Peace and Harmony
Kiai - Aiki
氣合 - 合氣

's-Hertogenbosch

At the summer seminar in 1997 or 1998 in the Netherlands Alain de Halleux documented the explanations of Yoshigasaki Sensei on peace and harmony. In 2021 he published the video on YT. The following is a slightly revised transcript.

Aikido

is a peaceful art and not a fighting art. This is the basic.
Many Aikido people tend to practise fighting art, forgetting this basic. If many people know that Aikido is a peaceful art but in reality practise fighting, then clearly there is a reason. Then it depends on what peace is.

What is peace ?

It is very easy. Peace means "not war". Actually, that is how most people use the word peace. Peace means no fighting, more clearly it is "absence of fighting".
When the President of the United States or the Roman Pope talk about peace they mean absence of fighting. This is the normal definition.

What can we do for peace ?

If peace means no fighting, the only thing we can do sincerely is pray for peace. We hope that fighting doesn't happen. Peace in the family means there is no fighting in the family. What can you do for peace in the family? If your wife starts fighting against you there is no peace. So, what do you do? You pray and you hope that your wife doesn't start fighting. (laughs).
This definition of peace is very convenient for religious people. So, they can do their work. Let's hope and pray. Some people say, when one person prays for peace it is not so efficient. But if ten thousand people pray together it really works. I don't know whether it is scientifically true or not. But anyway. Praying for peace is not bad, of course. It is better than nothing.
But is this the only thing we can do? Hope and pray? If peace is absence of fighting, we can just hope and pray. When I am hoping and praying and fighting happens then I say "c'est la vie". That's life. In life there is a peace, there is a war. That means, peace is a period between two wars. This definition of peace means, you have accepted fighting as inevitable, as a way of life. That is why I think that this definition of peace as absence of fighting, which is accepted by most religious people, most governments, United Nations, UNESCO is not correct. Then we have to find a better definition of peace.

Peace is an action

Peace is not absence of fighting but peace is an action for harmony. Peace is action. So, you must act. If you don't do something you are not peaceful. Being peaceful means do something. Ok, what do you do? Just pray or just making demonstration against the government "Stop war! Peace!" is not enough. Peace means creating harmony.

Creation of harmony is peace

And this, you can see, in the family is very easy. If your wife fights against you there is clearly a reason. So, it is no use just hope and pray that fighting doesn't happen. You must create harmony. If you create harmony, clearly there is no reason that fighting happens. And clearly this creation of harmony you must do all the time. Each moment you must always work for it. This action is peace.
Then, are you really interested in peace? If you are interested in peace, you must work all the time. Peace is work. Not just sitting around and hoping and praying. You must really work each moment. The whole life must be a work for creating peace. This is the peace in Aikido.
If you understand this, you can clearly see the difference between peace and fighting. You can practise Aikido as an art of peace. Not fighting. Then the question is:

What is harmony ?

Most definitions of harmony in the world are wrong. Many people define harmony like this: Here is one person (draws a person) there is another person (draws another person). Harmony between you and me. Harmony between two things, two people, two countries. Again, this definition is not good.
Is there harmony between you and your wife? I hope so. Now, your wife has a boyfriend and says that she doesn't want to live together with you. Now, can there be harmony? Can you do anything about it? What can you do?
Answer: Make harmony.

How to create harmony ?

If somebody hurts you, how can you make harmony? If harmony is between you and me, again sometimes there is harmony, sometimes there is no harmony. I love you. That is possible. But that doesn't guarantee that you love me. Do you prefer that if I love you, and then you love me. Or I love you and that doesn't mean that you love me. Which is better?
It is very possible that I love you but you don't love me. That should be normal. This is why, if it happens that I love you and you love me, then that is beautiful. So, we can make a couple. But normally I love you but you don't love me. You love me but I don't love you. That is normal. That should be normal.
That means if harmony is between you and me, you love me but I don't love you. Can there be harmony? In reality. Very difficult, no? If I love you and you don't love me, I get frustrated. I prefer to go away. Or I get angry. Or I try to force you.
If harmony means relationship, then again harmony is not possible. And you have to say again "c'est la vie". That's life. Sometimes there is harmony, sometimes there is no harmony. Then again, we can just hope and pray that there is harmony. That's why harmony should not be relationship. Harmony doesn't exist between two persons, between two countries, between two things. So, where have we to find harmony? Harmony is the relationship between me and the whole world. That's harmony. Not the relation between you and me.
This is very important because many people think unconsciously harmony is between people. When the relationship is fine, there is harmony. When the relationship is not good, there is no harmony. And then they say, harmony is beyond our range. Sometimes there is harmony, sometimes there is no harmony. We can't do anything about it. C'est la vie. That's life. It becomes again this ... just hoping. Hoping for harmony. Harmony is not relationship. Harmony, we first have to make clear, harmony is in ourselves. That means, without having any relationship with the outside world, just alone, we must find harmony. Then clearly harmony is a nice feeling. If it is not a nice feeling, it is not harmony, of course.
Can I just be alone and don't have to do anything and can I just feel good? That is the basic question of harmony. I talk with nice people. I feel good. That's not harmony. I love you; you love me. That is not harmony. I go to a nice forest and walk and enjoy nice feeling with the trees. That is not harmony. I look at a nice painting and feel good. That is not harmony. That is only nice relationship. But relationship is not harmony. Because if there is a nice relationship clearly there is also a bad relationship, too. And again, it becomes "c'est la vie". Just hope and pray. You must find this real, concrete, solid harmony which nobody can break. You can work for it and you can build it up by yourself.

Exercise

And nobody can break this harmony. So, you must find a solid, very strong harmony. This strong harmony is basically when you are alone, do nothing, and still feel a very nice feeling. Then we are reaching for harmony. And then, when you have this harmony. When you have relationship with the world, with other people with anything, still keep that harmony. That is the practise of harmony. When you do this, that means peace. This action is peace. Actually, that is this Aikido.
The basic is that you just don't move (closes eyes), stay alone, and can feel good, can feel nice.
(One minute exercise together:)
Try, stand up. Up, down. And just stay alone, do nothing and see whether you can feel good or not.

Kiai and Aiki

The basic harmony is when you are alone. How do you say it in Japanese language?
(Answer from the audience: "Wa").
"Wa 和" is with other people. When you are alone it is called "Kiai 氣合". This harmony inside you is called Kiai.
When you keep this harmony when you have relationship, how do you say it? "Aiki 合氣". Kiai and Aiki. Kiai means harmony inside yourself. Aiki means harmony with relationship. This Kiai is basic.

How do you practise Kiai ?

(Someone shouts). Ok, you practise Kiai by shouting. But that is only one way of practising. Many people misunderstand, that Kiai is shouting. That is only one way of practising Kiai. Kiai means this harmony in oneself. How can you see it?
If there is a harmony, then there is a power. When you are harmonious, you have power. If there is a conflict, you have less power. That means, if you have no problem, everything works, you have power. A lot of problems, conflicts, less power. Evident.
Harmony creates power. That means, whether you have harmony inside or not, you can judge by the power.
That's why in Japan we have a word saying "put Kiai". 氣合を入れる Kiai wo ireru.

Kiai wo ireru

And do you know how Japanese put Kiai to other people? When I see that you have no harmony and because of that you are weak and I want to make you harmonious and strong. How do I do it? Japanese traditional way. (Breathes on his fist.) I will put you Kiai. Hit the belly!
I heard that in Sweden, in some Karate Club some Japanese teacher still do that. I put you Kiai (makes a punching motion). And hit (hits his stomach). And why this method?
Because, many people, especially modern people have a very easy life. When you have easy life then you tend to lose harmony. To make somebody harmonious and powerful, the easiest way is "create danger for him". When danger comes, he is obliged to unify himself and to become strong. That is the Japanese meaning of "put Kiai in somebody. (perplex faces).

If you have a harmony, naturally you are strong. But it doesn't mean, if you are strong, you have harmony.
This must be always clear. Because some people say, "I am strong, so I have harmony." Not like that. If there is harmony, that harmony must make me strong. But it doesn't mean, if I am strong, I am harmonious. Not like this.

You can watch the video (18 minutes) on Youtube here.