The Meditating Philosopher | Practicing Philosophy: Philosophical Fellowship (from Aikido: The Way of Spiritual Harmony) @TheMeditatingPhilosopher | Uploaded May 2022 | Updated October 2024, 19 hours ago.
This is an example of the philosophical fellowship group practice.
We also did a stoic hesychastic prayer contemplation before we started: youtu.be/jAPcvxUveTY
This practice is based on the work of Ran Lahav, John Verkaeke, and others. Here are the steps we did:
Philosophical Fellowship Instructions
1. Find your center
2. Remind yourself of the anagogic levels
3. Choose a text, and choose a reader
4. Slow reading
a. Designated reader reads the entire text.
b. After the reading, choose an order and then use it for
the rest of the practice.
5. Chanting
a. Designated reader chooses a central phrase or
sentence from the text, and it is chanted in rounds.
6. Precious speaking
a. 1 or 2 sentences maximum.
b. Don’t speak about the text but to the text
c. Convey much more than you say; what is being
provoked in you? What is being evoked in you? Try to
invoke the voice-perspective-presence of the sage
(i.e. the author of the passage).
7. Intentional conversation- don’t speak about the text but to
the text
a. 4-5 sentences
b. Avoid speaking automatically, authoritatively,
autobiographically, or merely seeking agreement.
Instead, jazz-riff on what other people are saying.
Throughout, you are trying to presence and internalize
the sage.
8. Free form discussion about the text while including the
voice-perspective-presence of the sage.
9. Take away.
The text sample we used was from the book Budo Secrets (by John Stevens), a book of quotes, anecdotes, and short passages from many Japanese and Chinese spiritual teachers and students.
You can find the book on amazon. :)
Here's the part we read and used:
Aikido: The Way of Spiritual Harmony
The universe is our greatest teacher, our greatest friend. Look at the way a stream wends its way through a mountain valley, smoothly transforming itself as it flows around the rocks. The world’s wisdom is contained in books, and by studying them, countless new techniques can be created.
The universe itself is always teaching us Aikido, but we fail to perceive it. Everyone thinks only of him- or herself, and that is why there is so much contention and discord in our world. If we could just keep our hearts pure, everything would be fine. Do not think that the divine exists high above us in heaven. The divine is right here, within and around us. The purpose of Aikido is to remind us that we are in a state of grace.
Aikido is nonviolence. Every human being has been entrusted with a mandate from heaven, and the victory we seek is to overcome all challenges and fight to the finish accomplishing our goals. In Aikido we never attack. If you want to strike first, to gain advantage over someone, that is proof your training is insufficient. Let your partner attack, and use his aggression against him. Do not cower from an attack: control it before it begins.
In true budo, there are no opponents. In true budo we seek to be one with all things, to return to the heart of creation. In real budo, there are no enemies. Real budo is a function of love. The way of a Warrior is not to destroy and kill but to foster life, to continually create. Love is the divinity that can really protect us.
In the old days, a swordsman would let an enemy slice the surface of his skin in order to cut into his enemy’s flesh; sometimes he would even sacrifice his flesh in order to slash through to the enemy’s bone. In Aikido, such an attitude is unacceptable. We want both attacker and defender to escape unharmed. Rather than risk injury to attain victory, you must learn how to lead your partner. Control an opponent by putting yourself in a secure, safe place.
There is no place in budo for pettiness and selfish though. Rather than being captivated by notions of “winning or losing,” seek the true nature of things. Your thoughts should reflect the grandeur of the universe, a realm beyond life and death. If your thoughts are antagonistic towards the cosmos, those thoughts will destroy you and wreck havoc on the environment.
Masakatsu, “true victory,” is associated with the male element of creation; agatsu, “self-victory,” is associated with the female element. Joined together, they represent katsuhayabi, “victory right here, right now!” - an ideal state of perfection and completion.
This is an example of the philosophical fellowship group practice.
We also did a stoic hesychastic prayer contemplation before we started: youtu.be/jAPcvxUveTY
This practice is based on the work of Ran Lahav, John Verkaeke, and others. Here are the steps we did:
Philosophical Fellowship Instructions
1. Find your center
2. Remind yourself of the anagogic levels
3. Choose a text, and choose a reader
4. Slow reading
a. Designated reader reads the entire text.
b. After the reading, choose an order and then use it for
the rest of the practice.
5. Chanting
a. Designated reader chooses a central phrase or
sentence from the text, and it is chanted in rounds.
6. Precious speaking
a. 1 or 2 sentences maximum.
b. Don’t speak about the text but to the text
c. Convey much more than you say; what is being
provoked in you? What is being evoked in you? Try to
invoke the voice-perspective-presence of the sage
(i.e. the author of the passage).
7. Intentional conversation- don’t speak about the text but to
the text
a. 4-5 sentences
b. Avoid speaking automatically, authoritatively,
autobiographically, or merely seeking agreement.
Instead, jazz-riff on what other people are saying.
Throughout, you are trying to presence and internalize
the sage.
8. Free form discussion about the text while including the
voice-perspective-presence of the sage.
9. Take away.
The text sample we used was from the book Budo Secrets (by John Stevens), a book of quotes, anecdotes, and short passages from many Japanese and Chinese spiritual teachers and students.
You can find the book on amazon. :)
Here's the part we read and used:
Aikido: The Way of Spiritual Harmony
The universe is our greatest teacher, our greatest friend. Look at the way a stream wends its way through a mountain valley, smoothly transforming itself as it flows around the rocks. The world’s wisdom is contained in books, and by studying them, countless new techniques can be created.
The universe itself is always teaching us Aikido, but we fail to perceive it. Everyone thinks only of him- or herself, and that is why there is so much contention and discord in our world. If we could just keep our hearts pure, everything would be fine. Do not think that the divine exists high above us in heaven. The divine is right here, within and around us. The purpose of Aikido is to remind us that we are in a state of grace.
Aikido is nonviolence. Every human being has been entrusted with a mandate from heaven, and the victory we seek is to overcome all challenges and fight to the finish accomplishing our goals. In Aikido we never attack. If you want to strike first, to gain advantage over someone, that is proof your training is insufficient. Let your partner attack, and use his aggression against him. Do not cower from an attack: control it before it begins.
In true budo, there are no opponents. In true budo we seek to be one with all things, to return to the heart of creation. In real budo, there are no enemies. Real budo is a function of love. The way of a Warrior is not to destroy and kill but to foster life, to continually create. Love is the divinity that can really protect us.
In the old days, a swordsman would let an enemy slice the surface of his skin in order to cut into his enemy’s flesh; sometimes he would even sacrifice his flesh in order to slash through to the enemy’s bone. In Aikido, such an attitude is unacceptable. We want both attacker and defender to escape unharmed. Rather than risk injury to attain victory, you must learn how to lead your partner. Control an opponent by putting yourself in a secure, safe place.
There is no place in budo for pettiness and selfish though. Rather than being captivated by notions of “winning or losing,” seek the true nature of things. Your thoughts should reflect the grandeur of the universe, a realm beyond life and death. If your thoughts are antagonistic towards the cosmos, those thoughts will destroy you and wreck havoc on the environment.
Masakatsu, “true victory,” is associated with the male element of creation; agatsu, “self-victory,” is associated with the female element. Joined together, they represent katsuhayabi, “victory right here, right now!” - an ideal state of perfection and completion.
