Reflections on a Taimyo Class with Master Ito By David Palmer August 9, 2011 Once again I was very inspired by Ito’s class last night. Besides the new material (the new embodiment of bamboo and the breathing exercises), I wanted to share some thoughts that came to me in the opening discussion of Taimyo. My observation has been that there are typically two times in most people’s lives when the Gauguin questions (Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?) naturally arise. If, at one or the other of these moments, the internal structures are put in place to address these questions, then the individual shifts Continue reading →

D’où venons-nous ? Que sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous ? Two events early in the 21st Century have changed the way we view the world. (1) The 9-11 attack showed that there is no safe place in the world, and government can’t protect us. After the attack, Osama bin Laden continued his activities for over 10 years. The US spent billions of dollars to stop him, and inadvertently created more terrorists along the way. (2) The great earthquake/tsunami showed that there is no safe place from natural disasters, and technology can’t protect us. Even Japan, which has the best anti-earthquake and anti-tsunami infrastructure in the world, was devastated. Many people in Continue reading →

Timing Practice: Morning and Evening Reflections* *please read the Timing article before reviewing this practice I think good timing is an essential element of peace‐making. We can use A timing to avoid unnecessary conflict. One of the best ways to practice timing in daily life is to review the events of the day, and preview the day to come. At the end of each day I look back and review the high and low points, and lessons learned. This is using C timing to reflect on what I could have done differently. In the morning I think about the day ahead and prepare myself (A timing). I ask myself, “What Continue reading →

in Conflict Resolution, Peacemaking and the Martial Arts For the general public, the impression of martial arts often involves a physical conflict between two or more people. That conflict exists in a time-space continuum and in order to make contact, those people choose to intersect. * If we use the analogy of firing a gun for conflict – Ready, Aim, Fire – Ready is at Point A, Aim is at Point B and Fire occurs at Point C. Most martial arts are based on acting at Point C – when an opponent is already upon us. Timing is everything in the martial arts, yet C timing is very late and Continue reading →

Just recently I read a book with a conversation between Kiyoshi Oka (a well‐known mathematician) and Hideo Kobayashi (an art critic). Hideo Kobayashi asked Kiyoshi Oka what the number one meant to him, thinking he would talk about mathematics. Oka said that ‘one’ is when a baby stands up for the first time. Its brain must study and figure out the process of coordinating nerves, muscles, balance and gravity. The experience becomes a way for the baby to understand the universe. In essence, ‘one’ means integration. Being able to stand up and walk is critical as we age. All older people have an aspiration to live independently as long as Continue reading →

Dear Friends & Taimyo Practitioners: Greeting from Maslives, France! 911 has come again….. What is your plan for praying “World Peace” today? I would like to share the responses to my question I received from some of you this time! Hope it will help you deepen your meditation! -Ito What is peace, to you? Just wanted to share another Kansha (gratitude) experience with you. We just got back from a week camping near Yosemite where I had the chance to climb Half Dome. What an experience! it is truly a grueling, spectacular hike. I started at 7AM and finished by 5PM — an all day 18 mile round-trip hike with Continue reading →

Dear Taimyo Practitioners and Friends: We are coming to the end of our 6-week Taimyo Meditation series at the Day Street Dojo in San Francisco – doing weekly practices together and daily practices on our own, as well as reading Instinct for Freedom by Alan Clements. I am grateful that so many of you were able to participate in this workshop series, either in person or from a distance. Did you notice some changes in yourself or the people around you? Below is an e-mail I received from Shin-ichi Matsuyama in Osaka, Japan. I would like to share it with all of you as an example of how I’d hoped Continue reading →

Dear Taimyo Practitioners and Friends: We are coming to the end of our 6-week Taimyo Meditation series at the Day Street Dojo in San Francisco – doing weekly practices together and daily practices on our own, as well as reading Instinct for Freedom by Alan Clements. I am grateful that so many of you were able to participate in this workshop series, either in person or from a distance. Did you notice some changes in yourself or the people around you? Below is an e-mail I received from Shin-ichi Matsuyama in Osaka, Japan. I would like to share it with all of you as an example of how I’d hoped Continue reading →

Dear Taimyo Practitioners: Happy New Year to you! At the end of the last year, I had a chance to read “The Vision” written by Tom Brown, Jr…… I would like to share a part of this book with you and ask you to think about it when you practice Taimyo next time!! Looking forward to our next encounter!!! -Fugaku Ito ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• from: Chapter III Trail p-65~66 The Vision, by Tom Brown, Jr. ISBN: 0-425-10703-5 Not many days after the deer hunt I was sitting quietly in the bushes watching some men in a pickup truck dumping garbage along one of the larger sand trails. Tears filled my eyes, and Continue reading →

Here are some ideas I have been thinking about recently: Tai Chi contains wisdom passed down through 5000 years of Chinese culture. Tai Chi itself has a history going back at least 400 years. Shintaido is the fruit of 400 years of Japanese fighting techniques and martial arts. I was VERY fortunate to be able to play a central role in the very early development of Shintaido. Two years ago, Juliette Farkouh (a Shintaido member from the Bay Area) began interviewing me about my life and Shintaido. This summer she plans to put together her materials in a book, “Ito’s Life and Shintaido.” According to her interpretation, I have been Continue reading →