The February 2010 newsletter has been published.
Please post any feedback, comments, or questions below.
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.
The February 2010 newsletter has been published.
Please post any feedback, comments, or questions below.
The January 2010 newsletter has been published.
Please post any feedback, comments, or questions below.
For the group: What are your Aikido related New Years resolutions? I’ll start. MM and I have resolved to kick up our training a notch. Every Friday, we plan to undergo a “mini” misogi training session–essentially, half a cleansing class.
That translates to 54 turns as uke, and 54 as nage, with no breaks until we switch roles. The plan (hope?) is to gradually increase the number of throws until we hit 108 each. Perhaps we’ll incorporate bokken.
The December 2009 newsletter has been published.
Please post any feedback, comments, or questions below.
From Dee and Jerry…

A big thanks to everyone who helped make our Christmas party a success. Good friends and good food–what more could you ask?
We’re keeping the dojo decorated through the holiday season, so if you’re quick, you can still find some cookies stashed near the Christmas tree. I also understand Santa’s elves took some pictures, which we’ll publish in our December newsletter.
Merry Christmas!