A statement made in my last blog post raised a question, and I think the answer might provide clarity for other True Aiki readers:
| Patrick De Block · May 13, 2021 at 8:19 am “I don’t equate “internal power” with “Aiki.” To my mind they are two separate things that can be powerfully related.” Explain, please. Allen Dean Beebe May 15, 2021 at 1:46 pm Hi Patrick, Semantics are pretty variable, but to my mind the term “internal power” or “nairiki” in Japanese is referring to “power” from “within.” Within can include muscles and tissues and even bones located internally, as opposed to the more commonly used larger exterior muscles. It can also relate to “internally” focused mental processes. Theoretically, Ki or Chi usually factors as an intermediary between those to processes. Nevertheless, all of these are used to increase “power,” hence the term “internal POWER.” Power is an amount of work done over a period of time. The greater the amount of work done over a shorter period of time, the greater the power. Here is where I make my stipulation. Power does not imply any sort of “non-resistance.” In fact, power is often related by people to individuals that can generate a lot of resistance and therefore can produce a lot of work over a short period of time. As an example: Imagine a situation where many people cannot pull a particular tree out of the ground, and then one individual comes over and immediately pulls out the tree. That individual could be recognized has having a lot of power because he/she performed more work under less time than several other individuals could. Aiki on the other hand implies non-resistance. If Aiki has a direct relationship to In/Yo-Yin/Yang it becomes readily apparent that it implies a non-resistant relationship because while In and Yo are opposites, they do not resist one another. In fact, they each give rise to the other. This relationship is obviously the opposite of resistance, and it also has no relationship to avoidance. While many say that Aiki is avoiding an attack, nothing could be further from the truth. Yo doesn’t avoid In, In gives rise to Yo, and Yo gives rise to In. This is a very different from avoidance. So, Aiki is a specific and unique kind of force relationship, whereas power is a more general force relationship. Consequently, Aiki can most definitely involve the use of internal power, just so long as a non-resistant In/Yo force relationship is created and/or maintained. However, internal power doesn’t necessarily involve the use of Aiki because it can exist in a force relationship of resistance and still be considered internal power. The two terms are often conflated, which is completely understandable. If an individual observes another performing an inexplicable (seemingly magical) act, if that same individual sees yet another performing an inexplicable (seemingly magical) act, it is not uncommon for that individual to attribute the effect observed in both acts to a singular cause. That cause being “the inexplicable” (seemingly magic). Since the causes are not discerned, they are easily conflated. This explains why both internal power and Aiki are also often conflated with extraordinary skill, typically extraordinary martial skill. Since the skill exhibited is by definition “extraordinary” and internal power and Aiki are not so prevalent as to be considered ordinary, all three can, and often are, easily confused as being one and the same. Hoping you are well and happy, Allen |
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