ignorance – lack of awareness – is a form of resistance
the mind is like a wild horse and must be captured, broken and tethered to dantian so the spirit can shake free and come into its own
Western artists stand as humans looking at nature. Asian artists try to be in nature – they become one with nature rather than painting a portrait of it. That's a big shift.
29 April 2022
the difficulty with taiji practice is allowing your present image of taiji to dissolve so that a more relaxed one can form
this is why it is important to contain a teaching in your heart – a feeling for perfection – what you felt all those years ago when your teacher showed you his taiji
psychotherapy tends to forget that the patient voices their fears and fantasies not to give them credence but to let them fall away
yielding: melting into the situation to transform it rather than fighting it
If your mind starts wandering it is because your bum has stuck out. If the bum is truly in then the mind will be quiet. The bum tends to stick out when we look down to compose ourselves. Composure (posture) must be vertical – an internal sense for directly up.
Faith is the root of Dao, respect is the stem of inherent potency.
to really progress at taiji it is essential to take it into daily life; for example, mind in dantian can and should become a permanent point of concentration
the mind will never quieten without an anchor – a place it is trained to return to
base like a mountain, legs crossed or folded
back straight but light, stomach empty
head drawn upward, eyes holding a relaxed gaze
tongue touching the roof of the mouth to connect the qi channels
hands resting comfortable in lap
breath flowing gently and in complete silence
temperance & moderation
hear the inaudible perceive the subtle
wisdom and realization are the result of what you achieve in your own practice
dedicated daily practice seems to be the exclusive province of musicians and dancers – performers who have to get it right on the night
