It was Gurdjieff who claimed that man is walking around asleep, only thinking he is awake. This is noted in the old Chinese story of the man who dreamed that he was a butterfly, and wondered if he was really a butterfly dreaming that he was a man. This is the essence of steps when one strives from Yoga to the Martial Arts.
There is a progression from the sleeping state to the waking state in this arrangement of discipline. Unfortunately, people don't really sees this progression, or, at best, they get stuck in one of the steps of the progression, and never truly awake. One should never be satisfied with one discipline...one should explore this progression fully that one might fully awake.
Starting with Zen meditation, one learns that they actualt exist. One merely sits in the same place, prone only to what they can observe, and to the fantasies of their mind. As time passes, however, fantasies become boring, and there is an awakening to what is obfuscated by the fantasies...reality.
Yoga is wonderful as second step, as it acclimates a person to a variety of positions and potentials. One should understand that as one analyzes their potentials, one is coming into their vision of the universe. Yes, you might clean out your kidneys, but your vision of what is real is what is at stake.
After Yoga--mind you, I am doing things backwards here, I usually prefer going with a hard art like Karate, but the progression I am offering lends itself to this modification--Tai Chi Chuan would be a wonderful third step. Tai Chi Chuan is nearly no motion, and the wonderous visions of Zen and Yoga slowly take shape, begin motion. The vast expanse of universe that is the human being begins to move like a massive locomotive.
After Tai Chi Chuan one could do another form of Wudan Martial Arts, like Pa Kua Chang. This would be more motion, more ways of visiting your vision upon the world, more ways of expanding your essence through the potentials of motion. One should realize, by this point, that they are a vision; that behind the Great Space that one is there is a viewpoint of it all: there is you, the I am.
Continuing our evolution, Shaolin Kung Fu rears its fascinating head. Now the motion is wilder, gyrating, but securing it all is the vision behind the Great Space of you. Now one resembles a sparkler in the night, carving arcs of geometry to illuminate the world.
And, we can continue our journey through a variety of martial arts, far beyond the mere desire to kill, far into the glorious essence of ourselves: the I ams of the universe. Mind you, as I said before, this progression is a bit backwards, usually people who are old will attempt this route, for their bodies are sedentary. But, old or young, we can all wake up: our bodies are the Universe; we are the I ams; there is a life to discover.
There is a progression from the sleeping state to the waking state in this arrangement of discipline. Unfortunately, people don't really sees this progression, or, at best, they get stuck in one of the steps of the progression, and never truly awake. One should never be satisfied with one discipline...one should explore this progression fully that one might fully awake.
Starting with Zen meditation, one learns that they actualt exist. One merely sits in the same place, prone only to what they can observe, and to the fantasies of their mind. As time passes, however, fantasies become boring, and there is an awakening to what is obfuscated by the fantasies...reality.
Yoga is wonderful as second step, as it acclimates a person to a variety of positions and potentials. One should understand that as one analyzes their potentials, one is coming into their vision of the universe. Yes, you might clean out your kidneys, but your vision of what is real is what is at stake.
After Yoga--mind you, I am doing things backwards here, I usually prefer going with a hard art like Karate, but the progression I am offering lends itself to this modification--Tai Chi Chuan would be a wonderful third step. Tai Chi Chuan is nearly no motion, and the wonderous visions of Zen and Yoga slowly take shape, begin motion. The vast expanse of universe that is the human being begins to move like a massive locomotive.
After Tai Chi Chuan one could do another form of Wudan Martial Arts, like Pa Kua Chang. This would be more motion, more ways of visiting your vision upon the world, more ways of expanding your essence through the potentials of motion. One should realize, by this point, that they are a vision; that behind the Great Space that one is there is a viewpoint of it all: there is you, the I am.
Continuing our evolution, Shaolin Kung Fu rears its fascinating head. Now the motion is wilder, gyrating, but securing it all is the vision behind the Great Space of you. Now one resembles a sparkler in the night, carving arcs of geometry to illuminate the world.
And, we can continue our journey through a variety of martial arts, far beyond the mere desire to kill, far into the glorious essence of ourselves: the I ams of the universe. Mind you, as I said before, this progression is a bit backwards, usually people who are old will attempt this route, for their bodies are sedentary. But, old or young, we can all wake up: our bodies are the Universe; we are the I ams; there is a life to discover.
About the Author:
What is your next step? Fill in the pieces that will wake you up and lead you to a new reality! Whether it is Yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, Shaolin Kung Fu, or some other art, head to Monster Martial Arts and arrange your journey! Pick up a free martial arts book at the top left of the home page.