"Everyone knows the use of the useful, but no one knows the use of the useless." - Chuang Tzu
The Way is Empty and
Calm
Can we remain unshaken internally while shook by changes on
the outside? Whether it be in push hands
or sparring or everyday life, can we remain in touch with that awareness which
permeates and maintains all creation?
Commenting on emptiness
and calmness, in Further Teachings of Lao-Tzu, the great sage wrote that there is
nothing emptiness does not take in, nothing that calmness does not
sustain. Emptiness and Calmness are the
Way of Heaven.
But how do we acquire such emptiness and calmness in order
to bring an intense awareness to our taijiquan?
As I mentioned in
Awareness Not Softness Creates Taijiquan, it is the greatness of our
aspiration to achieve a high level of taiji that creates the detailed awareness
to pay attention to the minute and the subtle.
Of course, when we first begin taiji, most of us desire to
reach the highest level possible. But
the endless corrections and the myriad subtleties of the form leave many of us
disillusioned. We either quit and go
onto some other practice or just mull around as best we can hoping our teacher
or some vague source within will suddenly release this mysterious energy.
Sure. Believe that
and there is a bridge in Brooklyn that I would like to sell you – for the right
price, that is.
Wake up! There is no
vague source within. There is no
mysterious energy. And unless you have
an exceptional teacher, he or she is probably waiting for that same vague
source to spring into action.
Lao-Tzu, however, is very clear on how to obtain this
emptiness and clarity.
The greatness of aspiration that he speaks about does not
only apply to taiji but to every aspect of our lives. We must aspire to be great in all that we do,
whether we are parents, taiji instructors, computer programmers or doctors and
nurses.
We must bring this aspiration and with it our awareness, our
attention to detail and subtlety to all aspects of our lives, not just taiji
and not just our occupations.
This is how we gain and store that mysterious, subtle
energy. Through our compassion and love
for one another, by embracing the oneness in each of us and understanding that
everyone and everything in this universe has arisen from the same source.
And that source is YOU. And it is EVERYONE in your life. And EVERYONE on this planet.
Lao-Tzu calls this -
following the Way or Nature.
There are only three virtues in Taoism: frugality, humility
and compassion. It is not necessary to
become anything. Just be these three
qualities and bring them into all aspects of your life.
Frugality is essential in both your life and your
taiji. In case you haven’t noticed, all
the things that you own have a way of owning you. So the less that you own is the less that you
need to fret and worry over.
Without humility, you cannot advance to the highest level of
the internal arts. Your pride will eventually
bring you down, not only in your practice but in life as well. If you practice humility, you will have
nothing to resent. Having nothing to
resent and nothing to make you bitter or spiteful can only deepen your calmness
and strengthen your awareness and perception of life.
Lao-Tzu says:
If one turns to goodness, there is
no resentment even if one goes too far. If one does not turn to goodness, even if loyal, one brings on
hatred. Therefore resenting others is
not as good as resenting oneself, seeking from others is not as good as seeking
from oneself…Everything is oneself. If
you brandish a pointed instrument and get stabbed, or if you wield a blade and
get cut, how can you resent others for that? Therefore ideal people are careful about subtleties.
As for compassion, I doubt if there is a religion or
spiritual philosophy that does not entertain some degree of this virtue. It is this virtue that eventually will bring
us to our center wherein lies the highest level of our practice and our very
existence.
On this point, Lao-Tzu is quite clear:
When mountains are high, clouds and
rain form on them. When waters are deep,
dragons are born in them. When ideal
people reach the Way, the richness of virtue flows in them. Those who have hidden virtues will surely
have manifest rewards. Those who do good
deeds in secret will surely have illustrious reputations. Those who plant wheat do not harvest millet,
those who sow resentment are not repaid with gratitude.
What La-Tzu is urging here is the practice of compassion
with humility. Do good works for your
fellow beings but do not make a huge show of it and you will have manifest
rewards.
The greatest reward is not money or fame but harmony. Harmony with all of Nature and with
ourselves. It is this harmony that
engenders the true emptiness and pure calmness that emanates from the center of
our being.
Lao-Tzu says:
All beings bear yin and embrace
yang, with a mellowing energy for harmony. Harmony dwells in the center. Therefore the fruits of trees grow in the heart, the fruits of bushes
grow in the pod, eggs and embryos grow in the center. What grows from neither egg nor embryo needs the
right time.
When the ground is level, water
does not flow. When weights are equal, a
balance does not tilt. The birth and
development of beings occur as they do through sensitivity.
So, be sensitive to all that is around you and within
you. Practice virtue and goodness in all
that you do, and a mellowing energy will surround you and lead you to the
harmony that dwells in the center of your being where all is empty and calm
like a vast tranquil sea on moonlit night. | 
