Internal/external | ||
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Internal qualities
The terms 'internal' and 'external'
apply to all facets of life.
Internal is an attitude.
It is a principle.
List
This list of examples can aid you in getting a sense
of what
internal means:
External | Internal | |
Yang | Yin | |
Light | Dark | |
White | Black | |
Bright | Shadow | |
Overt | Covert | |
Outward | Inward | |
Outside | Inside | |
Confucian, Buddhist | Taoist | |
Muddy | Clear | |
Questions | Possibilities | |
Answers | Questions | |
Solutions | Side effects | |
Culture | Individual | |
Quick | Slow | |
Exotic | Simple | |
Confront | Avoid | |
Fight | Peace | |
Conflict | Harmony | |
Blame | Resolve | |
React | Respond | |
Amateurism | Mastery | |
Obvious | Hidden | |
Hard | Soft | |
Belief | Experience | |
Oblivious | Observant | |
Known | Unknown/unknowable | |
Understanding | Mystery | |
Candid | Secretive | |
Direct | Indirect | |
Revealed | Concealed | |
Soldier | Spy, assassin, thief | |
Emphasising a single point of view | Seeing that there are many sides | |
Conceit/vanity | Humility | |
Taking yourself too seriously | Humour | |
Over-analysing | Acknowledging the depth of our own ignorance | |
Judgement | Criteria? | |
Gratification | Self-awareness | |
Entertainment | Tranquillity | |
Technology | Nature | |
Samurai (to serve) | Ronin (masterless) | |
Fixed | Free | |
Prestige/status | Anonymity | |
Visible | Unseen | |
Easy | Difficult | |
Display | Disguise | |
Effort | Ease | |
Strain | Comfort | |
Taking sides | Yin/yang co-existing, apparent contradiction of opposites | |
Stretch | Release | |
Quantity | Quality | |
Cost | Value | |
Presence | Absence | |
Basic | Advanced | |
Novelty | Constancy | |
Artificial | Natural | |
Constant | Changeable | |
Compulsory | Voluntary | |
Divided | United | |
Equal | Different | |
Extreme | Moderate | |
Acquire | Let go | |
Foreground | Background | |
Violent | Gentle | |
Normal | Strange | |
Special | Ordinary | |
Part | Whole | |
Public | Private | |
Plan | Improvise | |
Resist | Adapt | |
Compete | Cooperate | |
Separate | Interdependent | |
Wealthy | Modest | |
Look | See | |
Hear | Listen | |
Certainty | Doubt | |
Rough | Delicate | |
Blatant | Subtle | |
Ignorance | Insight | |
Thoughtless | Wise | |
Control | Chaos (no discernable pattern) | |
Speculation | Proof | |
Opinion | Fact | |
Certainty | Illusion | |
Follow | Explore | |
Many | Few | |
Explicit | Implicit | |
Blundering | Stealthy | |
Blunt | Elegant | |
Surety | Ambiguity | |
Limitation | Choice | |
Crowd/group | Intimate | |
Built | Grown | |
Open | Closed | |
Clumsy | Graceful | |
Vulgar | Refined | |
Full | Empty | |
Probably | Maybe | |
Definite | Conditional | |
Dulled | Awake | |
Shown | Discovered | |
Simplistic | Nuanced | |
Ignorance | Awareness | |
Common | Esoteric | |
Tangible | Ungraspable | |
Habitual | Changeable | |
Familiar | New | |
Bored | Interested | |
Stimulated | Curious | |
Superficial | Depth | |
Appearance | Essence | |
Political | Personal | |
Modern | Ancient/old | |
General | Specific | |
Busy | ||
Fake | Authentic | |
Unbalanced | Balanced | |
Attached | Detached | |
Confusion | Clarity | |
Religion | Spiritual | |
Noise | Silence | |
Agitated | Still | |
Found | Lost | |
Predictable |
Spontaneous |
|
Upset | Calm | |
Active | Passive | |
Ego/self | Authentic self | |
Conscious | Unconscious | |
Thinking | Feeling | |
Reckless | Cautious | |
Body | Mind | |
Fear | Understanding | |
Haphazard | Focussed | |
Loud | Quiet | |
Image | Genuine/sincere | |
Rude | Polite | |
Anticipate | Wait | |
By chance | Deliberate | |
Helpless | Responsible | |
Copy | Way | |
Influenced by society | Natural order | |
Urban | Rustic | |
Speaks | Listens | |
Shared | Private | |
Group | Individual | |
Shout | Whisper | |
Large | Small | |
Spectator | Doer | |
Waits to be told the answer |
Figures things out | |
Figures things out | ||
Complicate | Simplify | |
Talk | Quiet | |
Something | Nothing | |
Win | Survive | |
Someone | No one | |
Overdo it | Just enough | |
Moves the opponent | Moves self | |
Knowledge of others | Self knowledge | |
Gossip | Self knowledge | |
The news | Self knowledge | |
Moral code | Principle e.g. yin/yang, change | |
Hard, brittle, bracing | Soft, fluid, loose, pliable | |
Combat is the main concern | Health and combat equally important | |
Straightforward | Significantly more detailed and sophisticated | |
Favour military-style warm-up exercise | Strength is built using unconventional means | |
Hard on the body | Gentler with the body | |
Uses existing body habits | Body must be trained to move in a manner that is unfamiliar | |
Mechanical | Organic, natural | |
Jerky | Smooth | |
Typically focuses on striking or grappling, seldom both | Striking and grappling trained together | |
Force versus force | 4 ounces of pressure, stickiness, sensitivity | |
Favours the younger, stronger student | Age is less of an obstacle | |
Fighting/competition | Incapacitation is the aim | |
Aggression/emotion | Composure | |
Forcing | Allowing, leading, misdirecting | |
Speed | Spontaneity and timing | |
Isolated limb use | Whole-body movement | |
Using the 'core' | Whole-body movement | |
Extended | Close-quarters | |
Linear | Circular | |
Contract | Release | |
Planning | Listening, sensitivity, adaptation | |
Struggling | Flowing | |
Blocking | Blending | |
Holding | Releasing | |
Resist | Yield | |
Technique | Application | |
Numb | Sensitive | |
Being in your head thinking about what to do next | Being in the body and sensation-oriented | |
Denying your vulnerability | Feeling your vulnerability | |
Contracted, locked musculature | Loose, fluid and relaxed musculature | |
Works the joints |
Works tendons, ligaments, fascia and muscles | |
The list could continue indefinitely...
Purity
emerges from impurity and light is born from darkness.
(Huanchu Daoren)
Page created 21 May 1996
Last updated
04 May 2023