Back about 1993 I was teaching a weekly TaiChi class in a church hall in Clapham (South London).
One day the vicar came in and said to me, "Can I ask you a question?".
I said, "Of course you can."
So he asked, "Does TaiChi have a spiritual content?"
Feeling rather pleased with myself I said proudly, "Yes."
To which he replied, "Well in that case you'll have to leave because I can't have you practising on consecrated ground."
I realised after we'd left that I should have said that anything done correctly has spiritual content. Not that it would have made much difference.
Another time I wanted to start a TaiChi class in a beautiful large church in Hackney (North East London).
Before the vicar would give his permission I had to sign a piece of paper declaring that TaiChi has no philosophical, spiritual or self-improvement content.
I explained that TaiChi was a martial art & I was just teaching people to kill each other, to which he replied, "Oh that's OK then."
Having said that we do get together every now and then in a church hall in Kentish Town (North London).
The vicar is lovely.
He said to me once, "Oh I so much prefer you Taoists to the Buddhists." (A buddhist group practises there weekly).
I asked why, to which he replied,
"You don't get candle wax on the floor."
For the rest of my days that statement will sum up the difference between Taoists & Buddhists.
One day the vicar came in and said to me, "Can I ask you a question?".
I said, "Of course you can."
So he asked, "Does TaiChi have a spiritual content?"
Feeling rather pleased with myself I said proudly, "Yes."
To which he replied, "Well in that case you'll have to leave because I can't have you practising on consecrated ground."
I realised after we'd left that I should have said that anything done correctly has spiritual content. Not that it would have made much difference.
Another time I wanted to start a TaiChi class in a beautiful large church in Hackney (North East London).
Before the vicar would give his permission I had to sign a piece of paper declaring that TaiChi has no philosophical, spiritual or self-improvement content.
I explained that TaiChi was a martial art & I was just teaching people to kill each other, to which he replied, "Oh that's OK then."
Having said that we do get together every now and then in a church hall in Kentish Town (North London).
The vicar is lovely.
He said to me once, "Oh I so much prefer you Taoists to the Buddhists." (A buddhist group practises there weekly).
I asked why, to which he replied,
"You don't get candle wax on the floor."
For the rest of my days that statement will sum up the difference between Taoists & Buddhists.
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