Breaking the Gate of Mystery

 Nature must be enlightened, life must be preserved.

Don't rush, let the fire burn slowly.

Close your eyes and look at your heart of life,..

Let the mind be still, and life be strong.

Let tranquility and spontaneity be the source.

In a hundred days you will see a result:

....

The beauty is boundless and inexplicable, 

All over thebody, vital energy rises.

Who can know such a marvellous experience? 

It's like a dumb person having a beautiful dream.

The spirit radiates throughout 3000 worlds...

In neboulous mixture everything is empty,

The infinite phenomena are all here. 

Marveloous in its mystery, mysterious in its marvel.

All phenomena are born in the union of heaven and earth.

When ultimate reality reveals dualism disappears. 

Now I realize all religions are the same!

Eat when hungry, sleep when tired,

Offer a joss stick [incense]and practice meditation.

The great Tao is just before your eyes.

If you are deluded, you will miss the chance.

....

Breaking the gate of mystery to reach the marvellous.

From the "Song of Silent Sitting" in The Secret of Training the Internal Elixer in the Tai Chi Art by 13th century Taoist priest Master Zhang San Feng (Chan San Fong). He is said to be the father of Tai Chi, changing his hard Shaolin practice of Kung Fu into the softer style later called Tai Chi.

Hmm! This is what I believe I seek from Tai Chi and from yoga. Sure the physical benefits of  these practices are great. By combining Hatha with  24 Yang Style and Tai Chi walking, I feel like I am toning up muscles I never knew I had...and one doesn't feel the "exertion", one might feel, say, at the gym. What I really want from both practices, however, goes beyond the physical. It is the ability to relax into what Life offers, observe it clearly, learn what I need to learn, and then flow with it.  I also want to experience, at least to a small extent: 

The beauty is boundless and inexplicable, All over thebody, vital energy rises. Who can know such a marvellous experience? It's like a dumb person having a beautiful dream.

I want to feel that energy rising in me.

I think the "dumb" here might have two meanings. Well, at least it does for me. Firstly, it refers to the "non-speaking" nature of the experience.  It cannot be conceptualized or verbalized within the framework of human language.  Secondly ...it is like being dumb in the form of "not knowing anything" and suddenly knowing so much at the experiential level. The experience is open for those who can put away their "dogma, doctrine, preconceived ideas of reality" etc. 

Exerpts for the beautiful song provide both the philosophy behind it, and the method required to attain the highest goal in Tai Chi.

The highest goal is the same as the one in Yoga...as the one in most spiritual practices...as the one in all religions.

Now I realize all religions are the same!

Now, though I do not seek samadhi, it would be cool to even for a second break through the gate of mystery for the marvellous! Don't you think? 

How do we do that?

The author encourages meditation. If we do not take the chance to look inward instead of outward as our delusions lead us to do...we might miss the great mystery of the Tao.

All is well 

Wong Kiew Kit (2016) Chapter Three/The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chaun ( Revised Edition) Cosmos/ Kindle Edition.