“You are right, there is a secret. But it is so simple as to be unbelievable. Its nature insists that you believe, that you have faith; otherwise you will fail. The secret is simply this: you must relax body and mind totally. You must be prepared to accept defeat repeatedly and for a long period; you must ‘invest in loss’ – otherwise you will never succeed…. I relaxed my body and stilled my mind so that only chi, flowing at the command of my mind, remained…. In crushing defeat, I forgot anxiety, pride, ego. By emptying myself I gave the full field to chi. Gradually my technique improved. Then and only then, did my responses sharpen so that neutralizing and countering were the work of a moment. ”
Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing
from T’ai-Chi by Cheng Man-ch’ing and Robert W. Smith.
For me, this inspiring quote from a real master raises more questions than answers. It’s so large, how do we begin to embrace it? To emulate him?
One asks, how does one eat an elephant? One answers, one bite at a time. Another suggests, to become the Buddha, just assume you ARE the Buddha. Or perhaps a more modest approach would be to “act as if” in order to attain the attitude of the Buddha. Does either of these actually get you there? You can see the conundrum.
Either approach has its danger. To take it one step at a time could lead down the path of strategy, going in circles or an obsession with “progress”. The temptation is to feel obligated to demonstrate some success to your “strategic planning”. To be obsessed with progress can shut doors to discovering some aspect that you haven’t considered yet. That is, the limit of your conceptual mind will predetermine your mind’s suggestion, but other suggestions that don’t come naturally will not arise. Your own intellectual capacity can only take you so far.
I recall one hard working tai chi student who delighted in his “technique” in push hands. But in my eyes, he was missing the real thing. His progress was linked to his technical skill and this shut the door to real listening and real relaxation. His technique worked only because most of us are not equipped to handle such a forceful surprise attack. In addition, he was playing two games. His first strategy followed principle, but then he switched and used force (though he didn’t recognize it as such.) Another technique, he was using a very low low stance which gave him a mechanical advantage that really doesn’t necessarily rely on tai chi principles. When your strategy works on inexperienced players, your success proves nothing. Tai chi is one art form that requires a profoundly clear self honesty while maintaining a kind attitude towards yourself and others. You need to be self critical, but not self loathing. Hence, my personal war on “good” and “bad” in this context.
To “act as if” (or to assume you are the Buddha) could result in false view of oneself and one’s skill. You may think you are the Buddha, but who’s to say you manifest his qualities? You? Really? Good luck!
The “how to” of progress is what I am discussing here and it has long term implications. We are always looking for the balanced groove of the middle ground. By that I mean we are not this, not that, but right on IT, in the groove, at the pinnacle. The grooves are everywhere. Relax, but don’t collapse. Find that groove. Body upright, but don’t be stiff or held. Find that groove. Use the ground, but don’t grind yourself into the ground, and use the upward core as well. Find that pinnacle. Be round with your energy, but find the curves and straight lines within the form. Find that pinnacle. Be alert, but don’t be tense. Another groove, another pinnacle, another point of “just so”, the “it” path.
To me, that edge is like that perfect middle ground that you fall into that moves the whole mechanism (of the body) forward without “doing”. A roller coaster comes to mind. The path is set and you coast your way through it. The downward slope gives you the momentum to climb the upward slope. To leave that track would mean disaster. To follow the track leads to swift direct clear forward motion without strain or effort. The heights and valleys of the journey are smoothly accomplished.
To get back to the first two options in how to move forward in mastering tai chi, there yet another option and it can include both of the previous suggestions. I’d call it, The Open Path. As you move forward, your practice will give you guidance. What is happening now in your form will give you a clue as to what you might need next. Follow those leads that naturally present themselves to you. And include asking classmates and your teacher for suggestions. Sure, you can be strategic one day and map out some plan. You can also allow yourself the luxury of embracing all of it (the Buddha) and be that embrace to see where that leads you. Lastly, you can simply look at where the tracks are going for you in this moment and see where these lead as well. Stick and follow.
But even The Open Path has its deficiency. One has to be careful that this doesn’t lead to self indulgence or a sort of solipsism whereby your experience is the only thing that counts. All paths can lead towards success and improvement if used correctly; all paths can lead to nowhere. One way to check in on this is to seek the thoughts of others and see what they think or what they practice. It can be deeply revealing to check in with those who may not agree with you.
Most of us cannot be the master that Professor was. We have to be at home with our limitations and accept them. Nonetheless, what we put in is what we will get back. We can work to open doors that help us reach further than where we are right now. We can always look for the edge, find that groove, and enter the pinnacle of some aspect of practice. We can follow the master’s lead and discover ways to experience some of his ease and responsiveness. In that way, we can be masters.
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