Master Cui Zhongsan, my master, tells us to understand tai chi we must understand Chinese culture. As I’ve learned bits and pieces about the culture I realize these lessons are everywhere around us, regardless of our culture. At times we can even find them within ourselves.
Many of us flit from one thing to another as we struggle to feel fulfilled, or just to keep from being bored. This isn’t necessarily and bad thing. It’s bad only if we keep it up indefinitely. Sooner or later we need to work at mastering ourselves, our minds. Without this discipline we’re doomed to live the lives of TV Sitcom characters, humorously trying one thing then another with little lasting effect and no meaningful results. If we can see ourselves in this light and have a good laugh, we can begin to look for what really matters to us without worrying about what others think. In the end it’s our opinion that counts anyway.
How long has it been since you’ve looked for something that really matters to you, or have you already discovered it? Maybe it’s tai chi, or maybe it’s something else. It’s not important what it is, as long as it’s important to you. There is value in everything, and it’s up to you to find it.
For me tai chi (taiji) is an important part of my life, one that gives my life a deeper meaning. It’s a part of working on myself and my mind, a part of my own self-mastery. I’ll continue to learn more about the Chinese as the get the chances to travel to China. In the meantime I’ll continue to look for tai chi lessons in the world around me.
“No Man is Free Who is Not Master of Himself.” ~ Epictetus
Your thoughts?
John
P.S. I found this quote here: http://www.taichi4all.com/quotes.php
I found this pic here: http://blogs.myspace.com/beautifulwonderwithin
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Russell (2 comments)
667 days ago
Well spoken. I appreciate your thoughts on the use of Tai Chi to better understand and master one’s self. For myself the practice of Tai Chi is something of a refuge from the chaos of different stimulus we encounter in modern life. I don’t mean to use it as a way to avoid one’s life but as a way to develop some stability and ballast. Once you can sink into it a bit it’s easier to choose your course rather than get tossed about.
Thanks
John Crewdson (479 comments)
665 days ago
Well put Russell. Choosing one’s course is infinitely better. One things for certain, tomorrow we’ll be some place else. May as well be some place we’d like to be.
John