The Silent Flute 2

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.

All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.

Going your own way

The lesson we can garner from the film is the notion of following your own path rather than one laid down by another.

A tai chi student needs to learn from a skilled tutor for many years before heading off alone.
It is necessary to learn the skills of the art.
If your teacher offers a good curriculum, then it will encourage you to explore, discover and invent.

When the time is right, both you and the teacher know that it is time to part.
Should you leave too early, you may only possess partial knowledge of the syllabus and harbour many misconceptions.
But if you leave too late, you may have been unduly influenced by your teacher and run the risk of being an acolyte rather than an individual.

Eccentric

It is quite common for tai chi people to become rather eccentric. Taoism and zen appeal to the individual.
The quest for self expression was a common theme in Bruce Lee's writings.

The potential danger with eccentricity and self expression is that the tai chi may come to be about 'you'.
This is the trap facing every martial arts teacher: conceit and vanity.

Humility must be maintained, no matter how successful or popular you become.
Make sure that your lessons are for the students and that serving the art remains your utmost priority.

Somebody else's shoes

Every form out there was invented by somebody else. Not by you.
The forms represent the sensibilities, preferences and insights of another person.

It is important to remember that the tai chi will not come to life for you until it feels to be your own.
This does not mean changing the sequence of the form, but it does entail a change in how you perform the material.

Unless your tai chi becomes an expression of you, how can you possibly hope to employ it in self defence?
It is essential to practice to a point where form has been lost in the merging of tai chi and you, and the freeform expression is natural and comfortable.

Beyond class

The silent flute plays for us all.

At any given moment we can choose to follow our own intuition or remain on the orthodox path.
It takes courage to wander away from the known and the familiar.
Nobody will help you. You are quite alone. Only you can decide what happens next...

The freedom that comes from shrugging off external influences, traditions and beliefs is quite liberating.