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Life
Life presents us with countless situations that test our
mettle.
We have the opportunity to behave in a variety of different ways and make a
whole range of choices.
How and what we do stem from who we are. Our actions reflect
what sort of person
we are.
Shaping
We shape our reality relative to our perception of it. In essence, we see the
world that our mind generates for us.
People forget that our eyes are not windows or cameras.
Our eyes receive data and the brain shapes the information into a format that we
can comprehend and interact with.
This inevitably distorts what we see.
Seeing what we want to
see
We smile at a stranger and they respond according to how they interpret the
smile.
A person with a generous, kind spirit will most likely smile back.
A mean, greedy person may well be suspicious and uncertain.
A shy person may feel self-conscious.
An angry person may see a challenge or a threat.
Yet the smile is constant. How it is perceived is what changes.
The sensei is not a therapist. The goal
of the dojo is to make healthy people healthier, physically and
psychologically and spiritually. It cannot be expected to repair badly
damaged human beings. As so if a member exhibits serious personal problems,
the sensei's job is to get rid of him, gracefully if possible, forcefully
and definitively if necessary.
(Dave Lowry)
Tai chi
The art is shaped to represent how you are - friendly, aggressive,
superficial, a show off,
practical, studious...
It is a mirror of our inner self.
If you are impatient, the tai chi
form and
application looks hurried and flighty. If you are
aggressive and macho, the tai chi reflects this too.
There is no hiding who we are. It shows through.
Change
Studying Taoism and Zen is very useful. It has the potential to promote change.
Our fixed, narrow ideas soften and relax.
We become more expansive and
receptive, open to the
unknown and eager to
explore.
Our outer behaviour mirrors our inner self.
Demons
If you go through life struggling with other people, constantly encountering
conflict and resistance, then something may be wrong.
It may be possible to let-go, to
flow, to move more smoothly through life.
Instructing
Instructors should carefully avoid becoming
embroiled in the
lives, egos and idiosyncrasies of their
students.
It is simply not their job.
The teacher teaches the
art; they are not a guru,
personal trainer or life
coach.
Fighting demons
Occasionally, a student's demon needs to be addressed -
for example if a student
wants to do something that is inappropriate/unsuitable - and the instructor is
obliged to act.
This is unfortunate but necessary for the welfare of the student.
Such incidents are best avoided.
Responsibility
Ultimately, the instructor has very little scope to help a student to
deal
with their demons.
Assistance is usually resisted and
resented.
The instructor must leave the student to sort themselves
out.
The art
Tai chi serves as a wonderful mirror that echoes the
demons of the student.
The 'talker' will find themselves incompetent and therefore
ineffectual in combat.
The lazy student becomes exhausted.
A greedy person chokes on their own
ambitions.
The egotist hinders their own capacity to be without self and is incapable of
being receptive to the moment.
Those who boast will falter.
Observe
The instructor has no real need to take any personal interest in the student's
demons.
Their role is just to implement the syllabus, and watch.
Students often try to drown themselves in
shallow water.
This is unfortunate, but what can you do?
This is the path the student has
chosen for
themselves.
The seeker
The rare student becomes introspective,
physically aware and
emotionally attuned to
themselves.
They take an active interest in their own
development.
Instead of being self-indulgent and gratification-seeking, they
recognise their
own shortcomings and undertake the challenging task of working on these.
Truth
Tai chi becomes a mirror.
It reflects the truth of who the student is and how well they are doing.
A mirror has
no bias or agenda; it simply reflects.
Painful reality
A punch in the face is a punch in the face and no amount of reasoning can
obfuscate the truth of the impact.
Being thrown on the floor cannot be explained away.
The art trains us to deal with what is actually taking place and to work with
who we really are.
It is a sword that slays fantasy, illusion and
lies.
Page created
18 April 2001
Last updated
16 June 2023
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