Stillness
Securing stillness of the in-breath builds strength. Securing humble restraint of the out-breath builds character. Not knowing allows purity.Dakkuan
Stretching is very, very important, because, not only does it help to prevent you from injury, but it also conditions and readys the muscles for excretion, growth and physical trauma. Stretching After strenuous activity not only strengthens and conditions the muscles further, but stretching lessens your body’s recovery time. … One of the Key proponents to getting and staying fit is understanding and utilizing your body’s recovery time (mental recovery time is something to explore when more advanced methods and exercises are introduced). After all, recovery time is what we Live for… (explanation- we don’t workout just for the act of working out. We do it so we feel good for the duration of the time when we are not working out.) In other words: any time you are not working out is “recovery time”. The amount of recovery time you take always determines your body’s needs in conjunction with your physical self expectations. Wake it, Breath it, Eat it, Sleep it, Live it; Be It!
Find it within culmination.
The first way to practice peace
is to breath it inwardly.
Second, breath it outwardly.
From there, you can exude peace.
Readily see it in others and their actions.
“When the outer self appears to be at peace,
the inner self is calm.
When the outer self is aggressive,
the inner self is defensive;
thus, make the outer self
and the inner self opposites
and both selves will become one.”
Yagyu Munenori
The beauty of not knowing neutralizes any commentary the ego might have.
Regulate the Breath.
Regulation of breath,
and success are attained
by diligent practice.
If development slows,
or if success is not attained,
Start with the breath.
No need to alter your muscular tension in reaction to the presence of other people.
Non-action and motion are integral.
You must practice peace diligently when your Kung Fu has become superior. There is a reason for peace.
The chronic muscular tension that is “you” is a mixture of your expectations with the presumptions you decide to think other people think of you.
“When profound, open clarity has no change and is consistent at all times, only then can you be at peace. “
(translated by Thomas Cleary)
When your practice of the way has melted into your practice of the way, no further effort is needed. But further study is naturally required in order to advance towards being no different.
Immersed myself away from society.
In what, I will not tell you.
Training under water helps technique,
strength and breath control.
Directly after water forms,
practicing solid stance
becomes a timely experiment.
Do nothing in the midst of adversity to allow your training and instinct to engage. Intervene when focus is skewed.
The beauty of not knowing neutralizes any commentary the ego might have.
Prefer what is within as opposed to what is without.
Zen Story
A monk was being chased by a ferocious tiger through the forest. When be came to the edge of a cliff, he stopped. As the tiger quickly approached, he pondered if he should wait to be killed and eaten by the tiger, or to jump to certain death. Just before the tiger reached him, he jumped. As he fell, he reached out and latched onto a tree branch which broke his fall. He looked up at the tiger who was waiting at the top to kill him. And he looked down at the long fall to his death. At that moment, he noticed a strawberry growing out of the side of the cliff in front of his face. He plucked it and smelled it. He looked up at the hungry tiger and back down at the ground, then ate the strawberry. It was the sweetest strawberry he’d ever tasted!
From Alan Watts
When asked to answer a Koan, a young monk bought back a frog to his master. (Frogs are tame in that country; people don’t eat them.). When the monk presented the frog as an answer to the Koan, the Master shook his head and said, “No… No. Too contrived.”A zen story
Let the mind be like water and your thoughts like driftwood. No resistance.Dakkuan