Investing in Loss January 5, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , trackbackSerious 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.
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