There are no contests in the Art of Peace. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within.

~Morihei Ueshiba

Originally from Ottawa, Dan has been a practitioner of Aikido since 1988 – his fist two years at Aikido de la Montagne in Montreal, followed by the past eight years focused on Ki Society-influenced Aikido as taught by Sensei Bussell at Ruyrei Aikido in Ottawa. Dan has also been an active student of Buddhism since 1995, influenced by a range of teachers including Thich Nhat Hanh, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and most definitely Candian x-pat Ken McLeod.

About the name “unfettered hara” – it was inspired by Ken McLeod’s “Unfettered Mind” as well as the master works of Takuan Soho by the same name. For me, Aikido is striving for an ‘unfettered hara’ as consistently and effortlessly as possible, on and off the mat.

Enjoy this blog as a place where I hope to share thoughts on how Aikido and Buddhism share much in common, as well as inspiring quotes, imagery and other inspiring sources.

Dan