One of the reasons (maybe the most important reason) softness is so vital to what we do is that it allows the energy we develop and connect to its own awareness. Softness means a complete lack of imposed design. Very different from ch'i kung where the mind directs and gathers the energy. When you work softly – without the mind interfering – then your energy becomes a gentle probe of your awareness and it has a life, if not its own then at least of a higher energetic aspect of your being. Not only this but also the energy your softness attracts into your being from the world at large is itself an awareness of aspects of that world. This awareness – a sort of knowledge – is subtle in the extreme and requires such a light and gentle touch that the only way to approach it is through softness. Any attempts to grasp it or mold it or even use it and the signature of awareness will be shattered and the energy will just be energy. Energy as such is not that interesting. It is always the quality – the tinge of uniqueness – that makes energy more than just the ability to do work. What makes a person interesting and worthwhile is not the amount of energy they have, but how open they are and how honest they are in the sense of not trying to plaster a persona – a mask or image – onto their energy but allowing it to vibrate with all aspects of their experience and ancestry.
A few days ago I was walking up Camden Road towards Holloway – up the hill with 4 litres of soya milk in my knapsack to get a little exercise. As I approached the bus-stop at Brecknock Road I noticed two drunken tramps sitting on the bus-shelter bench – both probably in their late 50's. As I passed, one of them raised his can of Tennants and hailed me with a strong Irish accent – just a friendly greeting. With that greeting I received such a blast of good Irish energy that for an instant I was immersed and I felt I was in Ireland. It was quite an overwhelming experience. Is all I could do in return was smile and wave politely. I told my teacher about it and he said, “Just think how absolutely generous that man was. He gave you a gift of energy.” What made the experience so powerful and complete was that the energy that man gave me had such a rich signature – it vibrated with every aspect of his history and formative environment, and was therefore capable of creating the world from which it came in me. Magic indeed.
A few days ago I was walking up Camden Road towards Holloway – up the hill with 4 litres of soya milk in my knapsack to get a little exercise. As I approached the bus-stop at Brecknock Road I noticed two drunken tramps sitting on the bus-shelter bench – both probably in their late 50's. As I passed, one of them raised his can of Tennants and hailed me with a strong Irish accent – just a friendly greeting. With that greeting I received such a blast of good Irish energy that for an instant I was immersed and I felt I was in Ireland. It was quite an overwhelming experience. Is all I could do in return was smile and wave politely. I told my teacher about it and he said, “Just think how absolutely generous that man was. He gave you a gift of energy.” What made the experience so powerful and complete was that the energy that man gave me had such a rich signature – it vibrated with every aspect of his history and formative environment, and was therefore capable of creating the world from which it came in me. Magic indeed.
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