The Not Doing, chapter 1

1. < lltPTE R I: WHY TH E SCHOOL O F BRE ATHIN G?
About 2,500 years ago th e grea t Chin ese philoso-
plllt <'houang Tz u said that the tru e m an brea thes from
l11 hl'l'ls, whereas o rdin ary people breathe from their
1111 na I Who breathes from his heels these days? People
llf•'.JIItl' fro m th eir chest , their sh o uld ers, or the ir thro at.
1111 world is full o f these invalid s unaware of the ir
illllllton .
Modern civilized m an ac ts by m ea ns of his intelli-
1 I Ill' and ca n on ly ac t by m eans of this. Cru sh ed by th e
"
' l)•ltl of in numera ble res tri cti o ns imposed on him by
''' 11 I y, he finds fe wer and fe wer oppo rtunities fo r
'' IIIIJ', sponta neously . Le ft to himself h e still hesita tes to
11 I IH·Id back by a vague fear of no t kn o win g enough o r
111 11nl havi ng enough intelligen ce. As civili zed as h e is,
'"'"ll' lll man is left brea thless a ft er even a small physical
llntl , and confro nted by a difficult situation h e run s
11111 nl breat h com ple tely . Ye t h e has fou ght some tough
l• llllt•s to acqu ire hi s hum an rights ; h e has obtained
"""' l1herties and continues to f ight to aquire more, but
11111 day he finds tha t these liberties only cover his
I• 1101, material condition .
~Jow modern ma n s tand s a t the beginning of th e
1l111d Industrial Revolution ; what does he plan to do
1111 all the money , possibilities and free time th at he
11 1 ' l·ood, clo thes, h ousing, travel, entertainment; there
1 111 .ilnllldan ce of things on offe r , but the human capa-
11 Int consumptio n is limited . One cannot become a
I'IIIII.IJ',IIIel ove rnight , nor be in several places a t once.
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2. There is only a narrow margin available for material sat- .tl least 50 kilometres from the urban areas : they forget
isfaction, yet the drive for it does not cease. I he fac t that Man is himself a part of Nature.
Society wants Man to become a machine capable of " Natural man" acts and acts well, as long as "intelli-
both production and consumption: but what is left of l'.l' llt man" does not interfere and put him off course.
human dignity once these human "rights" have been I k knows how to grow, from a single cell to an embryo
obtained? 1ni ll ions of times larger. What is the intelligence which
By breathing I do not mean the simple bio-chemical provides the bone structure, the organs , and the brain
reaction to make oxygenated haemoglobin. Breathing is w1th a skull to protect it? All the wise men in the
vitality, action, love , a sense of communion or unity, in- wo rl d put together are incapable of producing a single
tuition , premonition , and movement , and it is all of l'lllbryo ; a woman, however ignorant , can do it easily.
these things at the same time. In the East the words Japan has been able to maintain its cultural auton-
prana or ki still cover all of these meanings . The West nmy thanks to its distance from the European sphere
too seems to have known this wider sense, witness nl" inOuence. Let us call the basis of its traditions a phil-
the words psyche, or anima from which we derive nsophy ~f action. The essence of action is respiration,
animate, animosity, animal, or spiro which gives us spirits, h1l'a th , kz.
inspiration, aspiration, and r espiration . f kebana, flower arrangement, is not merely a simple
The importance accorded in the West to the philos- dl·rora tive arrangement of flowers : it evokes the pres-
ophy of knowledge is a triumph for the rational mind , ' nre of Nature with the minimum of available elements .
yet it also closes the door on the fluid and invisible I he tea ceremony is not just a polite way to drink tea :
aspects of pre-rational information . Opposition grows 11 establishes a spiritual harmony between the partici-
between Man, the subject of knowledge, and the world , p.lnts by means of its acts and gestures. Japanese archery
object of knowledge. The world exists independently of 1 not a sport of skill: it teaches us to breathe in harmo-
Man and Man ceases to see by means of his breath. As ny with Nature. The drama of Noh does not express
for God, He is held at a respectable distance: the separ- 1 lsl'lf, but strikes straight from intuition to intuition.
ation of Man from God is quite distinct. Without words, Zen would give this response to
l think it unnecessary to invent new words where I kscartes: " I think not, therefore I am not" . The
breathing and breath will do. In any case , with t~e PI oblem of Being in this philosophy of action is at a
Western mind's analytical and intellectual tendencies q11 1le different level from the European solution.
it is incapable of admitting into its vocabulary a word The two methods I will introduce to you, Aikido
as fl exible as ki: infinitely large, infinitely small, extr- 11111 regenerative movement , are designed to help you to
emely vague yet also extremely precise , very com- .rrquire a peaceful and profound respiration. Our
mon yet also technical and esoteric, and as old as the Sl hoo l of Breathing* is open to anyone who is interes-
earth . ll·d rt is not a school for violence, brutality or black
Today the great majority of Westerners are blocked nt.tgic, but a place for spiritual communion. It is open
at the hips from the age of puberty. It is out of the l11e School of Breathing (in French l'Ecole de la Respiration)
question for them to breathe either from their heels or 11 the name of Mr. Tsuda's dojo (practice hall) in Paris. It is also
their hips. For such people, Nature is something found till' subtitle to all of his books in this series.
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3. to all the different religions, and is interested in them llll'y do no t attempt to "cure" these diseases because
to the extent that they are concerned with breathing. lltt Y know how to exploit them profitably. For exam-
pit • I ll eir colds may be frequent but do not last long
a) Regenerative movement I thnul twenty or thirty minutes) and once the cold is
Regenerative movement (hereafter referred to 11Vt'l lllcy feel refreshed.
1
as the movement) was advocated by Master Haruchika ) Thei r breathing is deeper than that of most
Noguchi* and can be done by anybody, except for the 1u n pll' .
dead or dying and for women immediately after giving I) Because their sleep is deep they do not need to
birth, the period during which their pelvis slowly closes lt ' fl long, and they recover quickly from fatigue.
again. I) Their bodies are supple and not stiff or rigid.
Let me say a few words about Master Noguchi. He 1 ) They can concentrate and relax at will .
was of a self-reliant nature (fortunately, for he thus 11) Their needs are precise; they do not need to
avoided being contaminated by many preconceived 1.I "l·xperts" what they should do or what they should
notions) and he founded the method known as Seitai. 11 l llei r bodies know.
His first' exploit was at the age of 12 when he cured his
I ) The delay between thought and action disappears,
neighbors who were suffering from diarrhea at the time
of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 . He had found 111d llleir clumsiness is replaced by agility without their
his healing vocation and he never looked back . However, llllt wing how this change came about.
after studying all the methods of healing he decided that H) They have peace of mind .
they were insufficient to save people, and so he came to Sl·ilai has, however, one great disadvantage in that it
conceive the notion of Seitai. I d 1 loo long to learn the techniques ; an apprentice-
'
The literal translation of Seitai is "correct body" or lttp can last as long as twenty years, and however
"physical co-ordination", and it seems a little complica- p1 1k ef the technique may be, it cannot satisfy the
ted at first because 'it does not tie in with the current 111 1 -. of an industrial society , let alone the millions
'd:
idea of good health which is merely synonymous with tl1 1 111ake up the world population. An expert might
tl
the absence of disease. Let me give an outline of the 11 it1 fifty to a hundred and fifty people a day at the
more important aspects of Seitai. 11111 ~ 1 . which is just a drop in the ocean. In addition,
I) Those who have learned Seitai possess reflexes l1 w fll'ople are willing to devote twenty years of their
sufficiently developed to allow them to react to any lfvt lo such a study .
anomaly without necessarily being conscious of it. They lh·sides this technique there is another method
vomit food if it does not agree with them, even if the lt11 lt Master Noguchi advocated from the start of his
glutton in them wants to keep it down! In this way 11 l't'l · the movement. Its great advantage is that it
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many cases of poisoning will be avoided. Their sensi- 111 1d ~ no special technique and anyone can do it after
tivity is such that sudden diseases do not catch them 1 11111e instruction. Its aim and the physical evolution
unawares , but are accepted as physiological fluctuations. l111 1t it brings are the same as those of the Seitai tech-
*Master Noguchi died in June 19 76, three years after this book lllqtw , but whereas Seitai may be classed as an esoteric
was published. Subsequent references to him have been changed 11 11 l1tng , the movement is definitely exoteric and open
accordingly (Translator's note). l1t1 Vl'ryone.
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4. The irony of human nature is such that this method, of ralSlng the arm? While the West remains unable to
accessible to everyone, remained the exclusive property solve this problem, the East has known the secret for a
of the Seitai Society. A kind of pride prevented people long time, without being able to express it in conven-
from trying such a simple method. One day in February tional language. The Japanese were content to struggle
I 968 I undertook to gather some people together to for the acquisition of traditional and esoteric tech-
form a club for the movement. I made a report of it to niques.
the Seitai Society which published it in its monthly The true purpose of the movement should be to
magazine. The result was quite unexpected: it was like teach, through practice, the basic difference between
an electric shock which sparked off the formation of physical force (as in both physics and physique) and
clubs all over Japan. Today, there are more than 50 ,000 breathing, the basis of spontaneous movement.
registered members and almost twice that many non-
registered. b) Aikido
On my brief trips to Europe I organized similar Aikido, a martial art of love, was founded by the
clubs in Rome and Paris. Later, l discovered that in spite late Master Ueshiba who died in April 1969 and whom I
of European people's very quick understanding, these was fortunate enough to know intimately over more
clubs soon dissolved due to the absence of a central than ten years. A martial art of love will sound contra-
dictory to those who understand martial art to be an
figure. aggressive fighting technique. Yet this is precisely what
The personality of the leader of the group is of Master Ueshiba never ceased to affirm: a doctrine of
vital importance. According to the leader's personality non-resistance, a martial art of love; not a sport or a
the participants can finish a session feeling more relaxed, fighting technique.
or more exhausted than before. It is a question of at- Though small of stature, he was still able at the
mosphere, of the leader's invisible influence, and that age of 84 to throw groups of robust young assailants as
depends on the openness of his mind, his general back- easily as if they were packets of cigarettes; yet this ex-
ground and finally on his breathing. traordinary power was not physical strength but breath-
It is true to say that the movement has therapeutic ing. Stroking his little white beard he would lean over
effects but that is not its most important aspect. lt them anxiously and ask if they were hurt. His attackers
would 'be tantamount to saying that the purpose of a did not realize what had happened to them; suddenly
statue is to cast a shadow. Thus we do not accept those they were lifted up as if on a cushion of air, and they
people whose sole preoccupation is to be cured of this had a brief glimpse of the ground above them and the
or that disease. Disease is a shadow, and if they wish to sky below before they landed. People trusted him
pursue their shadow over hill and dale that is their absolutely and knew that he would never harm them.
business, not ours. Our business is simply the return to He was the archetypal grandfather playing with his
normal. grandchildren.
This raises an important question: What is human He expressed his principle this way: the world is
movement? Maine de Biran once timidly posed the one large family. This is not difficult to understand, but
question. How is it that an abstract thought, for ex~m­ it is difficult to put it into practice. He was one of those
ple to raise the arm, is transformed into the real actiOn rare people who did.
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5. It would be as futile to go into the details of his con~ideration of the significance of these signals; con-
teaching as to teach swimming to someone who never cluswn that an attack seems imminent; consideration of
put a foot in the water. However, as soon as one starts the possible means of defence, parrying the blow or
to practise one thing becomes clear: there is a gap avoiding it; a rational conclusion and a decision to carry
between one's thought and one's action . I am not out the chosen method; execution of the movement
talking about acrobatics or feats of strength but of etc. '
simple gestures such as moving the hand forward to By the time you have gone through all these stages,
grasp the opponent's wrist or walking in a circle. One your attacker will have punched you fifty times, taken
feels blocked at every turn. a shower, changed his shirt and downed a whisky in the
There is often a sort of hesitation or confusion in nearest bar. Nor is that the end of the story. The collec-
our thoughts which is translated into action as a repeti- tion of the visual data and all the above steps can only
tion of ridiculous errors: one moves the wrong hand, happen once your attention is focused on them · what
the left instead of the right, or one turns one's wrist the if your attention is elsewhere? Or if you are attacked
opposite way to the one indicated. This is an embar- from behind where you cannot see? Or if you are
rassing revelation for we like to think that we are in asleep? Moreover, you must be sure that the attacker's
control of our own bodies at least! But it seems that we ~ovements are a sign of real aggression, and not just a
are not. It is not surprising that so many involuntary JOke or a nervous tic. Many different interpretations are
crimes are committed in the world: "I didn't mean to possible and only the result can bring confirmation · but
do it!" or "Something came over me , I couldn't help if you wait until then, it is too late! '
it." Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus said, "You will deny Master Ueshiba said that when someone attacked
me three times before the cock crows." him he saw a white ball coming towards him before the
In Master Ueshiba's case action sprang from intui- attack actually happened. All he had to do was avoid
tion, not from the will nor from rational decision. Intui- the white ball and the blow did not strike him .
tion was linked to action in such a natural, intimate and Intuition seizes on impulses at their point of origin.
immediate way that there was no delay between the Where do those impulses come from? No law of caus-
two. He used to say that whoever attacked him had lost ality can explain this. The law of inertia does not
right from the start simply because of his desire to explain the birth of a movement .
attack. This was not bravado but the enunciation of a One of the most important points of Master
truth as objective and impersonal as a mathematical law . l!eshiba's teaching, it seems to me, is his concept of
With his permission , several practitioners of other mar- time and space: he said that neither space nor time
tial arts tried to attack him without prior warning at the ~xists! !he concept of a homogeneous space-time orig-
most unexpected moments. They never succeeded. mated m the W~st; space and time exist a priori, and
Some of them struck into empty space, others hit the Man comes to live on the axes provided for him. Who
walls and bruised their hands. would be such a fool as to deny the existence of a
There is an element of premonition in all of this. A framework which precedes all others? There is a breath-
rational process has several stages: recognition of the ing practice in Aikido which consists of joining the
visual data, sounds or other signals from the aggressor; hands and shaking them in front of the belly,
22 23

6. keeping the eyes closed. At this point M<ster Ueshiba
used to say, " Stand at the origin of Heavtn and Earth Eit her they are admired as extraordinary or they arc
and simply breathe in ." What does this m~m ? It means rejec ted as impossible.
that you are already at the origin of space md time and Magic , Mystery , Miracle: the labels are all ready
that you yourself are the creator of a spaQ-time which and waiting and once the event has been classified it is
flows out from your personality , your soul. thrown into its pigeonhole and forgotten .
Bergson made a small step in this direc:ion; but did From the point of view of our school such phen-
not Jesus say," Before Abraham was , lam" omena as premonition, telepathy , psychometry , and
The p lace where Aikido is practised is sacred not te lekinesis are by no means impossibi li ties . We do not
because of a religious morality but because in that ~lace necessarily go deep ly into such matters, yet we accept
there reigns a different space-time from th~ one in our their right to exist as citizens in our society. It is necessary
ordinary life. You are on the floating cekstial bridge to keep an open mind here. Discussion and the collec-
(Ame no Ukihashi). The bow that we mak( on entering tion of evidence are not , of course, excluded from our
the dojo (practice hall) sanctifies us, an:t when we activities.
leave it de-sanctifies us. Outside we becom ~ once again What we have clone is admitted ly very little com-
one of the crowd , at odds with the constraints which pa red to all that remains to be clone. We are trying
society imposes on us. modestly to contribute by pointing out the way by
which human beings may be able to regain their spiritual
free dom.
c) The viewpoints of our school
The School of Breathing is a selective sc10ol but not
a private or exclusive one. Anyone is free t~ join and to
belong to other disciplines and organization: at the same
time. We are open to other points of view mcl are inte-
rested in other teachings of respi ration, and especially in
the relationship between thinking and breatHng.
In these opening pages I have offered Y)u a glimpse
of possibilites other than those available in W~stern think-
ing . It may be that I give the impression that only a
very small number of Japanese Masters hol:! the exclu-
sive r~ght s to the secrets of in~uiti?~ , but Ha t is not my
meanmg at all. Examples of mtu1t1on exis1as much in
the West as in the East, and are found as ~ften among
ordinary people as among geniuses . The~ examples
however, have found no p lace in the mail current of
Western thinking for they cannot be han:I lecl by the
theories which lie at the root of this kind of thinking.
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