Deepening Awareness

“The quiet meditation we enjoy immediately after T’ai Chi Chih practice, while our fingers, hands and being are still vibrating, is a way to retrace our steps to this One – that is, the Source” (pg. 97, T’ai Chi Chih Photo Text). Justin stresses the importance of getting the “small” mind out of the way during our TCC practice. An open, relaxed mind contributes to the relaxation of the body, and a relaxed body allows the Chi to flow freely. Realizing this, I use Justin’s writings in my classes to inspire students to enter a meditative state while practicing. In Zen Meditation (pg. 26-27), Justin says, “When the mind has become one pointed and fully concentrated, the great miracle may take place, the mind becomes no pointed – blissfully lost in the state of no thought.” In Heightened Awareness (pg. 58), Justin says, “Awareness is the mark by which we can judge the degree of progress one has made. Heightened awareness gradually becomes Universal Consciousness and we begin to get away from the self-centered concentration we had formerly known.”

As TCC teachers, not only can we introduce our students to this method of getting the “small mind” out of the way so as to enhance Chi flow, but also we can unveil to our intermediate students the process by which they can discover the answer to “who and what” they are. This is not an intellectual question that Justin asks; it is spiritual and reflects the very essence of TCC. “Those of you who’ve been with me in TCC have heard me say over and over, ‘Your task in this life is to find out who and what you are. You can’t find out what you are until you find out who you are.’” (Gateway To Eastern Philosophy and Religion, pg. 63).

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