T'ai Chi as a Path of Wisdom (eBook)

Linda Myoki Lehrhaupt (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2001 | 1. Auflage
288 Seiten
Shambhala (Verlag)
978-0-8348-2674-8 (ISBN)

Infos

Unlikemost t'ai chi books, which focus strictly on how to do the t'ai chi forms, T'aiChi as a Path of Wisdompresents a personal, practical view of this intriguing martial art. Lehrhauptshares illuminating stories from her own life and the lives of her studentsthat show how t'ai chi can be a vehicle for profound self-discovery andspiritual growth.

Inlearning to master each body posture, t'ai chi students often confrontself-doubt, frustration, and the desire to compete and compare themselves toothers—problems that also arise in daily life. Lehrhaupt shows how these andother obstacles provide valuable opportunities to deepen awareness andrecognize the striking continuities between practice and everyday life.

Eachsection of the book includes practical exercises designed to enhance students'understanding of t'ai chi movements, and a helpful appendix answers manyfrequently asked questions about t'ai chi training such as how to find ateacher and how to balance practice with family life. Full of useful insightsand guidance, T'aiChi as a Path of Wisdomwill be a valuable companion for all students of this increasingly popularmartial art.

Textauszug

Fromthe Introduction

Inthis book I explore t'ai chi as a meditation practice and a path of wisdom andrelate what we can learn about ourselves, others, and life itself when we studyt'ai chi.

Almosteveryone who practices t'ai chi for a period of time will tell you that whatbegan as a weekly class in a movement exercise became a study in living andpersonal growth. T'ai chi is a path of wisdom meditation, but it is also a pathwith heart. As we walk this path we open our heart—,to ourselves first and,then, like ripples spreading in a still pond, to everything and everyone aroundus. Tears sometimes mark the moments of great release and understanding and,ultimately, deep awakening. I believe that every moment of training is anopportunity to open, deepen, stretch, and grow. And at the core is a quietvoice that continually asks: 'What is the heart of practice?'

WhenI began t'ai chi in 1978, it was the most difficult period of my life. Sixmonths earlier I had given birth to my daughter, Taya, in a cesarean procedurewith complications that left me exhausted for a long time afterward. Threemonths later my mother died, after living with breast cancer for eight years.Shortly afterward I left a secure and well-paying job to go on a three-monthjourney across America in a VW camping bus with my husband, Geoff, and Taya.Following the trip Geoff and I separated after twelve years of marriage. Isettled down in a tiny apartment in New York, where my daughter slept in awindowed closet. I was twenty-nine years old, a single mother, and—,along withmy brother—,the caretaker of a senile, elderly father. I didn't know it thenbut t'ai chi would touch every part of my life: it trained my body, opened mymind, and softened my heart. In fact, it saved my life.

In1979 I began to study chi kung. What drew me to my first class was not the words cbikung onthe announcement, because I had no idea what chikung meant,but the word meditationwrittenbeneath. I was drawn to that first class as if the strongest force in the worldwere pulling me. From that point on, my chi kung and t'ai chi trainingintertwined. While people usually study either t'ai chi or chi kung, I havestudied both almost from the beginning. For me the differences between the twoare more about nuances and points of emphasis. Like the Buddhist metaphor ofIndra's net, t'ai chi and chi kung are interrelated and yet each is unique.

Sixmonths after starting chi kung, I attended my first introductory class in Zenmeditation. My practice intensified over the years until, first, I received layordination, or jukai, in 1988, and then was ordained as a Zen priest in 1992.My sitting practice is the bedrock of my life and the ground from which many ofthe insights and perspectives in this book flow.

Oneof the reasons I initially began Zen practice was that I wanted to understandwhat the meditation in t'ai chi and chi kung was all about. As time wore on andmy practice matured, I gave up trying to understand or figure things out andjust continued my training. At the beginning I was searching, later my sittingpractice prepared me to stop looking and just try to stay more open andreceptive. From this well of not-knowing and not-planning, life happens. It isthe same source that nourishes our t'ai chi once we learn to stop building damsand just let the river flow.

Theonly island of peace in my life in those early days was the time each day thatI practiced t'ai chi. In those moments of quiet standing before beginning thesequence of movements that are the t'ai chi form something settled in me. Mysense of struggle that came from...

Produkt-Details

• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport ► Kampfsport / Selbstverteidigung
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft
• ISBN-10: 0-8348-2674-7 / 0834826747
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8348-2674-8 / 9780834826748