Posted on

THE CONSPIRITUALITY VIRUS

Conspiracy Theories In New Age Spirituality

In February I got my second jab of the Pfizer vaccine. A week before getting it a dear friend and spiritual brother of mine wrote to me to “break off” our friendship. At first, I was confused as to why because I was sure that nothing had happened between us. But as I read on I came to understand that he felt the need to break our friendship for the sole reason that I publicly posted a pic of me getting my first vaccine. As I was getting inoculated from the Coronavirus, apparently my friend had been infected by the “conspirituality” virus.

Posted on

All Sensei Panel Discussion

The Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues

The “Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues” series started on a lark when I reached out to Ellis Amdur Sensei for his thoughts on the way I was using these 3 stages as a teaching model in my dojo. That short interaction between Ellis and I morphed into some 360 participants, in 6 sessions, with over 10 hours of dialogues between myself and 4 other Koryu and Aikido teachers. On Sunday, Feb. 28th the “Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues” series culminated with an all sensei panel discussion.

The "Shu-Ha-Ri" Dialogues
Posted on

The Blueprint Of Development

Miles Kessler Sensei - "Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues"

Growth and development often follow the trajectory of your personal life stories. Stories that are life lessons which profoundly shaped who you are. My own path of “Shu-Ha-Ri” (3 Stages Of Mastery In Traditional Martial Arts) mirrors my personal story as a dual practice lineage holder in Aikido and Buddhist meditation. A life trajectory that shaped how I see “Shu-Ha-Ri” as a universal map of development. In fact, it is the blueprint of development.

Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues
Posted on

If You Don’t Have Power, You Don’t Have Choice

Toby Threadgill Sensei - "Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues"

In this 4th session of the “Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues” series, I speak with my old friend Toby Threadgill Sensei. Toby is the Shihan (headmaster) of the Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu school of traditional martial arts. As the first non- Japanese to become the official headmaster of a Koryu jujutsu school, Toby is in a unique position to share his rich and in-depth understanding of  “Shu-Ha-Ri” the 3 stages of mastery in traditional Japanese martial arts.

"Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues
Posted on

Spitting Out The Bones

Ellis Amdur Sensei - The "Shu-Ha-Ri" Dialogues

On January 24th, 2021 I launched the first in our “Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues” series with Ellis Amdur Sensei. Amdur Sensei is a Koryu lineage holder ( Araki Ryu, Toda-Ha Buko-Ryu), a psychotherapist, and a prolific author. We kicked off this dialogue series with a wide-ranging discussion of the 3 stages of “Shu-Ha-Ri” – namely “Shu” – the conformity stage, “Ha” – the application stage, & “Ri” – the transcendent stage.

Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues
Posted on

Aikido: Martial Art Or Spiritual Path?

Community Call w/ Miles Kessler

Is Aikido a martial art, or a spiritual path? From a martial perspective, if push came to shove, could you kill another to protect a greater good? On the other hand, from a spiritual perspective, in a moment of truth, could you sacrifice your own life for a greater good? Now the big question; how can you hold both of these perspectives in the same place at the same time? This KOAN is at the core of Aikido, and this is what we explored in this community call on Aikido: Martial Art Or Spiritual Path?

Integral Dojo Community Call w/ Miles Kessler Sensei
Posted on

ZANSHIN: THE MINDFULNESS OF AIKIDO

5 Characteristics (Encore Post)

The biggest trend in personal development these days is “mindfulness.” The popularity of Mindfulness today is especially interesting because even though it is adopted as a post-modern practice, it has been the core transformative practice of spiritual awakening traditions for millennia. Mindfulness also happens to be the primary awareness training that lies at the heart of Aikido practice. We call it “Zanshin” – the mindfulness of aikido.

Miles Kessler On Zanshin