Video: Bruce Lee – Enter the Dragon

URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDW6vkuqGLg

“Don’t think, feel!It is like a finger pointing away to the moon.Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”

Yes, a fixed point is needed when other elements are in motion so all work together … harmoniously …

– Source: Johnny U. – A Chen Practical Method Taiji Buddy

Great quote and something I received in an email from a taiji buddy of mine. While the discussion was not necessarily about taiji, the Chen Practical Method taiji principle quoted above has universal applications in life.  Thank, J!

– 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

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Challenges…

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste. To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea.

Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?

If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend? How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh: To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.

Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired & dull, so we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving? Basically in our lives Sharks are new challenges to keep us active and taste better…

The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a challenge. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are Conqueror. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions.

REFLECTION: “Don’t be afraid of pressure. Remember that Pressure is what turns a lump of coal into a diamond”

In a recent issue of Tai Chi Magazine, Chen Zhenglei on “The Study of Taijiquan”:

… Taijiquan beginners are often drawn to learning the applications of the postures. If we just use posture applications to explain and understand Taijiquan, then we will never grasp the essence of the art.

… The focus of taijiquan is to train the whole body such that when the need to use it arises, then, depending on the conditions and situation, it will adapt and change as needed and respond accordingly. We cannot be stuck in a “this technique for this attack” thinking.

For more, read the full article online at ChenWired (Registration Required)

Hmm… This reminds me a lot of a comment that Chong posted on my Experience with 6 Sealings 4 Closings article.  In it, he basically noted how I should’ve maintained peng energy to effectively apply the rollback (lu energy).  However, after reading Chen Zhenglei’s article, I couldn’t help but think about his phrase: “We cannot be stuck in a ‘this technique for this attack’ thinking’”.

HOWEVER, another point dawned on me. Taiji is all about change, it’s about adapting to change. When my rollback was not effective, why didn’t I adapt to the current scenario?  Why not just step and apply another lu energy to counter my opponents shoulder stroke (peng energy)?

So.. what does train the energies mean? I’ve made references to various energies above. A lot of this stuff came out during push hands training for me. In double push hands training, the instructor guided us on identifying the various energies given and their associated counter energies.

Given Peng, counter with Lu

Given Lu, counter with Ji

Given Ji, counter with An

Given An, counter with Peng

etc etc

Note, the above outlines just covers the 4 basic energies. All of these can be trained in the chen style basic double push hands pattern. For more details on the taiji energies read Chen Zhaokui Martial Arts Research: 8 Energies of Taijiquan.

Now the tough part is trying to identify the energies within our own training. When I do chen taiji’s buddha warrior pounds mortar, what energies am I employing? To identify the energies, we have to break down our postures into their core components.  Once we do this, we can then mix and match various physical manifestations of taiji energies to our liking based upon conditions. The Lu energy could be done with either the rollback in 6 sealings 4 closings, or the double handed deflection in the buddha warrior pounds mortar, or even in the double fisted block before transitioning into ‘punch the ground’. The possibilities are endless if we break down movements like this!

Let us end with a quote linking my two favorite topics, GTD and taiji.

GTD has a lot of parallels with martial arts: the basic moves are simple, but the power comes from combining, integrating, internalizing those moves and the more you learn, the more you realize you can go deeper and learn more and gain more.

– Source: Productivity for Programmers: Trusted Systems