"Usefulness
lies in what is not here, not what is"
I
am the first to admit that the only real 'news' contained
within this personal monthly communication, e-mailed out
of www.taichido on a monthly basis, is comprehensively covered
by Mark with his few words of introduction and editorial
(as above). The best justification that I can come up with
for this apparent imbalance is to refer again (see issue
4) to the Tao Teh Ching and quote: "Usefulness lies
in what is not here; not on what is." Elsewhere
within that Classic: it is said: "My words are easy
to understand" ... "Why does nobody understand
my words?"
I cannot myself explain why it is that some arrangements
of words are difficult to understand, whilst others are
easy; however I would suggest that the problems lie not
in the words, but in the 'ideas' or 'thought'. The words
may be rearranged or structured in any number of ways; and
in the case of the Tao Teh Ching and other Classics (the
Bible for instance) they have been - into dozens and languages
over thousands of years; yet these ideas remain difficult
to, metaphorically, grasp.
"Usefulness lies in what is not here, not what is".
Whilst not attempting to 'explain' this statement, may I
now please express this 'thought' in my own way, as follows:
You step into your car, sit comfortably and turn the ignition
key. It won't start! Maybe it's out of gas, or the battery's
flat, or a part has worn out. Whatever. Before getting it
started again you will need to come to terms with the fact
that something that ought to be in a particular place no
longer is; confirmation of the fact that "usefulness
lies in what is not there!"
The predecessor of www.taichido.com
and its "virtual-dojo" was called "Southampton
City Dojo". That version of what I/we did and where
we did it was contained within a structure of bricks and
mortar and had an unrecorded and informal 'membership'
of about a dozen at any one time the over its five year
existence. The conditions that brought about its dissolution
was, at the time, sad and disappointing. However, its
'reformation' into 'not there' entity that it is now has
been a wonderful stimulating and rewarding 'experiment'
that has now very comfortably and securely seeded in cyber
space!
The "Founding Statement" of Southampton City
Dojo" began: "Space set aside ..." That
'space' was "bricks and mortar". Its successor,
www.taichido.com is much more than that, for it is space
itself and the distance between its thousands of members
and the hundreds that subscribe to this Newsletter are
testament to its viability and sincerity. Confessing again
that this is not 'news' may I repeat a section from Newsletter
4; reinforcing the 'idea' that it is perhaps more valid
for www.taichido.com than it was for SCD. "This
dojo is as real as Tai Chi, therefore it is 'here' as
much as Tai Chi. For either to be 'themselves' they should
each ideally be nothing." I quote again form Chapter
21 of the Tao Teh Ching:
It lies in the nature of Grand Virtue
To follow the Tao and the Tao alone.
Now what is the Tao?
It is Something elusive and evasive.
Evasive and elusive!
And yet it contains within Itself a Form.
Elusive and evasive!
And yet within Itself a Substance.
Shadowy
and dim!
And yet within Itself it contains a Core of Vitality.
The Core of Vitality is very real,
It contains within Itself an unfailing Sincerity.
Throughout the ages Its Name has been preserved
In order to recall the Beginning of all things.
How do I know the way of all things at the Beginning?
By what is within me.
Part
Three of the Yang Long Form
Regular visitors to www.taichido.com will have noticed
that have been no updates to this ongoing project to the
web for some time. I am pleased to inform you that the
next installment will be published soon and will be a
very detailed and 'deep' examination of the postures "Snake
Creeps Down", Step Forward to the Seven Stars"
and "Ride (left and right) Tiger". These postures
proceed "Turn Body (360 degrees)" and "Sweep
Lotus". These last two require the 'storing' of energy/chi
to execute. Furthermore, the philosophical aspects of
these postures are as important as the physical.
The hesitation in publication of any findings of 'the
group' (that meet here once a week under my tutoring)
was necessary to enable some further discussion on these
'philosophical' aspects. It is of significant importance
to note that attainment of the physical 'storing' of energy'
was anon-starter until these apparently unconnected philosophical
concepts were at least in part appreciated.
With the completion of the Newsletter my work on this
next part of "Part Three" will commence. If
you wish to share in this project I must therefore ask
you to be patient for just another week or two and visit
the site again soon to view the fruit of our discussions
and practice, much of it being "Visulisations".
In previous issues of this Newsletter
I have also given links to pages at www.taichido.com for
further reference. In view of the subjects of "Visulisation"
and "Space" and the intrinsic relevance of these
to 1) Tai Chi Form, 2) The first/main subject of this
Newsletter and 3) Storing Energy (please see future update
to "Part Three of the Yang Long Form), I shall break
from my own habits and provide just one other link. As
a further departure this link (provided at the foot of
this page) is to another quite obscure site that one would
be most unlikely to stumble across 'accidentally'.
It is fair to say that the clarity and wisdom imparted
in this piece proved to be a breakthrough that enabled
the group (that meets here once a week) to continue onward
into the Tai Chi Form with renewed confidence.
As a 'taster' I shall quote here just a couple of paragraphs
from the piece and urge you to visit this other site at
your leisure later:
"What are we doing is bringing into awareness the
what it is, noticing space and form, emptiness and form;
the unconditioned and the conditioned. We can see this
as the archetypal symbol: the male - the female; the space
- the form."
"When
one has a spacious mind, then there is room for everything.
When one has a narrow mind, then there is only room for
a few things; everything has to be manipulated and controlled,
so that you have only what you think is right -- what
you want is there -- and everything else has to be pushed
out. Now life on that level is always suppressed and constricted;
it is always a struggle -- there is always tension to
keep every thing in order all the time. If you have got
just a very narrow view of life, the disorder of life
always has to be ordered for you, so you are always busy,
manipulating the mind, pushing things out or holding on
to things." And finally ...
"To notice space you have to calm down - you have
to contemplate it."
I
am obliged to inform you now that the quotes above come
from a talk on Buddhist Meditation - as opposed to Tai
Chi, yet I do not apologies or try to justify apparent
contradiction in sources; because in my mind there is
no conflict, and ultimately ... its only words!
Gary
Dai Chi Robinson, for Taichido
For
recommended link please go first to: http://www.saigon.com/~anson/index.htm
1)
Click then on "English". 2) Scroll down to "Meditation"
(Heading 3 of 5)
"Noticing Space" is found at the top of the
4th paragraph of this section (the 28th of 75!!!)
Quotes
from TAO TEH CHING, Translated by John C.H. Wu: Shambhala
Dragon Editions. ISBN 0-87773-388-0
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