41
WHEN a wise scholar hears the Tao,
He practices it diligently.
When a mediocre scholar hears the Tao,
He wavers between belief and unbelief.
When a worthless scholar hears the Tao,
He practices it diligently.
When a mediocre scholar hears the Tao,
He wavers between belief and unbelief.
When a worthless scholar hears the Tao,
He laughs boisterously at it.
But if such a one does not laugh at it,
The Tao would not be the Tao!
The Tao would not be the Tao!
The wise men of old have truly said:
The bright Way looks dim.
The progressive Way looks retrograde.
The smooth Way looks rugged.
High Virtue looks like an abyss.
Great whiteness looks spotted.
Abundant Virtue looks deficient.
Established Virtue looks shabby.
Solid Virtue looks as though melted.
Great squareness has no corners.
Great talents ripen late.
Great sound is silent.
Great Form is shapeless.
The Tao is hidden and nameless;
Yet it alone knows how to render help and to fulfill.
The progressive Way looks retrograde.
The smooth Way looks rugged.
High Virtue looks like an abyss.
Great whiteness looks spotted.
Abundant Virtue looks deficient.
Established Virtue looks shabby.
Solid Virtue looks as though melted.
Great squareness has no corners.
Great talents ripen late.
Great sound is silent.
Great Form is shapeless.
The Tao is hidden and nameless;
Yet it alone knows how to render help and to fulfill.
Translated by John C. H. Wu
Interpretation by Bill Bernsen
CREATIVITY
When a worthy
Student
Hears the Master
He practices
Anytime/anyplace
Thinking about
Grandmaster Yang Lu-Chan
I looked at his picture
On my wall
He had eagle eyes
Tai Chi Chuan
Have two names
Yin and yang
It is a fulcrum
Feeling
Two sides
At once
Tai Chi Chuan
Is passion
It makes dim bright
Retreat progress
Rugged smooth
Deep shallow
Melted solid
Fill empty
Empty full
Becoming
A child again
By returning
To slow set
Constantly
Laughing
Crying
Angry
Alone
The great
Of everything
Seems
Not great enough
Greatest insight
Is only great
Then something
Superior
Appears
Few follow
The art
Some wander
Into/out of it
Offer it
It is a drunken joke
To fools
This is how
It is protected
Standing inside
The square
Cannot see the corners
Two ways
To look
For the corners
Go higher above
Look down
Go forward
In the direction
Of the corner
Approach a corner
Neglecting
The other corners
Find out the corner
Approaching
Is really rounded
Ancient China
Believed
Earth is square
Heaven is round
Now we know
Earth is round
Heaven on earth
Heaven has corners
Of ideas
Religion
Tai Chi Chuan
Practice ends
When I realize
I am undoing
What I previously
Learned
Practice it
All day
All my life
It seems to disappear
But it is always there
I write
It down too
Hear it
Follow it
It will lead
Elasticity
The secret to stretching
Can I hear
Rubber band stretching
Can I see
The stretching
Can I smell
Stretching energy
Can I taste
Intent
Can I feel
Ending
Be more meticulous
Practice becomes
What I need
It to be
A fulcrum
For life
Listen
To yin/yang
Of the situation
Diligence
Vigilance
Perseverance
The road
To Tai Chi Chuan
Seems retrograde
Perhaps illness/injury
Is part of the retrograde
Or rejuvenation
Think about it
Assiduously
Use body too
The dedicated student
Receives
A new feeling/idea
Accepts it
Stores it inside
Mind/body
Becomes part
Of him forever
When Masters
Correct
Toil all day
To understand
Listen
Weight both sides
Of everything
This is Tai Chi Chuan
Fulcrum
Practice diligently
To be
An industrious
Master
The way
To push
Is to think
Of pull
Results in elasticity
Tests
By Masters
Art toiling
Progresses
Seems
To withdrawals
Insightful
Originality
Appears unsown
Be assiduous
Conscientious
Practice
Not just physical
Mental too
Parallel
Many are called
But few chosen
Matthew 22:14
The vortex
In the Tan tien
Have no corners
The greatest power
Is wisdom
It always comes
With age
Great voices
Cannot be heard
With the
unworthy ear
Highest level
Of Tai Chi Chuan
Has no silhouette
When a student
Asks how long
It will take
To learn Tai Chi Chuan
Tell them Tao Te Ching #41
Practice
To train
Thoroughly
Diligent practice
Of the femur fulcrum
Change with change
Only by being
Elastic in the spine
Between
Spirit/gravity
The way
To understanding
Looks unclear
Insight
Out of sight
Enhancements
Seems like
Extraction
Insightful
Imagination
Seems uncultivated
Sturdiest control
Appears scrawny
Tao is hidden
Has no name
I’ll name it Tai Chi
Fulcrum
Center of gravity
An idea
Slow Set
Alone
Nourishes
And fulfills
All forms
And the future
To open
Is to
Open upward/outward
To close
Is to
Open downward/inward
More open
The more chi gathered
Stowed
Practice above diligently
Practice above diligently
Practice above diligently
Repeating shows
Diligence
High virtue
Seems hollow
Unique feeling
Of coil spring
Opening
Pressure down
Into feet
Pressure up to hands
Percussion
Of postures
Master Yang Cheng-fu said
First learn to open
Then close
Opening
Building
A bigger spring
Closing is compacting
The spring
Into a vortex
The above opens
Every cell in body
Both directions
Moves starting
In KD#1
Bottom of foot
Body feels
Likes a whip
Anchored
At the feet
If opponent
Presses on me
KD#1 presses down
On earth
And responses
Like a coil spring
Diligently look for
The fulcrum
In everything
Always Jing/Chi
From earth/China
It is
Life/immortality
Pronounced
Ability
Matures late
Masters
Are hidden
Unless student
Is worthy
Has a 6th sense
To receive
Guidance
Great space
Has no junction
Be aware
Of the Masters
Keep a creative mind
Tai Chi is the point
In between
The old and the new
The old gives way
To the new
The new is built
Upon the old
The process is
Found in Slow Set
The worthy student
Hears the master
He will practice
Get the urge
To practice
Practice
It might be
A silent order
From the Masters
Average
Abilities
Certainty/skepticism
Doubt
Little ability
Giggles at it
Giggle is evidence
Of the profound
Tai Chi Chuan
Is not for everybody
Difficult
Is a sign
Of something new
Is coming
To solve
The problem
Advancing
Looks
As if it
Is retreating
Flexibly
Forward and back
A large container
Takes the longest
To fill
A good student
Does not demo his form
While it is still
Being learned
Always being aware
Of the other’s
Time/space
To get to know others
Somebody seems like nobody
Nobody seems like somebody
Master’s words
Shadow of darkness
While riding
On a dragon
Of diligent training
When practicing
Be aware
Of the good feeling
But keep working
On the shortcomings
If not, it will lead
To shorter good feelings
Hear an idea
Write it down
Ponder it
To improve it
Feel a technique
Practice it
Many are called
few are chosen…
Matthew 22:14
Correct practice
Looks dull/dim
Just doing form practice
Is not engaging
Until an epiphany
Arrives
Advancing
Looks regressive
Like drawing a bow
To advance the arrow
Practice
Is always
Circular
Going back
To the beginning
It is the circumference
The pi of infinity
Practice
Is high and low
Like a wave
It takes a ocean
Of energy
Fa Jing
Kong Jing
Looks and feels
Like endless
Elasticity c
What is perfect
White
Looks spotted
The spots are
The new ideas
Each one
Of the proverbs
Circle back
To the beginning
Statement
Bring on a new Idea
This must be experienced
Parallel
Several
Are summoned
But limited taken
The vortex
In the Tan tien
Have no corners
The supreme control
Is wisdom
Always comes with age
Greatest voice
Cannot be heard
With the unworthy ear
Highest level
Of Tai Chi Chuan
Has no shape
Because it is as unique
As the spirit
When the wise
Student
Gets a new feeling
He is worthy
When a wise student
Gets a correction
He practices it
Attentively
Obtaining wisdom
Great roundness
Looks straighten
Must get to point
Of being calm
With the unknown
Mild
With the mysterious
Be aware
Of the pure
But keep
Smudged
Get the urge
To practice
Practice!
Urge to not practice
Practice!
When a wise warrior
Senses danger
He is safe
The tactic
To applications
Seems blocked
Circles back
To beginning
Start over looking
For misalignment
Spiritually/physically
It is inflexible
If not listening
Virtue should
Not have intent
Must go beyond
Shortcomings/mistakes
Be aware
Of mistakes
Look beyond
The mistakes
With passion
This cannot
Be a mistake
The seed or idea
Comes from nowhere
It just appears
If I am worthy
Moving on
The Tai Chi Chuan
Path
Feels
Like riding Dragon
Relentlessly adjusting
Body/mind
To the unpredictable moves
Boundless mind
Has no limit
The greatest gesture
Does not stop
It may live in
Mind forever
Get a new idea
Practice it
Thru out
Time/space
Humbly slow set
Can improve/perfect
Slow Set
Touches
The emotions
Passion
Perfects
The postures
Do to a lack
Of students
I am practicing
More conscientiously
Slow set
Encourages/accomplishes
Applications
To get it
Practice diligently
Thru hard-working practice
Use energy
This must be renewed
Done by nourishing
With new ideas
During the practice
Masters
Tests arise
As does
My awareness
Facing the opposite
Of anything
Want to go forward
But feel like
Going backward
This is chi
Going from one
To the other moving
With mind
Tai chi is being aware
Of the above
At the time being
A fulcrum
Being pulled think
Being pushed
Which = elasticity
Opposites = elasticity
The worthy student
Connects
To the Masters
Practices for them
Next the non-connected
Ambivalent student quits
The unworthy students
Never joint
The lineage
Cannot balance
Yin and yang
Without a fulcrum
Of the mind
Must practice
The above meticulously
Diligently practice
Morning Slow Set
Something new
Confirmed
Thru out the day
In all forms
Diligently practice
The above
Spirit and gravity
The Masters
Are hidden
From the unworthy
Fulfill the worthy
Thru endless tests
Hollow has containment
Full contains the empty
Masters fill or empty
I am the fulcrum
In between
My demo
Master sees it
What he sees is good
And makes corrections
Others see it
See bad
Some laugh at it
They do not see
What the Master sees
Using
Tai Chi fulcrum
Imagine Yang
Envisage Yin
Now balanced
They laugh
At my demos
Not for long
Practice vigorously
Masters are watching
Important part
Of practice
Is creativity
The creative part
Is hidden from
The unworthy
Diligent practice
Means reeling silk
With previous practice
Muck is the foundation
Of life
Diligent practice
Until understood
With passion
Repairs seem
Worse than
The original
Injury/illness
Tai Chi Chuan
Helps/not hurts
Whatever I have
Done to this date
Must be right
Because I am
Still practicing
Diligently
Now
Persistence
Practice
Diligently
Reeling silk
With lineage
Despair
Is a sign
Of development
My gestures
Look bad outside
But are good
Inside
Diligent
Thru-out the day
Leads to
An epiphany
In the evening
Testing
Tenacity
Doing
Is acknowledging
Undoing
Systematically
Practice yin
To know yang
Tai Chi Chuan
Practice
Is an eternal
Ride on a dragon
Only for the worthy
When I see
Good and evil
At the same time
I am standing
On a Tai Chi fulcrum
Depression
Like
Percussion
Is always
Down
Before
Up
Diligent
Devotion
Has
Deceptions
Diversions
Song-kai
Loose/open
Is the secret
The way
To enlightenment
Can be
Eerie
The worthy
Are aware
Of the 6th sense
That is Tao
Masters’
Guidance
During
Diligent
Daily
Solo practice
Investing
In loss
Via
Diligent
Detailed
Repairs
Squat
To practice
Percussion
Testing
Tenacity
Can be
Quite nasty
The worthy
Appear
To be wrong
To the unscrupulous
Which is wise
Teaching
Tests
Tenacity
Conversely
Tests
Training
Diligent
Daily
Practice
Is a duty
Even during
Dark times
Learning/practicing
Tai Chi Chuan
Is like
Balancing on
The tip
Of a sword
Master is
Maneuvering
The sword
Diligently
Riding Dragon
Thru a thick
Forest of
Theories
Serious
Slow Set
Senses
Subliminal
Secrets
Practice
With body
As a bow
Aim for perfect
Spiritual/physical
Targeted form
Tai Chi Chuan
Secret
Concealed
The obvious
Is an obstacle
Three are
Called to
Tai Chi Chuan
Worthy/exceptional student
Is accepted
The mediocre
Student
Is not
Infantile/inferior
Student
Is ignored
Diligent
Practice
Without an
Epiphany
Is mediocre
And rightly
Ridiculed
Past/present/future
In time and space
Grandmaster Yang Lu-chan
Is alive and present
If the worthy student
Is listening
Slow Set
As the worthy
Student practices
So, does lineage
Leading student
In a evolutionary
Endeavor
Tai Chi Chuan
Slow Set
An assiduous
Venture
Immersed into
Elusive
Insights
Determination
Is the secret
To diligent
Duty
Tai Chi Chuan
Between
Spirit and gravity
A hidden
Elastic thread
5 senses
Unconscious of it
Only
6th sense
Grasp it
Tai Chi gestures
Are decided
With a Tai Chi
Fulcrum/scale
Calibrated
With heart
Slow Set
Assiduous
Practice
Is spiritually
Demanding
Body conduit
Between
Spirit And gravity
Hidden
Contradictions
Plumb practice
Realigns
Arrives
Slow Set
Each diligent
Gesture
Nourishes its
Application
Diligent
Practice
Denies
Deterioration
Inspiring
Determination
When worthy
Student
Practices with
Master in mind
Aligning
Spirit/gravity
With lineage
Will follow
Bestride
Dragon
Arduous
Endeavor
Few stay on
Persevering
Practice
Divulges
Tai Chi
Lineage