Song of the Soul January 13, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , 2 commentsSome of the best conversations any of us might ever have the good fortune to experience or be privy to, could well take place on the banks of a river in some pristine corner of God’s paradise.
Somewhere nature’s symphony can faintly be heard in the near distance and only punctuated by the sound of earnest voices content with sharing their point of connection to the divine.
Seekers of spiritual understanding congregate in such places.
There the air is clean and pure.
There the light is magnanimous in its distribution.
There the murmur of water flowing along the stream is hypnotically transcendent.
There the mind is utterly attentive and aware.
There the senses are alive in the stillness of budding sanctuary.
In reality, ‘there’ is as much ‘here’ as ‘here’ is ‘there’!
Suddenly, the man dressed in a long beige robe that has seen better days, leans on his walking stick to catch his breath.
He has been traipsing across valleys and hills all morning and his younger companion complies with his need to take a well deserved rest.
Then the older man slumps to the ground and makes himself comfortable as he settles his buttocks on a hard flat rock that serves him on this occasion as a chair.
He begins to chuckle and then casually makes one of those profound comments he is proverbial for coming out with, in the unlikeliest of moments.
‘Desires are always painful stumbling blocks to our spiritual development you know, and nor must we shirk our responsibility to grow!’
His companion is accustomed to the old man’s ways.
So he listens carefully as the rushing water in the bubbling stream cascades.
‘The song of the soul is freedom… the song of the soul is love and compassion for all mankind… the song of the soul is acceptance… of who you really are and what you have really been. In this there is no judgment! And when the battle between ‘this’ and ‘that’ comes to an end, when the conflict of the opposites ceases to be, something truly miraculous happens. In this moment, you discover the mystic reality of emptiness.’
The younger man contemplates the words as they penetrate beyond the analysis of intellect and reach deep into a quiet zone, closer to the source of creation and yet more intimate than a fleeting smile on the face of a passerby.
‘Spiritual power emanates from the soul… the soul of you and the soul of me… but it is impersonal and impartial. Love is impersonal and because of this it can move a mountain.’
Investing in Loss January 5, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , add a commentSerious practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan will often spend years cultivating the principles of the art with a teacher in an effort to eventually demonstrate fluidity and buoyancy. It would seem that few in the West realise though that without the intention to invest in loss, progress will be limited at best to competent performance and sadly the essence of the art will remain elusive.
So, what does it mean to invest in loss?
I asked Tony about this and he gave one of his simple but erudite explanations while simultaneously reflecting back to me the unnecessary and counterproductive strength I was using to defend myself.
‘Yield and follow,’ he said.
‘Relax. Let go!’
I shook my head as he effortlessly pushed me off my centre. He could do it because he had invested in loss for years and understood how to feel an opponent’s every move before it had even been made.
“When strength is abandoned for softness, it is possible to develop your senses,’ he added.
What he meant was that when you drop strength, you also drop your tension – and then you can feel what’s actually going on. Tension is resistance, after all. When you’re tense, the flow of energy circulating within becomes obstructed and sensitivity suffers.
It should also be mentioned that mastery of the body involves mastering the mind. To master the body, the mind must become still and quiet. When the mind is quiet, it is possible to listen. Listening begins when attachment to the ego dissipates and the attention of awareness presides over each and every moment.
Investing in loss therefore is an approach to learning whereby the ego is gradually drained of importance, strength is replaced by softness, and receptivity triumphs over aggression.