Submitted for the rank of Sandan – May, 2024

​In the writings of the founder, there are numerous cryptic references to the concept of “the void” or “emptiness”. The fact that he placed great importance on these concepts is made apparent in the following doka:

Clearly, understanding emptiness must be of paramount importance to the practice of Aikido. The problem for the practitioner is the vagueness of the word “emptiness”. Does it simply mean a state of mind where thoughts have stopped? Does it refer to the absence of matter or some existence before the birth of the universe? Is it a state of non-resistance against oncoming forces? Could it refer to the Taoist concept of Wuwei, like being an empty vessel for a universal force?

Fortunately, the founder spoke on this topic several times and a look at the relevant quotes in the original Japanese helps clarify his meaning. The word rendered as “emptiness” in most English translations is kū (空) or shinkū (真空). The former is a technical term in Buddhism referring to either empty space (in Sanskrit: Akasha) or emptiness of self-nature (in Sanskrit: Sunyata) – in Japan usually specifically the theory of the lack of ontological independence of phenomena developed by the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna. The latter, shinkū, is perhaps most familiar to Japanese speakers as referring to a physical vacuum, but it is also a Buddhist term related to the concept of Sunyata. Therefore, we will exclude empty space from our analysis.

The claim that the founder used Buddhist terminology may be surprising to Aikido practitioners familiar with the founder’s frequent reference to Shinto gods and spiritual practices; however, Japanese spirituality is often eclectic, and Ueshiba was no exception. While his Oomoto-kyo faith rightly receives the most attention, the founder spent his childhood in Wakayama Prefecture where Mt. Koya, the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, is and frequently referred to Buddhist deities, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas in nearly the same breath as Shinto gods. To this day in Iwama, practices remain that are almost certainly based on exposure to Shingon¹.

That his knowledge of Buddhism wasn’t simply cultural and extended to the specifics of Buddhist spiritual cultivation is made clear in the following quotation:

The six senses (六処) is a concept unique to Buddhism referring to the ordinary 5 sense organs and the mind (Sanskrit: manas). Purifying the six senses refers, among other things, to eradicating worldly desires and preventing the mind from reflexively attaching to stimuli through spiritual practice. How did the founder intend for the Aikido practitioner to engage in such purification and unify with emptiness? After all, unlike some martial arts Aikido does not have a formal meditation element, nor are religious rituals included in the technical curriculum. To understand this, we will briefly examine the doctrine and praxis of the Shingon sect.

The Shingon sect is a form of tantric Buddhism brought to Japan by the monk Kūkai in the Heian period and adopted many of the prevalent doctrines of the time. New to the Shingon sect was the belief that the true nature of reality was personified in the form of a Buddha called Mahavariocana, the central figure of worship in Shingon, and especially the doctrine that despite being described as “he who realized emptiness” he existed in body, speech, and mind. In Shingon thought, while phenomena are empty of substantial existence, they are simultaneously manifestations of this ultimate reality that enables them to arise. The founder alludes to this concept in the following:

While it is not apparent in the English translation, “mountains, rivers, plants, and trees” is a phrase with a Buddhist connotation, not just a platitude referring to nature. It comes from　the doctrine of the Tian’tai school (山河草木悉皆成仏) and means that all things have the root nature of enlightenment. Shingon further adopted the Huayan philosophy that all things having the same ultimate nature, the individual reflects the whole of the universe　and the whole of the universe reflects the individual. This view was clearly held by Ueshiba, in one vivid lecture he says:

To achieve this, Shingon introduced a new esoteric method of Buddhist practice. Most Buddhism involves a prescriptive correction of spiritual flaws through meditative practices. If somebody is hateful, they meditate on love and compassion. If one is attached to sensory pleasure, they meditate on impermanence or death. Sensory experience, thoughts, feelings, etc. are all meditated on in this fashion and the mind is picked apart systematically until the purified mind is meditated on directly. Shingon introduced the unique concept of embodying the state of enlightenment through rituals that included language, which Buddhism until then had largely considered nothing more than a cultural construction, and the physical body, generally considered impure. Practices in Shingon involve a form of ritual in which an enlightened being is manifested through prescribed postures, hand gestures, words/letters, images, and states of mind until the practitioner is indistinguishable from the being they are embodying⁴. The founder alludes to this kind of direct embodiment as well:

Spiritual transformation through bodily activity explains how Aikido could function as a form of spiritual cultivation. Though the practice of Aikido is in no way a derivative of the strictly guarded secret rituals of the Shingon sect, this does not preclude borrowing the idea of using physical activity as a vehicle for spiritual cultivation. Conversely, in this paradigm spiritual cultivation can enable a more perfect physical manifestation of the art as the body and mind are not distinct, as alluded to in the founder’s description of how it is spiritual activities give rise to techniques.

It can be seen that the founder’s concept of emptiness and spiritual cultivation was heavily
influenced by the Shingon Buddhist sect he was exposed to as a child; however, it must be noted that his spiritual beliefs were eclectic, and his conception of emptiness can be best understood as being in dialogue with and borrowing from Buddhist doctrines rather than formally adopting them. For example, in one instance he refers to the “ki of emptiness” as being “a material thing” (物) that is “heavy” distinct from “true emptiness” that permeates the universe, which is difficult to square with Buddhist doctrine about emptiness. Because of the omnist tendencies of the Oomoto religion, it is likely Ueshiba intended to conflate Buddhist, Shinto, Taoist, and other religious concepts: the description of “true emptiness” as the primordial force in the universe is not dissimilar to how Laozi describes the Dao or how Ueshiba describes the Shinto deity Ame-no-Minakanushi for example. Attempting to parse the founder’s intention across diverse traditions is beyond the scope of this essay and the ability of the author; nonetheless, two conclusions about the founder’s conception of emptiness can be drawn: First, the nature of emptiness is something affirmative that can be experienced directly and brings one into unity with the entire universe. Second, bodily actions and experiences can serve as the catalyst for gnosis, not only mental or intellectual practices, and therefore the practice of Aikido even without the study of religious doctrine is a valid way to pursue understanding of the founder’s intention.

^{(1) In the Aikido episode of National Geographic’s Deadly Arts the kongo gassho particular to Shingon is visible and Buddhist mantra and sutra are heard.
(2) Acala, the immovable wisdom king. A wrathful Buddhist deity important to the Shingon sect.
(3) Avalokiteśvara, one of the central Bodhisattva of Japanese Buddhism. In the Heart Sutra he expounds the Buddhist theory of emptiness.
(4) According to Hakeda. The details of Shingon practices are closely held secrets to this day.}

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