When the shen is raised, there is no fault of stagnancy and heaviness.
This is called suspending the headtop.
Inwardly make the shen firm, and outwardly exhibit calmness and peace.
Throughout the body, the intention relies on the shen, not on the
qi.
If it relied on the qi, it would become stagnant.
(Wu Yu-hsiang)
What is intention?
Intention unifies the mind and body into
one unit.
By immersing yourself in the
purpose and
movement of a posture, you can
cultivate
shen.
This is an essential skill in
tai chi.
'Intention' means an aim that guides action, a determination.
It is a product of the mind.
Yet, it is based on one pre-requisite: purpose.
Purpose
Purpose in tai chi stems from the
martial; you need to have
real skill.
If you do not understand how to
apply the
form, where does your intention lie?
Intention leads the
qi, it provides direction to the
postures, teaches you
how
and why to move the
body a certain
way and codifies the sequence.
Without martial knowledge, where does your intention lie?
What is the purpose of each posture?
If you do not know what you are aiming for or what the purpose is, how can
you possess intent?
Jing
Without intention you cannot
jing.
Jing requires the entire framework of your body to open and close along a
specific vector without any
tension interfering.
You must
project energy via your movement along a
very clear path.
That path is established by the mind. It is intent.
Shen
When you and the tai chi become one, you experience 'sung'.
You no longer feel the body itself; only the movements.
But this is not enough.
Shen must be present.
To have shen, you must let go of self and feel only the purpose.
You pass from a stage of consciously moving your arm, to a physical sense of
'it moves'.
Totally immersed in the doing, you are no longer an observer in your
actions; there is absolute
presence
at all times.
This can be seen in every movement and in your eyes.
Good intentions
Our intention determines
outcome.
If you intend to harm your assailant and possess the means and the
opportunity, then you will succeed.
Be
careful what you
wish for.
Concentration
Intention is not
concentration.
You are not narrowing your field of focus.
It is quite different to that.
Your gaze must remain expansive and peripheral, with the eyes receiving
information rather than seeking it.
Intention is the beginning of the movement, the middle and the end.
It is the way of the movement, the
process.
Do not mistake intention for
planning.
You must remain
adaptive, flexible,
changeable - preconceived notions are not the way.
Page created 23 July 2004