Koichi Tohei Quotes

Koichi Tohei's quotes feel like gentle guidance on life, kindness, and focus, perfect for anyone after calm insight.

29 quotes

  1. Power of mind is infinite while brawn is limited.

  2. Countless people have attempted to define the absolute power of the world of nature. Some praise it as god, some call it the Buddha, others call it truth. Still others convert nature into a philosophy by which they attempt to sound its deepest truth. Such attempts to define the power of nature are no more than striving to escape its effects.

  3. All of the forces of science have been unable to conquer nature because it is too mystic, too vast, too mighty. It too intensely pervades everything around us. Like the fish that, though in the water, is unaware of the water, we are so thoroughly engulfed in the blessings of nature that we tend to forget its very existence.

  4. We would cease to exist if removed from the laws of nature. For instance, we would be totally unable to maintain stability on the surface of the earth without the force of gravity. Only those with their eyes open to the world of nature are capable of uncovering its truth. Everything springs form a sense of gratitude toward nature. Aikido, though praised a healthful system of self-defense techniques, would be nothing apart from the laws of the great universal. The martial way begins and ends with courtesy, itself an attitude of thankfulness to and reverence for nature. To be mistaken on this basic point is to make of the martial arts no more than weapons of injury and death.

  5. The very name Aikido indicates its dependence on the laws of nature, which we term Ki. Aikido means the way to harmony with Ki. That is to say, Aikido is a discipline to make the heart of nature our own heart, to understand love for all things, and to become one with nature. Techniques and physical strength have limits; the great way of the universal stretches to infinity.

  6. Ten Rules For Daily Life

  7. Have Universal Mind

  8. Love all creation

  9. Be grateful

  10. Do good in secret

  11. Have merciful eyes and a gentle body

  12. Be forgiving and big hearted

  13. Think deep and judge well

  14. Be calm and determined

  15. Be positive and vigorous

  16. Persevere

  17. Do not criticize any other martial arts or speak ill of others, as it will surely come back to you. The mountain does not laugh at the river because it is lowly, nor does the river speak ill of the mountain because it can not move.

  18. Our lives are born of the Ki of the universe. Let us give thanks for being born not as plants and animals, but as human beings blessed with a universal mind. Let us pledge to fulfill our missions by helping to guide the development and creation of the universe.

  19. Practice is not a matter of years and months. It is a matter of concentration.

  20. Pour some water into a tub and stir it up. Now try as hard as you can to calm the water with your hands; you will succeed in agitating it further. Let it stand undisturbed a while, and it will calm down by itself. The human brain works much the same way.

  21. It is as true for individuals as it is for the world itself: everything comes in waves. If you ride the waves of change, you succeed. If you ignore them, you fail. When the wave is down, most people resist it by trying to go up. When the wave goes up, you should go up with it. When it comes down, you go down.

  22. If might is right, then the world will tear itself apart. We must strive to create a world in which right is might.

  23. When you coordinate your mind and body, you have unlimited access to the wisdom of the universe.

  24. After realizing a principle, unless you learn it with your body you cannot expect to get true understanding. Scholars in particular tend to learn in theory only.

  25. There is no conflict in the absolute universe, but there is conflict in the relative world.

  26. Even if a hundred ton boulder should fall, I would be safe! When I say this, everyone laughs and wonders how. No need to try to stop it, just move out of the way. You do not have a problem if you do not try to take it on yourself. Most people suffer because they try to take upon themselves things which they do not need to.

  27. When a watch is broken you take it apart to analyze what is wrong with it. When a technique does not work, if you analyze it carefully you can always find out what is wrong.

  28. They say that a lion puts his all, even into catching a rabbit. You should make it a habit of putting your all into every little thing you do.

  29. You must practice to be able to return to essential principles at any moment.