“Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”
– Henry David Thoreau
More and more, I have been noticing a shift within my own training. The main emphasis has been zhan zhuang with a sprinkle of form play thrown in the mix. The shift is I don’t really worry about ‘how I look’, ‘how low is my stance’ or ‘how is this fajing’ anymore. Additionally, the whole martial side of the fence has taken a back burner for now.
Am I becoming a “Tai Cheese” practitioner or one of those “Rainbow Taiji Folks”? Perhaps, but I think it really is about perspective. I have no grandiose dreams that I will be able to bounce someone off me using empty force energy or like that.. right now my main goal is to feel healthy and enjoy my practice.
I really wonder about the role of fate and it’s play in my own life. There have been some major changes on a personal/family/professional front within the past couple of months and it’s eerily coincidental similar changes are happening on my taiji goals and training.
This reminds of of the “Uncarved Block” in the Tao of Pooh:
One of the basic principles of Taoism is P’U, the Uncarved Block. The essence of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed.
Source: Just-Pooh.com - The Tao of Pooh
6 comments
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April 18, 2008 at 3:20 am
G. Michael Reynolds
Qi hugger!
“A student should not stick to one style, nor should he be too fussy about one style…Rules are taught by teachers, but the essence is comprehended by the boxer himself. Rather he should seek to get to the origin of boxing. The inner helps you do the external exercise…The profundity of boxing appears beyond our reach, but the Zhong Yong says the Dao is not far from you. If you try, you can reach it.”
-Li Gui Yuan-
April 18, 2008 at 4:21 am
taijiquestion
You’ve been at this game a lot longer than I have, WM, but your post here made me recall that it was standing practice and stationery/meditational stance-work that got my foot in the door with CMA.
Nice Thoreau quote! In the novel “Creation” by Gore Vidal, there’s a beautiful passage where the main character, a Persian ambassador, watches Confucius fishing and shares in the sage’s simple delight in his craft, nature, and the peaceful moment…
April 18, 2008 at 12:18 pm
wujimon
@GMR:
I think the key to the quote is about the inner helps to do the external exercise.
I know, I know… at least I’m not a ‘butt-tucking tree hugger’ as I prefer to lengthen as opposed to tuck
@TJQ:
I don’t believe I *really* started to get things until I started doing more zhan zhuang type work. It’s sad to see this component missing in a lot of curriculums. Thx for the heads up on the book. I’ll add it to my reading list 
Regardless of time on the journey, we all have something to share
April 19, 2008 at 3:04 am
taijiquestion
You won’t be sorry, buddy! I’m not rabid on Vidal but that book is something special, especially for the dreamers and xenophiles among us. You get to meet the Buddha too.
Kinda funny… standing exercises are what got me really excited about CMA. The fighting stuff was fun in theory but I don’t enjoy fighting enough to make it an avocation. But when I learned about these unique forms of training I said whoa, something special is going on there. Internally, spiritually, and strangely enough, adventurously…
April 23, 2008 at 1:29 am
chencenter
Sounds to me that you have a great practice. Yang Yang (my teacher) always reminds us to “pay attention to nurturing.” It is everything outside of nurturing that hampers our practice. Keep it real. It sounds like you are. Peace. -Michael from the CCB
April 25, 2008 at 5:53 am
silkreeling
If i were to recommend to anyone the path to their taiji practice, it would probably be this.
peace is cool.