Even though you have 10,000 fields,
you can only eat one measure of rice a day;
even though your dwelling contains 1,000 rooms,
you can only use eight feet of space at night.
(Proverb)
Tai chi as a process
In tai chi we are interested in
quality not quantity.
It is better to do one thing well than many things badly.
Tai chi has no conclusion - the practice and the refinement will not reach
an end.
By removing the end, the process becomes our only concern.
Some beginners train tai chi in order to gain
martial excellence or to
compete with others, yet these people have
wandered down a path of their own making.
Tai chi cannot have a path because it does not have a destination for you to
reach.
Tai chi is to be found in the
doing.
The health benefits and self defence are a direct outcome of the process,
rather than goals in themselves.
Living skilfully
Taoism and tai chi require a person to
develop a growing
awareness.
This requires immersion in the present moment and a
calm mind.
By slowing down we can see and feel more, become more sensitive and alert.
To live skilfully we must
accord ourselves with what is happening and
be fully awake at all times.
If our mind is dreaming of some
distant goal, we are not rooted in the immediate and it is only the here and
now that can produce any outcome.
How we are
In this culture, we are all
encouraged to compete and further ourselves; often at the expense of others.
Taoism advocates a different approach.
It asks us to pay attention to what we are doing, to how we interact with
others and the way in which we do things.
We may have an image of ourselves that we cling to - "I am a nice person, I
am caring" - but is this really how we are?
The quality of our relation to others tends to stem from our wants,
appetites and desires.
If we do not want something from another, consider how this affects our
treatment of them...
Whose interests are we serving?
Our own or theirs?
Do we act from
love or friendship, or do we gratify our
own self image?
Are we being genuine and honest or
simply using the other person to fulfil our needs?
Page created 30 May 2000