Head: perception
Heart: affection
Belly: conception.

The womb (dantien) is where we conceive the new. Insights, intuitions, start as gut feelings. Head and heart must be rooted in the gut otherwise they lead us astray.

"Dad, have you noticed how accidents always turn out to be the best things?"

I'm glad she's learnt that one so young.

A gift economy is one where you give more than necessary in the hope that the relationship will develop. A modern economy is one where you take more than is reasonable knowing that you'll never see the sucker again.

The student starts to make spiritual progress once they decide to give (to Taiji) more than they take (from Taiji).

Relaxation is, first and foremost, a coming back to my energy. This is the Buddhist present moment. Not the state of affairs, but my own energy: the connectedness I bring to that state of affairs. And this is the level at which I must love myself. I don't love my ego, my opinions, my cleverness, my chiseled good looks, I simply love dwelling in my energy — there is nowhere else I would rather be.

Spirit creates truth, thinking judges it. What would you rather be: artist or critic?

It is not those who enjoy good health that deserve complimenting, but those who suffer poor health with good humour.

We think to blot out the world. Not the one out there, but the one inside.

Be quiet and you will hear God. If this isn't a project worth devoting a lifetime to then I don't know what is.

The word 'walk' comes from the Old German 'walken' which meant 'to knead'. So there is a sense that walking kneads the ground, the Earth, as though massaging, working energy in and out.

The word 'walk' comes from 'well' as talk from tell, and stalk from steal. So walking is a sign of wellness, and walking makes well.

When aware of these origins then I walk better.

Walking is not simply a means of travel, it is an act of magic or sorcery, but only when done correctly – with spirit/intent.

An artist is someone who never learnt to be ashamed of their imagination.

Meditation is an attempt to remember what I saw when I first opened my eyes.

The good student is a delicate soul. Quite content to get on with the work under her own steam and with minimal supervision, she must be treated with the utmost care and respect by the teacher who may mistake her talent and enthusiasm for mastery. Too much exposure to the teaching and she will retreat behind a wall of stubbornness and effectively become a poor student. The only person to blame for such a tragedy is the teacher. Imagine the karma attached to that.

"Go on working freely and furiously and you will make progress."

Consider an army platoon, at ease. Thirty odd comrades chatting, milling about, messing around. Suddenly the lieutenant calls them to attention and they stop what they're doing and stand in formation awaiting orders. Orders are given and the platoon is mobilized. These three states: at ease, attention, mobilization, are analogous to the three states of a Taiji mind: relaxation, attention, intention. Relaxation is chaotic energy, contained but undirected. Attention is a marshalling of energy and awareness: a mind gathered and present, bristling with expectation. Intention is a command for that attentive energy to move, to become active. These three states are also the three stages of Taiji training. The beginning stage (learning the Form) aims to relax and release the body, the second stage trains the mind to be quiet and attentive (perfecting the Form), the third is using the mind to direct energy through the postures (using the Form): intending rather than thinking form.

Rise to the challenge of the occasion. This is the call of spirit.