In his
search for truth, Prince Siddhartha vowed to meditate under a tree in
Bodhgaya, North India, until he attained enlightenment. Since his
realization of his true nature, the prince has been known as the
Sakyamuni Buddha (the Awakened One of the Sakya clan). Siddhartha
demonstrated the important qualities of self determination, patience,
continuous effort and belief in himself.
Human
beings have great potential but often we only scrape the surface.
At
first, beginning students see only the grace and beauty of the Tai Chi
movements. However, they easily become discouraged when they cannot do
the movements in the same way as the instructor demonstrates. Instead
of seeking out the causes of the difficulties and their remedies, some
students just give up. By taking the apparent easy way out, we fail to
learn more about ourselves
, and so lose an opportunity to truly benefit
physically, mentally and emotionally. The solution is obvious – practise regularly without judging yourself. Get in touch with the body
and experience its intelligence and aliveness. Remind yourself of your
reasons for taking up Tai Chi. The benefits are within your reach every
time you practise. Students always comment that they feel calmer,
refreshed and more agile after training.
When I
first began learning Tai Chi, my teacher talked about having the right
attitude. This means adopting the beginner’s mind. This is a
mind which is open and enthusiastic about learning. It does not
make judgments or comparisons. If, in the early stages, you find that
the movements do not come easily, you try again and again.
Eventually, progress is made. In the making of any product, the
process has to be completed. The process and product are part of
one another. Before any great artist is appreciated, there are
many lesser works which also play a part in the recognition of his
highly acclaimed works. These early works are not failures.
In fact, they lay the foundation for his great works of art.
When
you begin learning Tai Chi, it is common to find that your body seems
stiff and uncoordinated, your mind wanders and your legs feel weak. The
movements of the form highlights the areas of the body that need to be
strengthened. These weaknesses are precisely what the Tai Chi training
is targeting. If the body and mind do not have the potential to change,
there would be no point in learning at all. So don’t lose hope! The
more you practise and the more your body changes, the more you will want
to practise. As the body becomes more relaxed and supple, the mind will
have greater faith in the process. It discovers that it can do what it
at first thought was impossible.
In Calm
Abiding Meditation, there is an analogy of the unruly mind being similar
to an untamed elephant. This illustrates both the destructiveness and
huge potential of the mind. When we first learn Tai Chi, we may think
that it is the movements that are difficult. However, they look simple
when the instructors demonstrate them. Also, all the senior students,
who were once beginners, are now doing the form with ease. When we
first practise Quiet Standing for a longer duration, we may think that
it is difficult, too. Being still also is not easy. Gradually, we come
to realise that it is not something out there that is causing the
problems. What needs to be changed is the chattering mind which is
always looking for excuses. If we would like to tame the elephant, we
need the right tools – awareness, positive attitude, patience, self
discipline and a belief that we can do it. The famous Bruce Lee was
once asked, “What if an expert tells you that you can’t do something?”
His response was immediate. “Don’t listen!”
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