Chi In Time or Timeless

Justin wrote in the February 2005 T’ai Chi Chih News: “Time is the great key, the maker of delusion. Without time there is no change and things are as they have always been.” The statement seems simple enough. Take away time and we have no change. What in the world does that mean because we do have time? Or do we? Is time a delusion that has been around for 4.543 billion years, since the beginning of our world?

Working with that concept can make us go nuts. But if we keep our feet and whole being planted firmly on the ground, it can open a window to answers about True Reality. Only later will we wonder if there is a door to walk through.

Much can be learned by exploring how we feel the Chi. Has it always been there? Is it in the movement or caused by the movement? How do we feel it? Some feel it from the first time they practice T’ai Chi Chih (TCC); they are aware of it and aware that they have done nothing to make it happen. Have you ever watched a baby in its crib before it has seen you in the room? Suddenly, its arms and fingers and sometimes its legs start moving as if it’s trying to catch something. The more it is aware of this unseen something, the more its whole body joins in the action. Often, I have seen a delightful smile on their face. Sometimes the action stops as quickly as it started, dismaying the baby. So, it looks for something else for entertainment. The love of a caretaker’s voice and the feel of the loving touch, which carries the Chi, soon reminds the baby that the Chi is always close at hand, a lesson worth remembering.

I have seen this same look on my students’ faces when they are feeling the Chi. It is clearly a joyful experience. Sometimes students see joyful smiles on other students’ faces. When I tell them that they have the same look, they are often surprised that others can see it. TCC is Joy Thru Movement. These benefits are life affirming and healing. In addition to coming to know true joy, we also learn to love and share the Chi.