Brooklyn Dojo Turns 10
In the Dojo Volume 3 Issue 11
By Josh Paul, AOSB Head Instructor
“One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.”
Thoughts on a decade of aikido.
Thank you. It is because of you that we’ve been here for a decade and expect to be here for many more years. Ten years is a huge accomplishment for a small business—only 35% reach this milestone. And, of course, a dojo is only part business. It is a business because it costs money to exist, but it is also, and perhaps even more so, an ideal. It is a place where likeminded people congregate to pursue a path.
The word “dojo” is translated as “place of the Way” or “place of enlightenment.” Any place “the way” (in our case aikido) is practiced could be a dojo. A dojo is not defined by a style of architecture or interior décor. A dojo is defined by the people who have, who do, and who will enter it to pursue the path.
Many, many people make a dojo possible. Some train for a few hours, some a few years, and some a lifetime. Each makes a mark, teaches us something, and leaves an emptiness when they move on. A dojo is a living, evolving, entity. No two students, techniques, classes, or years are the same. The path—the aikido—is the the only constant. So, thank you for making the path possible and enduring.