46
WHEN the world is in possession of the Tao,
The galloping horses are led to fertilize the fields
with their droppings.
When the world has become Taoless,
War horses breed themselves on the suburbs.
The galloping horses are led to fertilize the fields
with their droppings.
When the world has become Taoless,
War horses breed themselves on the suburbs.
There is no calamity like not knowing what is enough
There is no evil like covetousness
Only he who knows what is enough will always have
enough
There is no evil like covetousness
Only he who knows what is enough will always have
enough
Translated by John C. H. Wu
Interpretation by Bill Bernsen
SOLO PRACTICE
When in possession
Of the Tao
Body repairs itself
Taoless
Fear/injury
Set in
Tai Chi Chuan
Returns body/mind
Back to youth
When in possession
Of the Tao
Metal weapons
Cannons/swords
Become art objects
When there is
No opponent
Use the sword
To exercise the body
Slicing
My shortcomings
When I understand
Tai Chi Chuan
I never have to use it
But I use it when
I don’t
Contentment/enough
Be content
In form
To under reach
Use the entire body
In a gesture
Is wrong
To over reach
Go beyond
Using the entire body
Year of the Horse
Work for power
Pride/presence
Take a horse
Knowing self
Means
Knowing
Limitations
Tai Chi Chuan (TAO)
Allows me
To reach
A little further
Each day
And
Change with change
Change with change
Enough is enough
Enough is enough
So change with change
Enough
Enough is enough
Change with change
Listen to listen
When I feel
No competition
I work
On my health
Did I find
Tao inside me
Heaven/earth merging
At my heart
Reason
For classes/students
Is to discover/test
The art
For the Masters
Enough
Do not take it
To martial level yet
Ride horse
To heal
Not harm
Enough!
Food/clothing/shelter/work/entertainment
Chinese word
For enough…kou4
Heal
Don’t harm
Do no harm
To self or others
Ask is this
Harmful to me?
If yes
Stop
I have had enough
Entertainment/education
Knowledge by others
Try and uncover
That which is inside
This is part
Of the healing process
I will call it detoxing
What is enough
Entertainment
Yesterday, today, tomorrow
Greediness
Wrongfully
Desirous
Stop thinking
About entertainment
Sex and violence
To improve my
Tai Chi Chuan
Fulcrum
Practice solo
Repair self
Practice
With others
Prepare self
Practice Tai Chi Chuan
Learn civil first
Knowing self
Martial is to protect
That which learned
This only happens
If I have virtue
Listen to Masters
When practicing
Know when
Enough is enough
Master knows
When enough is enough
Listen to him
When I am
Creating
There are no
Other desires
Know when
Time/space
Is enough
Morning practice
Enough is enough.
I must be practicing
The Tao
Because I have no desire
To prove
My push hands
When practicing
Slow set
The body
Is being repaired
Ignore slow set
Illness will return
Use the bow
Energy
To repair self
Know when enough
Energy is enough
Tai Chi Chuan
Practice
With Tao
In mind repairs
Without Tao
Injury
To self/others
Practice
For health
Energy fertilizes body
Ignore health
Breeding for injury
Brought on
By war
During slow set
Focus on
Body
Not future opponent
What is enough
When it comes
To new feelings/ideas
Each day
Body will tell
Don’t be greedy
When it comes
To new ideas
Practice time is also
To confirm
Previous ideas/feeling
When practicing
Tai Chi Chuan
Gather/repair
Slow set
Repairs
Fighting
Defeats repairs
Am I
Now
In possession
Of the art
Enough entertainment
Possession
Of Tao
Is love of it
Tao
At the Depot
I must be in a Taoist
State of mind
To create
Tao = health/happiness
Not Tao = illness/sad
Fulcrum tells
When
Enough is enough
There is nothing
More egregious
Than craving
Entire slow set
Is enough
To understand
A new idea
The wrist
Communicates
To the waist
What is happening
Decides
What enough is
When aware
Of the Tao
Perfectly aligned
Body/mind
Enough
Practice
To the point
Of enough
I must be practicing
Correctly
I am not thinking
About fighting
But rather repairing
When not thinking
About push hands
Chi repairs
Know what
Enough is
Have enough
When in the Tao
Practice slow set
To heal
Practice slow set
Healing/returning
Practice push hands
Sharing healing/returning
When I fight I am
Harming self and others
Slow Set fertilizes
The body for hearth
Fighting
Fuels harm
There is no greater
Blockage
Than intent
Stay with apprehension
Leave intent
To spirit/gravity
Causes elasticity
Enough entertainment
Alignment/foundation
First
Is enough
When passive
I am the Tao
Receiving universal chi
Body knows
When enough
Is enough
Practice
For health/happiness
Not harmfulness
When practicing
Slow set
I am healing
Body/mind
When I ignore
Slow set
Illness/problem
Set in
TAO = no entertainment
Enough is enough
More if strong/wise
Enough
Moderating
Of desire or ambition
Wanting
To do the next gesture
To live with
What other reject
Is contentment
The more I
Desire a particular thing
The more powerful it gets
Taking my thoughts
Scarp iron
Is left to rust
Melting metal pots
To make cannons
Instead of plows
One plow
Can feed a 1000
One cannon
Can kill a 1000
Be content
In present gesture
Greatest shortcoming
Is to possess
What everyone else
Possesses
Be content
Teaching slow set
Is living
Teaching fighting
Is using the postures
To destroy
Don’t have
The martial intent
In Tai Chi Chuan
Instead have openness
Hear others intent
Partner practice
To adjust
To others
The real
Tai Chi Chuan
Is healing self/others
Living in a small village
Far and away
From other martial arts
Is the way
To find and live
By the Tao
Contentment
Of contempt
For material power
And wealth
Learning weapons
Too soon
Makes the sword
A weapon
And not a tool
Complete
Stop the war
With self
Then concentration
On higher levels
Of the slow set
Teaching
In accordance
With the Tao
I am teaching
Tai Chi Chuan
If my school
Has become
Disconnected
From the Masters
I am just teaching
Fighting
Slow set is enough!
Desire = greed
Be apprehensive
About other
Teachers/forms
Turned plows
Into swords for war
Now there is a war
Against the earth
The plows are cutting
The earth
As swords use to cut flesh
Throw away the plow
As we discarded the sword
Just plant the seeds
Pull the immediate weed
Intent and apprehension
Tao = fulcrum
Intent = searching
Apprehension=listening
Find fulcrum
Weight as to
What is enough
To stay balance
With the Tao
Know when
Enough is
Leads
To having enough
Instructions
From Nature/Masters
He who has
Tai Chi Chuan
Turns weapons
Into tools
Find the fulcrum
To measure
What is enough
Enough entertainment
Find the fulcrum
To measure
What is enough
Yin or Yang
Negate greed
Focusing on
Push hands/weapons
Blocks new ideas
Found in slow set
First find it
In slow set
Then confirm
In weapon/push hands
When Masters
Are present
They correct
Slow set
When they are
Ignored
Ego takes over
And intent reigns
Masters say what
Is enough
Must be worthy
To hear the advice
Solo practice
Connected
To Masters
Get what is needed
Group practice
Envy/discontentment/coveting
Blocks the lineage
Enough = fulcrum
Masters
Say enough
Is contentment
Advancing
In the art
Contended
Practice
The Masters control
My practice
Knowing what/when
I have had enough
Not listening
To the Masters
Causes depression
Yi4 Yu4
Contentment
When listening
Life
In 3 stages
- Accumulate
- Organize
- Eliminate
Enough said
Masters control
when enough
Is enough
Warriors
Don’t worry
About the past
Nor future
Only focus
On the present
This is enough
When students
Practice to master
Slow set first
Health and happiness
Prevails
Neglect slow set
All the weapons
Are not enough
Civil practice
Heals
Martial practice
Harms
Find contentment
In Slow Set
That is enough
Practice
Slow Set
To disregard
Weapons
Envy
Of other’s
Epiphany
Can lead to
Errors
On the way
Don’t
Malpractice
Passive
Practice
Is enough
Contentment
In connection
To lineage
Lineage
Guides
Practice
Epiphany
A day
Is enough
For eternity
7 poisonous
To my practice
Excess
Laziness
Egotism
Anger
Jealousy
Desire
Insatiable
Bad intent
Is negated
With apprehension
To continue
There
Is never
Enough
Eternity
Spirit/gravity
Unite
Rejuvenation
Arrives
Tai Chi Chuan
Practice can
Be palliative
Once an
Insight
Prevails
Rest to make
Room for an
Ensuing
Epiphany
Practicing
Slow Set
Never
Enough
When
Slow Set rules
Practice
Joints/sinews
Rejuvenate
When
Push Hands
Dominates
Body deteriorates
When Slow Set
Practice rules
New ideas
Flourish
Weapons
Practice without
New ideas from
Slow Set
Flaws in form
Will rule
Master is present
When worthy
Student practices
Slow Set
Practice without
Master
Becomes
Malpractice
Being content
With Slow Set
Is enough
It is the bases
Of all else
Slow Set
I sing
Body elastic
Each gesture
Reaching into
Future
Anchored in
Past
Heartfelt
Tai Chi gestures
Rejuvenate
Heartless
Gestures
Lead to
Folly
Slow Set
Practice
With civil intent
Rejuvenation
In view
When practiced
With martial intent
Vehemence in view.
An epiphany
A day
Should bring
Serenity to
Slow Set
Slow Set
Conveys alignment
Of Spirit/gravity
A Content conduit
If weapons
To soon
Calamity sets in
Slow Set
Rejuvenates
Weapons/push hands
Revitalizes
Not retaliate
When Slow Set
Rules practice
Gestures become
Reflective
Tai Chi Chuan
When
Slow Set rules
Corrections abound
When
Push Hands rules
it combats
Progress
When Slow Set
Gestures are
Filled with
Jing/Chi
Rejuvenation rules
Ignore Slow Set
For weapons/push hands
Degradation
Takes place
When practice
Rules the day
Corrections abound
When procrastination
Rules
Poor postures
Proliferate
To practice
Tai Chi Chuan
Is enough
To realize
Slow Set
Is enough
To know
Enough is
Enough
Slow Set
Paragon
Practice
Leads to
Healing
Push Hands
Malevolent
Practice
Leads to
Calamity
Practice
Slow Set
Healing
In mind
Practice
Push Hands
Harming comes
To mind