About meditation
Tai Chi Chuan looks mystical
but it's just another way of moving and healing.
The absence of move is not the proof of the absence.
Chinese proverb
Meditation, especially moving meditation is an integral part of
your daily Tai Chi martial training.
As an internal martial art Tai Chi Chuan has evolved a variety of internal martial aspects
which has come from thousands of years of human experience.
The purpose of meditation is to still the mind.
Simply being without doing.
Being, without the effects of the doing.
Freedom is a basic attitude for a good fighter.
Meditation can be a strong martial tool
which makes us free from superficial emotions.
A real free choice without superficial emotions has to be made:
fight or pursue peace.
Do Tai Chi as simple you can, as free as you can;
Application without meditation is like Yang without Yin.
Meditation without application is like Yin without Yang.
It takes time to comprehend simplicity,
It takes time to master freedom.
A Real Tai Chi Master is a free fighter with a simple mind.
He does not show what he can do, he shows what he doesn’t do.
Free choices without special effects
or superficial emotions have to be made.
Meditation makes free from superficial or emotional stuff.
And... change has come.
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for
the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
(Soren Kierkegard)
Tai Chi is not a 'work out', tai chi is a 'work in'.
Meditation is perhaps the only way
to change your behaviour
permanently.
Meditation is not a method or a sort of strange exercise.
It is a condition of presence.
And awareness.
There are Taoist tools of meditating (tantien-breathing),
as well as tools to circulate the chi.
Like in Tai Chi the tongue should press lightly the roof of the mouth
making a bridge between Yin and Yang.
This bridge allows the chi to circulate.
Like in the Tai Chi form the spine should be held straight and vertically.
It allows the natural energy system (du mai) in and round
the spinal column to move freely up and down.
It helps the whole body acts as an antenna to pick up vibrations.
Most Westerners have lost the relationship to their spiritual environment.
All ceremonies and rituals are about separating our daily working life,
back in the spiritual world which is our real home.
Kids hanging round drug dealers, say something about the human condition.
What we all really want is to go back into the 'spiritual dream state'
which is our real home.
"Life is a state of mind, dead is just another state of mind".
(Chinese Chan Buddhism)
Tao Tai Chi Chuan divides our state of mind into false monkey mind and true empty mind.
Mindfulness means we can change our monkey mind into true empty mind.
Yes, we can.
Taoist meditation in nature:
you have to be completely present in nature.
There is nothing that does not arise in our monkey mind.
As soon as an external negative stimulus is given to the mind
observe for a moment how this stimulus is being treated by your mind before reacting to it.
We are not talking about concentration,
what we want is the opposite of this.
Tao Tai Chi Chuan is concerned with attaining
a meditative state of inner stillness and harmony with all things.
When we lose our conscious thoughts
our stress and worries will go with them.
Stillness and quietude will take their place.
Meditation gives us the courage to forgive.
Meditation gives us the courage to forgive, it opens our heart to love again. It is hard to forgive, the weak can never
forgive, are we strong enough to understand people make mistakes ? Are we strong enough to understand that we can only
have peace of mind if we forgive ? Are we strong enough to understand that forgiving others heals us personally ?
Forgiving sets us free of the past, forgiveness does not change the past but it does enlarge the future. We have to learn
to forgive, ourselves and everyone else, are we strong enough to understand that true forgiveness breaks down walls ?
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose, are we strong enough to understand that forgiveness is the key to
action and freedom ? Are we strong enough to be free ? Even our enemies are perplexed when we learn how to forgive them.
Forgive them and you will be forgiven, true forgiveness removes the vice from our hearts and allows us to breathe again.
It's hard to forgive because heart and soul must be engaged for true forgiveness, not just our actions.
Are we strong enough ?
There will be no peace of mind without forgiveness.
Meditation gives us the courage to forgive.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attitude of the strong.