The Hidden Power of Aikido: Transcending Conflict and Cultivating Inner Peace

by Susan Perry, John Stevens (Foreword by), John Perry (Foreword by)

Overview

• Explains Aikido solutions for peacefully resolving difficulties that arise with intimidating and unpredictable people, those who are stubborn or don’t listen, insincere people who want something from you, and chaotic situations

• Presents Aikido’s step-by-step protocol for developing the receptiveness of the beginner’s mind and deescalating potentially violent or dangerous situations

• Shares stories of how Aikido helped the author transform interpersonal difficulties into peaceful interactions

Illuminating the inner philosophical and practical aspects of Aikido, 47-year Aikido practitioner and 6th-degree black belt Susan Perry, Ph.D., uses personal stories of joy, achievement, and hardship to demonstrate real-life applications of the transformational principles of Aikido. She introduces the origins and techniques of Aikido, providing a brief biography of its founder, Morihei Ueshiba (O-Sensei), and compares his philosophy with that of Aristotle. She explains in detail how Aikido helped her resolve difficulties at work, as a student, and as a teacher/sensei. Through each story shared, the author offers a glimpse of the beginner’s mind, a state essential to personal transformation and also the key to transforming conflict into a peaceful interaction.

Perry also shows how the tools of Aikido—the sword, bokken, and jo—not only help correct posture but also are symbols cutting through darkness, revealing the truth of reality. She discusses the importance of experiencing the beautiful qualities of the mountain forests, which calm and cleanse the spirit. And she explains how a deepening practice of this martial art leads to an aiki state of sincerity, inner peace, and boundless joy.

Revealing how Aikido can help you face your fears and develop your heart and soul, this book shows how this martial art can help you embrace change, cultivate a strong center, and ultimately live a joyful life of engagement with the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781644118986
Publisher:	Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Susan Perry, Ph.D., has practiced Aikido for nearly 50 years. She holds a Rokudan (6th-degree black belt) in Aikido, a doctorate in philosophy, and a Godan (5th-degree black belt) in Japanese calligraphy. Best known for founding and publishing Aikido Today Magazine, she is now president of Aiko Institute. A former assistant professor in the California State University system, she lives in Claremont, California.
John Stevens is the author of Aikido: The Way of Harmony.
John Perry is an emeritus professor of philosophy at Stanford University.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD by John Stevens

FOREWORD by John R. Perry, Ph.D.

PREFACE Aikido, Lighting the Way

Acknowledgments

Introduction

ONE Aikido
Embracing Change

TWO O-Sensei
Unifying Two Opposing Worlds

THREE Beginner’s Mind
Discovering the Enemy Within

FOUR Centering
Finding My Warrior Nature

FIVE Awakening to Makoto
The Principle of Heartfelt Sincerity

SIX Honoring the Gems of the Past
Preparing the Path Forward

SEVEN The Practice of Purification (Misogi)
Slowing Down, Letting Go, and Opening Up

EIGHT The Way of Protection with Maai
Timing and the Power of Distraction

NINE The Sword of Truth
Cutting through the Darkness

TEN The Wizard’s Magic Spear
Calling Down the Light

ELEVEN An Ocean of Energy
The World as Vibrations

TWELVE Symbolic Jewels
The Hidden Aspects of Inner Cultivation

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

Sensei Perry’s 6th-degree black belt, her founding, publishing, and editing of Aikido Today Magazine, and her 48 years as an Aikido student, dojo owner, and trusted sensei make her a rare combination of Eastern and Western, scholar and practitioner expert. Her work is simultaneously profound and personally applicable wisdom for all readers of living philosophy, martial arts, and other related disciplines.

Judith Blitz

Alongside being an author and the publisher of Aikido Today Magazine, Susan Perry simultaneously created and operated a major Aikido dojo. All of this, coupled with her formal training and teaching in philosophy, makes her a unique and special voice whose insights will reward the reader and help illuminate the path ahead.

Doug Dearie

Wise, heartfelt, and poignant yet humorous, The Hidden Power of Aikido is a beautifully written testament to the unique, transformative power of Aikido. Susan Perry Sensei draws from her fifty years of Aikido practice and study, as well as from literature, history, and philosophy, to create a perceptive and affecting portrait of a life illuminated and enriched by the art. Anyone dedicated to a long-term spiritual path will resonate with Perry’s zest and keen observations.

executive editor at Shambhala Publications BETH FRANKL

O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido, taught that we all must learn to live with the spirit of love and protection for all existence. I believe Susan Perry’s words are inspiring, and I trust her book will help nurture this practice.

Aikido 8th Dan and contributor of Journey to the H Motomichi Anno Sensei

In The Hidden Power of Aikido, Perry Sensei has distilled her years of deep unflinching curiosity for truth through the training, study, and teaching of Aikido. She offers a smoothly written and easily accessible book.

Aimen Al-Refai

Susan Perry shows us that Aikido, so much more than a martial art, provides a path for living as a good person. If you train in Aikido, read this book to deepen your understanding of Aikido. If you don’t yet train, read this book to learn how Aikido provides that path, and then go looking for an Aikido dojo.

writer and Aikido instructor Nancy Jane Moore

Susan Sensei encourages us to aspire to a deeper exploration of Aikido that will engage us at all levels of our lives. Using her knowledge of Aristotle’s principles of virtue and O-Sensei’s principles of Makoto, she makes the case for Aikido’s ability to provide substance for anyone to live deeply and meaningfully.

Aikido 7th Dan Mary Heiny

The deep sincerity of Susan Perry Sensei’s quest has enabled her to penetrate beneath the surface and enter the rich depths of this transcendent path. She has eloquently shared her discoveries in The Hidden Power of Aikido.”

Head Shinto Priest of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of Amer Rev. Lawrence Koichi Barrish

Susan Perry has played an important and profound role in Aikido in America. It’s enlightening to hear more of her stories as she looks back on her career in Aikido and offers her advice and guidance to those who have come after.

3rd-degree Aikido black belt Jacob “Budo Jake” McKee

Explores how Aikido offers not only a template for what it is to be a good human being but also a method to become one. Highly recommended for practitioners, both actual and armchair, of Aikido and other martial arts.

founder of the PeaceCamp Initiative Robert Kent

Philosopher, historian, and nationally known Aikido instructor, Susan Perry gifts current Aikido practitioners with a deeper understanding of their art and provides aspiring students and the public insights into the potential of this martial art.

Barry Portnoy