You can make it as complicated or as simple as you like. I like simplicity. A lot of people (unwittingly) choose complexity. Depending up on the situation, complexity can either make us feel powerful if we hold it over others, or it can provide comfort by reinforcing our inferiority complex.
A sense of inferiority releases us from the responsibility to challenge our current state; it allows us to stay in our comfort zones, because after all, “I’m just not good, smart, young, pretty or tall enough.” Inferiority absolves us from the compulsion to grow.
We get used to being told that we are wrong and that things are very complicated and difficult. This is basically what conventional education was/is; you getting conditioned into believing that your best guess is probably wrong. The result of that process is a disempowered sense of self.
People usually expect me to teach them how to move, or what to do.
Ken Akiyama
Some people like to protect their ego and lack of true understanding, by deliberately holding their level of knowledge just outside of your reach. If they revealed their true level of understanding and shared all they knew, you might quickly discover that they don’t know as much as it seemed. A true master of knowledge, can relate the knowledge to you in such a simple way that the truth would seem self-evident and not impressive.
In fact, the truth is not impressive at all. The truth is very simple. Those who protect bits and pieces of knowledge are missing the entire point. We should not be seeking knowledge and facts, but we should seek to develop a keen eye for truth.
Give a person a fish, and feed them for a day. Teach them to fish, and feed them for a lifetime.
Ancient Maxim
The worship of facts and knowledge is the business of fools and thieves. I was a fool for many years and I invested heavily in the pursuit of knowledge. During my quest, and quite by accident, I met an exemplar of truth and simplicity; his name is Avi Nardia.
Knowledge and techniques feed the ego. Thus, in order to transcend the limits of intellect, one must break free from the tyranny of one’s own egoistic mind. When you see beyond knowledge and ego, everything becomes much simpler.
As you gain experience and acquire a sense for the truth, you will realize that when others try to explain, and you fail to understand, that is more of a reflection on the teacher, than it is on you. Thus, you did not fail to understand. They failed to relate the truth in simple enough terms for you. Any concept can be simplified, if not approximated while preserving its essence.
Movement and physical interaction occur in a concrete realm and they don’t necessarily require any intellectual understanding of abstract ideas (it’s not rocket science). Mastery of movement requires nothing more than knowledge of self. The art is fairly simple in breadth, and infinite in depth. The skills emerge from conditioning an empowered body and tuning a highly conscious mind.
If you’d like to learn more about how to make these ideas part of your life, please complete an application. Ken Akiyama trains students in local group classes, private lessons, and via online video.
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