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SECRETS OF THE TAI CHI CIRCLE
I began my first Tai Chi lesson under the huge tree facing the perfectly calm pond. I noticed an inscription on one of the stones: By LUKE CHAN Journey to Enlightenment CHAPTER TWO WATERFALL Putee Tree is my root. Reflecting Pond is my mirror. Sweep my body and mind daily I must. To keep them away from the worldly dust. "From now on you will work diligently until your body can root itself into the ground like this Putee Tree, and your mind can be as calm as this Reflecting Pond," Grandmaster said, pointing to the tree above and the pond beyond. "For centuries, many Tai Chi masters have strengthened their bodies under this tree and have cleared their minds over the pond. The road to enlightenment will be long and hard. You must have faith that one day you will become a true Tai Chi master." "I have faith and I will work hard Grandmaster," I promised. "Good," Grandmaster continued, "The oldest and greatest book about changes in nature is called I Ching. The author of I Ching, while in his highest degree of meditation, observed that the universe consists of two parts. He called them yin and yang. Yin and yang are opposites in nature, yet they need each other for their very existence. Your Ancestor was a great scholar of I Ching and from it he derived the secrets of the Tai Chi Circle." He drew a circle with a curved line through its center on the adjacent ground and explained, "This is a Tai Chi Circle with one half representing yin and the other half representing yang. Just as in arithmetic one and two can represent one person and two persons, one bird and two birds, one tree and two trees, and so on, yin and yang can represent day and night, hot and cold, male and female, and so on. Just as we can use the concept of one and two to add and subtract, so we can use the concept of yin and yang to observe and understand things in the world. "Like I am attracted to Lotus, woman and man, yin and yang?" I spoke what was on my mind, though I felt a little bit embarrassed. "That is correct, my child. By the way, what is your last name?" "My last name is Yang." "I see. I will give you a student name: Yee. Do you like that name?" "Yes, thank you very much, Grandmaster," I answered, believing that the name must have some special meaning. Then I remembered to ask, "Grandmaster, what about the eight faded pictures on the jade plate?" "They represent the eight secrets of the Tai Chi Circle. Each picture depicts a beautiful natural scene and each is associated with a secret of the Tai Chi Circle. Your Ancestor realized that one can master the eight secrets only after continuous repetition and reiteration of the secrets, once they are revealed to you. He also concluded that since scenic pictures relax and calm one's mind, why not associate pleasant, relaxing pictures with the Tai Chi secrets? Your Ancestor went on to advise us that each of us needs to find our own eight relaxing pictures which we should commit to memory. Each time we review these mental images, we induce within ourselves a sense of peace and tranquility since these images serve as our sanctuaries. During the day, these pictures will remind us of the beautiful things of the world and lift up our spirits. At night, they will calm and relax us into peaceful sleep." After the lesson, Grandmaster led me back to his house and assigned a permanent room for me to stay in. He told me he would continue to teach me Tai Chi tomorrow morning at the same place. Next morning I got up before dawn and went to the same spot. There I prepared to impress Grandmaster by rooting myself to the ground with my legs, forming a difficult low Horse Stance. When Grandmaster came, I asked, "Am I rooted to the ground like the Putee Tree, Grandmaster? Am I better than the other students you have? What rank do you give me?" I was anxious to win his approval. Grandmaster did not say a word, but came over and pushed my chest with a very light force. My body automatically tensed up to resist. But as soon as I did, the soft force vanished, causing my body to fall forward. When I moved my body back to adjust my balance I felt another soft force on my chest, causing me to flop. "Now forget your impatient attitude." said Grandmaster as he started today's lesson. "The true purpose of learning Tai Chi is to rejuvenate your life so that you can become a happy person filled with life-force. Like a spring fountain, Tai Chi will vitalize your body; and like a single spark, Tai Chi will ignite the fire of your mind." "Come on, Grandmaster, what about the martial art of Tai Chi? aren't you going to teach me the real secrets?" I asked impatiently. "Patience, Yee, patience. The self-defense aspect of the art is only a by-product of your enlightenment, not the real purpose of your pursuit of the art. Now imagine you are a pine tree standing in the middle of a storm. Relax your body totally and follow the force of the wind. Never resist it." "That's easy," I commented as I stood still and relaxed completely. "Are you relaxed now?" "Yes, I am, Grandmaster." As he gave me a small push, my body tensed up to repulse it. "No good. You resisted," said Grandmaster, and pushed me again. By this time I had learned to pull away from him. "No good. You did not follow my force," disapproved Grandmaster." If resisting was not right and drawing away was not right, I figured that the only choice remaining was to follow the force consciously. So I said confidently, " I am ready, Grandmaster. Try me again." This time, when Grandmaster pushed me, I concentrated on my body, attempting neither to resist nor to leave his hand. "No good!" "Why, Grandmaster? I thought I had relaxed completely, "I asked, feeling discouraged. "If you are concentrating on ways to deal with my hand, you are not relaxing enough. Like the pine tree, you should follow the intention of the wind, and not anticipate it. And just as the pine tree and the wind become one when the wind blows through the tree, so you and I should become one when my hand reaches you; only then can you use my forces as if it were your own. Now try again." I tried and tried but still did not succeed. Instead of becoming disappointed, Grandmaster seemed to become more enthusiastic each time we tried. I, however, started to lose confidence in my ability to learn. "I guess I don't have the talent to develop this kind of sensibility." "People do possess such talent and so do you," said Grandmaster. "I am sure many people have such a talent, but unfortunately I myself lack it" I replied, looking at the ground. "Why do you say that?" "Because all my life, people have been telling me that I don't have talent to do this or that. When I want to join their games, they always say they are too complicated for me, and push me aside," I answered. "So you believe in their words?" "Well...well...I do." I admitted. "You are not alone, Yee." Grandmaster patted my back as we sat down next to each other on the grass. "Once there was an old weaver lady who was known for her calmness in dealing with problems. One day while she was weaving cloth, someone told her that her son had been killed by a tiger, but she did not believe the story and continued to weave because she had seen her son not too long ago and there was no tiger in the area where they lived. When another person told her the same thing, she still remained calm and continued to weave. But when a third person came to tell her the same thing, she panicked and went out to search for her son. The mother was greatly relieved when she found that her son was alive and well and that the same thing, she still remained calm and continued to weave. But when she found that her son was alive and well and that the person who was killed had the same name as her son's and had lived in the mountains. "You see, Yee, it takes only three persons saying the same thing to convince a calm and intelligent person to believe in something. Yet it happens to us everyday, Yee. "Grandmaster, were they all lying when they told me that I lacked talent to do this or that?" I asked, feeling I had been victimized. "No, Yee. In most cases they did not lie, for they, too, believed that they themselves lacked talent to do this or that. Indeed, there are two types of talents--yin and yang. A dog can swim without learning. This talent comes to it automatically; it is the yang type of talent. On the other hand, a person who has not learned to swim will drown if he falls into the water. However, if a person has a good teacher and a place to swim, he will not only learn to swim but will be a much better swimmer than the dog. This talent is dormant, hidden from a person, and is a yin type of talent. Because yin talents are not easily recognized, most people believe, mistakenly, that they lack them. "Indeed, we all possess the same kinds of talents, only some of us have developed them and some have not. While some of us become outstanding, all of us can develop a certain level of competency in any job or profession if given a chance. Each of us, like a raw jade stone, could blossom into a beautiful jade flower if given the right stone cutter and environment." "Grandmaster, is something wrong with me when I sometimes feel inferior and sometimes superior to others?" I took this opportunity to ask about what was bothering me. "No, it happens to everybody, Yee. There are many human skills and nobody has ever mastered all of them--and no one ever will. So while one is skillful in one area he lacks skills in many other areas. He will naturally feel inferior to others when he is called upon to deal in areas with which he is not familiar. On the other hand, he will feel superior when he knows his subject well. "Unfortunately, when a person has developed a certain talent, he often uses his superiority to intimidate those who have not developed such a talent; being intimidated, a person will in turn intimidate others in the area of his own expertise. The more insecure a person feels, the more is he apt to intimidate others. Some are so vain about their own skills that they behave as though they were superior to all others, forgetting how they themselves had developed their skills in the first place." He went on to tell me a story. "A long time ago, there was a skillful archer who boasted he had never missed a target within a hundred walking steps. On one occasion he demonstrated his skill to a crowd of people and hit his target easily. The crowd cheered loudly and asked him to do it again. Just as he proudly raised his bow, an oil vendor commented, 'That was nothing special.' "The archer felt slighted and asked angrily, 'Can you do it?' 'No,' the oil vendor replied. 'Then why did you dare to scorn my skill' demanded the archer. 'Sir, I didn't mean to disdain your skill. But I have learned, through years of selling oil, that if one does a thing over again and again, one can master its secret.' after saying that, the vendor took out a coin with a tiny hole in it and put the coin on top of an oil bottle. Then he raised his arm and poured oil into the bottle through the hole. When he had filled the bottle, he took out the coin and showed the crowd that no oil had spilled on it. He turned to the archer and said, 'It, too, is nothing special, for I have done this owner and over again for many years.' The archer was speechless and left." After encouraging me to have confidence in myself, Grandmaster suggested, "Now let's return once more to the lesson on Tai Chi movements. The first thing you need to learn is to relax your body like that of a baby at all times." As we rose, Grandmaster handed me an egg, "Yee, slowly close your eyes and visualize the calmness of the lake and the gentleness of the mountains in the distance. "Relax, release, and let go. Imagine there are some fragrant flowers underneath your feet and you are breathing deeply to extract their fragrance. The flowers may be redolent of ginger, or of sweet magnolias, or of roses; whatever they may be, their aroma makes you feel very pleasant and relaxed. You are feeling more and more relaxed as you breathe deeper and deeper. "Let all the tensions in your body go. Release and let go. Let everything go. Release, and let go." As I relaxed my hands, the egg dropped to the ground. I felt completely relaxed as grandmaster continued, "Imagine that the top of your head is suspended from above and align your body accordingly. By centering your body, you can relax your muscles naturally. By relaxing your muscles you are washing away all your tensions. Then you are able to bring life energy to every part of your body. All the stresses which have shortened your life are now dropping to the ground. From now on you are functioning better as a person. You are feeling eternal youth." Grandmaster told me to open my eyes slowly and gradually. We had finished the lesson for today and he told me to practice the relaxation exercise diligently until I could relax like a baby at all times. I was very excited and practiced the same exercise daily for weeks. But when Grandmaster continued to take his time, not advancing me more rapidly, I became restless. Since I had observed how he practiced Tai Chi, I decided to learn more on my own. Trying to imitate Grandmaster's performance with the sparrows, I set up a net one afternoon in an open area and caught many sparrows. I secretly brought them to the Putee Tree and started to practice Tai Chi with them. I wanted to learn to relax my hands so that they would not provide a solid ground from which the sparrows could take off. But it was easier said than done. As soon as I put the birds on my hands, they immediately escaped. Then I learned to tie the feet of the birds to my hands so I could exercise with them again and again! I was please with my invention but the birds made noise and caught Grandmaster's attention. When Grandmaster saw me struggling with the sparrows, he came over. "Yee, how long do you think this pond has existed?" Grandmaster asked as he pointed to the perfectly calm pond in front of us. "It must be older than my Ancestor's grave, otherwise your family would not have chosen this beautiful place for him," I deduced. "How long do you think it will remain that way? "I am sure it will still be around long after we are gone, Grandmaster." "I, too, am sure. If it takes centuries for nature to change even a little, why are you in such a hurry?" "But, Grandmaster, I am not a lake and I will get old and die one day. That is why I must hurry." "Tell me, Yee, what are you hurrying for?" Grandmaster asked patiently. "I desire to be the best martial art master in the world," I answered with determination. "This mountain is high," he pointed to the mountain beyond the pond, "but there is always a higher mountain. If your desire is to be the best master, your efforts will be of no avail. You will become a slave of your own desire because you will never be satisfied with what you have now." "But Grandmaster, I am nobody now and I must hurry to be somebody soon," I answered eagerly, without knowing I was tensing my body. "Everything takes time and there is a time for everything. You must plant the seeds before you can reap the fruits. Now relax your shoulders," Grandmaster suggested. I dropped my shoulders instantly and felt embarrassed, for after all, I did not have a relaxed body: I had tried to run before I could walk! Grandmaster patted my back and said kindly, "Yee, everybody is somebody in his own right and each of us is a Tai Chi Circle. As a Tai Chi Circle, we are perfect at any time." "Are you saying that I am perfect now?" I asked incredulously. "Yes, you are perfect now. We are all perfect now even though the yin and yang which fill our Tai Chi Circles are different. You fill your circle with youth, strong muscles, quickness, innocence, and inexperience; I fill mine with old age, weak muscles, slowness, wisdom, and experience. However, the grass always seems to be greener on the other side of the field. Not being satisfied with their own lives, the young are always in a hurry to live the old men's lives; and the old always lament because they cannot relive the young men's lives. But remember that you can be young only once and so enjoy it; as I know I can be old only once, I am truly enjoying myself." "Grandmaster, how?" "I celebrate my existence with joy. Since the most noticeable difference between the living and the dead is breathing, each time when I relax and breathe deeply, I realize I am alive and I am satisfied." "Excuse me, Grandmaster, old people might be more aware of their existence since their curtains are drawing near. But I am still young; how can I derive happiness out of my existence?" Grandmaster picked up a flower bud from the ground, handed it to me and said, "Look at this flower bud, Yee. It could have been a beautiful flower. The bud did not ask to be nipped, yet it happened. Life is very fragile." I stared at the bud and understood that I too, could perish prematurely. "Would you still desire to be the best martial art master if you were to perish tomorrow?" Grandmaster asked while I was still holding the flower bud. "I wouldn't have enough time to become one." "What then would you do if today were your last day on this earth?" When I fancied that it was my last chance to see this world, I found that every thing had become nostalgic. I felt as if I were traveling in an exotic place, seeing things for the first and the last time. I started to wonder: If today were my last day in this wonderful world, would I still have time to search for the perfect moment of my life? If not, shouldn't I start to enjoy life now? If this were my last shining moment on my journey through this life, would I still have time to become a master of all people? If not, can I at least be a master of myself? And since everybody is a Tai Chi Circle, perfect in his own right, why should we envy or intimidate others? No longer controlled by my desire to become an ideal person, I felt this moment, indeed, was the perfect moment of my life. When I told Grandmaster how I felt, he nodded. Then he asked me to show him the posture of my Horse Stance. I lowered my body to form the Horse Stance and he corrected a minor detail of my posture. I knew what would follow; hours of sweating under the Putee Tree, hard work almost to the point of torture. So before he left, I questioned him, "Grandmaster, if I am so perfect at any moment, why am I working so hard to gain the art of Tai Chi? If I am to be perfect in the future anyway, would it make any difference if I work hard or not?" "Just as day and night exchange continuously, we, too, are constantly changing from one perfect moment to another underlying us from one perfect moment to another is nature. Follow the forces of nature and never resist them." Without further explanation, Grandmaster left. After hours of almost unbearable training, I finally completed today's lesson. Instead of going to my room as I always did, I went down to the Reflecting Pond, trying to understand what Grandmaster had said to me about the forces of nature. With bare feet, I crossed several mountain streams and noticed the streams were constantly replenishing the pond with fresh water. As I wandered along the shores of the Reflecting Pond, I also noticed that the pond water was flowing down to the low land, replenishing some smaller ponds along the way. Even though each pond remains perfectly calm, its water was actually continuously flowing from one pond to another. When I came across a small waterfall, the sound of water falling on the rocks captured my attention. In a playful mood, I climbed down the rocks and went inside the waterfall. The water fell down in the shape of a canopy, allowing me to remain dry. Like a curtain of jade, the waterfall appeared to be almost transparent and insulated me from the outside sound of falling water. As I sat amid the wonders of nature, my eyes followed the individual water drops falling down from the top of the waterfall to the very bottom, As my eyes moved rapidly up and down, a thought flashed through my mind, why does water always go downward? "Because it follows the forces of nature and never resists them." Grandmaster seemed to have answered my question. Why do people always want to go upward? I asked myself. The answer came readily: because it is human nature to want to rise above one's present state. A student studies diligently to become a better scholar so that he can earn a better position later in life; parents work hard to provide a better environment for their children; a musician practices day and night to perfect his art. All human endeavors are motivated by people wanting to move upward. So it became apparent to me that water ponds, though perfect at their present levels, follow nature to course downward to other perfect ponds; whereas people, though perfect at the present moment, follow nature to move upward to other perfect moments of their lives. If a water pond does not follow the course of nature, it dies, for it remains still and stagnates; likewise, a person who has no aspiration dies, for he vegetates and his mind degenerates. I came out of the waterfall and found the Reflecting Pond as smooth as a mirror. I became excited as I now understood that working hard toward a higher level of art is a gift to mankind. I raised my hands high and ran along the Reflecting Pond, exhorting myself," What kind of difficult work can't I do: What kind of obstacles can't I overcome? No, there won't be any because I will tolerate, I will endure, and I will work hard. Oh, yes, I will work harder to reach a higher level of living! I will work harder! I will work harder! I will work harder!" While I was acting like a hungry giant, never satisfied with what I have, I suddenly realized there was another part of me which was as satisfied and contented as the Reflecting Pond itself. This part of me was asking myself, "Am I not like a water pond, perfect at my present level? If now is my perfect moment, what am I waiting for? Enjoy life now! Enjoy life now! Enjoy life now! I understood that yin and yang were coexisting within me to form a perfect Tai Chi Circle: The yang part of me was exhorting me to work harder toward what I wanted in life while the yin part of me was reminding me to enjoy life now. How do I enjoy life? Then I remembered Grandmaster telling me to celebrate life by being aware I was alive. But how do I know I am alive today? Suddenly a breeze brought the fragrance of honeysuckle to my nose. I followed the scent and found the flowers. Taking a long and deep breath, I smiled and from my heart, I uttered, "Yes, I am alive! Oh, life is such a precious thing!" As I looked at the Reflecting Pond, I was delighted, for I knew the First Secret of the Tai Chi Circle had been revealed to me. These words repeatedly appeared in my mind, prompting me to live my life fully: Celebrate life now, for now is my perfect moment; aspire to a higher level of living now, for it is a gift to me. Celebrate life now, for now is my perfect moment; aspire to a higher level of living now, for it is a gift to me. Celebrate life now, for now is my perfect moment; aspire to a higher level of living now, for it is a gift to me. Colveyco Reading Room Purchase this book through Amazon.com: Secrets of the Tai Chi Circle: Journey to Enlightenment |