On day in ancient Greece, an acquaintance met the great philosopher Socrates and said.

Socrates, do you know what I just heard about your friend?

Hold on a minute, Socrates replied. Before telling me anything, I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.

Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say.

TRUTH

The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?

No, the person said, “actually I just heard about it and …

All right, said Socrates. So you don’t really know if it’s true or not.

GOODNESS

Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?

No, on the contrary….

So, Socrates continued, you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true.

You many still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left:

USEFULNESS

The filter of usefulness, Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?

No, not really.

Well, concluded Socrates, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all.

Master Lee said "Be Like Water My Friend"

Exploring that leads me to a point of view, water is tangible, it can be held together can mold to anything nothig is as yeilding until you consider air. Air not as tangible but stil all around us yeilding and reforming constantly.

I think the reason Master Lee said water is we are about 75% water so it is something we can relate to and air is something we form a balanced excistance with.

Both have the same basic quality of flowing and forming to surroundings and can bring great force at times and at other times be so still there seems to be no movement.

We are to solid to be like air (or are we I don't know) but having the quality of water is more attainable.

Any ideas on this concept?

Posture Quality

The quality you have in standing meditation should be maintained in every posture you hold then it should be maintained as you move in the form. Always having that stacked rooted and relaxed alive body and calm mind.

Begin by doing your standing mediation daily and observing the feeling of that practice the quality it cultivates.

Once you start to gain depth standing then move on to holding postures and cultivating that same depth and quality as in the standing mediation posture.

Now apply that same cultivation and depth to your moving form.

Excellence

Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.

The True Battle

The pursuit of your art and mastery is all contingent on one aspect, your ability to give into a total spiritual experience of your self at every moment and be open to all the possibilities and able to express full potential.The true battle lies inside the soul only there can you master your art.

The Weapon of a Scholar

Original Post Saturday, October 13, 2007


The days are crisp, time to snuggle in bed and sleep in under warm covers, but I spring out of bed "burr" gathering my warmest clothes and get ready like a kid at Christmas my Saturdays are Christmas.

I make my way to the park my sword in my hand a new toy, I puff smoke with my breath into the cold air looking at the dew on the pines my feet making sounds on the path to where my playmates are gathering. We gather together chattering, playing around doing mock battles with each other for teacher is not there yet.

Soon we see him in the distance Santa is coming with new presents we settle down he strolls up smiling and greeting us but no time for that we are quickly in the middle of his new lesson a new toy.

We learn that our new toy is much more than just a sword to hack of cut but it is the weapon of a scholar, a weapon of finesse and grace.

We smile look at each other puzzled and excited, then we start to practice our da lu two by two we face off we swing our sword like clubs if even that graceful till teacher comes around takes our hands and we learn to bring life to the sword to make it part of us, soon we have grace and purpose and he says "Yes Yes There You Go" and smiles that smile that lets you know that he has great joy and holds nothing back.

We all hang on every word, try and try waiting our turn for correction and a chance to play with teacher, he is the biggest kid of us all always laughing, encouraging and assisting us to reach beyond what we thing we can do and always it works.

What a day of magic when my playmates at the park must go and teacher has other things to do I go to my school I know my other playmates wait.

I walk into that magical door always the room seems powerful, always like my first time I look around looking for those I know and always smiles greet me it is family I am home.

There is more magic for me in the room this morning there is my first teacher doing what he does best laying the foundation of the next generation of Taiji players, I grab some tea and listen to him smiling remembering how he instilled in me the drive to keep going for 12 years, how his words I heard so many times still have magic, more presents what a wonderful Saturday.

Soon the other come it is time to push, oh joy a chance to laugh to be flung like a paper doll and to find new things to play with. I get to push with my teachers on fun time to be a kid and see how far I can fly. My students are there so willing to give and play, always indulging me my whims and playing along even if they don't know why at that moment they get joy of seeing me be so happy in that moment. My soul is fed and my heart is filled the world is back in balance.


Today I learned I carry the weapon of a scholar and the heart of a tiger.

Calm Focus

When doing Taiji many miss the point, we say be soft, be yielding, relaxed. All important things to be but not at the expense of to much yin not enough yang after all this is the constant separation of yin and yang and the study of movement. Yin Sung & Yang Sung in harmoney


When doing form expressing softness and flow outwardly while having a calm mind and spirit, be in the moment ready for full potential at any second.


When you look out see your opponent always be protected, then release that focus of that one opponent and see then from all directions, cover all four corners and points in between and now you have something.

Cheng Man-Ching

Taiji Mastery

Almost everyone doing Taiji wants to in some way master the art. So let us take some time to see what this might consist of in mastery of the art.

First and foremost do not set yourself up for failure, take into account what you are willing to do or how hard you are willing to work to achieve your goal. If you say you want to be like our living masters or even our founders then understand what it takes to do it and do it. All master will tell you that you must “taste the bitter fruit” or work hard and do it everyday without fail.

If you are only willing to work ½ as hard as you are told is necessary to reach those levels then be honest with yourself so that you do not build in disappointment and frustration into your art that is unfounded. If you work only ½ as hard it will take longer but even at that if you do not do it every day it will be longer still. Don’t aim at a goal without having the passion to walk the long road it takes to get to that point.

Mastery at any level can only be achieved but living and practicing with realistic goals and routines. If you practice to be healthy and flexible for the rest of your life and do your form every day you will gain the mastery of Taiji at that level. If you practice to reduce or eliminate stress and are able to do so everyday then you have gained mastery at that level.

Master of Taiji is about mastery of self. You start to change and improve those things in your body, mind, spirit and heart that do not allow you to explore and reach your full potential at any moment. If you find this full commitment makes your Taiji practice harder or interferes with you consistency then just do it and have fun keeping in mind the principles and proper form and you will go far.

Westerns have too many built in negative thought patterns to anything they are trying to learn or do. The idea of wrong must be taken out of your practice; the idea of not good enough must leave your Taiji practice.

If you even attempt to do Taiji its wonderful effects are already working and your attempt is something to be celebrated. If you stop and think how many friends that you had before you started doing Taiji or have now tried Taiji? Not many I would say so you have already accomplished something, you have chosen to make a healthy change in your life, body, mind, spirit and heart.

Taiji should always be fun, you should feel free to be a play like a child, no adults allowed in your practice to many rules do they bring with them. Let your inner child have fun, you are allowed.