Guiding Principle

Aikido Yuyashinkai is a community established in 2015 and located in Vienna (Austria) that exists for the purpose of transmitting the traditional Japanese martial art Aikido. Yuyashinkai is composed of the syllables yu (ユ) for yuki (雪, snow) and ya (ヤ) for yama (山, mountain) as well as the term shin (心, soul or spirit). The suffix -kai (会) at the end means club or group.

Since March 2018 Aikido Yuyashinkai is part of Mutokukai Europe under the direction of shihan Stéphane Benedetti.

The concept of Mutokukai Europe is based on the idea of selflessness (無得, mutoku).

Mutoku, Selflessness.
The Heart Sutra (Hannya Shingyô) puts forth the very essence of buddhist teaching and the activity of the bodhisattva (an awakened being). One of the virtues of a bodhisattva is that the desire for personal gain (得) or acquiring for oneself, is absent (無). Wisdom and compassion are not means for acquiring awakening but rather are part of the Buddha-Nature. Thus it is this ‘selflessness’ (無得 – mu-toku) that makes the bodhisattva an awakened being. In this same manner, the practice of Aikido cannot justify itself through the desire for grades and titles – this only strengthens a state of ‘attachement’ of the individual and is contrary to the self-developing nature of ‘free spirit’ in Aikido. The most important thing is ‘selfless’ practice – this will bring true freedom.

More information about this approach you can find here.