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Thank you sije Erica for your answer above to my previous question.
Another one I hope to add to my list some day (given current topical subjects ) is Small Universe Big Universe
However, I am in no hurry for this gem as I am currently enjoying so much my Lifting the Sky, Golden Bridge, Pushing Mountains and 1 Finger Shooting Zen
I got on my bicycle today to ride into town. It’s raining fairly hard and I find myself tensing up as the rain hits my face and soaks into my socks. I start to feel that something is wrong. And something is wrong. I’m forgetting to smile!
So I go to my dantian and smile from my heart. I feel the tension start to release as a smile comes to my face. Suddenly I notice how pleasantly warm it is, and how good it feels to have little drops of rain cooling my face. I go deeper into my dantian, deeper into the joy.
I remember how as a child, I used to love playing outside on rainy days. I pull the hat off of my raincoat to let the rain hit my head. I’m smiling from ear to ear, and I begin to pedal faster. I start racing with the cars on the street next to me. They get stuck in traffic so I’m winning.
It’s raining and my head, hands, and feet are soaked. Something tells me that I shouldn’t be as happy as I am. I laugh at that thought and let it go.
Then I remember: This is my training. My training is finding joy in life. After years of collegiate track and field, it was hard for me to imagine that training—serious training—could be anything other than pain and pushing through pain and being in pain the next day. Now my training is to find joy and peace in every moment of my life. “This is too good to be true,” I think, then smile and let the resistance pass.
Finally making it into town, I get off my bike and walk in the store to meet my friend. “You’re all wet!” She says. “Are you ok? You’ll catch a cold! Terrible weather today, isn’t it?”
Here is a little something more for those who are reading but have yet to get wet,sit down in quite peaceful place...gather your thoughts...focus gently on your breath...imagine your breath is like the tide on a lazy summers day it gently rolls up the beach this is your gentle inbreath ...then rolls back down to the sea this is your outbreath...after a minute or so of gentle breathing breathe in and say the word Peace in your mind,breathe out and say the word Freedom,let each breath in and each breath out be slow and gentle go at your own pace...say the words silently !then just lay on your back and say the word R-E-L-A-X....in your mind...and do that by now if you have done all above you should be immersed in peace.....Happy Thoughts hugs and smiles all round.
No matter how busy or how long my day has been, I always look forward to returning to 2 activities: a) chi kung b) stance training.
I am sure that many of you have experience the "subtle joys" of stance training already, but I would like to highlight how simple activities like chi kung or stance training can shift the colour of an entire day from blue to bright gold - just like that!
Thank you my wonderful sister Emiko for triggering another progress in my understanding.
To my Family, please accept the following words from your humble fellow.
When life's wheel is turning faster and faster and faster,
when you are asking too much of yourself,
when others are asking too much of yourself,
when you have the feeling that you are losing control,
when your mind is caught up in the prison of emotions,
when the joys of the present moment are lost in the sea of regrets for the past and fears for the future,
when you start to feel tension or anger for not possessing the things you would like, whilst forgetting to be grateful for what you already have,
then it is time to take a step back, ponder life, and return to the essence of life.
What is the esence of life? The essential.
What is the essential? Whatever brings real Joy, real Freedom and heart Happiness to us and our surroundings.
It is so true that Qigong and Zhan Zhuang are miraculous stepping stones for us to reach/go back to the Essential.
Their practice will enrich the lives of those who have already achieve a good foundation in their social life.
And the practice will both save and help those who have just started or are still struggling in their social life.
Personnally, I just love Zhan Zhuang (obviously, Shaolin Cosmos Qigong also). It has helped me to find strength in my daily life, to enjoy even difficult tasks, to settle my scattered mind, to open my heart and to bring purpose for my future. Thus I am more calm, more patient, more clear minded, more open, stronger yet lighter.
In other words, returning to those exercises is returning to the essence of life, which is peace, calmness, joy and freedom, happiness. It is returning to the Essential.
Therefore, it can help everyone of us to excel in the Art of Happiness.
Thank you Sifu for sharing with us the beauties of the Shaolin Arts.
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful posts on this thread! Indeed, training while smiling from the heart has the power to turn any amount of negativity around.
Another invaluable 'tool' to turn negativity into a smile is to practice saying 'thank you' whenever someone bumps into you (be it a literal, physical bump, or a figurative, mental bump). Sifu Emiko was generous to share this wonderful insight with Shaolin Wahnam Japan last December. I am glad to have learned how to use this tool and am happy to pass it on!
When someone bumps into us on a crowded street, or cuts us off on a busy road, we often have a tendency to tense up and feel anger towards that person. By immediately saying "thank you" with a smile from the heart, we can instantly release all that tension and negativity, and remember that there is no need to let a little 'bump' make us unhappy--even for a second. The 'thank you' doesn't need to be out loud, of course, but it should be sincere.
Taken a step further, this can be applied when someone says something rude or unthoughtful. These are emotional 'bumps' that often result in unhappy feelings if not released properly. By saying thank you with a smile from the heart, all the negativity from the rude comment dissipates and becomes pure joy.
In fact, these 'bumps' can even be opportunities! If we feel tension or anger when someone bumps into us, we know that we are not truly smiling from the heart...so the bump gives us an insight into our state and reminds us to smile!
Yo, great link Chiahua. Maxime, that video of the cat giving the massage was pretty ridiculous (in the good way ). Here are a few things that open my heart the most:
Reuniting with my distant family
Lying in the grass in the spring and doing nothing
Connecting with the people I'm making music with
Realizing I've made significant progress in the Shaolin arts and my personal wellbeing
Praying to Guan Yin
Walking on the beach
etc. etc. etc.
I guess mostly I'm glad that I'm able to recognize the endless joys that I have in my life, instead of taking the popular route of seeing the negatives. Mazel Tov!
I've been practising the bump-thankyou technique. It really works well! Thank you Emico and Erica. I'm passing it on to my friends
Best wishes,
Jim.
I am too, but it's not doing much good for my road-rage
In all seriousness, I'm trying to practice taking a breath and relaxing behind the wheel, since I tend to get "frustrated" with other drivers on the road.
Jim and Chiahua,
I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying the 'bump-thank you' technique! As for road rage, I'm sure it will eventually help once the 'bump-thank you' starts to become second nature.
Another technique for road-rage:
Whenever someone does something that frustrates you on the road, ask yourself, "Have I ever done something like that before?"
So if someone cuts you off, "Have I ever cut someone off before?"
If someone drives really slow in front of you, blocking your way: "Have I ever been lost and slowed down to figure out my location (even though there were cars behind me)?"
If some young adult does something dangerous: "Have I ever been an unexperienced driver and made mistakes?"
Asking questions like this while smiling from the heart will surely help us to accept and even smile at other people's mistakes (as well as our own mistakes) on the road.
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