The Event Is Neutral
"The event is neutral. What it means is subjective interpretation."
This is a Buddhist teaching I learnt. Nowadays, many people who practice mindfulness also talk about it. It is a very relevant to aikido practice. Whenever possible, I try to share it with fellow Aikido students.
To demonstrate it in action, one evening I asked a student to hold my wrist and then asked the class what this meant. Some said I was being attacked. I, then, swung my relaxed arm swiftly with my partner's. To make students laugh, I muttered, "Oh my word! This handsome young man is holding hands with me. I am so happy!" As I brought my hands to cradle my face, my partner was drawn towards me effortlessly.
Then, I switched gears. This time, when held at the wrist, I acted scared: "Oh my word, a strong young man is grabbing my wrist. What does he want? What do I do now?" As I tried to pull my stiff arm from my partner, he seemed so heavy, and I could not move my legs a bit. I was stuck!
I am glad that students laughed at my silly skits. What I really want is for them to see that being in danger is a state of mind. Nobody can put you in danger except yourself.
While they are comfortable to see an attack on the aikido mat as a neutral event, some find it harder to see other events as neutral.
After class, a student challenged the idea: "Is the event really always neutral? I don't think so. I think some events are inherently bad."
"Really? Care to elaborate?" I was interested to hear her out.
"Say, killing children would be inherently bad. It is immoral. No question about it."
"Hmm, so it is about morals. Isn't moral codes a creation of mankind? Not that I support killing children, but given what you said, your example is still a subjective interpretation."
"But killing children is inherently wrong," this sweet young lady pleaded.
"I understand what you say. But, is it an absolute thing? What if the children killed are not humans but are animals instead? Is it wrong to kill baby animals?"
"I guess so," the young lady mumbled.
"What if these are baby birds killed by an animal, like a fox? What if the fox takes the prey home to feed its children? Is it wrong for the fox to kill in order to feed its babies?"
"Mm, I still don't like to see baby birds die," The young lady became less certain about her position.
"So, it is okay for baby foxes to die? The baby foxes need food. Their parent kill the birds so as to feed them. It is nature's way. Is it wrong for a fox to survive following nature's way?"
"Mm . . . "
"Predation is part of nature. To the little birds' parents, the fox is a murderer. To its babies, the fox is the best parent in the world. It is a matter of perspective."
"Killing human babies is still wrong."
"Personally, I do not support killing children. However, to those who use the killing to achieve certain goals, this is the right thing to do. At the end, it really depends on which side you are on. It is still subjective interpretation based on our own predilection. No?"
Nature does not care about morality. We do. Morality is a human concept. That is what makes us human. And that is why Buddhism promotes compassion and morality.
This is a Buddhist teaching I learnt. Nowadays, many people who practice mindfulness also talk about it. It is a very relevant to aikido practice. Whenever possible, I try to share it with fellow Aikido students.
To demonstrate it in action, one evening I asked a student to hold my wrist and then asked the class what this meant. Some said I was being attacked. I, then, swung my relaxed arm swiftly with my partner's. To make students laugh, I muttered, "Oh my word! This handsome young man is holding hands with me. I am so happy!" As I brought my hands to cradle my face, my partner was drawn towards me effortlessly.
Then, I switched gears. This time, when held at the wrist, I acted scared: "Oh my word, a strong young man is grabbing my wrist. What does he want? What do I do now?" As I tried to pull my stiff arm from my partner, he seemed so heavy, and I could not move my legs a bit. I was stuck!
I am glad that students laughed at my silly skits. What I really want is for them to see that being in danger is a state of mind. Nobody can put you in danger except yourself.
While they are comfortable to see an attack on the aikido mat as a neutral event, some find it harder to see other events as neutral.
After class, a student challenged the idea: "Is the event really always neutral? I don't think so. I think some events are inherently bad."
"Really? Care to elaborate?" I was interested to hear her out.
"Say, killing children would be inherently bad. It is immoral. No question about it."
"Hmm, so it is about morals. Isn't moral codes a creation of mankind? Not that I support killing children, but given what you said, your example is still a subjective interpretation."
"But killing children is inherently wrong," this sweet young lady pleaded.
"I understand what you say. But, is it an absolute thing? What if the children killed are not humans but are animals instead? Is it wrong to kill baby animals?"
"I guess so," the young lady mumbled.
"What if these are baby birds killed by an animal, like a fox? What if the fox takes the prey home to feed its children? Is it wrong for the fox to kill in order to feed its babies?"
"Mm, I still don't like to see baby birds die," The young lady became less certain about her position.
"So, it is okay for baby foxes to die? The baby foxes need food. Their parent kill the birds so as to feed them. It is nature's way. Is it wrong for a fox to survive following nature's way?"
"Mm . . . "
"Predation is part of nature. To the little birds' parents, the fox is a murderer. To its babies, the fox is the best parent in the world. It is a matter of perspective."
"Killing human babies is still wrong."
"Personally, I do not support killing children. However, to those who use the killing to achieve certain goals, this is the right thing to do. At the end, it really depends on which side you are on. It is still subjective interpretation based on our own predilection. No?"
Nature does not care about morality. We do. Morality is a human concept. That is what makes us human. And that is why Buddhism promotes compassion and morality.
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