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CULTIVATING THE MIND

Cultivating the mind

When we get caught up with literature and too much thinking, and marry ourselves to abstract concepts, we end up not understanding whatever it is we studying. Our lightbulb moments are switched off to further confusion. It is with actual practice and the feeling of the practice that we begin to understand and further practice as we further refine our skill and thus understanding.

In the martials arts community, concepts like “qi” or whatever concept, is theorised or thought of too much. Sometimes metaphors that were used back in the past are taken too literally. Because the exponent does not understand and thinks that by thinking of the concept over long periods of time, they will come to some form of understanding.

Even if their teachers says that they must practice instead, subconsciously because the way we have been educated in our classrooms. We seek knowledge by reading more and we think more; finally, our potential is never realised.

You often hear of baby steps, thinking this is doing things one step at a time. Could we be further wrong from the fact that a baby during its endeavour to learn how to walk, it falls and gets backs up. It continuously does so, until the baby can walk.

The key thing is that the baby just does, it does not plot, measure, and analyse on how to attain the aim of walking. And once it walks its continually does so, it until it masters it.

So, in martial arts concepts like “Sung” in Taiji Quan or any other concept, will only be understood as we do, feel, and then gain understanding. The more we do, the more time we invest do we then have results.

Many people do things and never admit it to themselves that they are overthinking, that they should just do. Their fear of failure is their worst enemy. So, with concepts like “qi” in a martial context. Just remember that what you ultimately cultivating is the mind. Its mental force that is increased and strengthened, it is not abstract ideas or your external; the ultimate is the mind. What can defeat a strong mind?

 

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