Imagination is the living power and prime agent of all human perception.
(Samuel
Taylor Coleridge)
Imagination
Tai chi is not for the
dull person.
You need a mind that is receptive,
open, keen and intelligent. Imagination is
mandatory.
People who like to
copy,
follow somebody else and not use their brains should consider another
discipline to study.
Tai chi
requires a living, enthusiastic
mind.
A mind that is willing to take
chances, to hope, to endure, to be
brave,
to be awake.
You cannot work with
taoism,
zen
and tai chi if you are stupefied with television, videogames, drugs and alcohol.
We need imaginative people who are not afraid to take a leap of
faith and see what happens.
We want people with
courage. People who are not afraid of the
unknown.
Creativity
Creativity lies at the heart of taoism.
The need to adapt, change and improvise permeates everything.
The I
Ching exemplifies these qualities - and invites us to
reconsider our apparent options and choices, to think again, to see
things
differently.
Being creative is not about inventing things, art or writing.
You do not have to create a product. You do not have to
perform or prove something.
It is about
interacting with life in a different
way.
You must have a
relationship of inspiration and
wonder.
Do not be the bored,
lazy adult so many of us so easily become. Be
child-like in your curiosity.
Unravel the mysteries, be inspired, be stimulated, be enthusiastic.
Creativity comes from a mind that finds fresh
inspiration in everyday life.
Dreams
Nocturnal
dreams are their own mystery, so we will not
discuss them here. Instead, we will consider
hopes,
ambitions and inspiration.
Many people dream of things. They may simply want a
better life, more money, new opportunities.
They may want to be
loved. They may want
tai chi skills.
These are all dreams.
The dream is the seed of the eventual
action.
If you want to become good at tai chi, the
idea of tai chi must form in your head
beforehand.
Then you must do. You must
act.
Adaptive dreams
The danger with dreams is that
real life may not live up to your
dreams.
How many times do people desire somebody and imagine a relationship, only to
find that the person they desire does not feel the same way?
Dreams are partial.
Incomplete.
They are laced with subjective desires and cannot
represent reality.
Reality is immensely
complicated, and is forged through countless
relationships and variables.
Your dreams cannot account for this level of complexity.
Providing you
accept that your dream is just the
starting place, there is no harm.
And if things do not go as you had hoped - modify the dream - or
leave
it behind and
move on.
But do not be
disheartened or angry.
There are other dreams. Do not be
afraid of having them.
Insights
Insights are wonderful
flashes of understanding that bring new avenues of consideration.
They come without warning and send us off in
unexpected directions.
An insight is not really an
answer - for all answers are fixed - an insight
is more potent.
It contains the
seeds of mystery.
An insight does not end your inquiry, instead, it expands the
question.
You see new
connections and associations, new
possibilities and potentials, new choices and options.
Work area
Ray Bradbury's
office was once featured on a TV program.
It was amazing.
He had things plastered all over the walls. Pictures. Clippings.
Words. Ideas.
It was a really colourful, cluttered
den.
Toys, models,
puzzles, books and assorted paraphernalia
littered every available surface.
It was totally filled with things that stimulated the
imagination. It was a creative place.
A place for
contemplation, consideration, thinking things
through and remembering things long forgotten.
Why not make your work area somewhere special?
A place to
think. A place to
create.
A place to be
calm. A place to be
inspired.
Be inspired
We can be inspired by all things. Both good things and bad.
Good
stimuli have many positive offshoots, whereas
bad stimuli serve as a warning.
When you walk around in your daily life, notice things.
Watch. Hear.
Feel.
The heart of inspiration is observation.
Unless you really see the world around you, your mind will be
dull.
You need to be present. You cannot afford to 'space out'.
Enthusiasm
Many adults are afraid of being
enthusiastic.
As they grow
older, they become uncomfortable with
themselves,
stiff and boring.
Rather than embrace something fully, and revel in its mysteries, many adults
prefer to remain aloof and cool.
This is not so good.
Our brains can become physically fixed in
habitual patterns of behaviour.
This is not healthy for the brain or for the mind.
We need to
shake up the brain.
We need to think different thoughts and see
different things.
If you want to see past the surface of anything, you need enthusiasm.
Do not be put off by
people around you. So what if they do not
understand?
What difference does it make?
Travel on alone...
But if you cannot find
Friend or master to go with you,
Travel on alone –
Like a king who has given away his kingdom,
Like an elephant in the forest.
(Buddha)
Page created 28 November 2006