What You Plant Grows

Justin has often said that these are the beginning days of T’ai Chi Chih. Without preaching, he has given us some very important guidelines: Keep the movements pure. (The way he does the movements on his DVD is the gold standard. Is that something he needs to say?) We are not a subset of T’ai Chi Ch’uan for the simple reasons that we are not a martial art and our movements reflect an inner direction rather than outer. T’ai Chi Chih is not an exercise and yet it is the best exercise we can do. T’ai Chi Chih is not medicine, but if we come into balance through the movements, which will happen, we will have good health. T’ai Chi Chih allows us to share a way to balance and circulate the Chi, the Vital Force, but it is not for us to become wealthy, famous, or powerful. These things may come but this is not the purpose of T’ai Chi Chih.

It is on these simple but powerful thoughts that a new dynamic form (a form that has helped thousands) has been built. If Justin had only thought about what was good for himself, T’ai Chi Chih would never have grown the way it has. There were many times that it would have helped Justin to have a little more money, and as if to test him, money was offered, but he didn’t accept it. T’ai Chi Chih has grown because Justin was (and is) willing to think beyond what was (and is) immediately good for himself. Going beyond himself opened his Self and the whole movement to a growth that is exponential. The work is now ours to continue. Can and will we think globally rather than provincially? We must because it is our destiny. Short term and short sighted are not words for T’ai Chi Chih teachers or practitioners. Longevity and selflessness are our words.

To that end or beginning (depending on your point of view), we move forward. Keep in mind the purpose of T’ai Chi Chih and what we are trying to accomplish. I remember when I was very inspired by one of Justin’s talks at a T’ai Chi Chih conference and I asked for a copy of the talk. Justin asked me what I would do with it. I thought this was a strange question. Listen to it and learn, I thought. But Justin followed it up with, “Do you think this is just for you?” In that moment I was given an incredible gift, a cosmic jolt up the side of the head that opened my mind and my heart to the bigger picture. First, I made audio copies for others to share the gift. Then it became a booklet (Evolution Through Chi) with the help of Connie Hyde, Carolyn Shaw, and Doug Shilson. And later, because it was of value, others helped finance the project. This is what I mean by things growing exponentially. What starts in a seemingly a small way grows from a seed into a beautiful tree with strong and far-reaching branches. This is how we learn to love and share the Chi.