thetaijistudent

[thetaijistudent]

The Good, in Nature or in Mind?

We see already in Pythagoras’s golden verses, the notion of “seeing the good”, even in bad faith, and that only the “immortal” gods can hear our prayers. Pythagoras, also suggests that the “truth” is there if we “listen”. The good does not seem to be to him (and most likely to many commoners of the time) strictly psychological and related to human interest. The good is already in some way believed to be inherent to nature, religiously if we may add. Plato, as we know, later makes it the Principle of divine justice of the universe, in his Republic.

On what grounds does this belief lie? Is it reminiscent of immemorial mythologies? Can it be rationally investigated, or do we have to look into man’s nature to find it? And if we find it in an examined life, what justifies us to think it can also be found elsewhere in the nature of the world, as an organizing principle?

Parmenides, before Aristotle, and before Empedocles, already speaks of Love as being a divine force in nature.

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« In order to have a sense of who we are, we have to have a notion of how we have become, and of where we are going. »

Charles TAYLOR, Sources of the Self, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1989, p. 47

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‘‘There are questions about how I am going to live my life which touch on the issue of what kind of life is worth living, or what kind of life would fulfill the promise implicit in my particular talents, or the demands incumbent on someone with my endowment, or of what constitutes a rich, meaningful life […] The people who ask these questions have no doubt that one can, following one’s immediate wishes and desires, take a wrong turn and hence fail to lead a full life.’’

TAYLOR, Charles, Sources of the Self, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1989, p. 14

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"[...] while it may not be judged a moral lapse that I am living a life that is not really worthwhile or fulfilling, to describe me in these terms is nevertheless to condemn me in the name of a standard, independent of my own tastes and desires, which I ought to acknowledge."

TAYLOR, Charles, Sources of the Self, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1989, p. 4

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[…] even though we are always living in expectation of better things, at the same time we often repent and long to have the past back again.

Arthur Schopenhauer, The Vanity of Existence, 1851

[thetaijistudent]

Maintenance

Fall in love with maintenance, not be obsessed by it mind you, and you will live a more peaceful life.

The Taiji Student

[thetaijistudent]

Even if you offered me a place in the great edifice of the system, I would rather be the kind of thinker, who just sits on a branch.

Soren Kierkegaard, quoted in the BBC’s podcast, In Out Time

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Today, a particularly insidious obstacle to the task of educating, is the massive presence in our society and culture, that of relativism, which recognizing nothing is definitive, leaves as the ultimate criteria only the self, with its desires. And under the semblance of freedom, it becomes a prison for each one, for it separates people from one another, locking each person into his or her ego.

Pope Benedict XVI, June 2016, quoted in BBC’s podcast In Our Time.

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You heal because of who you are more than what you know and what you've been taught.

BBC's In Our Time podcast, speaking of Carl Jung's approach therapy, 2004

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[…] an intelligent man cannot become anything seriously, and it is only the fool who becomes anything.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from the underground, 1864

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…] with Tai Chi practice, small internal movements generate joint-stored chi and its associated tendon force, while big external movements generate muscle force.

Mantak Chia and Juan Li, The Inner Structure of Tai Chi, Destiny Books, 1996, 2005

[thetaijistudent]

This Day is Your Entire Life

Friend : Say, what would you do if today was your entire life?

The Taiji Student : Do you mean if I die today?

Friend : Yes and No. Dying today means that you have lived many days prior to this one and today you basically want to rush to do what you never had the chance to do, say what you couldn't and pack your bags. If today was your entire life, you would need to plan its beginning as well as its end.

The Taiji Student : That is indeed different. Let me meditate this a few minutes...

My first consideration is that in life, we don't get to choose our beginning, but in this scenario, we do.

That, to me, has a lot of implications. We may loose much of the richness and challenges that come with dealing with what we are given. If we get to choose our beginning, it seems like cheating, even if not every body gets a fair start.

Ok. I guess today, I would start my day with making sure I have roots. I would probably make sure I see early in the morning someone that is soothing and nourishing to me. Just to get a few encouraging words, a voice to give me confidence and maybe purpose. That puts a lot of pressure on this person, but that is how I would want to start my day. Luckily, I am a grown person with family and friends, and that's where I would start. If I didn't, I think I would still seek that, either by calling the closest thing I have to that, or in an extreme situation, have breakfast in a public place and strike up a conversation on things that matter to me.

Since the day will go by faster than I would like, I would have to leave that nest relatively early.

The next thing I would do is to read or listen to something. I would want some knowledge and inspiration to give flavour and direction to my day. This is interesting, because I would not have much time to debate what I should study. Since I have but a few hours of past and that my future ends when I go to sleep, I couldn't waste much time choosing or changing my mind. I guess I would loose a lot of wandering time and the experience of uncertainty and experimentation. What a shame.

So after I have read or listened to something, I would want some time for introspection and let inspiration tell me what to do next. In that sense, planning everything now ahead of time would not be as rich. I would have to put a time limit on this, whether I like it or not, because in this scenario, it is clear that time is not relative. Neither is space, hence, making traveling plans would be a waist of time. My whole world would be reduced to where I can travel in a few hours time.

The next thing I feel I should do is accomplish something. But what does that mean in one day? That's a lot of pressure too. Would I want to create something? Help someone? Or simply contribute to what others around would be doing? It kind of puts things in perspective again. While I fantasize about creating a great work of art or having a profound impact on someone's personal life, I could not plan this, it would be out of my control. So I would have to simply look around and contribute, doing my best and hoping it makes a difference.

The day is already moving forward fast and I would want to make sure I have time to reflect on my life and maybe leave something behind. So do I put a limit in how much I help? Do I not spend time with the people after work to chat and have a drink? I guess I wouldn't. But then again, what would I reflect upon? This is harder than I thought.

So hopefully contributing gave me a sense of fulfilment, shared souvenirs to remember. I said earlier that I had a family and friends. But now that I think of it, if my life is this one day, maybe I don't yet. Can I gain love and friendships in one day? I guess I can't. So I would make the best of the relations I do have in this day.

Now that I have helped around and met people, I would now have a better understanding of what and who I enjoy. I would want to spend more time on these things and with these persons. But, what if these things and people are not accessible to me? After all, I only have one day! Do I insist, find other things and other people if they are not available to me? This is tough. There is not much time to simply let things come to me and let the "universe guide me".

I would want to share with someone my thoughts and laugh, and maybe cry a bit if I need to. I would want to lay on my back and look at the sky.

I may be praying, or simply emptying my mind. Would I want to let things go or choose to hang on to thoughts and images dear to me?

At last, I would close my eyes and try to be peaceful and not suffer.

Why do you ask?

Friend : No reason at all.

Written by The Taiji Student

[thetaijistudent]

Philosophy si like the gymnastic of the soul.

Plato, The Rebublic, Book VI, Translated by Benjamin Jowett

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in traditional Chinese medicine, the breath is important not only for efficient gas exchange—that is, oxygen in and carbon dioxide out—but also to serve additional key functions. These functions include massage of internal organs and tissues, regulation of emotions, and movement of internal energy within the body and between the body and the surrounding environment. Breathing also serves as a mechanism for accentuating or implementing other active ingredients of Tai Chi, such as awareness, intention, and structural integration.

Peter M. Wayne, PhD (with Mark L. Fuerst), The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, Shambhala Editor, 2013

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[…] extremely tactile, subconscious, and non-intellectual execution, execution that is both visually and somatically elegant.

Robert Burns Amacker, The Theoretical Basis of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 2014

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WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

November 11, 2016

Passerby :

What happened here?

The Taiji Student :

I wanted to be someone, but did not succeed.

Passerby :

What do you mean "be someone"?

The Taiji Student :

I wanted to be a weirdo, but did not have the courage.

Passerby :

Why do you say it takes courage to be a weirdo?

The Taiji Student :

It takes courage to be different and to not be accepted.

Passerby :

Why do you say you failed?

The Taiji Student :

Because I worked hard to be normal and was sensitive not to offend people's tastes too much.

Passerby :

I see.

The Taiji Student:

Being what we want is just as important as being accepted in the equation of happiness.

Passerby:

True.

The Taiji Student :

I wanted to be a writer, but could not endure all of the solitary work.

Passerby :

Writing is indeed a lonely business. If I may, what about solitude troubled you?

The Taiji Student:

They say that those who cannot tolerate being along with themselves are base and of low character. That's the best I can describe it.

Passerby:

That seems a little bit severe. But I understand your struggle. What else explains the situation that I am witnessing here?

The Taiji Student :

I wanted to help people and be a teacher, but I was too selfish.

Passerby :

That's a shame. But I must say you have already given me much from this brief exchange.

The Taiji Student :

Thank you, that is kind of you to say.

...I wanted to be funny, but was too proud.

Passerby :

Pride does get in our way sometimes, doesn't it.

The Taiji Student :

I wanted to be lazy, but I would not let myself, out of guilt.

Passerby:

That's curious, I've never heard someone speak of laziness as a goal.

The Taiji Student :

I wanted to be simple, but my heart was full of desires.

Passerby :

I don't know you, but you look like a composed person.

The Taiji Student:

Composure is what keeps me from weeping, screaming and laughing all the time. I can barely keep myself from complaining. Composure is like the mold that holds the liquid bronze together until it cools and can keep the sculpted shape by itself.

Passerby:

Very poetic. I guess we all have some sort of a shell or shield.

The Taiji Student :

I wanted to be a philosopher, but felt everything had already been said.

Passerby :

We do live in a time where knowledge is readily available. But that shouldn't stop you. The world always needs people to question the way things are.

The Taiji Student :

But I wanted to be happy. Questioning everything appeared to be the perfect way not to be so.

Passerby:

Don't you think they are many ways to be happy? Why can't a philosopher have his own?

The Taiji Student:

You may be right, but if truth is the highest value and the noblest of pursuit, why do so few people care about it?

Passerby:

That, I don't know.

The Taiji Student:

I have come to believe that maybe there isn't any. Things are, they were and they will be, and we humans will tell ourselves and others stories about them.

Passerby:

...

The Taiji Student :

I wanted for people to notice me, maybe even be popular. But the look of others was unbearable. And the idea of promoting myself disgusted me.

Passerby :

It's true that many trades today depend on one's capacity to showcase ideas, projects and accomplishments. But I digress, please continue.

The Taiji Student :

...Most of all, I wanted to be a super hero.

Passerby :

That's endearing. What kind of hero.

The Taiji Student :

The courageous kind. The kind that is invincible, selfless and revered.

Passerby :

So what happened?

The Taiji Student:

I settled for me, and that's what you are witnessing here.

Written by The Taiji Student

[thetaijistudent]

…] the great illusions of the 21st century: Certainty, Productivity and Authority.

Paul Read (The Tea Pot Monk), Tai Chi, Ways of Learning, 2012