17
THE highest type of ruler is one of whose existence
the people are barely aware.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one whom they fear.
Next comes one whom they despise and defy.
the people are barely aware.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one whom they fear.
Next comes one whom they despise and defy.
When you are lacking in faith,
Others will be unfaithful to you.
Others will be unfaithful to you.
The Sage is self-effacing and scanty of words.
When his task is accomplished and things have been
completed,
All the people say, "We ourselves have achieved it!"
When his task is accomplished and things have been
completed,
All the people say, "We ourselves have achieved it!"
Translated by John C. H. Wu
Interpretation by Bill Bernsen
APPREHENSION
Where there is intent
There is apprehension
Tai Chi Chuan
Master hesitates
Don’t say it
Just think it
If the student
Is open
He will respond
If I say
Senses cannot
Be trusted
It must appear
To the student
That he thought
Of it himself
Confirmation that
He is listening
When there
Is force
There is a response
Thus the Tai Chi Chuan
Student
Is apprehensive
People
Hardly realize
All the Masters
Are here
If students
Don’t feel
They achieved
It themselves
They have
Not connected
To the Masters
In their mind
Destroy
Stupid words
Before they exit
My mouth
Think before I say
Same with poor
Tai Chi Chuan gestures
First
Know myself
Then know others
Then others
Are aware of me
Then others
Know themselves
With my help
Thru Tai Chi Chuan
If a student
Says I achieved
It myself
Look to his teacher
If a student is good
Look to their teacher
Some even learn
From nature
The ultimate teacher
Giving
New ideas
To the Master
Not taking credit
Is the premier student
High level
Of learning
Is learning
From the past Masters
Next
The live Master
Next
Physically merge
With the Master
Build a school
Students will come
Even if I am
Scarcely known
Only earth
Can give
Me energy
Masters give
Me the spirit
To use the energy
They happen
Each morning
New feelings
New idea
Masters are at
The highest level
Because few
Are connect to them
To hold them down
Do not advertise
Studying with
Another teacher
Shows a lack of faith
In present teacher
When I doubt
My art/student
My art/student
Will not inspire me
If they do not say
We did it yourselves
Means I am
Not teaching
Via the Masters
If I lack faith
In my lineage
Students will
Notice it
No longer
Lacking faith
In my form
Because the Masters
Are doing
The form thru me
Thrust my teacher
And my student
Will trust me
My job
Is to get the students
Aligned
With Masters/China
If they are worthy
Only the Masters
Decide worthiness
Lack faith
Masters
Will ignore
Masters barely exist
To the unconnected
One sign
Of a student’s
Non-connection
They refer
To the Master
By just his first name
Or last name only
Must use full name
With the word Master
Most
Are barely aware
Of the Masters
I am not lacking
In faith
I get corrections
From the Masters
To continue the art
Masters
Quietly correct
I am praised
By few students
Feared
By some
Despised
Defied
By those
Not connected
To the Masters
Guide students
Via the Masters
Trust in the art
The best
Gesture/application
Is one that is not felt
Has no intent
If a student
Doesn’t have faith
In the art
They will not learn
With me
Merge with
The Universal energy
Will be one with all
That ever was
Or ever will be
Master of all
That I encounter
In time
Only new students
Worthy/faithful
Will show up
Student/teacher
Understands
The art
I have achieved
It myself
Few truly
Know Masters
Those lacking
In faith
Will not continue
The best artist
Is one who is
Barely known
Masters
Are unknown
Nature
Is unknown
Spirit
Is the highest
Type of ruler
People are barely
Aware of it
Some students
Study
With the Master
And fear they are
Not getting
Everything
This is do
To the lack faith
They are in hurry
And usually fail
They defy Master
Because of a lack
Of faith
Masters job
Is to keep
Student on
Right track
Drifting off the track
Every once and a while
Is usually a test
Student gets too far
Off track
It is up to the student
Not the Masters
To get back on track
Many students do not
Because they are
Not suppose too
The reason
The Masters’
Information
Is the same
As learning
From nature
Because the Masters
Learned from nature
Passing it on
Master
People merely know
One exists
Where to find Master
Most difficult
Just open up
Listen
Find the Master
Show intent
To be good
When someone says
They understand
I believe them
I felt it in them
But they are feeling it
In a different way
Causing me
To be fooled
And they
Fool themselves
The words
That do come
Are true for
Past/present/future
Can be specify applied
To the subject
For they are words
From nature
And nature is
Always right
When the new
Idea/feeling
Is truly understood
That idea
Is part of me
Master goes on
To the next idea
Believe that we though
Of it ourselves
Want to practice
Another martial art
Go ahead
But the Master
Will not be with me
This is why people
Lose faith
In their teachers
Because they feel that
The Master is not
With them
They are accurate
When students
Are unfaithful
They do not receive
The knowledge
Master
Only teaches
Those who study
With their hearts
Doing other martial arts
Or taking other ideas
This pushes away
The Masters
Who
Only have
So much room
Application
Is going
From form
To function
Without intent
Master
Commands
Student’s devotion
Some will lose conviction
Don’t study
Other martial arts
Follow instincts
The past
Return
To the original
Slow Set
Alignment
With spirit/gravity
Energy can move
Thru me
It is impossible
To get a single idea
From the Master
If not connected
When teaching
If I have the slightest doubt
About the student’s
Ability to learn
They will not learn
Idea touches idea
Produces understanding
Difference between
Doubt and unfaithful
Be cautious of
Those students
Who need followers
Master
Is one
Whose is scarcely
Recognized
Master puts his energy
Into their students
Not superficial things
Like fame or fortune
Listen to self
If the answer
Is true for me
It will be true
For others
The goal is to
Find the answers
On their own
By listening
When students
No longer
Comes to class
But continue learning
At a high level
They are getting it
Their selves
Then my work
Is done
Find teacher
Learn form
Remember form
Learn something
New each day
Is Tai Chi Chuan
Have faith
In the Masters
They will have
Faith in me
I get the new idea
Myself
But I know it
Really come
From the Masters
When something
Happens
Good or bad
Most aren’t aware
That the Masters
Caused it
This can be true
For the moment
Hour, day, week, month, year, life time
There is a human
Tenancy
To love/praise
If it is a good thing
If it is bad
Despise and fear
Not aware
Did it myself
Return
To the simplicity
In slow set
Yin and yang
Harmoniously
Working on myself
Not interfering
With others
Too much yang
Don’t get it
To others
Unless it is
Asked for
Nature will take
Care of it
If others feel it
They love/praise me
If it hurts or feel ill
They fear me
Something wrong
If he is not listening
Does not work on it
He despises/defies me
If I lack faith in
What I am teaching
The student will too
Lack of faith
Is Reluctant
Self defense
Knowing
The same Master
But at different levels
First I must
Open my heart
To the Master
Otherwise I cannot
Hear him
Or know him
Once I open
My heart
I love/praise him
When he gets me
Open further
I start to fear him
He is removing old self
This causes me
To despise him
Really it is in me
For the Master
Is a mirror
In all these stages
Each student
Must relate
To the Master
In their own why
Perhaps
The Master
Goes thru
The 4 stages
Regarding each student
I am my own
Master
Going thru
The 4 stages
1 know myself little
Love myself
Fear myself
Despise myself
A word
From the Master
I barely understand
His word
Love his word
Fear his word
Despise his word
When all is said
And done
The individual says
He did it himself
For he did
Barely know I exist
Means under them
Looking over me
The lineage
Effect is
Over school
Daily life too
Guidance is there
But elusive
I have confidence
In my progress
It is communicated
Thru practice
Guides students
Via the conduit
From the Masters
Just let them go
They will return
If they are worthy
Strength
Contingent
On me
Opponent’s weakness
On him
The ultimate idea
Is yet unknown
But in plain sight
It can be discovered
In slow set
Don’t look
For credit
Look
For results
Change with change
Can it also mean
Adjusting
To environment
The secret
To push hands
Cannot see
Jing/Chi
In a coil spring
Master can see it
In me
Teaching
Of opening
Thorax/pelvis
Student feels it
Loves/praises me
If it hurts
Feels sick
Fears it
If not listening
Does not work on it
Despises/defies me
Lack in faith
In what I am teaching
Student will too
Faith
Loyal
Sincere
Trust
Key
To the connection
To the Master
Is faith
In what they are giving
No doubts
Best leader
Is one
I am are barely aware
But always there
Students
Will experience
All the following
At one time or another
Love/praise
Fear
Despise/defy
Be reluctant
With corrections
Students should
Believe that they discovered
Corrections themselves
Learn
To discriminate
Knowledge coming in
Learn to ward off news
Isolation while learning
About self
If the words
Are not perfect
For the situation
Then hold back
A single word
From the Master
Can have
As many meaning
As he has students
More words spoken
More meaning
And confusion
Among the unworthy
Students
Keep the faith
Problematic
Just put heart into it
It will soften
Faith can be shown
In form practice
The teacher
Shows
No intent
They are like water
Everyone knows
That water
Is everywhere
But don’t really
Talk or think
About it
Unless they
Are thirsty
Thirst = intent
Teach students
By silently trusting
Each worthy student
I have done well
If they give me
No credit
For their insights
This is because
I am not adding
To their knowledge
But taking away
The dust
Nobody
Likes to have things
Taken away
Some will despise/defy
The Master
Some will fear
The Master
Some love Master
Some will barley be
Aware of the Masters
All above comes
From the student’s
State of mind
It is what is in them
That causes it
And not the Master
Teacher must have
Total trust
In his teaching
To get thru ruff times
With his students
When the student says
We did these ourselves
The teacher becomes
Barely known
The Master
Does not
Give off
A personal intent
Only his artist intent
To those who are connected
Hence more are unaware
He even exists
The Masters
Will not give much
Just enough to keep
Student interested
A lot of people quit
But the Masters will
Never quit
The worthy student
They will test
To see
How students
Are fairing
Always be aware
That I am undoing
My old self
Loosing something
This cause
The uneasy feeling
If I don’t want
Somebody around me
Just lack
Faith in them
This is thinking
Them away
If I have faith
In my teacher
His teacher will have
Faith in me
This will double
My learning
Learn from the history
Of the art
The apparent reason
There seems to be
Total freedom
Is a test to see if I can
Govern myself
Also to see
I practice
On my own
This shows that here is
A connection
To the Masters
Then I can say
I achieved it
On my own
When teaching
There will be students
Who despise/defy me
Fear me
Love and praise me
And finally become
Barely award of me
The criteria is faith
Be like a halo
Circling above others
Few can
See the halo
Chi/water = ideas
Some ideas are like dew
Other like Rain
And some like snow
Why?
Don’t I know
Teach in a way
So students believe
They thought
Of it themselves
They will learn faster
Retain more
They must be conscious
Of their movement
Should be able
To measure
Their progress
Only when asked
Then answer
Other can think it
Without saying it
Tai Chi Chuan
Empowers
Hearing
Without ears
The unworthy
Are unaware
Of the lineage
Masters protect me
From family/friend/foes
When student/teachers
Believe they achieved it
Themselves they are either
Disconnected or
Totally connected
It is revealed
In their students
The unworthy
Are unaware
Don’t worry
About them
When a student
Has doubt
It is a sign
Of unworthiness
And no connection
To the lineage
The unworthy
Lack faith
In the Master
The worthy
Are faithful
Discerning
Directing
Developing
Have faith
In future
Fulcrum
Jealousy
Slows
Progress
Master/student
Odyssey
When students
Don’t connect
To the Master
He does not
Connect to them
Fame is a bee
It has a song
It has a sting
Ah too, it has a wing
Emily Dickinson
Lacking
In faith
Becomes
Deceitful
The secret
To Tai Chi Chuan
Is seeking
To be unknown
Have faith
In future form
Practice
Conviction
In each
Gesture
Faithful
Gestures
Applications
Flourish
Worthy
Warrior
Faithful
To past
Present
Future
Lineage sees
An epiphany
During practice
Shows evolution
Of the art
Estrangement
From lineage
Results in
Disaffection of
Corrections
The only fear
8-4-23