The word for smoke should drift like smoke.
(The Pillow Book)
Seeking a result
Many things in life require us to have an intent in mind.
This is a natural requirement since we cannot always simply drift.
One of the dangers of having a target or a result is that we may become
fixated on the end.
If we fail to pay adequate attention to the means, this can cause problems.
How we do something, the way in
which it is accomplished is really what tai chi is concerned with.
The means
People argue that
the end justifies the means...
Yet, the end cannot be divorced from the means.
Means and end are part of the same process.
Without the means there would be no end.
The means is the vehicle or mechanism for the production of the end.
Sadly, in our world, the means is
considered only in terms of time and money.
Wrong means, wrong end
If the way in we
we do something is not examined thoroughly then the end result has
unforeseen side effects.
Our world is filled with pollution, toxic waste, garbage and redundancies.
We kill the animals and the forests and then complain about the weather
changing.
We automate the workplace and take away people's income.
Cooking?
The end result is not separate from the means.
It is produced by the means and is a consequence of the means.
In tai chi you cannot gain softness, looseness, connection, groundpath, jing
and yielding if you train anything that goes against the means required to
generate these qualities.
For example, 'press-ups' overwork the elbow joint and cause the arm to
become stiff and disconnected.
The nerves around the elbow give inaccurate signals to the brain because the
muscles are imbalanced.
Any training you do that runs counter to the principles of tai chi
represents an obstacle in your quest to achieve tai chi skill.
Think of it like cooking:
You use a set of ingredients, cook the food a certain way and one meal is
produced.
Change the ingredients or the method of cooking and a different meal occurs.
And, no matter how hard you try, pasta sauce ingredients will never produce
chocolate soufflé.
More...
Page created 30 May 2000