Find the simple in the complicated.
From little insights attain great wisdom.
(Lao
Tzu)
Simplicity
Simplicity is one of the most fundamental qualities we cultivate in living and
in
self defence.
When things become ornate,
over-complicated and
embellished, they lose their
essence.
Taoism
and zen
are about getting in touch with the
real.
In
modern life, simplicity is not valued.
Direct
Being
direct and to the point involves simplicity.
The extraneous is
removed, and the material is pared-down to only
what you
need.
To what
matters.
When you have the
essentials, there is economy. You are not
burdened by superfluity.
It is important not to confuse simplicity with simplistic.
Elegant
Removing the
unnecessary creates space and freedom. You have
room to move, to breath, to
be.
Sophistication can exist without
clutter.
By finding the nature/character/heart/substance/essence/quality of things, you
can
respond to what is real, rather than hover around the periphery.
Simplicity is to be found in the most obvious of things. In the
unadorned, the
unpretentious.
There is an elegance in practical, pragmatic, functional concerns. They are
unburdened and flowing.
Our
approach to tai chi strips the student of their tension and their
anxieties, leaving behind only what is necessary.
A
lightness and spontaneity emerges when the hard shell of habitual
tension is broken.
Words
If
you understand that words cannot extend to reality, you will value doing
over
speaking,
silence over talk.
The word
is not the thing.
Quiet
When
things are left alone, they settle of their
own
accord.
People become
silent,
calm
and
still.
Your
body will do the same if you let it.
Complicated
If
your life has become too
busy, think about simplifying it.
Do less. Have fewer commitments and responsibilities. Say "No!". Take
time
to nourish yourself. Daily.
Instead of spreading yourself thinly, become
whole again.
Tai chi
Our school approaches tai chi in a very direct manner, considering the way in
which the body moves.
Students learn how to
move, to feel, to
integrate.
Flamboyant expression and
aesthetic whimsy are replaced by clarity and
simplicity.
We train just the one
form. We learn it in-depth.
Many years of study are required.
If you want to
understand something thoroughly, you must
simplify.
Masterless
Finding the simple is quite easy. You do not need a sage,
master or guru to help you to
see.
It is not necessary to
go anywhere or to do anything.
Simplicity can be found in
everyday life and from there it will spread to all aspects of your
existence.
When you can see the world in front of your very eyes, you can find accord,
balance and harmony.
Being simple is a natural offshoot of
noticing things.
You come to
realise that the real is so often encumbered by
tradition, by rules, by memory, by the
past.
Peel away the irrelevant. Shed the unnecessary. Step clear of the past and see
the real.
Page created 21 January 2005