Context | ||
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Context
The situation in which something is located or operates has tremendous
bearing upon its nature. Meaning is determined by context.
Context is essential; it grounds a subject by its specificity - it binds and
knits together.
Framework
It is important to establish the context from the
onset. Context represents a framework for the
information that follows - a box within which subsequent
insights may be placed.
By establishing the context, your information
will be correctly associated.
Differences
The problem with context is that everybody has a
different life experience.
We have been educated differently and our upbringing,
opinions, memories and tastes colour our
perception of reality.
Establishing a base line for context can be quite a difficult task.
You need to pare the subject right down to the
essentials and make no assumptions concerning the
background and experience of the student.
Confusion
Context narrows down the field of study.
A statement such as "It is hot!"
has no meaning unless you can determine what
"it" is.
"It" might well be the weather, a
cup of green tea, a bath...
Or the speaker may be using slang to refer to
something they perceive as being impressive.
When the context is muddled, the
understanding becomes twisted.
Focus
With Sifu Waller's approach to tai chi the syllabus
is quite sophisticated.
It introduces a variety of fundamental tai chi
principles which enable the student to build the
appropriate foundation for the material to follow.
Students are invited to explore the principles solo and with a partner in order to better grasp the
significance of the insights.
By spending quite a lot of time working through the underlying material,
beginners develop the necessary context.
Instead of seeing tai chi in terms of karate, wing chun, kickboxing or ju
jitsu - they see tai chi in terms of the Tao.
Tao
Taoism is not a religion.
It is a form of physics, where the properties and
power of the natural world can be observed and understood.
We learn to move with the flow rather than against
it.
To use softness and allowing instead of force
and tension.
Perception
If you begin your tai chi training with the appropriate context, you cannot
go far astray:
Tai chi is a
martial art
- tai chi for health practice is
not authentic
- you must be capable of applying your
tai chi against a wide variety of
realistic attacks
- combat involves much more than
form applications and
pushing hands
Tai chi does not
use muscular tension and
locked joints
- it is a soft martial art
- the body remains loose and
free at all times
- a free body and mind are
spontaneous
- jing is employed rather than
force
Tai chi is about
'how' you use your body rather than 'what' you
do with it
- it is means, process-oriented
- the unique tai chi way of moving
the body is paramount
- everything stems from neigong
- 'form collecting' is
pointless; focus on the how rather than
the what
Tai chi follows
the principles observed by Taoism
- Taoism identified natural ways of doing
things and documented the benefits
- The Tai Chi Classics,
Tao Te Ching,
I Ching and many other books have
utilised this knowledge
- a keen grasp of the Tao and Zen is necessary
Tai chi is
more than simply an
exercise
- it is an attitude
- tai chi is an approach to living
This is where your context must
begin.
The farther you stray from these initial facts, the more twisted your
training will become.
In truth, these are not the only concerns, but they are a good place to
start.
Establish context.
Freedom in tai chi
A tai chi person has tremendous
liberty.
They can do whatever they want providing it adheres to the central
principles of tai chi.
Your tai chi must be performed within the context of the
key principles.
Providing you follow these criteria, the
character of your practice will be tai chi.
If you chose to move your arms independently of the torso, or employed
contracted musculature, you will have lost that
context and no longer be performing tai chi.
Seeing the false
In everyday life people identify with celebrities, media figures or even
individuals they encounter on the street or at work. They see what they want to see.
When you interact with somebody, are you seeing that person as they are or
do you have an image of them, an
impression?
The image we have in our heads is not
reality; it is often an idealised
perception of that person, a distorted view of
them.
Seeing the truth
Remember context.
It will help you to see the truth. To see things as they really are.
For example: The actor, celebrity, singer is simply a performance artist.
They are merely another person, just like you.
They eat, sleep, defecate, worry, live and die.
Money, popularity or talent does not make them any more or less significant
than anybody else.
And so he sets off on a path
to mysterious destinations. He does so in spite of observations by others
that such a way is naïve, outmoded or idealistic. He goes because he knows
others have gone before, because the unchanging direction of the Way
attracts and calls to him.
He goes because he is compelled. He sets out on a journey of a lifetime
because he senses that this way is the one to lead him to a place very much
worth the going.
(Dave Lowry)
Page created
18 March 1997
Last updated
25
May 2009
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