Seeking
The
fact that we are seeking is all important, and not what is being sought.
What one seeks is the projection of one's own desire.
Seeking is not the state of search;
it is a reaction, a process of denial and assertion with regard to an idea made
by the mind.
To seek the proverbial needle in a haystack,
there must already be knowledge of the needle.
Similarly, to see god, happiness, silence or what you will,
is already to have known, formulated or imagined it.
Seeking, as it's called, is always for something known.
Finding is recognizing, and recognition is based on previous knowledge.
The mind that's seeking is waiting, expecting, desiring,
and what it finds is recognizable, therefore already known.
Seeking is the action of the past.
(Krishnamurti)
What is seeking?
Seeking involves looking for something.
People may not always be able to articulate what it is they are seeking, but
they have some notion in mind.
In order to seek, you need to know what it is you are seeking.
If you do not know it, how can you hope to find it?
The seeker is looking for fulfilment, for proof or confirmation of what they
already think.
In tai chi and
taoism
we are not seeking anything.
Seek and ye will
find...
Seeking requires you to be satisfied.
You look for
god, you will find your idea of god.
You look for happiness, you will find your idea of happiness.
You look for
peace, you will find your idea of peace.
Both the quest and the outcome are created by you.
In taoism, the seeker is seen as impeding himself.
An understanding of your relationship with everything else can only begin
when your activity stops.
Stop seeking and look, feel, listen.
Existence is all around you, it does not need to be sought.
Only when you let every
thought and memory cease can you begin to see.
Tai chi
cannot be sought
Many people approach tai chi in the hope that it will fulfil some need or
requirement.
Tai chi was designed to help you align yourself with
tao.
Health and
self defence are by-products.
If you begin tai chi with an agenda or preconception in mind, this will
taint how you see the training.
You will see the exercise according to your perspective and not as it is.
Only when you
let go of seeking will understanding come
of itself.
If you open your mind to the unknown and allow the training to unfold,
the tai chi will seem very different to your initial expectations.
The tao cannot be sought
Lao Tzu said that you can know the whole world without leaving
your room.
Your relationship with everything else begins and
ends with you.
Inside your thoughts and your own body lies the possibility of finding
harmony with existence.
Page created 4 February 1999