Fear induces tension. If fear becomes chronic then so does the tension. Then the tension feels as though it's part of you, and you hold onto it for dear life, even when you have stopped being fearful. That tension is then passed on to your children who love you and therefore emulate you. This becomes a family curse, the origins of which are lost in time. We carry many things which hold us back and we have no clue as to their origins.

everything we say is fraught with the fear that we may not be believed

8 hours a day – not enough

don't let the demands of your daily life encroach into your practice time – something in life must remain sacred

Meditation is not melancholy, but gladsomeness in which everything is gladdened.

inner essential nature and heaven-sent destiny correspond

destiny is as much where we come from as where we're going

the most revolutionary act nowadays is quietening the mind

as soon as you think you are playing into the system, regardless of what you are thinking

only when the mind is calm and quiet can we see clearly

comfort, ease and convenience mitigate spirit and allow life to become a mere projection and reflection of an ego getting its own way

life loses its divine element

cleanse negative emotions while cultivating positive states as defined by the tradition: compassion, calmness, and joy

in my experience, people don't listen – they hear what they want to hear

truth is always a surprise: in its beauty, simplicity, aptness and shocking unexpectedness

the anxious mind lives in the head

the relaxed mind dwells in the dantien, rising to the heart when it becomes active (compassionate)

occasionally my teacher would split the taiji class into groups of three with one person doing a posture from the form and the other two offering constructive criticism

the point was that we are never the best judges of our own performance – one needs the external detached eye

I don't know how to organise thoughts. I don't know how to have thoughts.

without a real feeling for the humour of the natural process, progress will always be a struggle – a matter of force

let your practice come from humour and above all generate more humour otherwise it will be neither attractive nor soft

sān jué   三絕   three perfections