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.
~ O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba
The late Mizukami Sensei instilled in me when you came to the Dojo, you came to train. Sensei’s father was a Baptist minister when he and his family were in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. On many occasions, Sensei told me, “This [Aikido Dojo] is my church.” In a sense, I agree; the Dojo was holy ground, at least for me. So, for many years, training with Sensei on Sunday morning was like going to church. Amen.
The possibility of “Heaven is right where you are standing”
In the somewhat conventional prescribed doctrine, we must improve, train ourselves in order to get into heaven. That’s a meaningful purpose. That’s all well and good. Still, waiting to go to heaven could be a ways off. Just saying. Really, just playing.
Mizukami Sensei said, “Just train… It’s not like you have to get somewhere.” Then again, I could invent heaven as where I stand now. If where I stand, who I am is already just fine, then what remains to do is just train.
Mizukami Sensei taught both Sensei Bobby and me for over 25 years. I met Bobby when we were both young men. Now we’re both about 60 years old. Mizukami Sensei passed several years ago, yet, when we don’t want to practice, when we are not constantly improving our technique, we hear Sensei’s voice, “Just train.” Hai, Sensei. Onegaeshimasu. We just train.
We can always learn more. We can always become greater in Aikido, whether it’s waiting out the attack a little longer, taking a glancing blow, if we have to as we apply the technique to ourselves. It’s one time. That’s Mizukami Sensei’s enduring legacy.
We just train, not in order to become this awesome person, who maybe goes to heaven. I just train, because I love, out of my love for Sensei. I don’t have to get somewhere. I don’t have to get someone’s approval. O-Sensei said, “True victory is victory over oneself.” I’m my GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) opponent. Life is my continual journey. I become a better person.
Heaven is where I stand, so I just train. I just train, reinventing the greater-than versions of myself. My zero—my heaven—is where I begin to train. Just saying.
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NBA Hall of Famer and Academy Award Winner, the late Kobe Bryant said that he didn’t have a problem with others, who didn’t possess his legendary work ethic. He said, “I have a problem with people, who expect to be great, but don’t put in the work.” Amen, Kobe.
So standing in heaven, I’m okay. We’re okay. In that space, I reinvent my greater-than version of myself. I just train. I put in the work. I make it work. I make myself work.
For me, just train, putting in the work means Aikido training, meditation, writing, therapy with Lance for my childhood trauma and depression. Yeah, life is imperfect. Deal with it. I’m certainly imperfect with much to work on. That’s wabi-sabi: The beauty in our imperfection. Something I learned from my dear friend Cheryl Hunter.
From where I stand, in the here and now, in this heaven, there is absolutely nothing to prove. I have nothing to prove, as well. In the bigger picture, we all have nothing to prove, we just train.
Just train is just what I do, as opposed to waiting to get into heaven. One of the greatest lessons and most profound gift I got from Mizukami Sensei was that I was okay as I am, that I was a good man. That I have nothing to prove. That’s a far cry from the frightened little boy growing up in Hawaii, who was terrified as hell of his dad, thinking, “I’ll never, ever be good enough.” Perhaps, I’m in heaven, now. If so, that’s because of Mizukami Sensei.
Mizukami Sensei taught me Aikido and what it is to be a good man. In so many ways, I’m eternally grateful. Sensei saved and gave me my life. I have nothing, but mad love and respect for Sensei.
I couple of Christmases ago, I spoke with Sensei’s wife Alyce, who’s like my mom in Los Angeles. She said, “Dan (Sensei) would have wanted you to continue training in Aikido.” While he lived, we never said, “I love you” to each other. We knew that we both did. Although, that remained unsaid. I got Sensei’s love in Alyce’s words. I cried.
In the bigger picture, heaven is where we all stand now. It’s not about doing as an order to. There’s nothing to prove. So, I just train. That’s just what I do. Amen. Amen.
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