9
As for holding to fullness,
Far better were it to stop in time!
Far better were it to stop in time!
Keep on beating and sharpening a sword,
And the edge cannot be preserved for long.
And the edge cannot be preserved for long.
Fill your house with gold and jade,
And it can no longer be guarded.
And it can no longer be guarded.
Set store by your riches and honor,
And you will only reap a crop of calamities.
And you will only reap a crop of calamities.
Here is the Way of Heaven:
When you have done your work, retire!
When you have done your work, retire!
Translated by John C. H. Wu
Interpretation by Bill Bernsen
VIGILANCE
When Grand Master
Was finished
With his work
He retired
But is still teaching
Those connected
To the lineage
When I find
The fulcrum
Of a situation
Stop/listen
Do not shoot
Arrow
Too soon
First aim
Be guided
With the feeling
Of the feather
Holding on
To fullness
Better to ease
Into it
There will be
A different fullness
While Master and I
Talking about China
He said to me
"When retired
Live in China"
When to stop
Usually
When mind
Starts to drift
To other things
If extreme does
Not cause pain
During practice
Realignment
Corrected
The area
Fill a bottle
To over flowing
What a waste
Stop at the top
Of the gesture
Fame is a flame
Burning
Want to win
Why not just enjoy
The warm
Of knowing
Elastic band
Between gestures
Do not stretch it
Too far/long
When I finish
My gesture
Oversee it
To the next gesture
When
I understand
A new feeling
Forget about it
It will still be there
Forever
Stay hollow
Fill only
When called for
By the fulcrum
When done
With a lesson
Stand down
Sit up
Must experience
Fullness
At least once
Make my house
Available
To Masters
Honor the Masters
When done
With a gesture
Stop thinking
About it
It will be there
If I need
It again
Do not
Over practice
Without new ideas
Once I understand
The new feeling
Stop
Savor it
Practice it later
With a student or partner
Over fill
With pleasure
It will
Turn to awkwardness
When I get
A new idea
Practice it
Until I understand it
Feel the fulcrum in it
Overlook it
It will go away
But still be
A part of me
Is this poem
A pretext
For not practicing
All day
Bend my
Body/bow
Too far
It will break
Do not pull bowstring
Gestures
Too far
Snap
Be conservative
With
Kai He style
Depot
Is like heaven
Finished
Morning practice
Rest
Do something else
Find the fulcrum
Balance of
Everything
In life
Theory of Everything
Finding the fulcrum
In everything
Bow to bOw
Have a strong bow (body)
Have a strong string (gesture)
By practicing more
Slowly retiring
From schooling
Is undoing
Schooling
When I have done
The application
Retire/reduce/relax
The intent
In push hands
Most people have
Is overflow intent
Intent to be sharp = break
Impressive intent
Hard to guard
Understand real intent
This is hidden
I will retire it
And not use it
But just listen
With the fulcrum
The only real
Tai Chi intent
Is to balance
Yin and Yang
Find idea or feeling
Then let it go
Staying full
Not be able
To receive
New ideas/feelings
Don’t over fill
Always empty
The chalice
Get a new
Idea/feeling
Don’t over work it
If I do over work it
It will blunt
The next idea/feeling
Halt malevolent
Thoughts
Or bring maltreatment
To myself/others
Listen
With fulcrum
For signs
Of balance
This is work completed
When done
Don’t dwell
Upon it
Dwelling interferes
With the fulcrum
Of new ideas
Slow Set
Is the same
But always different
When returning
To Slow Set
It is never the same
As when I left it
Because it is
Changing like me
Thanks to time/space
So all things
Upon return
Are new
So it is o.k.
To return to me
I am anew
Look for alignment
In life
Once aligned
Build strength
Then balance
Don’t let anything
Make me lose balance
Eliminate anything that causes
Me to loose alignment
Moments of weakness
Old bad habits or shortcomings
If I always follow
I will always be able
To align myself
To the given situation
Full becomes hollow
Avoid entertainment
What makes
A Master
Knowing when
To stop
When finished
Practice
Regard
As though
It was not
Excessive
Intent
Damages
The spirit
Over stretching
A bow
Is the same as trying
To use it unstrung
Practice
Stringing bow first
Then once strung
Practice pulling on it
Before I put an arrow in it
Practice aiming
Before shooting
Fill mind
With golden words
Of others
Invite the theft
Of time
Not only
Is it important
To pass on the art
It is very important
To know
When not to make
Corrections
Not too soon
They leave
Not too late
They leave
Problems occurred
When they seek
Too much
Too soon
What causes them to stay
The Master
Which student stays
This is up to the Masters
The only way
I can stop
At the right time
Is by listening
To my heart
Truly a built in
Stopwatch
I can never
Speed up
Or slow down
The past or future
Everything has its time
Not only do I
Have to know
When to stop
I also need
To know
When to start
Over
Experience
The limit
At less once
To know
The limit
Do an outstanding
Demo
My time will
No longer be mine
Teaching must have
Ward-off
An act or not act
Teach or not teach
Caution
When bending bOw
And filling
Keep it to self
Workshop
Only if called for
By Masters
They will advise
Don’t overwork
The new
Full…think hollow
Attack…thinks retreat
The above
Is the way of heaven
Pathway
To the universe
Slowly “set”
Masters
Controlling
Knowledge
Via students
Poor demo
Hiding secrets
Know when
To stop
Input from
Masters
Know when
To stop
Gathering
And projecting
Pictures deface wall
More often than they decorate them
Come forth into the light of things
Let nature be your teacher
Poetry is the spontaneous overflow
Of powerful feelings
It takes its origin form emotion
Recollected in tranquility…..
William Wordsworth
Rest
Poor demo
Helps keep
Tai Chi Chuan
A hidden
Chinese treasure
Practice to undo
Undo opponent’s
Intent
Not to fight
Fame is like a bee
It has a song
It has a sting
It has a wind
E. Dickenson 19th century
Once I achieve
Tai Chi Chuan
Retire
Reach fullness
At least once
Same
With hollow
This does not include
The ego
Must remain
A fulcrum
Reach a new height
Stop and step back
To understand
Practiced
Cocking/aiming
The bow
Above
Shooting the bow
Endurance in practice
Stamina
Fortitude in form
Resolution in gestures
Durability
Patience in knowledge
Above is how
To practice
And endure
Negate
Fame/fortune
No videos
Accomplish resting
Must be worthy
To retire
Caution when
Compressing
Coil spring Jing
Alert
Aware
Away
Practice enough
To understand
Comprehended
Upon conclusion
Practice
To comprehend
Once understood
Stop
Control
Of incoming
Knowledge
From the lineage
Nap/rest/escape
Keep secret
Imperative
For practice
Find the pivot
Then pause
Spring time
Simplify
Moderation
Of moment
Motivation
Movement
Stretching a sinew
To its max
Once is enough
Be hollow
To know fullness
Be dull
To know sharpness
Stay poor
To be rich
In ideas that is
Quit quickly
When I understand
The epiphany
Repose
Let old routine
Die
To know
New practice
Epiphany
Is enough
Practice
With a perseverance
Review
With resolve
Guided
With grit
Nobility
Negates
Knowledge
Epiphany ends
Once understood
Practice until then
Prior practice
Can impede
Epiphanies
One epiphany
Per day
Is enough
No!
To Know!
Pivoting
Perceptions
Once epiphany
Is internalized
Stop
Use
6th sense
To stop
Look
Listen
One epiphany
Per practice
Is enough
Lifetime in 3 stages
1st obtain
2nd organize
3rd undo
Stretch
Too far
Results in
Up rooting
Focus
Poor Tai Chi
Classes
Rich solo
Practice
Ward off
Rollback
Press
Push
With apprehension
Not intent
The unworthy
Practice to long
And do wrong
Tai Chi Chuan
Daily practice
When you understand
The Master’s lesson
Be done for the day
But continue
Thinking about it
Be plumb/aligned
With Masters/China
Don’t
Repetition
Wrong
Masters move
I move first
Practice without
An epiphany
Is empty
Of elation
Be a prudent
Student/teacher
Don’t practice
In the wrong
Direction
Practice
Without
An epiphany
Is malpractice
Rest = rejuvenate
Revitalize = return
Rotate = gestures
Hide pride
Block bragging
Eliminate elation
Don’t
Malpractice
The limit
When spirit and gravity
Reach
The Tai Chi point
Of contact
Lineage advice
When to
Stop/start
Negate
Malpractice
Discontinue
Diligent
Ends
Ordained
Respite begins
Refine
Only that
Which has
Found me
As for practice
Don’t malpractice
Practice
Conservatively
One epiphany
At a time
Noble
Gestures
Result in
Unique gestures
Seek the ultimate
Using the intimate
Relief
Once epiphany
Is understood
Once sequence
Is learned
Sequester
Segments
Fame/fortune
Leads to
Forthcoming failure
Don’t re-enforce
Prior wrong
Thru repetition
Heart
Sets limits
Practice
Without an
Epiphany
Is in error
Too much
Gravity
Fall/fail
Too much
Spirit
Fly away
No return
Do not
Derelict
Details
Of Slow Set
Extreme dwelling
On an epiphany
Is dead
To the next
Idea
Malpractice
Leads to
Disappointment
Diversion
Can divert
Disaster
Song-kai
Loosen/open
To lineage
When an epiphany
Is understood
And can be
Applied at will
Stop and make
Room for the
Next one
Use the previous
Precision
In the present
Only to support
The impending
Don’t dwell
On faults
To advance
Reach and root
To retreat
Root and reach
Elasticity
Has its limits
Epiphany’s
Capacity
Is limited
To time/space
Once epiphany
Is internalized
Escape
To eternalize
Revitalize
Rejuvenate
Respite
Retire
Private practice
Keeps ego
Concealed
Thieves of time
Are kept at bay
Practice ends
When insight
Goes out
Of sight
Slow Set
When one
Epiphany
Leads to
Another
Stop
Third
May negate
First two
Practice to
Improve
Rest to
Understand
Retire to
Renew
Bow string
Cocked to
Extreme
Arrow fails
Tai Chi Gesture
To extreme
Body will fail
Tai Chi Chuan
Like a bow
Top is spirit
Bottom being gravity
Gestures string
Too much spirit
Bow is uprooted
Too much gravity
Bow is without
Jing/Chi
Grasp
Aim/cock/shoot
Slow Set
Sincerity
Ward off
Weapons
Rollback
Applications
Press perfecting
Gestures
Push
Patience
Slow Set
Stretch
Elastic
Gesture
To far
Snaps
Progress
Tai Chi gesture
Advancing
Seeking limit
To know limit
Then root deeper
To advance limit
Slow Set
Weigh all
Gestures with
Spirit/gravity
Fulcrum being
Heart
11-29-23