Welcome to LotusLeaf Tai Chi's Students' Area!
Tai Chi and Transient things
Inspired by Alan Watts. A Short thought
It was the passage in Alan Watts Book "The Wisdom of insecurity";
"The truth is splendour from the things dissolved. The truth is rather
that the images, though beautiful in themselves, come to life in the act of
vanishing"
that got me thinking.
I have often had to pick students up on skipping over the flow part of the
Tai Chi form to get to a specific point in the movement. For example "Holding
a ball" becomes a blur when going from "Part the Wild horses mane"
left to right. The student is so concerned with the future, getting to the
next part - the wild horses mane, that they forget the present of Holding
a ball. The movement is lost and in so doing the flow and form are lost. Of
course, the ball is not missed, it was never there to be missed but something
in the form is lost. The beauty of the Tai Chi form is from each movement
"coming to life in the act of vanishing" to borrow from Mr Watts.
Each movement is so fleeting and yet as important as a life, as a breath.
Without one movement, skipping over another, making wishy washy hands for
yet another and all of a sudden the form is unrecognisable as that thing of
beauty we all strive for.
Talking of transient things, it is as important to remember not to hold things
as it is to create them in the first place. It may be a little melodramatic
to use such a quotes as
"Belief clings, faith lets go" but it is the basis of getting the
balance right. Best to move on, don't cling to the movement you are at because
you "know" it, you are there and it feels good. Let go and move
on. The name "holding a ball" is not quite correct. Maybe it comes
from a poor translation, or maybe it just needs a little addition of "holding
the ball, for a brief moment". Create it then leave it, as the thing
that is created from it's going will be beautiful too.
Photos from the Yang Style Sword workshop, Woolaston
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More photos to follow of the second workshop and Wear your Wellies for Wildlife week!
