Inspiration for Thought

 

"Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts."   Thich Nhat Hanh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Express yourself completely, then keep quiet.  Be like the forces of nature:  When it blows, there is only wind; When it rains, there is only rain; When the clouds pass, the sun shines through."  Tao Te Ching

 

 

Strong with Weak

                         Weakness in the face of confrontation

Lao Tzu, author of the Tao Teh Ching, told us in Chapter 76 that "Generally, things that are weak have potential. Things that are strong have reached their maturation and no more growth potential. Therefore, things that are weak have potential, and room for more. Things that are strong expose everything. They showed all the negatives. Things that are weak will last longer. Things that are strong only last for a short time."

Tai Chi created by Taoist Zhang San Feng, is based on this philosophy, guided by the concepts of relaxation, soft, circular and even.  Tai Chi does not use physical power - all emphasis is on your intent.  When confronted by an opponent, you remain soft, relaxed and tranquil.  You learn to apply the concept of weak overcoming strong.

I've studied Tai Chi now for nine years, and I'll be the first to admit this is a very difficult philosophy to execute.  It's our natural reaction to respond to hard with harder, strong with stronger.   But there is significant value in weakness.  If you don't resist your opponent, they have nothing to grab on to, nothing to fight you with.  For them it's like pushing on a wet noodle, the harder they push the more you bend out of the way.

We're all familiar with this philosophy, though it's more commonly expressed as "It takes two to tango."

So, the next time someone tries to involve you in a confrontation, win with weakness.

"Nature rarely speaks.
A whirlwind doesn't even last a whole morning.
A rainstorm starts and ends in a single day.

Such things are made by heaven and earth.
If heaven and earth can't make a storm last,
how can you?"     

                                                                      Lao Tzu            

Yangin' around

"Y" is for Yin-Yang 
 

The yin-yang symbol represents the ancient Chinese Taoist idea that there are two energies - the yin energy and the yang energy - that created the universe, and oppose each other to keep the universe in balance.  If you go too far along one, it becomes the other.  A great example of this is temperature.  If you put your hand in a bucket of ice water at first it feels really cold.  But if you leave it in there longer, you will feel a burning sensation - just like heat. 

Yin-yang is the unifying principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine (including proper diet and exercise).

You can find a very interesting pictorial explanation of how this symbol was developed here.

And here's what wikipedia has to say on the subject.
  
There's much symbolism within the symbol itself, and there's a myriad of interpretations. Here's a few of the ones I like: