Harmony and Peace
A New Year Message from Gaku Homma Sensei
January 1st, 2002
To
Aikidoists around the world, I send my wishes for a New Year of
good health, happiness and fulfillment.
This year I began my New Year as I have for many years-by conducting
Toshi Koshi Geiko, or “New Years Eve Practice”.
This special practice begins at 11:30 pm. on the 31st of December
and continues until after the New Year begins at midnight. Nippon
Kan is located just south of downtown, so during practice and meditation
the sounds of fireworks and distant celebrations could be heard
as we brought in the New Year.
Toshi Koshi Geiko is the only practice of the year where
I perform a special Shinto ceremony using narimono or “things
that make sounds.” The melodic sound of special bells and the
powerful tones of drums add a special atmosphere to the ceremony.
For this New Year, many of my students have asked me about my opinions
on the world since the tragic events of 9-11-2001. Not being a politician
or war analyst, I do not have ready answers as to what is correct
or prudent to do in a time of terrorism. I do of course, condemn
any acts of terrorism, and have thought deeply about what we can
do as an Aikido community to strengthen the harmony in our world.
I am reminded of a Buddhist story about bells; like the ones I used
for the New Years Eve Ceremony.
Bells used in Buddhist ceremonies are called kane. These bells are
not like cowbells with clangors or sleigh bells with pellets inside
to make them jingle. These bells have nothing in them at all. The
bells rest gently on a soft cushion and are rung by being struck
on the side with a wooden stick. When struck, they make a rich vibrating
tone.
There is an order for this harmony, which is integral to the quality
of the resonance and tone of the bell sound. If the cushion rests
on top of the bell instead of the other way around, the sound of
the bell is not the same when struck. Or, if the bell rests on the
stick, and is struck with the cushion, the sound is also not the
same. Each object, the bell, the cushion and the stick have their
proper places, and only when combined correctly do they produce
a harmonious sound. In essence it is important for us to understand
and respect the place and purpose of all three objects. In this
way together, they can appreciate the nice sound they make together.
In the world there are many different cultures, religions and lifestyles,
cultures that have survived climatic and environmental changes for
centuries. In the mountains of Nepal, a way of life has existed
unchanged for generations. The people there survive by herding yaks
and harvesting salt. Deep in the jungles of the Amazon, are communities
of people who have had little or no contact with the outside world,
their world, is of the jungle, where the skill of the hunters determines
who survives.
Some cultures have survived the harshest of conditions. For other
cultures, like our own in the United States for instance, physical
survival is not quite as much of a challenge as it once was. In
our modern day world watching television and drinking beer in ones
underwear is made possible year round in an environment controlled
by central heating and air conditioning.
World-wide there are many different systems of belief. People have
adapted to the challenges of their own particular environment. In
primitive cultures, where daily life was closest to the elements
of nature, people tended to have a religion or a system of believe
as an integral part of their daily lives.
Regardless of a community’s system of believe adapting to a
foreign environment is a challenging task.
What would happen for instance if you transplanted someone whom
had spent his or her entire life in the jungles of the Amazon into
downtown Manhattan? Or vice versa? If you took someone who had grown
up in New York City to a place without toilets, electricity or stores
to buy their food and clothing, it would be difficult for him or
her to survive. It is always difficult to adapt to a culture or
environment that is foreign, and it is also difficult for a community
to adapt to someone new and foreign entering its realm of order.
I do believe, however, that it is very important for us to try to
understand and respect cultures that may be unfamiliar to us. Like
the bell and the cushion and the stick we need to find the harmony
that a mixture of cultures can create.
I have been living in the United States for over 25 years. As part
of Nippon Kan’s cultural exchange program I have taken over
400 Americans to Japan. The major cities in Japan today are similar
to cities world-wide. Excepting possibly language barriers, there
are few inconveniences traveling in Japan. It has been interesting
for me to learn through years of guiding these tours about different
traveler’s abilities to deal with a new culture. Food often
becomes challenging, and some American travelers after initially
being excited about new foods, start dreaming of pizza and ice cream
sometimes after just one or two days. I have learned that sometimes
if these food urges are not met, irritability arises, and negativity
over the entire experience can occur. This is an example of simple
difficulties that one culture can have understanding and assimilating
with another. When minor obstacles such as this can cause misunderstanding,
it is no wonder that miscommunication on an international scale
is an issue.
I have also witnessed cultural challenges among Japanese visitors
in the United States. Nippon Kan has hosted over 200 visitors from
Japan, serving as guides for short term visits and advisors for
those on more extended stays. As a rule Japanese arriving for extended
stays arrive full of hopes and expectations. They want to do everything
TODAY! They are full of energy and excitement. What I have found
however, is that a few months later the same person may have taken
on a drastically different attitude. After the initial excitement,
a typical pattern is for visitors to begin comparing everything
to Japan, using a Japanese rule of measure. “Lines are too
long here compared to Japan…the only seasonings used here are
salt and pepper, whereas in Japan… This is a critical time
in the Japanese visitor’s experience. I always advise, for
I have been there myself, “This is part of the process of understanding.
You are experiencing what everyone does when adjusting to a new
culture. Be patient with the process…this too shall pass”.
I have seen some give up and return to Japan. On rare occasions
I have even heard of a suicide. The differences between their expectations
and the perceived reality of their experiences were too great for
them to overcome.
Last year I visited Mongolia, Scotland and Brazil. In Scotland and
Brazil we stayed in Western hotels, traveled by modern transportation
and had an abundant variety of foods available to us. Mongolia however
was a little bit different. Once outside of the capital city of
Ulaanbaatar, the horizon was empty and endless, dotted sporadically
with the white tent structures of the Mongolian nomads. It was not
only stepping into another world, but stepping into a timeless one.
The “ger”, or nomadic houses we visited had no indoor
plumbing or electricity. The space was furnished with a couple of
beds, a heating stove in the center of the ger and an altar with
images of the Dalai Lama and Genghis Khan. Most dwellings housed
from six to ten people and were moved every three months or so to
find suitable grazing lands for the accompanying horse, sheep, goats
and occasional yak or camel. This is a lifestyle that has continued
for over 2000 years including the time of Genghis Kan over 1000
years ago.
The lifestyle we were lucky to witness has endured centuries of
harsh conditions, yet arts, crafts and music have flourished. The
Mongolian people were comfortable and happy with the world around
them. Even politics have had little effect on the life of the Mongolian
nomads. Over 15 years ago Mongolia shook the Russian rule that began
in 1921 and became a self-governing democracy, yet life on the Mongolian
plains has remained virtually unchanged.
Recently, I watched a television report from Afghanistan. A popular
woman reporter was commenting on conditions in Afghanistan after
the fall of the Taliban rulers. Followed by camera crews, she wandered
through a recently liberated village, assessing the living conditions.
She was obviously uncomfortable by what she found. There was no
running water or electricity in most of the houses. The children
wore tattered clothes and sometimes had no shoes. The houses were
furnished with the poorest of amenities, the floors made of dirt,
the walls peeling and crumbling. Children worked in metal works
or tapestry factories for one dollar a week, instead of attending
school. One dollar a week may not be much, but may be sufficient
to help a family buy enough food to survive until a time when conditions
might allow a broader development of human potential.
I don’t think it is fair to judge the conditions in Afghanistan
by an American reporter’s standards. Having electricity or
Coca Cola or fried chicken or neatly pressed clothes is not mandatory
for a successful culture. To assume that countries that do not have
these amenities should be looked down upon is a mistake. It is,
of course, deplorable for large companies to use child labor in
Third World countries to keep labor costs down. Afghanistan, however,
is a country that has been at war for a very long time. Afghanistan
is a country that needs a lot of rebuilding before new educational
systems can be put in place. In the meantime, children that can
work are able to learn a skill that is a means for survival, which
is better than wandering the streets. Studying computer science
and mathematics in a western- style school system may not be appropriate
in different situations in different parts of the world.
Craftsmen that began their training as children made the arts and
crafts from other parts of the world displayed in museums here at
home. These young tradesmen have carried their traditions from generation
to generation. We cannot over look the value of continuing these
traditions as well as the importance of this kind of cultural education.
For us in the United States to sit in our living rooms so far away
and accept negative reports on the conditions in Afghanistan can
lead to misunderstanding if we do not broaden our scope of understanding.
After time, these reports can become reality to us and the basis
for not only our individual opinions but also foreign policy.
Reactions to this kind of judgment can be detrimental, turning attitudes
into a struggle between the “have and the have not’s”,
the material rich versus the material poor. Leaders on either side
tend to support their own position and cultural values, condemning
the other’s position. This can lead to war and ultimately terrorism.
Communication, education and positive reinforcement can help break
through these cultural barriers.
As Aikidoists under the Founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba we practice
the Japanese martial art of Aikido around the globe. From different
cultural and geographical back grounds, we practice together. This
is a positive step for all of us in trying to understand one another
and the cultural backgrounds we represent. I appeal to all Aikidoists
to continue to study and research the cultures of others with a
positive mind. We need to be open, not only to Japanese culture
which has brought us Aikido, but different cultures around the world.
Like the bell, the cushion and the stick, we need to understand
and accept the validity of other cultures, different from our own
to make a harmonious sound. The more we can study and be tolerant
of as people world wide, the harmonious sound we can make can turn
into the sound of an entire orchestra.
I believe education is a pathway to world peace. Since the inception
in 1976, Nippon Kan’s philosophy has been built on the concept
of reaching out to the community. Taking off the walls and ceiling
of the dojo and joining our community in projects of service. This
has been the beginning and is now reaching communities around the
world. Our target is the harmony of the sound of the bell, through
active participation in bringing more real love and peace to the
world.
Happy New Year to All!
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan and AHAN Founder
Translated by Emily Busch
January 1, 2002
