A wonderful Buddhist saying
states, "The arrow that hits the bull's eye is the result of a hundred
misses." You perfect your game through adversity and failure.
Lao Tzu taught that we must align with the forces of nature.
Look at failure as a lesson from which you can learn. Seeing failure as an
opportunity for improvement makes it more tolerable and will help you relax
and figure out how to go beyond your present level of performance.
(Chungliang Al Huang)
Sport
Sport encourages the
need to
win.
People seek to be the victor, to beat the others down and claim the prize.
Self defence is not like
this. Nor is life.
In self defence, you do what you have to and you get out of there. There are no
prizes, praise or reward.
Any victory you experience will be quiet and personal, and no one else will ever
share it with you.
Quiet
By remaining quiet and unremarkable, you do not attract trouble.
Your skills are hidden and you will be difficult to identify.
Our version of tai chi is not flash and showy. It is quiet.
Winning
If
you focus on winning during partner exercises, and succeed - what will you do if
somebody compromises you?
What practice have you had?
You only know how to win.
This is why you first learn how to escape. If you are being held by an
adversary, you have already failed.
Starting from failure is important.
It teaches you
humility and invites you to use your
body in more creative ways.
More...
Page created 29 May 1999