The Razor’s Edge & The Effort of No Effort

HYPERLINK “https://taichichih.org/teacher/daniel-pienciak/” https://taichichih.org/teacher/daniel-pienciak/

“Softness means letting go” is a well-known and oft-repeated statement in T’ai Chi Chih practice. True softness can be elusive, and true letting go can seem difficult. My first experience of feeling true softness in TCC came after several years of persistent practice. But so it was in obtaining a smooth shave with an electric razor!

When I first began wearing a beard, I gave up cuts, scrapes, bleeding and irritation. I had no idea that there is an art to using an electric razor successfully. The key is in letting go of any effort. If one pushes with pressure and rushes to get it done, it takes twice as long and the results are poor. If the machine is allowed to glide effortlessly without any pressure, very slowly over the skin, the machine does its job easily and effectively. The results are softness and smoothness. It is an effort of no effort that requires only practice and patience, and a well-charged battery.

This seems a good analogy for TCC practice:

Be sure that the battery (tan t’ien) is well-charged by doing a long set of Rocking Motion. I often do 27 or 36, moving slowly and being aware of letting go more and more with each repetition, while sinking into the soles of the feet.

I use the massages and preliminaries of the maximum Chi program from Seijaku often, as well as the Jing. It behooves serious T’ai Chi Chih students and all teachers to study and practice Seijaku to keep the battery charged as much as possible.

If there is a time limitation, ten minutes of less is more, going slowly and really letting go. It’s worth far more than 25 minutes of rushing to get it all in, or get it done. (However, there is no replacing the benefit of a complete practice of all the movements done carefully and without rushing.)

Always be aware of no effort in the upper body. Surrender the body weight to the feet, so that the upper body can relax and let go. Discover the effort of no effort.