Learning is the very essence of humility,
learning from everything and everybody.
Authority denies learning and a follower will never learn.
(Krishnamurti)
What is authority?
Authority is
power that you
give somebody over you.
It cannot be imposed upon you.
If you refuse to obey somebody, they may punish you but they do not have
authority unless you do what they say.
An intelligent person is not a slave, they do not need a
master.
More subtle forms of authority come from
the media and entertainment industries; where attractive people are heralded
'stars' and expect adulation.
It is essential to be aware of these influences.
From birth we are educated to regard the world
through other people's eyes.
A
taoist must see the world as it is.
Authority in tai chi
When a martial art is taught
for money it becomes a business and the teacher needs a certain income to
sustain the school.
Each school sets up a hierarchy of learning and places the authority in the
hands of the instructor.
In tai chi, the student is responsible for their own development, so the
authority remains with the student.
Remember that you attend tai chi classes in order
to learn the system, not to follow somebody else.
Your teacher is not your master or guru - they are just another person who
is (hopefully) skilled at tai chi.
Respect their knowledge and be grateful, but keep your relationship in
perspective.
Being an authority
There is an immense danger in
claiming to be an authority.
Such a claim is based upon the certainty of knowledge, and all knowledge by
its very nature must reside in the past.
The 'known' is old.
Taoism
embraces the unknown, the yet to be, and does not value memories of what has
happened.
Development based on knowledge can only build upon what you already know.
Experience has value and limitations.
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Page created 18 January 1999