Justin Stone Speaks on T’ai Chi Chih (May 2012 Memorial Issue)

Building a silent and imperturbable Center while active in the disappointments and triumphs of our busy lives – this is real fulfillment.

It is not meditation, though it seems to bring the serenity of the most successful meditation.

The tan t’ien, the spot two inches below the navel, is the all-important place Chi is stored. It is the seat of intuition and the most important spot from the Chinese standpoint.

The Buddha once said, ‘He who keeps his concentration in the soles of the feet while walking, while sitting and while lying down can heal a thousand illnesses.’

My deepest gratitude to Justin for the incredible transformation and empowerment “tool” of T’ai Chi Chih for us as individuals and as parts of the organic TCC community. Me ke aloha pumehana no.

– Hannah Hedrick, Mountain View, HI

The world is a better place for Justin to have been here. He will be missed, but he is in our hearts forever.

– Sharon Cushman, Keaau, HI

I have never felt a closer bond with you than I do at this time of Justin’s passing into new life. I was in Atlanta, Georgia, co-chairing an international grief conference when I got the news. I couldn’t process it at first but now that I am home, it is reality.

I never got to meet Justin, but then again, of course I did through his life’s work. I know him by his deeds, his works, his words. I know him from studying his books and having many “ah-ha” moments. Each time I practice, I pray I do justice to him. The practice has been the connection with him and with all of you, and I am so grateful to say it is alive and well and getting stronger. T’ai Chi Chih is one of the most life affirming and life-giving things I do for myself and for my students. His spirit is now free to be with all of us. I feel humble and thankful to be a teacher of TCC.

– Becky Watkins, Alexandria, LA

As I begin my T’ai Chi Chih practice I feel a smile in my peripheral vision. Who is there? I am alone. Shrugging my shoulders, I begin, thinking it must be my imagination. Soon the movements are flowing and my mind has stilled. I sense the smile again a little brighter, a little larger, and I realize it is Justin smiling at my practice. As I dance through the movements with softness and continuity, his smile grows until I reach the end and rest in Cosmic Consciousness – when his smile lights his whole face. Justin’s smile tells me: welcome to the Joy. I finish knowing that I must share his smile with others.

– Steve Wornoff