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Yeshua-Do Updates, Vol.2, No.2, February 2007 NOTE FROM SENSEI VITOLD JORDAN“Kami-no-Hikari” - Facing the Light of God on the Way, Yukon wilderness, Summer 2006 Finding a way as the Way - (3) DO/TAO The Eternal Way "There exists a Being undifferentiated and complete, Born before heaven and earth. Tranquil, boundless, Abiding alone and changing not, Encircling everything without exhaustion. Fathomless, it seems to be the Source of all things. I do not know its Name, But characterize it as the TAO. Arbitrarily forcing a Name upon it, I call it GREAT..." - LAO TSU, "Tao Teh Ching" (Excerpts)
"In the beginning was the TAO, And the TAO was with God, And the TAO was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; And without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, And the darkness comprehended it not... He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, And the world knew Him not... And the TAO become flesh, and dwelt among us, And we beheld His glory…” - THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Ch. 1), Published in China in 1911 by American Bible Society "I am the the WAY". - JESUS (John 1.14, NIV – Holy Bible) "The Tao is near and people seek it far away". - MENCIUS "All the fish needs is to get lost in the water. All man needs is to get lost in Tao". - CHUANG TSU "The Way means to be one with the will of God. If we are even slightly separate from it; it is no longer the Way. "'Kannagara no Michi': is the stream of God, the flow of creative energy/force that reaches from the past into the future. It is not a religion or a philosophy; it is the Way of Life that reaches for the truth and reality that is found only in God". - MORIHEI UESHIBA, Aikido Founder When people ask me about the meaning of practice in the martial arts and its philosophy, I always find myself pointing to Japanese calligraphy for the character (道) - “Do/Tao” or, as we would say in English, “the Way.” And there is much talk about what this means. Both the Japanese and the Chinese have specific conceptions of "Do", which they believe can be found in almost every human activity—such as performing your job, playing an instrument, acting, or even fishing. It transforms any chosen activity into a spiritual search for the ultimate goal. To be honest, I think modern people of the West find it difficult to capture and define the concept of "Do/Tao" because it requires self-discipline and mindfulness in all one’s behaviour. What it means cannot be grasped intellectually, but instead can be understood only through physical and spiritual experience. Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, the two great Chinese philosophers, understood “Do/Tao” to be a principle of unity or harmony, and guided by this concept they sought to understand the origins of all things in the universe. This idea of "Do/Tao" indicates the unification of things in opposition and the integration of variety. It stresses the importance of unity in all things, while things unified, universal, and absolute have priority over everything. To unify things in opposition seems necessary to release ourselves from a way of judgmental thinking, which is based on dualism and antagonism and which forms the basis of much of our daily life. For example, we must stop discriminating between beauty and ugliness, large and small, sweet and bitter, strong and weak, etc., and try instead to seek the essentials. To stop discriminating doesn’t mean you become indifferent or passive towards your surroundings/environment—not at all. In integrating variety, it is necessary to recognize common elements and beauty within diversity, which amounts to the recognition of harmony. In this way constructive Taoism aims to unify diversity, and stresses the awareness of mutual relations within the universe.  We are used to thinking in such dualisms when we begin studying martial arts, philosophy or enter upon a religious life. We are all conscious of opposing elements, such as oneself and others, opponent and defender, strong and week, etc. Our view of practice is mostly focused on our own self, strength or weakness. We also tend to be satisfied when we master many techniques. In the beginning, the student pursues each individual technique by reasoning, analyzing, abstracting, and seeking to do his/her best. However, that’s not the point. When practicing for a long time, we must rid ourselves of this conscious dualism or opposition, and make an effort to practice more naturally and intuitively. When we do this, I believe we will begin to see martial arts as "Do" and open ourselves thereby to deeper knowledge. While the practice of Budo (武道) contains many similar references to “DO,” the understanding of “DO” in the art of Yeshua-Do is slightly different. And it is this particular view that I’d like to share with you. I also hope that this will inspire many of you to develop your own understanding of what the Way really means. Lao-tzu said, "All things come into existence, and thence we see them return. Look at the things that have been flourishing. Each goes back to its origin. Going back to the origin [God – my term] is called Peace; it means reversion to destiny. Reversion to destiny is called Eternity [God – my term]. He who knows Eternity is called enlightened. He who does not know Eternity is running blindly into miseries.” In saying this, he draws attention not to the acquisition of ostensible knowledge, but to becoming aware of the root of all things. For me then, “Do/Tao” means the Way, Path or Pattern of Heaven, the Course that all things follow. In Christian Martial Arts this means more than just an abstract concept or a set of rules and regulations for practitioners. It is the Way that creates, nourishes, develops, cares for, shelters, comforts and protects all creation. When Lao Tsu said: "No one in the world is able to understand; and ... I do not know its name, but I call it Great and Mysterious." This "Tao" of which the Chinese philosopher speaks is revealed to us in the incarnate "Logos" (Greek term for "wisdom" often translated as the "Word"), who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1.14). We have to be aware that in the history of the ancient world there are moments when the same things happened in different parts of the earth, even though there was no outward connection between two civilizations. It is as though there really was a "spirit of the times". Such amazing things happened 600-500 years B.C.—both in China and in Greece. Today, we can be absolutely certain that "Tao" meant to the Chinese what "Logos" meant to the ancient Greeks and later to the early Christians. So the "Logos" of Heraclitus, Thales, Socrates, and Pythagoras is the same as the "Tao" of Lao Tsu, Confucius, Chuang-tzu and Mencius. For us then this Path points not only to some martial strategy like in the work of Sun Tsu “The Art of War”, philosophy or even doctrine, but directly to Jesus Christ who calls Himself "The WAY" (John 14.6), the One who created the whole universe (Co1.1.16; Heb.1.2). The very purpose for which the Tao/Logos came to earth was to open heaven to us. He became man so that we could forever dwell in Him, and He in us; so that we might be able to experience throughout eternity a total infusion of His Light and Glory, His Love and Beauty, sharing in the happiness of His very being. In "The Gospel According To Lao Tsu" translated by Chinese Taosit and Confucianist scholar Gi-ming Shien we can read: "Before light was made There was the Primal Light that was not made: The Primal Essence, Dwelling in the Darkness of incomprehensibility. Of this the Ancient Prophet spoke, saying: "He made Darkness His secret place"... We call Him Essence, Yet He is above essence, We call Him Being, Yet He is above being, We call Him the One, Yet He transcends the antinomy of the one and many. Being not limited to any concepts, even the concept of the One Finally we call Him Mind or Thought, Yet He is entirely above mind and thought, too. For He is beyond them: Unlimited, self-existing, free and simple, Standing in need of nothing... "I am the Way", said the Pre-eternal Word... "The Way continuously creates", said the Ancient Sage, and "the Power of the Way nourishes, enlarges, feeds, completes, matures, cherishes and broods over all things. The Way creates, but does not demand for itself; Acts, but without compulsion. This may be called the mystery of the Power of the Way. The ten Thousand things all honor the Way and respect its Power, But without demand or orders"... "The Great Way", said the Ancient Sage, "flows everywhere. It may go left or right. All things depend on it; none is refused... The Great Way clothes and feeds all things, yet does not claim them as its own. All things return to it, yet it claims no leadership over them"... Before the Way came into the world, The restless world groaned for His coming... When the Way came to earth, quietly, under the cloak of the flesh, He emptied Himself, He did not demand respect, nor was He wont to reveal His true Name, a Name worthy of all honor. He hid His glory in the deep pools of the valley, and called Himself "the Son of Man". This beautiful description of the Tao/Logos, the Eternal Christ, can be taken as a key to interpreting, in the light of the Spirit, such great works like “Tao Teh Ching”.  Do/Tao – (Japanese/Chinese character describing a Way) Interestingly, the ancient Chinese character for Tao/Way can also be described as "to follow the leader on the Path". And, sure enough, the first Christians referred to their new faith simply as "the Way" or "those who belong to the Way" (Acts 9.2; 19.9,23; 22.4; 24.14,22); they were to be seen as travelers on their “way” to the New Jerusalem, and their life-long commitment was to follow the Divine Master. Along these lines, a growing number of Christian American Indians (or, more properly, First Nations People) are using the term "The Jesus Way" to describe their faith in Christ. For them, this phrase speaks of the true way of life, a trail they walk on and live by. Some Lakota/Sioux people speak of Jesus as "Chanku", the Road, or the Way. Today, "The Jesus Way" is presented to thousands of Indians in terms that are more in line with the way Native people approach life, because among non-believing Indians the words "Christianity" and the "cross" have come to mean only the abusive and non-tolerant religion of the White man. As we see, the traces of the Tao/Logos are very old. Likewise, in Yeshua-Do etymology, "DO" means the Way of the Yeshua-warrior, which is expressed by abundance of life, peace, harmony and love. This is the Way of brave and enlightened activity, which holds the two-edged sword of Yeshua: one edge is devoted to training the mind and the body; the other edge represents the life in the Spirit of God. Ignoring the one is tantamount to ignoring the other, because life in the Spirit requires an understanding of balances, harmony, love, peace, and unity between them. Without a doubt, understanding and following the Tao/Logos can produce virtue in one's life. But the attainment of the Way is an ongoing process. As the Apostle Paul addresses to Philippians: “Work out your salvation”. It is doing a thing not for the sake of doing it; rather, it is doing a thing because the doing releases us from certain constraints, such as that of the limited ego, sin, self-centeredness, low self-esteem, preoccupations with fears and worries, and doubts that diminish us in daily life. By following the Way (who inspires us with the supernatural energies/powers/gifts of the Holy Spirt) we are drawn into the domain of our hidden potential, virtue, self-realization, self-cultivation, and perfection (Matt.5.48). We have to keep in mind that in the true Way of the warrior one is invariably confronting the elemental struggles of reality: life and death, pain and comfort, temporal matters and spiritual matters. The Way of the warrior requires moral and spiritual stamina along with emotional balance and courage. It demands righteousness and compassion as well as physical endurance. To be sure, as a traveler of the Way, each of these qualities and virtues of the warrior will be tested, purified and fortified during his journey. But, in spite of difficulties and dangerous situations he goes because he knows others have gone before and welcome him from afar. And he goes because the unchanging direction of the Way attracts and calls to him. Yes, he goes because he is compelled to go and is invited to experience great adventure. He has set out on a journey of a lifetime because he senses that this path is the principal one designed for him. This Way is the one that leads to a place of transformation of the inner self which can cause his soulish life to surrend to the Supreme Life in the Spirit in order to gain spiritual revelation, understanding and wisdom, power and enlightenment. 
The Seal: “The Tao/Logos was made Flesh” - JOHN 1.14 THE WAY OF YESHUA The Way of Yeshua Given to all living beings In heaven and earth. Shines brighter and brighter To those with an awakened heart. Day by day Draw nearer and nearer To the Holy Spirit of God Who serves mankind By revealing the Godhead In His fullness and glory. The Way means to be one with The Holy Spirit of God And never separate from it. Exactly like the blood that circulates Within the veins of the body. The Way means allowing The Great and Honored Spirit of God To flow through us And practice it. If we are slightly apart form The will of God, It is no longer the true Way. The Way of which I have spoken is Beautiful And pleasant And joyful And familiar. Let whoever has found this Way Seek no other And you shall find that God Who is whole and entire Will posses you Whole and entire. - YESHUA-WARRIOR, (Poem of the Way) 
Posted by Edited by Vitold John R. Betz, Ph.D. Yukon, February, 2007 Loyola College, Maryland
TECHNICAL SECTION
Tai-jutsu technique – KOTE-GAESHI Chudan-Tsuki - presented by Shihan Mitsunari Kanai (8th Dan Aikido) and myself as his ‘Uke’ (partner) during my Aikido & Iaido Shugyo-training (1988-1989) in New England Aikikai, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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