So - if you've read part 1 of the previous article you might be grasping the sensation of the truth - but however, come now,
does that translate into a practical life?
Clearly, a whole lot of it seems to come down to social interactions; Though I need not write a whole lot if you already know
where the video featured below is going ... or do I?
Though I'm rather promoting Tai Chi than 7 star preying Mantis - this will be as good as saying as that I don't think it matters
which style of Tai Chi you'd be picking up. If you want something with a lot of depth, you'll look for something with rich tradition
and a long history. Right now you might be lucky if you find even just one School nearby. And I don't think YouTube can replace
someone actually physically showing and correcting you.
If you're asking yourself this topical question you certainly feel that there is some core principle you're missing about it;
Or some deeper truth to be discovered. Or you just find it difficult to maintain that sensation or ... whatever.
There is something about Tai Chi, or some 'thingS', that have to be discovered by practice and are difficult to convey by words.
Doing so, conveying it by words, that wouldn't sound awefully new to you. From a less esoteric perspective we could say that it
are Buddhist or Daoist principles and philosophies that simply manifest within those states of mind as the closest way to
express what is sought to be expressed. Without vast knowledge thereof I had my own problems describing Tai Chi as it is ...
to my experience:
(And while I take the "Chen Style "fanboy"" stance ... I mean, I just write this note because I have heard that not all seem to
be OK with relating Tai Chi to Yang Luchan ...)
However ... lets put it this way:
Growing up in the western world one grows oddly familiar to stress. Even (or especially) when working in an office - we learn
discipline, endurance - we grow stiff - and this stiffness translates into our psychology, of course because it is required of
us to keep schedules, meet expectations and all that "martial artsy" stuff. Real Life evolves into daily combat - and as of that
- without noticing - this influences our social awarenesses. And so our social expectations.
Now is the thing I actually seek to convey here not conveyed through a particular style of Tai Chi or Kung Fu - while as it is
- there has come a point where I adopted the things I learned from Tai Chi into something of an own style - which I wouldn't
call a style per se or compare to a style - its basically just my own lazy way of practicing Tai Chi to accomplish those few
things that have proven to be practical for me. It is there where I see for myself how the motions are vastly irrelevant - but
there is no way to physically accomplish an understanding thereof without them. Thus I would simply stick to call what I do
Tai Chi and if ever asked to teach "my Style" - I'd teach you what I have learned instead.
What I found to be important about it is to relax. To follow through the motions without much expectations - to just flow through
them with as little strength put into them. You know, if you want to be all badassy on martial arts you'd tensen your muscles,
but a grim expression on your face and all that. Tai Chi done right is about the opposite to that. So you barely even notice.
Thereby you're essentially cultivating the 'spirit side' of the chain between intent and action - where the motions are a medium
or a vessel if you so will. Once you've gotten a hang of it you're as far as I'm concerned here 'done' - and you'll strongly
appreciate what you have learned.
One could say that practive will show you how to dissolve within the void, becoming one with the Universe on a Level that is
functionally abstract to worldly concepts. Its its own kind of Unification with the Allsurrounding Spirit even - though not so
on a divine Level. But you'll get to a similar psychological detachment as the cognitive struggles that are wired into your
mind, held there by stress, are being resolved. I guess even simply 'Freudian Psychology' could get to a grasp of that
concept, saying: As the practice of external martial arts conditions your mind and body for combat, you'll also grow keen
to apply what you have learned and therefore are going to seek combat; Wherein the practice of internal martial arts does
explicitly aim against these physical tensions as of which you will from experiencing peace also grow more inherantly into a
seeker of peace.
In essence is it there this state of internal peace, which may be an overly glorified state of mystic harmony that is actually
more sober than you might expect, that enables you to acquire more fundamental wisdom as to possibly yield a more valuable
understanding of Seals 7 and 8, Independence and Thought, in process. The reason why independence is important is because its
easy to slip in regards to the social implications of peace.
The more troubled you are by the things that are going on in this
world the further your concerns are taken towards those that disagree with you the most. And well, when it gets to that - you'll
discover that you having an oppinion ironically fuels those troubles as you have an oppinion one can object to. So lets call it
then Zen, this state of peace, that you then have discovered and allows you to take a stance that is difficult to disagree with.
But that isn't the point I was getting at - just a, funny sidenote. Clearly - when you enter a stance of "that is wrong" -
you're in some offensive. You would so eventually come to challenge the other side - and though there is stuff that could be
said in terms of an intellectual confrontation, what I'm concerned of is the aftermath. Well, sponsodered by the Matrix, lets
talk about Aikido.
It takes a humble mindset to acknowledge the superiority of another. And when you're engaging into an intellectual challenge the
same thing happens. You require the other parties humility in case you're right, but so are you acquired to be humble too in
case the other side is right. Regarding the aftermath it is clearly desirable that there is no conflict left. Eventually that is
however nothing that can ever be accomplished. Unless we all turn into Zombies. And while Aikido is still combat, Tai Chi isn't.
Independence is of course first and foremost a thing about yourself. There is no "other party" in Independence - and the more
independent you are, the more of a general advantage you have "above" others that aren't. And so you are more capable of understanding
what the other one needs - but if you do not have or understand (which is the same here) Zen you don't realize how the complexities
of your mind emerge from a "nothingness"; And the philosophy, if you so will, I'm hereby implying into Tai Chi is as to say that any
other 'independent stance' is corrupt. Except that once you take it this way we're basically entering the realm of "Bushido" (as
repurposed by me for this), where "Bushido" is simply to say: Entering Combat, which is in other words: What would divert your mind
from discovering the deeper truths.
Or in other words: As you would discover the challenges of understanding the 'the good mood' philosophy/perspective-of-things, you're
lacking an experience of contrast in context to varying oppinions or whatever. You would for instance seek that positivity within
some conflict of sorts; Where I'm pretty sure that I can describe 'Atheism' quite accurately as so: There is a positivity, call it
value or principles or such, within a given mindset that 'practically' hardens in contrast to religious philosophy - or so: Theology.
And that is why it is technically impossible for believers and unbelievers to ever agree or make peace. And it comes to the point that
whenever we're in a motion of embracing someone else - a genuinely positive intent - we can't help but wish some of our own harmony
upon the other; Or when we're being embraced we so fear that the very same might happen, compromising our own.
This in regards to indepdence is as being stuck on the 6th "Level" - 'Judgement, Reason and Acting'.
The idea is that you can't always hope to get rid of such conflicts - as to see that it isn't even necessary, though for the best
outcome you need the other to understand the same thing. And that how God is the Universal Center of peace. There is repentence to
a given code of rules, yet also reptentence 'unto Zen' - sotospeak - yet the true experience of God is one step 'further'. The
whole point of articulating the difference between human and divine Law is to emphasize Gods ultimate intimacy to the human individual -
as of which the individual that can testify God knows no longer how to bow to human doctrine ... ideologically speaking.
And Tai Chi is similar to that. Or anything that takes you a bit closer to your spirit. Tai Chi is however 'fundamentally close' -
as you may have gathered so far - as you're really taken to the basics of yourself, to the place where your intentions become
action. To move onward, ...
... here we learn that we can't embrace whats behind us. Here whatever alignment you have, any ideology or belief, that is imagined
as a sphere around your center - and within it your mind is eventually yet off-center. Certainly once you haven't established your
Zen yet. And so its extremely hard for an Atheist to embrace God.
(This is the guy I learned from, and I got as far as in about 2 minutes in. The reason is that I learned step by step - and
each stance is more elaborate than it looks, while everyone eventually develops its own "Blurr" of them sotospeak)
Watching this - it comes to mind, ... differences in speed, compexity of changes, all that factors in. As, throwing your mind off
balance - having it not get used to some linear flow.
And I also gather that there are a lot of different perspectives out there. And Hong Li would say it himself - if you got high
demands - you got to keep looking. Each and everyone eventually settles on a stance he or she is familiar and comfortable with -
things learned independently mixed with things learned from others. And so, to the best of your knowledge, what comes from you does
always have to have your own spin to it. Some of us are more traditionalist, others just take it as they understood it - where Tai
Chi as a ... "higher art form" can't be ultimately confined into one end-all be-all form. Its exploration in and of itself - where
all the "higher claims" it has or are propagated forth from it or are implied into it are Universal, to the point that each individual
has to experience them personally. I guess that the more your practiced style diverts from some established norm the more you're put
into this position of exploration - and while it would be ignorant to dismiss that which has come prior to you, it is inherantly impossible
to not learn from it - where as you learn by practice, things nobody can tell you through words, everyones guesses are as good as the
others - kindof.
And so is it with God. The best way to learn what is wrong, is to learn what is right! And the simpler the truths you learn, the more
Universal your Understanding is gonna be.