Secret #11 - Relax (松), Real and False

Relax (松 - sung), what you understand by this?

Master Chow had always try to drill into us, real sung (松) in Taiji is to relax - lengthen the tendon. This is exactly what Master Chow say. It is relaxing the tendon, not the muscle. It is the tendon that stores the "potential" energy for your body acting as the bow.

無根樹 - 張三豐

 一
無根樹，花正幽，貪戀榮華誰肯休？浮生事，苦海舟，蕩去飄來不自由。
無岸無邊難泊繫，長在魚龍險處游。肯回首，是岸頭，莫待風波壞了舟。

二
無根樹，花正微，樹老重新接嫩枝。梅寄柳，桑接梨，傳與修真作樣兒。
自古神仙栽接法，人老原來有藥醫。訪名師，問方兒，下手速修猶太遲。

三
無根樹，花正青，花酒神仙古到今。煙花寨，酒肉林，不斷葷腥不犯淫。
犯淫喪失長生寶，酒肉穿腸道在心。打開門，說與君，無花無酒道不成。

四
無根樹，花正孤，借問陰陽得類無？雌雞蛋，難抱雛，背了陰陽造化爐。
女子無夫為怨女，男子無妻是曠夫。嘆迷徒，太模糊，靜坐孤修氣轉枯。

五
無根樹，花正偏，離了陰陽道不全。金隔木，汞離鉛，陽寡陰孤各一邊。
世上陰陽男配女，生子生孫代代傳。順為凡，逆為仙，只在中間顛倒顛。

六
無根樹，花正新，產在坤方坤是人。摘花戴，採花心，花蕊層層艷麗春。
時人不達花中理，一訣天機值萬金。借花名，作花身，句句敲爻說得真。

七
無根樹，花正繁，美貌嬌容賽粉團。防猿馬，劣更頑，掛起娘生鐵面顏。
提出青龍真寶劍，摘盡牆頭朵朵鮮。趁風帆，滿載還，怎肯空行過寶山。

八
無根樹，花正飛，謝了重開有定期。鉛花現，揆盡時，依舊西園花滿枝。
對月才經收拾去，又向朝陽掛衲衣。這玄機，世罕知，須共神仙仔細推。

九
無根樹，花正開，偃月爐中摘下來。延年壽，減病災，好結良朋備法財。
從茲可成天上寶，一任群迷笑我呆。勸賢才，休賣乖，不遇名師莫強猜。

十
無根樹，花正圓，結果收成滋味全。如朱橘，似彈丸，護守堤防莫放閑。
學些草木收頭法，復命歸根返本元。選靈地，結道庵，會合先天了大還。

十一
無根樹，花正亨，說到無根卻有根。三寸竅，二五精，天地交時萬物生，
日月交時寒暑順，男女交時孕始成。甚分明，說與君，猶恐相逢認不真。

十二
無根樹，花正佳，對景忘情玩月華。金精旺，耀眼花，莫在園中錯撿瓜。
五金八石皆為假，萬草千方總是差。金蛤蟆，玉老鴉，認得真時是作家。

十三
無根樹，花正多，遍地開時隔愛河。難攀折，怎奈何，步步行行龍虎窩。
採得黃花歸洞去，紫府提名永不磨。笑呵呵，白雲阿，準備天梯上大羅。

十四
無根樹，花正香，鉛鼎溫溫現寶光。金橋上，望曲江，月裡分明見太陽。
吞服烏肝並兔髓，換盡塵埃舊肚腸。名利場，恩愛鄉，再不回頭空自忙。

十五
無根樹，花正鮮，符火相煎汞與鉛。臨爐際，景現前，採取全憑度法鉛。
匠手高強牢把舵，一任洪波海底翻。過三關，透泥丸，早把通身九竅穿。

十六
無根樹，花正濃。任取真鉛正祖宗。精氣神，一鼎烹，女轉成男老變童。
欲向西方擒白虎，先往東家伏青龍。類相同，好用功，外藥通時內藥通。

十七
無根樹，花正嬌，天應星兮地應潮。屠龍劍，縛虎條，運轉天罡斡斗杓。
鍛鍊一爐真日月，掃盡三千六百條。步雲霄，任逍遙，罪垢凡塵一筆消。

十八
無根樹，花正高，海浪滔天月弄潮。銀河路，透九霄，搓影橫空泊斗梢。
摸著織女織機石，踏遍牛郎駕鵲橋。入仙曹，膽氣豪，盜得瑤池王母桃。

十九
無根樹，花正雙，龍虎登壇戰一場。鉛投汞，配陰陽，法象玄珠無價償。
此是家園真種子，返老還童壽命長。上天堂，極樂方，免得輪迴見閻王。

二十
無根樹，花正奇，月裡栽培片晌時。拿雲手，步雲梯，採取先天第一枝。
飲酒載花神氣爽，笑煞仙翁醉似泥。扥心知，謹護持，唯恐爐中火候飛。

二十一
無根樹，花正黃，產在中央戊己鄉。東家女，西舍郎，配合夫妻入洞房。
黃婆勸飲醍醐酒，每日薰蒸醉一場。這仙方，返魂漿，起死回生是藥王。

二十二
無根樹，花正明，月魄天心逼日魂。金烏髓，玉兔精，二物擒來一處烹。
陽火陰符分子午，沐浴加臨卯酉門。守黃庭，養谷神，男子懷胎笑煞人。

二十三
無根樹，花正紅，摘盡紅花一樹空。空即色，色即空，識破真空在色中。
了了真空色相滅，法相長存不落空。號圓通，稱大雄，九祖超生上九重。

二十四
無根樹，花正無，無相無形難畫圖。無名姓，卻聽呼，擒入中間造化爐。
運起舟天三昧火，鍛鍊真空返太無。謁仙都，受天符，才是男兒大丈夫。

Secret #10 - Keep your feet alive during pushing hand

We learned that when practicing Taiji, we need to differentiate the substantial and in-substantial (虚实分明). However, when we come to practice pushing hand, we always like to root out feet into the ground, giving us a sense of firmness.

Master Chow had explained to us during one of the session that rooting ourselves during pushing hand actually reduce our flexibility and restrict our reaction to opponent's force.

This require very quick changing of weight between the two legs, and at the same time, does not allow the chi to float up. (ie center of gravity remains low). All these can only be accomplished if you put in effort in the practicing the fundamentals.

Master Chow followup by demonstrating by moving a small step back or forward can bring absorb the opponent force or fa-jin. Timing is crucial, as a wrong timing means that you are giving the opponent the opening too. 

Secret #9 - Let go the ego

Let go the EGO

What is the EGO, the ego in this case is "not to lose". This is the natural instinct to use force against force. This is the instinct that tells you not to let other take advantage of you, or not to be push into a disadvantage position.

In the progress in learning Taiji, the most difficult part to archive is to let go of my ego, and no, I had not reach that stage yet. You may think that you had let go, but sub-consciously you had not, because this is the natural body behavior. 

As Master Chow, and many other Taiji masters, had mentioned, learn to lose.

Lose your strength and lose your ego. When you lose them, your real strength will come.

Secret #8 - 吞, 吐, 浮, 沉

吞, 吐, 浮, 沉 (Swallow, Spit, Float, Sink)

Last Sunday while practicing, Master Chow commented that our stances/form had no "intend".

Every stance should have an "intend", and each stance, in different situation may have different intend(s).

I used the word "intend" because I do not know of another word to use.

There are four major different "intend"(s), 吞, 吐, 浮, 沉 (Swallow, Spit, Float, Sink).

吞 (Swallow) - Swallow your opponent force

吐 (Spit) - Spit out your force (fa-jin)

浮 (Float) - Llift your opponent chi (raise the CG). The defense before the offense.

沉 (Sink) - Sink your chi (heavy hand)

Points to note:

- The intend(s) are never tie to the stance. Same stance may have different intend depending on situation

- Intend flow from one intend to another seamlessly, as the stance changes from one to another, or as situation changes

- Even during practice, the intend in the stance must be clear

Secret #7 - Fulcrum Point in Taiji

This week, Master Chow was talking about Fulcrum point in Taiji.

A fulcrum point is a fixed support point about which a lever pivots.

So how does this apply in Taiji.

Master Chow said that in Taiji, the fulcrum pt changes from stance to stance. Eg when 弓腿 the fulcrum is the front leg. When sit back, the fulcrum is the back leg. Even on the hand, the fulcrum can be at the wraist, elbow or shoulder etc depending on situation. 

Knowing the fulcrum point is not enough, the more important thing is that fulcrum is a FIXED (定) point. And the 弓腿 should happen only after the front leg is 定. By doing this, the chi will not be dissipated and focus in the proper direction.

When practising Taiji, be aware where is the fulcrum when changing stances and make sure the fulcrum point does not move.

Chanting OM, AH and HUM sound

Following post is by Master Chow

When we are born our 72,000 meridians are open up and functioned accordingly and efficiently. There is why the baby is serene and has a nice smell or fragrance oozing out from the body. The baby's body texture and skin are so smooth and beautiful. It is also soft and tender and nimble. 

As the baby grows up and is getting older, every day you find that two or more meridians began to close up. That is why we can not find an ugly girl in this world if she is 18 to 20 years old because the meridians are functioning efficiently.

As more and more meridians have closed up and not functioning, the person looks older and older each year. When we reach 50 years, all kinds of pain and aches will come along. Some of us are getting older much faster at younger age if we don't know how to take of our body and heart.
 

In order to activate and open the closed meridians, we need to chant the OM, or AH, or HUM sound every day, about 10 to 20 minutes in the morning and also before you sleep. And don't be too smart to chant all the sounds together. You need to practice it correctly to clear the blockages in your physical, emotional and mental body. Make sure that the vibration moves up from the base to the whole body and ends it on top of your head and out into the cosmic.
Not only it strengthens your immune system, it makes you look younger and also fortune will find it way to you. Good luck.

The Om sound which helps to open up 32 meridians to the crown chakra will help to open the space unlimited in your mind and enhance your wisdom.

The next mantra basic sound would be the 'AH' and the 'HUNG or HUM' sound. Using the same method of chanting the 'AH' sound by raising the vibration from the base chakra to the throat chakra, you can open the 16 meridians leading to the throat, You will find that you encounter less sickness and you will be become eloquent and you can speak and express more wisely; that means you will be become a good talker, a teacher who can propagate the dharma well and widely.

The Hung or Hum sound opens up 8 meridians to your heart chakra. When this is open up, you become compassion and have more loving-kindness . More joy and bliss will accompany you. You tend to be less dualistic when you look at things. You are more generous and helpful. In the case of having difficulties with someone or your boss in your company, if you send this Hung or Hum sound to them, and soon their attitude will change and will accept you more readily. This was taught to me by my master.