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Best regards, Mark
webmaster taichido.com, taichidoshop.com, editor Taichido
Newsletter
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Hello everybody! It is good to be back on track and 'in
harness' so to speak as the resident author of this newsletter.
Unfortunately, due to the unexpected funeral of a close
family member, I had no time to write last months issue
and Mark stepped into the breach.
The other reason for my enforced moratorium was that I
was simply overwhelmed with the intensity of work incumbent
in the writing down of every step and hand movement contained
within the Yang Long Form - and then meeting an unmoveable
deadline to get it to the printers for inclusion as a booklet
within our soon to be released triple DVD for TV package.
That is all now done and it is my pleasure to inform you
that, as if to make up for the lack of 'news' in last months
NL, we shall produce two of them this month! This one -
by me - will be more like what you have come to expect from
this monthly publication to your inbox and the next (coming
later this month) will be written by Mark and this 'extra'
will mark the formal launch of the DVD.
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Mark and I have each been deeply (almost exclusively) involved
in the production of the DVD for getting on for two years
now and - believe it or not - I/we are so pleased that work
is done and that we can now think about, talk about and
write about or 'work on' something other than the Yang Long
Form! I estimate that between the two of us we have put
in around about three thousand man hours into this project.
But it does seem that the work is not all over yet because
we are already discussing publishing a separate and expanded
stand alone book/hard copy version of the step by step instruction
booklet included within the DVD packaging. We are aware
that this type of "this goes here, that goes there"
instruction style text will not make a book of itself; it
is after all and in its present form just one part of a
multi-media package, so the plan is to enhance it a bit
with other texts - which will involve another rewrite. This
time though I will be rewriting and expanding upon the small
pieces gathered under the banner of "Dojo Notes"
@ wheelswithinwheels.net.
However, knowing it is most unlikely that we take on a
project of such technical complexity and sheer size (i.e.
the DVD for TV) ever again, the time has come now for us
to pause, regroup and reflect.
We (Mark and I) have each recently commented that if we
had any idea how difficult the whole project would be, we
would have never taken it on in the first place! However,
I feel that this 'product' will attract considerable attention
and indeed become the flagship of taichido's efforts in
making no-nonsense but 'true' tai chi become a 'can do'
for us busy and sometimes confused or distracted westerners.
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I wrote most of the "Dojo Notes" @ wheelswithinwheels.net
about ten years ago … pen to paper.
I have always (or at least for as long as I can remember)
wanted to be a writer. I began by writing lyrics for songs
that I wrote. However, as I - and my music - matured, I
decided that it would be better if I could let the music
'speak' for itself; and I turned then to writing only instrumental
pieces.
The piece "Turn the Buddha Wheel!" - available
as an mp3 download from threetimes/// @ wheelswithinwheels.net
- is the second last 'song with words' that I wrote. That
page also features my last song and the most recent of my
(major) compositions; a piece that I call/entitle "sameasthis/sameasthat"
- this being a suite of four acoustic guitar duets inspired
by … … … guess what? Yes of course - the
Yang Long Form!
This piece was written three or four years ago - and digitally
remastered extracts from a live recording of it performed
at an earlier 'annual social' (more on that subject later)
has gone on to be used as the soundtrack behind certain
parts of the DVD. Please do visit threetimes @ wheels.net
for a whole album of archive (amateur/rough recordings)
of songs and tunes - including both of those mentioned herein.
In the remastering process of "sameasthis/sameasthat"
my introduction to the piece was edited out. For this newsletter
I have rescued that from the cutting room floor and am pleased
to include it with this publication as a 644KB - 1min49sec
mp3 file titled "verbalintro".
When I began writing about Tai Chi, Taoism and Buddhism
I found it a lot easier to say what I thought these things
were not (i.e. "Tai Chi is not a hobby" and "the
way cannot be spoken of" etc.) and went on like this
for a couple of years. Then it occurred to me that telling
people what I thought things "were not" was not
really that helpful!. So, whilst making sure that I always
said that this was just 'what I thought' and not necessarily
"the way it is" and begun write to clarify things
- rather than to impress - I continued to write …
… … "just for the doing"; not really
expecting or anticipating these words to be ever read by
any more than just a handful of people.
Looking back on all of this, the following seems now obvious.
When I gave up trying to impress people with clever words
in my songs, fewer people wanted to hear them, but those
that did continue to listen when the words ceased; these
people 'got the message'; that being that I am just the
player of an instrument.
But clearly, my urge to impress did not cease then because,
like I said earlier, I then started trying to impress by
writing 'cleverly' about Tai Chi, Taoism and Buddhism. So,
in hindsight it is no real surprise to find that when I
gave up on the idea of being "An Author" …
my writing improved! I like to think that what happened
then was that I realised again that I was not "A spokesperson"
or "An Authoritative Voice", but just a player!
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My inspiration and motivation in making those personal
observations above was a couple of comments nee criticisms
of myself and taichido.com that I came across some time
ago in a website chat room. First of all its quite flattering
to be deemed to be important enough to be talked about in
a chat room, but what struck me about these comments was
the assumption that we (taichido) or I are here to impress
people or, even worse, that I/we have some interest in trying
to tell people what to do and how to do it! The subtitle
of our website is 'a way of tai chi' - not 'the way' and
we invite you to be informed or dismiss as you please.
For instance, this simple inquiry was made to one of those
chat rooms:
"At 77, I am looking for a program to keep my body
in tune. Am I in the right area. Tai Chi is new to me."
[Country USA]
The first reply posted suggested that he visit taichido.com
because it had video animations of Form. The next posting
said:
"wonderful site, but the movements are not seemingly
real taijiquan movements. They seem more like 'Granny Tai
chi' than the tai chi that i have been taught. Of course,
i do realize not a lot of people are wanting to pratice
a martial art for self defence, rather they just want the
health benifits (which isn't a bad thing). However, it would
be nice to see a website like this preserve the origional
essence of Taijiquan. What i mean by this is, 13 techniques/forms
(do we really need 100+ movements? :s), Push hands, and
Qigong (nei gong qigong - wei dan qigong can be done simulatniously
while praticing the 13 forms). Over all, i like the site
though." [Country USA]
A very simple question given a very complicated answer,
which almost makes tai chi too elitist We practice Cheng
Man Ching's style of tai chi, rather than tai chi by Granny,
and our tai chi is free and open to all. We do also however
honour freedom of speech! Another criticism was one posted
by a 27 year old student who seemed to condemn every page
of taichido.com because my "ass sticks out in one of
the postures" featured on the free resource of our
Netguide. I would like now to confess to that fellow student
of Tai Chi that yes indeed, it does in one or two out of
a 128 postures, but that it does not stick out quite so
much now as it did then on those postures that were filmed
nearly a decade ago.
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Last year's annual taichido social gathering was a rather
formal affair and complex in as much as that most of the
event (Buddhist Chanting and talks) was transmitted live
as a webcast. Partly perhaps as a reaction to the formality
of the proceedings the previous year - and partly due to
pressures to finish the DVD - and the sad bereavement (of
my Step Mother) that I mentioned at the start of this newsletter;
this years event was considerably lower key and, due to
the weather and the very nature of the event, attendance
was small - but adequate.
The 'nature' of the event was that it was to take place
outdoors. Thus, the 'main event' was "Tai Chi in the
Park" - and another condition incumbent on the event
was that it went ahead - come what may. It came to be that
on the day, whilst most of the country (UK) had heavy snow
that laid and stayed, we here in Southampton just got the
Siberian wind!
(top picture - left to right: Gordon, Me, Matt, Mark (filming)
and Joyce. Potos taken by my [17 yrs old on 16th March!]
son Joe)
I could not help feeling similarly supported - but four-fold
- on that freezing cold day when Gordon, Matt and Joyce
braved the elements to be with me out there in the park
on what came to be (according to the local weather forecast)
the coldest day of the year! Perhaps it was the Tai Chi
or perhaps it was the company, whatever. All I know is that
my memories of that day are ones of warmth and friendship
- noting that Gordon and Matt have been here, supporting
Mark and I in all of our efforts for nearly a decade now.
Joyce now of course also deserves a mention also. Recently
retired from teaching in primary school, she has been training
with me now for about three years and took time out from
preparing a family dinner party to be there in the park
with us that day.
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The Tai Chi family stays together even when some 'members'
go away, move town, emigrate, change jobs, have children,
and ... die. These things happen, but the family stays together
and even the deceased or yet to be born are embraced now
and forever - as members. Be they intimate and living under
the same roof or faceless characters on the other side of
the world - each individual is trusted and respected as
just 'doing their best' and it is given that, come what
may, rain or shine, good or bad, and perhaps maybe even
sometimes ... "like it or lump it" [an idiosyncratic/colloquial
English phrase; something to do with custard I think) ...
"family is family" ... and that's that.
I am going to swiftly conclude with some thoughts that
are perhaps just a little bit deeper than custard and try
to relate the ramblings of this NL to the third (and last)
Buddhist Precept for lay people - concerning "The Sangha",
community or family ... world-wide ... past, present and
future ... or as the Sutras say "throughout all space
and time".
The first precept is to "try to not kill". The
second is "try to take nothing that is not yours by
right". This is like stealing but in this instance
it includes things like taking credit where no credit is
due ... and on to wealth accumulated through fame or reputation,
or looks ... and so on. So we see now that even these 'simple'
precepts can become complicated! "Try to not kill"?
What about getting someone else (the abattoir, the butcher)
to do the killing for you? When asked these sorts of questions
the Buddha said (to the Sangha) "decide for yourself"!
So its a complicated as you want to make it. It's up to
you.
My interpretation of the third precept leaves I hope, no
room for over-complication or misinterpretation. "Don't
bad-mouth the Sangha". That's it! But, just in case,
let me put that another way. There may be a bad apple in
the barrel. Try to make sure its not you!
Sometime you may have a good point that needs to be made
or something that you feel must be said to the family. We
all have the right to do that, but if we respect the Sangha
we also have the responsibility to say whatever it is with
care and consideration and, as families do, with love …
constructively and creatively.
Differences are inevitable. Rejoice in these 'difference'
and the virtuosity of the human race. Don't divvy up, don't
separate, don't compartmentalise - and let us not argue
about what is the right or wrong about what other people
to do but just look at ourselves and ask "am I doing
my best?"
Gary 16.03.05
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