Joost De Wulf — The Art of Listening
aikido, the Japanese sword and presence
I trained for over forty years. Forms, repetition, correction. The body accumulating skill. Seminars with Kobayashi Hirokazu, Tamura Nobuyoshi, Yamada Yoshimitsu, Kanetsuka Minoru, Michel Bécart, Alain Peyrache. Years of learning technique, refining form.
Then something shifted. Not a better technique. A different ground.
In 1992 I began training under Tomita Seiji Shihan — a direct lineage from O Sensei through Tanaka Bansen. Tomita sensei teaches one principle: daruma 達磨. 一が萬、萬が一 — Ichi ga ban, ban ga ichi: the one represents the ten thousand things, the ten thousand things represent the one. One principle is enough.
While keeping your own natural balance, guiding the partner into losing his — one uninterrupted flow. The hara (肚) responds like a drum being struck: the sound follows the blow spontaneously, at the same moment. Arms and legs are extensions of the hara. Everything comes from this.
Empty your container, he says. Squeeze the sponge so it can absorb fresh water. I came in as a vessel full of aikido knowledge. It took me several years to get rid of it all before I was able to really receive his teaching.
Old ways run deep. Maybe only by first unlearning or forgetting, one is ready to learn. To listen freshly.
Watch how you listen. Someone speaks — immediately you're agreeing, disagreeing, preparing what to say next. That's not listening.
There is another listening. Not through the ears alone. The whole body becomes receptive. This is 心耳 (kokoro no mimi) — the heart that listens.
"Deep listening is the gateway to the unconditional space of being… This deep listening means being fully present without any resistance." — Mukesh Gupta
When we listen this way, something drops away. The separation between me and the other becomes transparent. We begin to move together.
When you enter the dōjō you take off your shoes. You also leave your worries, judgments, opinions, reservations and doubts outside, set aside for the moment. This creates space — space to truly engage with the concrete partner, the attack that now looks one way or feels another, and later may be completely different.
In aikido, learning begins with mental processing — how to move, where to stand, how to react. Through years of practice, this changes into direct knowing. When thought dominates, the body is tense, defending. When listening happens from the whole being, the body softens. There is just contact.
First you stand opposite each other. Then you turn together and look in the same direction — you see what the other sees. From that connection you move forward together.
Tomita Shihan teaches that aikido should be as natural as walking. No special effort. No refined mannerism. The body just keeps the balance. If the core moves correctly, anything that needs to be added to take care will follow naturally.
In iaijutsu you respond to an imagined attacker. You wait for the right moment and act without hesitation. No doubt, no rush. Ben sensei, from a recent iai keiko: 'You only move when you are moved by someone.' Even in solo practice — in 居合術 (iaijutsu), alone with the sword — you wait, listen, and respond to what comes.
Tomita sensei puts it this way: being ready, before drawing the sword, to immediately become aware of every change in the surroundings. This immediate joining with circumstances is the spirit of aiki.
The sensei teaches: never move faster than eighty percent of your maximum speed. Once you're at your maximum you can no longer adjust.
There are things that lie beyond technique.
Over the years, 太極拳 (taijiquan) gave this same quality yet another name: 聴勁 (tīng jìn), listening energy. In pushing hands or mind boxing, you know the other's intention through sensing, not thinking. The body feels what's coming before the mind can label it.
I am 61. I still train several times a week and remain interested in what keeps the body functioning.
The body has its own intelligence — its own ability to heal and stay in balance. Worry and control often create more tension than they solve.
We can listen to our own bodies and read their subtle signals: rest when you're tired, eat when you truly need food, slow down, become more mindful. Stay active and rest when needed, continuously challenging the body. Embrace cold and heat rather than avoiding them, thereby strengthening our adaptability.
This conscious listening does not replace medical care. If something is wrong, see a doctor.
The body is a gateway to every aspect of our existence, even in simple everyday activities: sitting, standing, slow walking, or breathing in nature. My daily walks through the woods around Bruges are my moving meditation.
Krishnamurti also pointed this out: relationship is the mirror in which we see ourselves. Not only on the mat — in every encounter, every conversation, every harsh word, every moment of friction or harmony. Even a fleeting glance or a tender touch becomes that mirror. Daily life is the true dōjō — the place of awakening.
Retreats with Padmanabhan Krishna from 2008 deepened the encounter with Krishnamurti's teaching — from reading to lived inquiry.
Then, from 2012, working with Mukesh Gupta and the School for Self-Inquiry brought this into full focus. What Tomita sensei reveals through the body on the mat, Mukesh illuminates through inquiry into the nature of awareness itself — not analysing thought, but seeing directly what is. When something is seen deeply, it dissolves in that seeing.
Both point to the same ground: when the self is not in the way, listening happens naturally. That silence, that stillness is listening — not me and you.
"This attention does not belong to the mind. It belongs to universal intelligence." — Mukesh Gupta
Sitting — Just sit down. No special posture. What happens when you're not trying to get anywhere?
Listening — When we truly listen, the 'me' gets quiet.
Waiting — The right moment, then act without holding back. Just response.
Walking — When we're not rushing somewhere, walking can bring us back, simply being here. The contact with the ground, the movement of air, the play of light, the smell of the forest... The mental chatter quiets.
| Aikido | Fudōshin (不動心) — "immovable mind" — response arises naturally from stillness. |
| Iaijutsu | Isshin (一心) / Ichimyōshin (一妙心) — "one (radiant) mind" — kitaiken-ichi (気剣体一), intention-body-sword-one. |
| Taijiquan | Wuxin/Mushin (無心) or Jiran/Shizen (自然) — "no-mind" or "naturalness" — movements flow without mental interference. |
| Mindfulness | Mild, open attention. |
| Krishnamurti | Choiceless awareness. |
| Mukesh Gupta | Compassionate Presence. |
Although the vocabularies differ, each tradition points to the same ground of awareness.
1981 — First exposure to Krishnamurti's teachings.
1983 — Began aikido training in Gent (Sinia Blondin).
1984 — Seminars with Michel Bécart begin.
1985 — Discovered taijiquan (Liu Wai-sang). Seminars with Tamura, Yamada.
1986 — Began studying Oriental Languages at UGent (Japanese & Classical Chinese).
1987 — Kobayashi Hirokazu seminars — fell in love with aikido. Training with waka sensei Moriteru Ueshiba (son of Kisshomaru, grandson of the founder, now the Doshu).
1988 — Zazen practice begins (Roland Rech, Deshimaru lineage).
1989 — Training with Alain Peyrache begins.
1990 — Began Zen meditation formally.
1992 — Regular student of Tomita Seiji Shihan — transformative shift.
1993 — MA in East Asian Languages & Cultures (UGent); started iaijutsu with Tomita; began teaching; founded BSJ Gent.
1997 — Trip to Japan: intensive iaijutsu training with Yamakoshi Masaki.
1998 — Sudden resignation from BSJ Gent to explore independently.
1999 — Krishnamurti Leerproject involvement deepens. Achterstraat dojo begins.
2004 — Suishin dojo Lembeke established.
2008 — La Maison retreats with Padmanabhan Krishna begin.
2010 — Completed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Benoît de Spoelberch returns from Japan, begins teaching koryu iai.
2012 — Meeting with Mukesh Gupta — crystallization.
2018 — 5th dan aikido (Tomita Shihan).
2020 — 3rd dan iaijutsu (Yamakoshi Masaki, 20th generation).
2022 — Taijiquan training with Luc De Smet begins.
2024 — Mindfulness training, silent retreat with Edel Maex as genuine zen teacher.
2025 — 4th dan iaijutsu (Benoît de Spoelberch, 21st generation). Teaching bi-weekly at Brussels Ban Sen Juku.
→ For the full story of this journey: The Journey
I teach every other Thursday evening at Ban Sen Juku in Brussels from 20:00, and once a month on a Tuesday evening at Suishin Dojo in Lembeke from 20:30. Anyone open to learn is welcome.
The best way to drink the sake is to taste it.
For written reflections: meditative.be
Aikido — Ban Sen Juku (万扇塾) under Tomita Seiji Shihan: bansenjuku.org
Iaijutsu — Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu under Benoît de Spoelberch (Getsurinkai 月輪会)
Taijiquan — Liu Wai-sang lineage, with Luc De Smet: waisang.be
Mindfulness — Training with Edel Maex: levenindemaalstroom.be
Self-Inquiry — School for Self-Inquiry: schoolforselfinquiry.org