rich mooney, you're not after all my money are you??? ;-)
thanks for dropping the name Morehei Ueshiba 1883-1969. I had no idea who you were referring to - a google search revealed he was the founder of Aikido, which tranlates as The Art of Peace.
Apparently Sensei Ueshiba transformed his philosophy of the martial arts after three visions convinced him that the Way of the Warrior is the Way of Peace.
Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) was history's greatest martial artist. Even as an old man of eighty, he could disarm any foe, down any number of attackers, and pin an opponent with a single finger. Although invincible as a warrior, he was above all a man of peace who detested fighting, war, and any kind of violence ... Throughout his life, however, Morihei was sorely troubled by the contention and strife that plagued his world: his father's battles with corrupt politicans and their hired goons, the devastation of war, and the brutality of his country's military leaders.
Morihei was on a spiritual quest and was transformed by three visions ... "Around two o'clock in the morning as I was performing ritual purification, I suddenly forgot every martial art technique I ever learned. All of the techniques handed down from my teachers appeared completely anew. Now they were vehicles for the cultivation of life, knowledge, virtue, and good sense, not devices to throw and pin people."
The third vision was in 1942, during the worst of the fighting of World War II and in one of the darkest periods of human history. Morihei had a vision of the Great Spirit of Peace, a path that could lead to the elimination of all strife and the reconciliation of humankind. "The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood as a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek competition are making a grave mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst sin a human being can commit. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent slaughter - it is the Art of Peace, the power of love." Morihei secluded himself in the country and devoted every minute of his life thereafter to refining and spreading Aikido, the Art of Peace.
Very interesting is the story of how he used "mental chi" to avoid the bullets from a firing squad of 16 men (at the first link). One, two, three. The six revolvers fired at the same time and a cloud of dust whirled around us. Then, suddenly, one of the six marksmen was flying through the air! What had happened? Before we could figure it out, Sensei was standing behind the six men, laughing into his beard ... This far I could remember clearly, but the next stage, where Sensei had moved the distance of 25 meters and thrown one of the six marksmen, I simply could not understand. I couldn't find any explanation for other than "God techniques." Yet, when he was challenged by a true gun master, he refused to stand before the pistol ... I watched carefully, and a bit anxiously, as Sensei sat down in seiza at the far end of the dojo while Mr. Sato took distance and aimed. And then just as he was on the verge of pulling the trigger, Sensei dropped his head in recognition and said, "Wait! Your bullet will hit me! Your thoughts are undistorted, and clearly you want to hit me. From the beginning you've known that you are going to hit your target. I cannot avoid the gun of such a man, you are a true master!"
Well, if these stories are to be trusted, it's not so crazy to think that chi is directed, or "mastered" through disciplined mental focus and a highly trained will. That is exactly how one trains to direct life-force energy for healing the body as well.
But most interesting of all are the 114 quotes from Ueshiba's talks and writings, at the link "The Art of Peace"...
The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter
I especially liked his references to Life-Force Energy as the "Breath of Life" ... The Art of Peace functions everywhere on earth, in realms ranging from the vastness of space down to the tiniest plants and animals. The life force is all-pervasive and its strength boundless. The Art of Peace allows us to percieve and tap into that tremendous reserve of universal energy ... Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life. Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside. Next, breathe up all fecundity and vibrancy of the earth. Finally, blend the breath of heaven and the breath of earth with your own, becoming the Breath of Life itself ...
All the priciples of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is the truth, and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together. When the myriad variations in the universal breath can be sensed, the individual techniques of the Art of Peace are born.
Consider the ebb and flow of the tide. When waves come to strike the shore, they crest and fall, creating a sound. Your breath should follow the same pattern, absorbing the entire universe in your belly with each inhalation. Know that we all have access to four treasures: the energy of the sun and moon, the breath of heaven, the breath of earth, and the ebb and flow of the tide.
When he speaks of "absorbing the entire universe in your belly with each inhalation?, he is referring to the technique of building up a surcharge of chi in the tan tiens - the largest of the eight chi vessels, located just below the navel. Focusing on the tan tien is a major part of Qigong.
NOTE: Here's an easy Qigong technique to try if you like: as you are falling asleep, rub your lower belly gently in a circular motion, 30 times clockwise then 30 times counter-clockwise. This not only produces health benefits by massaging all the inner organs, but the friction with your hand builds up chi in the tan tien as well. It's soothing, relaxing, warmly energizing ... and puts me right to sleep too. :-)
The reason I find Ueshiba's references to the Breath of Life so exciting is because it's EXACTLY the same as Huna - the ancient Hawaiian technique of managing and directing mana (chi) through deep breathing and emotional/mental focus/visualization. The Hawaiian word for the Breath of Life is Ha ... as in "Aloha" (meaning "go with the Breath of Life" and also I love you, hello, goodbye etc).
The basic technique in Huna is the Ha Rite, during which one builds up a surcharge of mana between the hands through deep breathing while "charging" that mana with one's mental/emotional intent (ie healing purpose). Then one sends the intent and energy surcharge to the healee's (or one's own, if working on oneself) "higher power". Huna is the easiest, most powerfully effective energetic healing modality I've encountered to date - oohhh, I could tell you stories and stories and STORIES about how Huna has helped me, and my friends and family, about the "miracles" I've seen take place both under my hands and hundreds of miles away using the Ha Rite ... but they'd all be only anecdotes. I'm sure they'd invite only ridicule, disbelief, flaming ... "troll bait" for sure. *sigh*
That's why I think scientific investigation, verification and explanation of chi and techniques like Huna are just what the doctor ordered for the health of the whole planet today. So thanks for the input, rich mooney - I've learned alot today already, and it's only 9 am!
But I do know this - doing a Ha rite for those 'Cats and GUESTS who insult and flame me has proven to be a sure cure for anger, and therefore for "verbal violence". It's quite impossible to do a Ha rite for someone, visualizing them perfectly happy, healthy, enjoying everything they need and desire in life - and stay angry at them.