Chemical reactions, such as those which take place between the synapses, where individual nerve or brain cells interface, being physical processes, must take some time to achieve completion.
Thus thought, as a physical chemical event, takes time.
Waves traveling through a medium, on the other hand, may be seen to move much more quickly. This is perhaps the most salient difference between the mechanistic and the holistic description of the operation of any system.
The same interaction may be viewed as a material process or as energetic interaction. Each view may suggest different but equally useful insight into the nature of any process.
When studying a system such as a set of T’ai Chi interactions through each of these lenses, one may sometimes find that the intersection of these two views may hold the key to a very practical understanding that is not evident from one individual view or lens.
This may be described more simply as viewing the matter or the energy transactions.
A balanced equation requires only equivalence, and in T’ai Chi this is achieved by looking at both the parts and the motion as equivalent analogies.
Movement, or energy, and position of the body parts in balance, are thus energetic and material parts working together in balance.
As such, the dance of immediate awareness, sometimes described as mindfulness, is continually defined by this interaction in the present moment.
If these thoughts seem somewhat obtuse, please think of them as just some ramblings of a late night over active mind.
If, however, they draw the attention to possible states of awareness engendered by some of the meditative aspects of the practice of the form, then well and good!
I offer them with no intention other than to possibly awaken a creative spirit within our practice.
Alice and the White Queen
As the story goes, (As I remember it, perhaps not quite accurate in some details… from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), Alice comes upon the White Queen and the Queen is going “Ouch!” “Ouch!”.
Alice asks the White Queen, who is sewing, “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
And the Queen says “No, but I’m going to stick myself with a pin in five minutes, and Boy, is it going to hurt!”.
This may seem rather silly, but how often do we worry so much about that which hasn’t happened that we miss much that is special about the present moment!
Blessings to All,
Daniel
