John Stevens (born 1947) is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

priest, teacher of

Buddhist studies Buddhist studies, also known as Buddhology, is the academic study of Buddhism. The term ''Buddhology'' was coined in the early 20th century by the Unitarian minister Joseph Estlin Carpenter to mean the "study of Buddhahood, the nature of the Budd ...

and

Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in aroun ...

teacher. Stevens formerly taught

Eastern philosophy Eastern philosophy or Asian philosophy includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, and Vietnamese philosophy; which are dominant in East Asia ...

at Tohoku Fukushi University in Japan. His Aikido rank is 7th

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

Aikikai The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu (the family heir of the founder of Aikido). It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation ...

. He lived in

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

from 1973 to 2013. He currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii where he instructs at Aikido-Ohana dojo.

Biography

John Stevens was born in Chicago but grew up in Evanston, Illinois. He moved to Sendai in Japan in 1973 in order to study Buddhism and began practising Aikido soon afterwards. He practiced under Hanzawa Yoshimi Sensei and then under Shirata Rinjiro Sensei (白田林二郎). He has created his own system of Aikido, which he calls Classical Aikido, which is a complete system emphasizing misogi, kotodama, and the unity of aiki-ken, aiki-jo, and taijutsu (body arts). He has taught it all over the world.

Bibliography

Stevens has written over thirty books on Buddhism, Aikido and

Asian culture The culture of Asia encompasses the collective and diverse customs and traditions of art, architecture, music, literature, lifestyle, philosophy, politics and religion that have been practiced and maintained by the numerous ethnic groups ...

, including: * ''Training with the Master – Lessons with Morihei Ueshiba'' (2004 Edition) * ''Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind With Calligraphy and Painting'' * ''Lust for Enlightenment: Buddhism and Sex'' * ''The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu'' * ''The Secrets of Aikido'' (1997 Edition) * ''Abundant Peace'' * ''Aikido: The Way of Harmony'' * ''Invincible Warrior'' (1999 Edition) * ''Zen Bow, Zen Arrow'' (2012) * ''Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei'' (Shambhala 1988, Echo Point Books 2013 paperback, ) * ''The Philosophy of Aikido'' (2013 paperback edition) * ''Extraordinary Zen Masters: A Maverick, a Master of Masters, and a Wandering Poet'' (2013 paperback edition) * ''Sacred Calligraphy of the East'' (2013 paperback edition) * ''The Way of Judo: A Portrait of Jigoro Kano'' (2013) * ''Three Budo Masters'' (1995) * ''The Shambhala Guide to Aikido'' (1996) * ''Budo Secrets'' (2001)

Translations and collections

* ''The Art of Peace'' (2011 Edition) * ''Best Aikido: The Fundamentals'' (Illustrated Japanese Classics) * ''The Aikido Master Course: Best Aikido 2'' * ''Budo Secrets'' * ''Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf: Zen Poems of Ryokan'' * ''One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan'' * ''Wild Ways: Zen Poems of Ikkyu'' (Companions for the Journey) * ''Lotus Moon: The Poetry of Rengetsu'' (Companions for the Journey) * ''Rengetsu: Life and Poetry of Lotus Moon'' * ''Mountain Tasting: Zen Haiku by Santoka Taneda'' * ''The Heart of Aikido: The Philosophy of Takemusu Aiki'' by Morihei Ueshiba * ''The Essence of Aikido: The Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba'' (1993)

References

External links

Books by John Stevens

Shambhala Publications Shambhala Publications is an independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet". Man ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, John 1947 births Living people American aikidoka American Buddhists American martial arts writers Buddhist writers People from Evanston, Illinois Sportswriters from Illinois