Purchase the new book that has just been released entitled ‘TAO: The Way of God’ .  It was written by my friend, mentor and spiritual guide Master Waysun Liao.  It is, quite frankly, the most honest and true book I have ever read.  It is easy to read but don’t let that fool you.  The honesty and deep Truth in its pages moved me to tears on more than one occasion during my reading.

Anything I write here about the book wouldn’t do it justice.  The best I could say is that it really, really shows that the real Truth, the true Path is very simple.  Simple, certainly, but challenging as well because we are beset on all sides in our culture by artificial ideas and concepts that take us further away from that Truth.

Whatever your religious persuasion you will benefit from this book.  Whether you do Tai Chi or not you will benefit from this book.  Pick up a copy from the link above and know that I’d be most interested in hearing your thoughts after you’ve read it.

Think right (learn more about that in the book) and Happy Practice!

Paul

I just love the paradoxes that one always seems to encounter when pursuing a path of truth.

My teacher would consistently remind that growth in Tai Chi is based upon four main pillars;  Lifestyle, Master’s Method, Practice Partner and Place.  The first, Lifestyle, tops the list because it is most important.  If we have to work 18 hours a day just to feed a family, if we abuse alcohol or drugs, if we are excessively stressed, etc. and so forth, then progress in Tai Chi will be minimal at best.  We need to be able to devote time to practice while not having our non-practice activities be a drain on the energy that is cultivated and stored by correct Tai Chi practice.  As we progress along the Tai Chi path, however, the modifications one needs to make in Lifestyle in order to further and support growth become ever more subtle and at the same time increasingly more important.  Each of us must make those Lifestyle determinations and implementations on our own.

The selection of a Master’s Method is also an individual decision. It is comforting to note that, according to the teaching, one does not need to actually have a Master present in one’s life to progress in Tai Chi.  All that is necessary is a method, a system, that can serve as a guide in how to practice.  One will no doubt adopt a Master’s Method that is most consistent with one’s personality and philosophy.  It is most important to practice sincerely and diligently along the teachings of whatever Master’s Method is selected and not be in a hurry to discard one method and pick up another just because we might become frustrated in our practice or impatient with a seeming lack of results.

And now we get to Practice Partner.  Some people incorrectly interpret this to mean ‘only one’.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The more practice partners we have in our life the quicker and purer will be our progress in Tai Chi.  Certainly the relationship with practice partners can vary.  Some may be people you just practice with in class and be somewhat of a casual relationship.  Others may become serious and in-depth two person (push hands) practice partners with whom an intimate relationship develops.  I use the term ‘intimate’ in the sense of a deeply sharing, nurturing and open relationship that is mutually beneficial to both parties, helping each other get to where you both want to go.  No matter where a practice partner falls in that continuum they are part of your ‘group’, a group that is essential to developing your Tai Chi abilities.

It is easy to overlook the importance of Place sometimes unless, of course, you don’t have one.  A good place to practice is one that is safe, secure, quiet, aesthetically pleasing and private.

These four elements have been passed down by the Old Masters for centuries.  They hold as much importance now as they did a thousand years ago.  One would be well served to use them as a guide to evaluate current practices.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

I’ll be doing one this Tuesday, September 15th, at the Tinley Park United Methodist Church, 6875 W. 173rd Place, Tinley Park.  The workshop will run from 7:00 pm until about 9:00 or so and the cost is $15.00.

If you know someone who is interested in Tai Chi this would be an excellent introductory session for them.  We will be covering some of the history, philosophy and theory of Tai Chi as well as introducing and doing some of the basic forms.  An emphasis will be placed on the development of  ’chi’; what it is, how to feel it and how to flow it.  Of course, anyone reading this post, current or past student or any T’ai Chi practitioner would be most welcome to attend as well.

This workshop is being presented to help promote a class we do at the Tinley Park United Methodist Church every Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.  This class, started by the efforts of Rachel Tuohy, is open to newcomers in T’ai Chi as well as people who have had some experience.  The cost of this class, $5 a session, makes it one of the most economical classes on the schedule.

Please contact me if you have any questions on this workshop or on any classes on the schedule.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

Most of us come to the practice of T’ai Chi with the idea of wanting to attain something.  We want to reduce stress in our lives, want to learn martial arts or self defense, want to pursue spiritual growth, want to feel better about ourselves, etc., etc. Being conscientious people and thoroughly indoctrinated in the Western idea of achievement we bring a lot of effort into our practice so we can get what we want.  In the beginning, certainly, a certain amount of effort is required to learn the basic forms, condition the body and train the mind.  After a while, though, this effort can be counter productive and get in our way.  I sometimes get reminded of this in unexpected ways.

I had the good fortune to happen to meet Master Liao down at his center in Oak Park last Thursday evening.  It was not a planned event; we just happened to be there at the same time.  We sat across from each other at his desk and he graced me with a delightful discussion (read, lecture learning session) that lasted about an hour.  And although what he spoke was very deep, meaningful and important for me to hear, perhaps the most profound part of the evening for me came when we got up to leave.

As we faced each other across from either side of  his desk, preparing to part company, I found myself being almost in awe of what I was perceiving.  Seeing him stand in front of me, I realized I was looking at a totally relaxed human being, someone who was being totally natural and effortless in the moment.  It was the totality of his relaxation that was striking.  It was certainly more than just physical; it extended into the mental and spiritual realms as well.  And as I stood there taking this in I very cleary became aware of what tension was present in my system and began to let go as I could.

The Chinese have a word for this state, it is called shoong (in pinyin, song1) and is usually translated as relax, although it means much more.  It means having no mental agenda, being totally wecoming of whatever may occur, being loose and open, light and limber.  It is natural and effortless.  It is the state we were in as a very young child.

Now as Master Liao taught me by his actions, it is not a state that is to be sought after only in T’ai Chi practice but one that we should endeavor to realize in all our daily activities and anything we do.  Natural and effortless is one idea to help us get there.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

Most of us who have been practicing T’ai Chi for a while are undoubtedly familiar with the frustration that can arise from time to time of not making the progress we think we should be making in the Art.  Or, along the same lines, of feeling a bit sorry for ourselves regarding our particular life circumstances that seem to make progressing difficult. At these times  it is easy to slip into a kind of  “if only” mentality.  See if any of these “if only’s” are familiar……..If only I had more time to practice; If only I had a practice partner; If only I had a better practice partner; If only my teacher would spend more time with me; If only I had better access to a teacher; If only I had a better teacher; If only I wasn’t all by myself out here; If only I was (use as many that fit) smarter, quicker, thinner, fatter, more relaxed, less stressed,  in less pain, understood more, less lazy, more coordinated, had a less nagging spouse, had a spouse, didn’t have so many responsibilities, etc., etc., etc.

The purpose of this post is to, hopefully, help us all relax a little around these thoughts and to realize that all such mental jibberish just isn’t all that important to pay attention to.

The first thought I’d like to share, and one that might be worth remembering when the intellectual mind tries to rear it’s head, is a quote from Master Liao’s book, T’ai  Chi Classics.  It is on page 118 where he is commenting on Master Wu Yu-Hsiang’s Treatise (the emphasis is mine).      “The only condition for allowing your internal energy to develop, grow and become strong is that you must relax yourself and yield to the universe.  When you become soft and pliable, your internal energy will gradually begin to develop and accumulate.”        It always affects me when I read this as my tendency is to make things a bit more complicated than they need to be and this is a powerful reminder of the first step in practicing sincerely; simply relaxing and yielding.  Although it is a simple concept it can be very difficult to apply, especially when we feel life might be handing us more than we might like at the present moment.  The comfort in remembering this, however, is that since we don’t need to really  do anything to cultivate chi (simply relax and yield), we can let go of our  ’if only’s'  that we erroneously perceive as obstacles.

The other thing I’d like to suggest is to remember that  T’ai Chi evolved as a means of expression and development of our common human desire to improve; mentally, physically and spiritually.  It is not so much that we do these mechanical movements and something automatically magical will happen to us, but rather as we focus on feeling and relaxing the physical body, as we calm the mind and settle the spirit, T’ai Chi starts to naturally happen and evolve.  It is but one of many possible means of expression, simply a vehicle, that can help us on our path.

To illustrate this further, and from a different perspective, I am going to digress a bit off the T’ai Chi path.  One of my favorite books, (it really would be the one book I’d take with if banished to a deserted island and only allowed to take one) is I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj.  Nisargadatta, considered one of the greatest sages of India, was a man of humble background and means who lived in Bombay, India until he passed away in 1981.  I Am That consists entirely of dialogues, question and answers, between Maharaj and seekers who came from around the world to visit with him at his home.  What follows is from page 171 of that book.  See what he has to say about sincere practice.  (By the way Q. is for the questioner, in this case a somewhat fiesty Westerner, and M. is for Maharaj’s reply.)

Q. From the Westerner’s point of view there is something disturbing in your ways. To sit in a corner all by oneself and keep on repeating “I am God, God I am” appears to be plain madness.  How to convince a Westerner that such practices lead to supreme sanity?

M. The man who claims to be God and the man who doubts it- both are deluded.  They talk in their dream.

Q. If all is dreaming, what is waking?

M. How to describe the waking state in dreamland language?  Words do not describe, they are only symbols.

Q.  Again the same excuse that words cannot convey reality.

M.  If you want words, I shall give you some of the ancient words of power, Repeat any of them ceaselessly, they can work wonders.

Q.  Are you serious?  Would you tell a Westerner to repeat ‘Om’ or ‘Ram’ or ‘Hare Krishna’ ceaselessly, though he lacks completely the faith and conviction born of the right cultural and religious background?  Without confidence and fervour, repeating mechanically the same sounds, will he ever achieve anything?

M.  Why not?  It is the urge, the hidden motive that matters, not the shape it takes.  Whatever he does, if he does it for the sake of finding his own real self, will surely bring him to himself.

Q.  No need of faith in the efficacy of the means?

M.  No need of faith which is but expectation of results.  Here the action only counts.  Whatever you do for the sake of truth will take you to truth.  Only be earnest and honest.  The shape it takes hardly matters.

Q.  Then where is the need of giving expression to one’s longing?

M.  No need.  Doing nothing is as good.  Mere longing, undiluted by thought and action, pure, concentrated longing, will take you speedily to your goal.  It is the true motive that matters, not the manner.

Q.  Unbelievable!  How can dull repetition in boredom verging on despair, be effective?

M.  The very facts of repetition, of struggling on and on and of endurance and perseverance, in spite of boredom and despair and complete lack of conviction are really crucial.  They are not important by themselves, but the sincerity behind them is all-important.

When Maharaj says “Whatever you do for the sake of truth will take you to truth.  Only be earnest and honest.  The shape it takes hardly matters.” he is providing perhaps as good a definition of practicing sincerely as any T’ai Chi Master ever has.  This, of course, naturally extends not only to those formal times in the day where we are “practicing T’ai Chi” but also into those ‘hidden’ practice times during the day such as how we wash the dishes, tie our shoes, sweep the floor, engage in a conversation, give someone a hug or engage in any other of the ‘routine’ activities of daily life. Any and all activity gives us a chance to ‘practice sincerely’, to check our internal state and see where and how we are focused.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

Perhaps the most apppropriate subject upon which to reenter the blogging community would be to answer a question that Marc had posed as a comment to a past post.  Essentially that question was, “Could you comment on what the phrase ‘Heart-Mind-Connection’ means to you?”  I just love the “means to you” part of that question as it doesn’t let me off the hook with meandering through abstract theory and definitions.  But, for the general reader to whom this might be a new concept, allow me to provide some background.

At the risk of oversimplifying a bit, the Chinese concept of Mind (read,intelligence) has two aspects.  The first can be called Hsin and is usually translated as heart. It refers to the entire range of conscious experience, including desires, emotions and intuition.  It’s character is vague, nebulous and unifying. In a way it can also be considered the flow of vital energy.  The other aspect is referred to as Yi (sometimes just, ‘I‘) and is commonly translated as ‘mind’. Yi has to do with things like focus, abstract ideas, and ‘projecting mind’ (wanting to get something, wanting a certain outcome).  It’s character is separating, specific and reasoning.  There is, in fact, a famous martial art system called Hsin-Yi (or Hsing-I) that is based around these ideas.

For those of you who have been in my classes lately you know I’ve been speaking a lot about Gong and Fu and how they relate.  Along these lines, in a way you can look upon Hsin as the ‘Gong’ aspect of the mind and Yi as the ‘Fu’ aspect of mind.  (For those of you to whom this makes no sense, I apologize and perhaps have just created a subject for another post….) Another way to consider is that it’s Hsin that tells you that you really, really want ice cream right now and it’s Yi that tells you that you don’t really need the calories and then decides between rocky road and mint chocolate chip.

So, what does the heart-mind-connection mean to me?  Couple of things…The closer I am to having Hsin and Yi be unified and in harmony the more I find the following:

• No Internal conflict
• No doubts or concerns about what I ‘should’ do
• Action flows automatically
• Accomplishment happens naturally
• A sense of wholeness or fullness

It would be nice to say I experienced this all the time.  Fact is, it comes and goes in varying degrees. If you want to really see this operational I’d suggest spending time with a 5 to 10 month old.  Watch how their attention and energy are connected.  There is no duplicity or doubt in what they do.  Attention and desire are one in the same.  Perhaps this is yet another reason Lao Tzu admonishes us in the Tao Te Ching to become as children.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

In way of an introduction, Master Yang was born in mainland China and started his Taiji practice at the age of 12.  He credits his practice of Taiji to curing a congenital heart condition he had as a child which subsequently allowed him to enter a major university in Shangai where he earned an engineering degree.  During the next few years he met and studied with Gu Liuxin, Chen Zhaokui and Feng Zhiqiang, all famous 18th-generation masters of the Chen Style of Taijiquan.  He won first place in the Shangai University Martial Arts Championships for three straight years and was voted best overall martial artist in 1983. 

He moved back to Beijing in 1985 to continue his Taiji studies with Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang and he also enrolled in the China University of Political Science and Law, where he subsequently earned a law degree.  He practiced business law in China for several years before coming to the United States in 1993, getting a master’s degree in economics from Illinois State University.

Yang realized that Taiji would flourish only when it was “demystified” and its benefits could be documented in Western scientific terms.  To this end, he completed a doctoral degree in kinesiologyat the University of Illinois in 2005.  He continues to engage in research projects the results of which he shares with the medical community.  He teaches people of all ages and physical abilities and is a wonderful ambassador for the art of Taiji.  If you would like to know more about him, please visit his website at http://www.centerfortaiji.com

Our event will be held in the demonstration room (room #150) of the Chicago High School for Agricultural Science at 111th and Pulaski.  We will start at 6:30 PM and the cost of participation is $25.  Having had the opportunity to meet and interact with Master Yang, I can tell you he is a very warm, dedicated man who is a pleasure to be with.  If you have a chance, come on down on Thursday, March 26th and join us for what promises to be a very special evening.

If  you have any questions drop me an email or give me a call at 708-218-1966.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

If you have practiced with Master Liao before you know that his teaching and seminars offer the chance to go much more deeply into your T’aiChi practice and expand your understanding considerably.  I am pleased to say I’ve already made arrangements to be in attendance along with a few other students.  Here’s the weekend schedule:

1)Tai Chi Lecture and Practice    “Qi, Forms and Flow” 10:00 am - 12 noon on Saturday, March 7th.  Cost for this session is $45.   Open to the public.

2)Tai Chi Practice   “Two Person Practice”  2:00 pm – 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 7th.  Cost for this session is $60.  Tai Chi experience required.

3)Tai Chi Practice    “Intensive Practice”  8:00 am – 10:00 am Sunday, March 8th.  Cost for this session is $85.  Tai Chi experience required.

There will also be a Tai Chi banquet on Saturday evening to welcome in the Chinese “Year of the Ox”.  Based on past years meals it’s not to be misssed!

For more information about the seminar, or questions about the specific Tai Chi experience suggested to attend, it would probably be best to contact Barry Brownstein directly.  His email address is barrybrownstein@hotmail.com and his phone number is 520-297-7955. Please put Tucson Tai Chi Seminar in the subject line of an email.

This has gotten to be an annual event thanks to Barry’s perseverance.  It has been my pleasure to attend, geez I forget now, but it’s at least four or five of the previous seminars.  I’ve come away with a lot from each of them.

If you’ve never had a chance to meet and practice with Master Liao personally, this would be an excellent venue in which to do so.  If you have been at one of his seminars before I’d invite you to post a comment about your experience.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

One of the difficulties of responding to questions like this is that there are many ways to approach the subject.  Not to mention that volumes already have been written about it by people with more insight and wisdom than I possess.  So, what follows is simply how I’d like to play the game today. If you ask me this in a couple of months, you might get a very different response.  Keeping in mind that what I say could be nothing more than my own “reality illusion”, here goes…….

Paradox is inherent and at the crux of much of Tai Chi theory and practice. We have two opposite forces, Yin and Yang, which, though antagonistic, are always in perfect balance and harmony with each other. The state of Tai chi can be thought of as that which exists between Yin and Yang.  The problem for most of us is that we tend to get attached to one side or another of the equation, we develop a bias, and not only do we tend to diminish or deny the existence of another side, but we forget about the totality in which both exist.

A great way to explore this concept is with optical illusions.  Perhaps a few of you have seen the following picture.

What’s nice about this image is that it’s a very ‘Yin-Yang’ kind of thing.  Just black and white. Nothing real fancy.  When you first look at it, what do you see?  Some might immediately see a vase, others will pick up on two faces looking at each other.  Can you see both?  Can you allow your perception to adjust and go back and forth between the two?  And, perhaps even more challenging, can you allow yourself to hold both images in mind simultaneously.  One thing we can learn from this picture is that that we absolutely need the white, the vase, the Yang in order to view the faces.  Converely, we absolutely have to have the black, the faces, the Yin in order to see the vase.

Now what is the “right” way to look at the picture?  Obviously, there isn’t one.  We give ourselves greater flexibility and options, though, when we are able to perceive that there are, in fact, two ways to see it.  If you interact with someone who swears that the only thing in the picture is either only a vase or only the two faces looking at each other, and they are not able to see it the other way, you don’t have to argue with them.  You can allow them to see what they see knowing that there is a little more than meets their eye at the moment.

Such it is with the ‘stillness in movement and movement in stillness’ idea.  Most of us get so focused in activity, in movement, that we completely lose sight of the fact that there is an infinite place of stillness, call it a void if you will, that is very real and not only allows but, indeed, is the seed from which all movement happens.  Conversely, if we are in a deeply meditative state of stillness,   it would be very easy to become oblivious to the movement which is always present in and around us.

The phrase, “look for the stillness in movement and the movement in stillness” can also be viewed as a way to put into words part of what the Tai Chi symbol itself conveys.  Let’s take a look…..

The white of the Tai Chi symbol is considered Yang and equates with movement.  The black of the Tai chi symbol is considered Yin and can represent stillness.  What many people miss in the Tai Chi symbol is the little black dot in the midst of white and the little white dot in the midst of black.  This gives a pictoral reprentation of the phrase,  ”look for the stillness in movement and the movement in stillness.”  It really is always there, we just need to adjust our focus or change our perception to become aware.

In case the above optical illusion was too basic, perhaps we can try another one that might be a bit more challenging.   Lets’ take a look, a real good look,  at the following picture that happens to be one of my favorites.

  Gosh, at first it seems like just an ordinary picture of flowers.  Something like a piece of art we might see hanging in someone’s house.  But if you can allow your eyes to defocus in a certain manner, if you can put the focal point of your eyes past, or perhaps into your computer screen, you might find that something really, really cool happens.  I won’t give away the secret just yet.  But the hint is that there is a 3 dimensional image ‘burned’ into the flowers that can only come out when you change how you look at the picture.  To offer a little incentive to those viewing it, I’ll give a free half hour Tai Chi lesson to anyone who posts the correct answer.  Hint, the free lesson goes to the first person who gets the complete answer, not just half the answer.  Also, all comments are most welcome even if you hate these things……

Tai Chi is about opening and expanding, becoming more aware and more sensitive and (paradoxically) becoming more powerful in that process.  For that to occur we always want to be open to what might be present in reality that we are not noticing.  We would serve ourselves well to begin to see the opposite inherent in what is presented to us.  We benefit from becoming more open and  allowing ourselves to see a bigger and bigger and consequently an ever expanding and constantly changing picture of what it is we call “real”.

Hope you’ve enjoyed playing with the optical illusions in this post.  Continue to ask yourself,  ”What is my “reality illusion” and “What is it I’m not seeing?” and who knows where that might lead?  Remember, Tai Chi is unlimited.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul

First of all, yes Marc, you can use this format to ask questions or bring up subjects you’d like to explore.  Anyone is most welcome and encouraged to do so. Since you asked for a short answer of the difference between energy from the earth and energy of heaven, here it is:  “Same force, different direction”.  And, since that’s the best I can do in terms of your request for a brief reply, I can now go on with the post and elaborate……….

T’ai Chi has, at its basis, a fundamental theory of the interaction between Yin and Yang, which are considered the two fundamental forces of the universe.  We call one of these aspects Yin and the other Yang.  Yin is associated with the earth, the material world, the physical.  Yang is associated with “heaven,” the invisible, the mind. 

Yes, as you asked, these forces always work together.  They are always balanced and in harmony.  Not only that, but they are, indeed, the two fundamental forces from which everything else is made and from which all other energies emanate. In fact, rather than look at them as different forces, it is perhaps a bit more useful and accurate to consider them as different aspects of the same force.

In way of an anology, it may be useful to think of the opening of a door, such as an entrance door to a building.  The door swings open on its hinges in one direction; there is only one “force.”  If you are on one side of the door, however and I’m on the other, we would describe how we are interacting with that force differently.  If you are on the inside maybe you would be pushing the door open.  I’d be on the outside and would be pulling the door open.  If we wanted to close the door the pushing and pulling would be reversed.  Pushing could  be called Yang as it would be expansive, moving away from us.  Pulling could be referred to as Yin because it’s a drawing in, a pulling toward us.

One of the things that can be confusing in Tai chi is that we often times view the earth as the source of Yin or earth energy.  It is, however, more accurately viewed as a result of an accumulation of earth energy. The name we have given to describe that accumulation of force is called gravity.  Modern science has seemed to discover the other aspect of that force, that which expands and moves things apart and the name they have given that force is dark energy. (A name, by the way, I don’t particularly like, but since my opinion wasn’t solicited in the naming process there’s really no choice but to use it)  Dark energy seems to be moving everything apart from everything else while gravity pulls together.  So, we have dark energy as Yang and gravity as Yin, or “heaven” power and “earth” power.

Getting back to Marc’s question about what happens to the spirit and what it needs or uses after you die I saved my second sentence to answer that one.   “Who knows?”  Seriously, though, there are perhaps some thoughts to be put forth in that area, but because I’ve gone on too long already, they are probably better saved for another post.

Think right and happy practice!

Paul