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David Edward Shaner (born May 21, 1954) is an American martial artist, philosopher and author.

Martial arts
David Shaner is an 8th Degree Black Belt (Hachidan) having trained for 50 years in the Japanese arts of Ki Development and Ki-Aikido, Shinshin Toitsu Aikido (心身統一合氣道). Shaner is the Chief Instructor of the Eastern Ki Federation (Eastern United States)  and is the Japan Headquarters’ Advisor to the Eastern Europe/Russia Ki-Aikido Federation where he has taught each year since 1999. Shaner holds the rank of Okuden in the art of Shinshin Toitsudo (心身統一道, Ki development) and was an 'uchi-deshi' (live-in student) at Ki Society HQ in Haramachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan under the direction of Founder, Koichi Tohei Sensei. Shaner has been studying ki development principles since 1969 when he was first introduced to breathing, meditation, and the principles of mind and body unification.

Academic career
Shaner taught Philosophy and Asian Studies at Furman University for thirty years and served as 1) Chair of the Department of Philosophy, 2) Gorden Poteat Professor of Philosophy and Asian Studies, and 3) currently serves as Herring Professor Emeritus having retired from Furman in 2012.

In 1988, Shaner was honored with a personal audience with His Majesty, Emperor  Akihito  in  Akasaka Palace. The personal audience was made possible because in 1979 Shaner was granted the title “Crown Prince Akihito Scholar” (Crown Prince Akihito Foundation) while living with Koichi Tohei Sensei in Japan. In July 2009, Shaner once again participated in a celebration with His Majesty in Honolulu, HI commemorating his 50th wedding anniversary as well as the 50th anniversary of the Crown Prince Akihito Foundation.

Hei-Sei-Ji: The Place of Peace
Shaner was instrumental in bringing the Buddhist temple Hei-Sei-Ji: The Place of Peace to Furman University. It is believed to be the first authentic Japanese temple ever to be dismantled and fully reconstructed in the United States. The Place of Peace was donated to Furman University by the Tsuzuki family.

Model of Consciousness: Three Orders of Bodymind Awareness
Shaner developed a model of consciousness based upon degrees of intentionality. By learning to understand how we construct our experiential life from the “inside” (our subjective self - noesis) directed toward the “outside” (perceived objective world - noema), people can learn to calm their mind even under the most stressful and/or competitive conditions.

The practitioner of these methods learns to move from what Shaner calls “Third Order Bodymind Awareness” (complex intentional constructions that we habituate in daily life), to “Second Order Bodymind Awareness” (singular, sustained intentional focus as in meditation), and then moving to “First Order Bodymind Awareness” associated with peak performance where there is no intentionality at all (presencing “things as they are”, not as we subjectively perceive them).

Selected publications
Shaner is the author, co-author, or series editor of over 40 books, most of which are focused upon understanding performance development. His signature concept was building a model of intentional consciousness that could be used to teach people how to “change their perspective” to perform to the best of their ability.

His publications include:


 * The Bodymind Experience in Japanese Buddhism. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1985. ISBN 0-88706-062-5


 * Science and Comparative Philosophy (with Shigenori Nagatomo and Yuasa Yasuo). Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1989. ISBN 90-04-08953-5


 * The Seven Arts of Change: Leading Business Transformation That Lasts. New York: Union Square Press, Sterling Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4027-6784-5


 * Living with the Wind at Your Back: Seven Arts to Positively Transform Your Life. Greenville: Connect Publishing, 2014.ISBN 978-0-9960938-0-4


 * Editor, Biology and Philosophy Book Series, 37 Volumes: Albany: The State University of New York Press.


 * In 1986, Shaner founded his book series (serving as Editor) with the State University of New York Press focused upon understanding the biological basis of productive learning and behavior.