When you feel the darkYou look into the abyssIt draws youSo you stare into itIt stares backYou get sucked inSurrounded by the darkIt gets inFills you upYou and the dark become oneIt’s like being wrapped in a warm blanketInside and outAll the pain is goneAll the anger is goneAll the hate is goneAnd yet no joyNo happinessNo moonNo starsIt’s death. Continue reading Falling Into The Abyss
Explanation of Tao Te Ching Part Twenty Five “Something mysteriously formed,Born before heaven and Earth.In the silence and the void,Standing alone and unchanging,Ever present and in motion.Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things.I do not know its nameCall it Tao.For lack of a better word, I call it great.” Trying to put what is infinite and immortal into words means that we have look it through many different ‘windows’ to give the reader a ‘glimpse’ of what it is or at least plant a flag at the destination so we realise where we are when we get there. … Continue reading Something Mysteriously Formed
The passing down of mistakes and bad practice is what destroys martial arts. When asked why something is taught, to answer “because that’s how I was taught” is lazy and a cop out. I ask my students to not believe a word I say, but to pay attention to what I teach, then practice it enough and challenge it to see if it works. If they can’t make it work to come back and discuss and experiment with it here. It’s the only way they can fully understand what I’m teaching and it’s how we all evolve how to learn … Continue reading Don’t Believe Anything
Tao Te Ching Part Twenty Four “He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.He who strides cannot maintain the pace.He who makes a show is not enlightened. “ In the current zeitgeist we are constantly encouraged to do more than we think we can. “No pain, no gain” in the gym. To go further than we think we can at work, in business. We admire the people who ‘heroically’ push themselves further than anyone else. The idea of pacing ourselves or having the patience to pick the right timing, and practice self care is not respected. “He who is self-righteous … Continue reading He Who Stands On Tiptoe Is Not Steady
Zhan Zhuang, the 5 Standing Postures There is lower and upper yin, lower and upper yang and neutral. In my system they play an important role, they train:BreathingPostureMental awarenessFocusSensitivityIntensityLeft and right harmonyUpper and lower body harmonyHow to use these skills to move energy around the bodyHow to use emotion to colour energyDifference between yin and yang energy Being sensitive and skilful with energy means that we don’t just stand for long periods but as the energy ‘peaks’ in each position we transition to another as this is what happens all the way through the Tai Chi form and when push … Continue reading The 5 Standing Postures
Tao Te Ching Part Twenty Three “To talk little is natural.High winds do not last all morning.Heavy rain does not last all day.Why is this? Heaven and Earth!” When everything is agitated and we feel pressured, we have to understand that it can’t last long because Yang has to pass to yin, it’s the way of nature. “If heaven and Earth cannot make things eternal,How is it possible for man? He who follows the TaoIs at one with the Tao.He who is virtuousExperiences Virtue.” Inside the infinite, when anything is defined it automatically creates the opposite. When we follow the … Continue reading To Talk Little Is Natural
Tao Te Ching Part Twenty Two “Yield and overcome;Bend and be straight;Empty and be full;Wear out and be new;Have little and gain;Have much and be confused. Therefore the wise embrace the oneAnd set an example to all.Not putting on a display,They shine forth.Not justifying themselves,They are distinguished.Not boasting,They receive recognition.Not bragging,They never falter.They do not quarrel,So no one quarrels with them.Therefore the ancients say, “Yield and overcome.”Is that an empty saying?Be really whole,And all things will come to you.” Have a ‘soft front’, be polite and courteous, yield and accept the inevitable, want nothing and you’ll want for nothing. … Continue reading Yield And Overcome
Tao Te Ching Part Twenty One “The greatest Virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone.” We tend to complicate the Tao, we can’t believe how simple it actually is. To stick to the profundity of the way is hard because we tend to use the wrong tool for the job, the thinking mind that seeks to define rather than our consciousness that connects all things. “The Tao is elusive and intangible.Oh, it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is image.Oh, it is elusive and intangible, and yet within is form.Oh, it is dim and dark, and yet within … Continue reading The Virtue In Following The Tao
Tao Te Ching Part Twenty “Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles. Is there a difference between yes and no?Is there a difference between good and evil?Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense!Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,I am alone, without a place to go. Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing.I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.Others … Continue reading Must I Fear What Others Do?
Tao Te Ching Part Nineteen “Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom,And it will be a hundred times better for everyone. Give up kindness, renounce morality,And men will rediscover filial piety and love. Give up ingenuity, renounce profit,And bandits and thieves will disappear. These three are outward forms alone; they are not sufficient in themselves.It is more importantTo see the simplicity,To realize one’s true nature,To cast off selfishnessAnd temper desire.” This is teaching us to have an open heart. Our society is so contrived and judgemental that we cling to its rules and indoctrinations. What we construe as good, wise and moral … Continue reading Give Up Sainthood
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