Before Zen crossed the shores into Japan, the students of the Tendai school would study meditation, as part of their daily practice. Four of them, close friends all, promised one another to observe seven days of silence.
On the first day, no words were spoken, and the students took pleasure in their auspicious beginning. When night came however, the oil lamps grew dim, and the room slowly darkened.
One student, named Hoshin, called out to a servant: "Servant! Attend to the lamps, so that I might better observe our accomplishment!"
The second student was surprised to hear Hoshin speak. "We are supposed to keep quiet," he chided.
"But you also spoke!" declared the third. "You are an idiot!"
"I am the only one who has not talked," concluded the fourth, as he settled into seiza.
On Saturday, June 19, we will be honored to host Richard Wagener Sensei, chief instructor of Palm Beach Aikikai, for our 2010 summer seminar. Wagener Sensei, a sixth degree black belt, began his Aikido training in 1972 and holds a shidoin instructor’s certificate from the Aikido World Headquarters in Japan. A dedicated practitioner of aiki-ken, Wagener Sensei is the featured instructor in the DVD Aikido Weapons.
The cost of the seminar is $55 and includes a full day of instruction as well as a bar-b-que dinner at the dojo. Interested parties are encouraged to sign up early.
Please email Sensei or sign up at the dojo to reserve your spot.
Editors Note: This is the sixth in an eight part series discussing past seminars at our school. The videos can be found in our multimedia archive. The series can be found under the video tag.
Grady Lane Sensei is a dear friend personally, and a great friend of the dojo. Today’s videos, therefore, are doubly special. Not only do they highlight Sensei’s technique (and Dee’s ukemi), but they were taken at Palm Beach Aikikai, bar none one of my favorite dojos. Remind me sometime to tell you how cool they are.
The first video shows a dynamic kokyu-nage from ushiro. I love this technique, and especially Sensei’s demonstration of it. It’s a powerful throw.
In the next video, Sensei demonstrates a very interesting nikkyo from a forward grab. What I like is the entrance – it’s an uchi variation from which you’d otherwise expect kaiten-nage, or perhaps kokyu-nage. (At least to me. Then again, I’m not a sixth dan shidoin.)
I can also tell you from experience that Dee is feeling that wrist lock.
