marshall Rosenberg. He travels around the world to spread his ideas and experiences. Furthermore, he travels to countries that are torn by war and strife, to aid peace by helping people connect. My experiences with Marshall Rosenberg and some other certified NVC-trainers have shown me that it is possible to get to the heart of the matter quickly. That it is possible to have a heart-to-heart and life-enriching connection with others. That the quality of my request directly influences the preparedness of others to enrich my life by meeting my (and their) needs. And that it is possible to solve conflicts in a way that meets everybody’s needs. All this is possible. It is not always easy, and it requires some scary honesty, but it is possible.

Links

Nabuur.com - the global neighbour network
www.nabuur.com

When was the last time you helped out your neighbour with a cup of sugar or an egg? Most of my friends love to contribute to other people's happiness. And they want to do so in a way that suits them and gives them pleasure as well. Some people just don't get satisfied by monthly donating to charities... NABUUR links you directly with people around the world who need your assistance now. All you need is a computer, a little free time, and the desire to make a difference.

People building Peace
www.peoplebuildingpeace.nl

When small-scale initiatives join to create peace, much might be expected in the prevention of conflict. A few years ago, the United Nations developed the GAA, short for a Global Action Agenda for the prevention of armed conflict. Several Dutch non-governmental organisations join forces in an initiative called People Building Peace (PBP). This serves to realise both the goals set by the GAA and global peace.

NEAG Alternatieven voor Geweld
www.neag.nl

Non-violence is not the same as passively undergoing violence. Non-violence requires an active attitude towards intolerable situations. ‘NEAG Alternatieven voor geweld’ has the banishment of violence as its goal. It develops and uses alternative ways of conflict-resolution reduction, both in- and outside of The Netherlands.

Stichting voor Japanse & Okinawaanse Krijgskunsten (Foundation for Japanese & Okinawan Martial Arts)
www.sjok.nl

Anyone who seriously wants to study Asian martial ways will have to make the effort of entering the mat. It is only through practice that one can fully experience what arts like Aikido, Karate-do or Jodo have to offer. The Foundation for Japanese & Okinawan Martial Arts (abbr. SJOK in Dutch) in Groningen (The Netherlands) has been working for the last 15 years to promote the diligent study and practice of Japanese and Okinawan martial arts.

Stichting Veldwerk
www.stichting-veldwerk.org

Words and paper tempt us to think that they contain what is true and valuable in life. The Dutchman René Veldt moved to Nepal towards the end of the 1990s, to offer small-scale but direct and effective help to supportless children. He clearly chooses action over words and, for me, is living proof of the grand results that can come from immovable idealism, common sense and perseverance.

Zorgboerderij De Weide Blik
www.zorgboerderijdeweideblik.nl

In the countryside, just outside of a small Dutch city called Groningen, a toast was made in early spring 2004: Petra, Pankaja and Pieter, after 2 years of preparation, celebrated the founding of what the Dutch call a ‘zorgboerderij’ – a fruitful combination of a farm and care for people who need extra attention or guidance.  People with the Down syndrome, for instance, of people suffering from burn-out. People who try to find their way back to a regular job, or children who do not fit well into more regular educational-programs. Zorgboerderij De Weide Blik is a beautiful example of effective personal help with lots of human warmth, lots of fresh air and a little cow-dung!

Aiki Extensions
www.aiki-extensions.org

Worldwide, more and more people are committed to spread the principles and practice of Aikido outside the dojo (the place where the martial ways tend to be practised). Aiki Extensions is a network for people like these.

Cursuscentrum Kenkon
www.kenkon.nl

Kenkon can be considered to be the latest incarnation of several initiatives by Sydney Leijenhorst. Leijenhorst is a both physically and spiritually gifted and inspiring. He teaches and studies many fascinating traditions, ranging from Okinawa Gojuryu Karatedo and Zen-Buddhism to Qi Gong and Tibetan meditation.