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Change Sometimes change is necessary for growth. Physical laws tell us that a body in motion requires a added energy to change direction of the motion. We might conclude that change requires extra energy. A focused effort is required by someone wishing a positive change. You must make a choice. Focus and Right Effort
The cycles of Yin and Yang occur in all things, are part of all events. A man is weak when he is born, becomes stronger as he matures and becomes weaker in old age. A punch or an angry word explodes from the body with much force. A second later, the punch is dissipated, the word is regretted. In Tai Chi combat, we take a big step toward our opponent, limiting his maneuvering space. We come into contact, follow his thought, engage in a dialogue. We have trained to know that our own body/mind is a sensitive instrument. We are not hung up in our own thoughts or fantasies, wishes or agenda. We merely listen, absorb and wait until opposing energies dissipate, are off-balance or until Yang turns to Yin. Then we can alter its course with a minimum of effort. Ease and Grace How easy is it to control our lives, to cure disease, to fulfill our dreams? It must be very easy, but we do not know how easy it is, so it is therefore very difficult. In Tai Chi we are taught two things: to relax and to do nothing extra. If we relax hard enough we will release enough extra energy to create any change we want in our lives. Sometimes long journeys occur one step at a time; sometimes we practice one step repetitively until we get it right, and that's it - the journey is done and we're ready for a new adventure.
That is the point in doing nothing extra - so we can focus on doing something right. If we study the masters in any area of human endeavor, we see that they are masters because they have mastered the basics. Anything extra just gets in the way. If we do something right, then everything else, including what we wish for or what anyone else may wish for us, is irrelevant. |
The
Tai Chi Classics exhort us to "deflect one thousand pounds with
four ounces." They do not say to block or hit one thousand pounds
with four ounces.
Sometimes
we wish for something for a long time and are grateful later that we
never got it. Sometimes we wish for something for a long time and only
get it after we stopped wishing for it and are onto wishing for something
else.