Tai Chi

All posts tagged Tai Chi

Words of Wisdom

Published 08/11/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Knowing others is to be clever.
Knowing yourself is to be enlightened.
Overcoming others requires force.
Overcoming yourself requires strength.

Lao Tzu

A Person of high virtue is not conscious of virtue
and therefore possesses virtue.
A person of little virtue tries to be virtuous and
therefore lacks virtue.

Lao Tzu

Those who look only at themselves see little.
Those who justify themselves are not distinguished.
Those who brag have no merit.
The work of prideful people will not endure.

Lao Tzu

When desires are restrained there will be peace,
and then all under heaven will be at rest.

Lao Tzu

Everyone Welcome

Published 04/11/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

THE PAST IS ALREADY GONE,
THE FUTURE IS NOT YET HERE.
THERE’S ONLY ONE MOMENT
FOR YOU TO LIVE,
AND THAT IS THE PRESENT
MOMENT.

BUDDAH

Namaste

Mark

Buddhist Parables

Published 02/11/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

 

via Buddhist Parables.

Stop, Listen, Smell and Feel.

Published 01/11/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

 

The sun is shining brightly, the sky is clear and blue, it’s a beautiful morning here in Shanghai. I can hear the sounds of children laughing as they play in the kindergarten below, the distant hum of cars travelling on to their destinations and the birds singing in the trees.

Oh I have so much to be grateful for, my life is filled with love from family and friends, I live with joy happiness and peace, so why do we allow our Ego’s (our inner voices) to take control of our lives?

‘This is bad, he/she is bad, don’t do that, don’t go there, I hate this or that, rushing here, rushing there, never stopping to take time out and look at what is all around us, taking a moment to feel the breeze on our face, the warmth of the sun on our skin, to touch and feel the delicate texture of flowers, trees or grass.

Stop! Take five minutes to look, listen, smell and to feel…

Take a look at the faces around you, what do you see? Some faces are filled with happiness, love, joy and peace, smiling faces, they exude happiness in their voices as they speak, they take the time to interact with others, to communicate and enjoy their day, that moment in time because it’s special and it will never be repeated….
While others have a stern look, furrowed brows, contempt and anger in their eyes and mistrust for everyone they meet, they rush here and there, barging into people as they go, without a care in the world!…..

Which do you prefer?…It’s your choice, you are in control of your life, your future and your destiny…. Choose a life of love, compassion and happiness, a life of joy, of communication, live in the moment and enjoy everything that comes to you for what it is…a gift from a higher place, from your God.

Start today with a smile, greet your day with thanks, be grateful for what you have and start living your life to the full.

☺

Namaste

Mark

Meditation is Relaxing

Published 01/11/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Meditation is Relaxing.

Meditation is great for you, it’s easy to do so give it a try 🙂

Namaste

Mark

The Tao’s Mysterious Quality

Published 31/10/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

When the intelligent and animal souls are held together
in one embrace, they can be kept from separating.
When one gives undivided attention to the vital breath,
and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can
become as a tender babe.
When he has cleansed away the most mysterious sights of
his imagination, he can become without a flaw.
In loving the people and ruling the state, cannot he proceed
without any purpose of action?
In the opening and shutting of his gates of heaven, cannot he
do so as a female bird?
While his intelligence reaches in every direction, cannot he
appear to be without knowledge?
The Tao produces all things and nourishes them;
it produces them and does not claim them as its own;
it does all, and yet does not boast of it; it presides over all,
and yet does not control them.
This is what is called the mysterious quality of the Tao.

Lao Tzu

Namaste

Mark

Life

Published 29/10/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Life is a series of
natural and spontaneous
changes.
Don’t resist them – that
only creates sorrow.
Let reality be reality.
Let things flow naturally forward
in whatever way they like.

Common Sense

Published 28/10/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Beleive nothing, no matter where you read it,
or who said it, no matter if I have said it,
unless it agrees with your own reason and
you own common sense.

Buddha

Do not beleive what
your teacher tells
you merely out of
respect for the teacher.

Buddha

Words have the
power to both
destroy and heal.
When words are both
true and kind, they
can change the
world.

Buddha

The Prayer

Published 26/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Once upon a time in Ancient China, the Emperor told his ministers that he wished to visit a temple to offer his prayers to the Buddha.
One of the ministers, who was particularly adept at flattery, said, “Your Majesty does not need to visit the temple.”
“Is that so?” The Emperor was surprised at being contradicted. “Why not?”
The minister bowed deeply..”The essence of the Buddha is the compassionate heart. Your Majesty is constantly worried about the common people out of pure compassion. Therefore, Your Majesty is already a living Buddha and does not need to visit the temple.”
“Interesting.” Said the Emperor. “That reminds me of a story. Let me share it with you. It goes like this.
“There was a devout Buddhist who had only one wish for life, and that was to see the Guan Yin Bodhisattva. He travelled to many places and studied many sutras, looking for a way to find her.
“After years of effort, he finally succeeded. At a holy place far from home, the Bodhisttva appeared before him in a blaze of heavenly glory. He fell to his knees in awe.
“Guan Yin asked him. “Why have you come such a long way to look for me?”
”The man said. “Merciful Guan Yin, I only wish to ask you a question.”
“Very well,’ Guan Yin said. ‘Go ahead and ask.’
“When I am in trouble, I pray to you and ask you for help. Do you also pray when you feel troubled?’
“Yes, Guan Yin replied.
“To whom do you pray?’
“I pray to the Guan Yin Bodhisattva.’
“But…you are the Guan Yin Bodhisttava! Why do you pray to yourself?’
“Because it is better to ask yourself for help than to ask someone else,’ said Guan Yin with a smile. Then, she disappeared in a blaze of heavenly glory.
“What I have learned from this story,” said the Emperor to his ministers. “is that the Buddha lives in our heart. When we go to the temple we pray, we are in fact praying to ourselves and asking ourselves for help. That is why I shall override your objection and proceed to the temple today.”

The Emperor was very wise in not letting the ministers feed his ego. Because ancient Emperors wielded absolute power, they tended to be surrounded by sycophants. Many Emperors could be swayed by skillful and lavish prais, but this particular Emperor had enough self-awareness to guard against it. He did not let his ego gain control. Such Emperors were few and far in between.
The Emperor touched on a universal truth. The Buddha is a human being who becomes enlightened. Therefore, the potential for Buddahood exists in all human hearts. If it was true for the minister to point to the Buddha in the Emperor, then the same was also true for the minister and everyone else. We will all become Buddha’s in the future- it isn’t a matter of if, but when.

Namaste

Mark

Right Thought

Published 25/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Right Thought

Brothers, practice Right Thought.
Right Thought consists of thought in which there is neither confusion nor distraction, neither anger or hate, neither desire nor lust. ( Vinayapitaka, Vibhanga Sutta )
Brothers, Right Thought consists of thought in which there is universal love. ( Suttapitaka, Majjhima-Nikaya, Piyajatika Sutta )

But what is Right Thought in concrete terms?
Obviously, a thought in which there is no suffering.
And what constitutes suffering, in our thought?
As the Buddha said: confusion, distraction, anger, hate, desire and lust.
We need to eliminate them.
But how?

Brothers, confusion and distraction, anger and hate, desire and lust can be overcome by practicing the Four Contemplations.

To overcome the confusion and distraction, practice the contemplation of breathing: it will clear your mind and increase the power of your concentration.
To overcome anger and hate, practice the contemplation of compassion: it will throw light on the causes of the anger and hate present in your mind and in the minds of those who have aroused them in you.
To overcome desire, practice the contemplation of impermanence: it will throw light on the beginning and end of all things.
To overcome lust, practice the contemplation of death: it will throw light on the decay of things. ( Vinayapitaka, Vibhanga Sutta )

Confusion, distraction, anger, hate, desire and lust obviously constitute negative thought.
But it is not enough to eliminate negative thought.
We must also construct positive thought.
What are positive thoughts?

Loving kindness, compassion, shared joy and non-attachment are wonderful, profound mental states.
By practicing them, you will become a source of vitality and happiness for all creatures. (Suttapitaka, Majjhima-Nikaya, Cularahulovada Sutta)

In a word Positive thought.

Right Thought therefore consists of the systematic elimination of negative thought and the systematic construction of positive thought.

Right Thought consists of the elimination of Negative thought and the construction of positive thought.

Learning

Published 24/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

He who devotes himself to learning seeks from day to day to increase his knowledge;
he who devotes himself to the Tao seeks from day to day to diminish his doing.
He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing on purpose.
Having arrived at this point of non-action, there is nothing which he does not do.
He who gets as his own all under heaven does so by giving himself no trouble with that end.
If one takes trouble with that end, he is not equal to getting as his own all under heaven.

Lao Tzu

Aura Drawing

Published 23/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Hi Everyone,

These past two days have been fantastic for me as they have enabled me to shed even more light and clarity into my spiritual pathway. On Friday I met with a wonderful Japanese Clairvoyant illustrator and artist Ms. Nami Himuro. Being gifted from an early age, Nami is able to see within your Aura and clearly see your Spiritual Guides, Angels and Guardians and immediately put this image on paper for you to see and understand. Nami can access through different angles and channels how your past lives have been, what is happening in this life-time now and what to expect in the near future, lessons to learn , messages from your ancestors and Karma you may have inherited. She can easily do this through her illustrations and make it easy for you to understand.

Nami is well-known in Japan and her hands move at lightning speed continuously to finish her illustrations. She has published many of her works as “MANGA” (cartoons) and illustrations and is in big demand in Japan for her clairvoyant advice. My session with Nami was incredible, she aligned and confirmed what I have been told by many spiritualists and clairvoyants whom I have met during the past year and provided me with messages directly from my Spiritual Guides  and Angels that are with me today. I won’t go into great detail of what my guides and angels said to me but it is fantastic news and certainly clarifies my next steps. I would however like to share with you a copy of my Aura Drawing so you can see what Nami saw during our session..

 

Then on Saturday I took part in a Light Activation Session with a wonderful lady Shanta Gabriel. Shanta is an inspired teacher and visionary mystic whose work with the Angelic Dimensions has spanned over 20 years. She is also the author of The Gabriel Messages and The Gabriel Message Cards.. Visit the new Resources page of her website: http://www.TheGabrielMessages.com/Resources to see the new online version of The Gabriel Messages Book and Cards. You can also find the powerful first phase of her timely 7-session teleclass, Evolution of Consciousness 2012.

Shanta connected me to my Guides and Angels, confirmed all that transpired in my Aura Drawing session with Nami the day before, cleansed my body with a crystal light wand, aligned my Chakras and took me to my ‘Garden of Devine Light’ that was extremely important to me because I will be able to recall that space in my being and go into that place again in all my future meditations.

Endless Love and Light

Namaste

Mark

Paradise not Lost

Published 22/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Open your eyes to the true beauty that Mother Nature has to offer! See the richness of color from the Azure Blue Pacific Ocean to the whiteness of the clouds and the lush greens from the palms of the coconut tree, what’s not to love? I can feel the warm breeze on my face, smell the intoxicatingly sweet scents from the Coconuts and Fairmont Orchids and taste the salt in the air from the ocean spray as the droplets are carried far and wide in the wind.
Hawaii, a beautiful place, a spiritual place..Paradise on Earth!
Let’s work together as one and protect this beauty for all generations to come…Please don’t let it fade away!
Namaste
Mark

Observations

Published 19/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

The ancients first began accumulating wisdom when they came upon the idea that one could be the observer. They would watch the way things worked without prejudgment. They did this not only with nature, but also with human interactions.

The more they watched, the more they recognized patterns in everything. In Nature, they began to understand the cycles of life. Among people, they saw actions and reactions, relationships and conflicts. They began to record their insights about these patterns, and their writings were collected in ancient classics like the I Ching.

One interesting benefit of being the observer is the clarity that comes to play. When you look at an event with impartial detachment, you can see far more than the people who are in the thick of it. They have a limited view of what is in front of them instead of an expanded view that takes everything around them into account. Detached observation is what gives sages the clarity to solve seemingly impossible problems; they watch and understand before deciding on a course of action.

Practice being the observer. Watch yourself go through your activities today as if you were watching a movie. If you are driving and someone cuts you off, take a step back mentally and watch how you react, and notice how you deal with road rage much more easily in this frame of mind.

Derek Lin

Namaste

Mark

Valuable Resources

Published 17/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

The all-encompassing Tao includes all of us, the good as well as the bad. It is easy for most of us to embrace the good, but how can we embrace the bad when we want to distance ourselves from them?

Some may suggest that this is a distinction between good and bad in the Tao, but this is not quite correct. The actual teachings are quite specific about this, and instruct us to approach the two sides differently.

Chapter 27 of the Tao Te Ching tells us to regard the good people as models to emulate. It also tells us that those who lack the wisdom to handle life skillfully are demonstrations of what to avoid. There is always something we can learn from them, so they are our resources. In that sense, they are no less valuable than the good people who are our teachers.

Identify the resources in your life and consider specific ways they serve as counterexamples. Do they treat others poorly? Are they inconsistent in what they say and do? Do they have trouble facing the frustrations in life? For every area where they lack skills and wisdom, think about how you would handle the same thing with greater composure and effectiveness.

Derek Lin

Namaste

Mark

The Five Elements

Published 15/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

The Five Elements

The five elements of the ancient Chinese are metal, wood, water, fire and earth. These elements interact with one another i8n specific and fascinating ways. For instance, when we burn logs, we can see that wood produces fire. When the fire burns out and only ash remains, we say that fire produces earth. When we think about a mining operation, we say that earth produces metal. When water condenses on a metallic surface, we say that metal gives rise to water. Finally, when we onserve trees requiring water to grow, we say that water gives rise to wood. This completes tyhe cycle.
In Chinese culture, people apply the five elements to everything from acupuncture, medicine and feng shui to human reactions. They illustrate the cyclical nature of the world and our dealings with one another. They also give us a glimpse into the workings of karmic connections.Why is it that some people benefit you but not others? Why is it that a friend of a friend may be someone you do not particularly like? The five elements can give you insights into various life situations.

Five Chinese Elements - Diurnal Cycle

Five Chinese Elements – Diurnal Cycle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Think about your nature. Which element best describes your primary mode of being? Are you down-to- earth? Do you have a fiery temper? Are you nurturing like water? Do you possess a steely resolve? Are you in tune with nature like wood? Think about the people who have always been good to you, and match their nature to the element that is beneficial to yours. Let the five elements help you find the harmonious optimum in your relationships.

Derek Lin

Namaste

Mark

Morning Prayers

Published 13/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Firmness is incomplete
Without softness to receive it.
Embrace these two,
And a child is formed,
Perfect, innocent, and free.

Give to the day
Receive from the night;
Honor these two,
Become the ritual of life.

Live your highest aspirations
In an unassuming way:
Cupped hands at the crystal spring.

Be the lump of clay
And the sculptor too:
A universe of unlimited potential.

Haven tevino

Namaste

Mark

The Taoist Way

Published 12/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Taoism, along with Confucianism and Buddhism, is one of the three great religions of China. The founder of Taoism is beleived to have been Lao-Tsu 老子(604-531 BC), he was also the author of the Tao-te-Ching. His association with the Tào Té Chīng has led him to be traditionally considered the founder of philosophical Taoism (pronounced as “Daoism”). He is also revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoist philosophy, which often refers to Laozi as Taishang Laojun, or “One of the Three Pure Ones”.

According to Chinese traditions, Laozi lived in the 6th century BCE. Some historians contend that he actually lived in the 5th-4th century BCE, concurrent with the Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Period, while some others argue that Laozi is a synthesis of multiple historical figures or that he is a mythical figure.

A central figure in Chinese culture, both nobility and common people claim Laozi in their lineage. He was honored as an ancestor of the Tang imperial family, and was granted the title Táishāng xuānyuán huángdì, meaning “Supreme Mysterious and Primordial Emperor”. Throughout history, Laozi’s work has been embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.

Lao-Tsu created a philosposhy and way of life that is peaceful and in harmony with nature. Taoism has influenced acupuncture, holistic medicine and martial arts such as Tai Chi and Chi Kung. The Yin/Yang is a well known Taoist symbol showing two curved shapes within a circle, one black and one white, each containing part of the other.

It symbolises any two dualistic forces, such as light and dark, male and female.

Meditation.

Practice this form of meditation when you feel you need to be more connected and in harmony with nature.

1) Sit or stand near a river or stream at a spot where you can be quiet and undisturbed. Breathe deeply for a few minutes to quieten and center your mind.

2) Notice how the water flows over and around the rocks or tree roots. Contenplate how life is more harmonious when you do not resist it or go against it.

The Taoist term Wu-Wei means ‘Not Forcing’, it means going with the flow or swimming with the current rather than against it. It means not winning in order to achieve higher goals.

3) Contemplate how you feel when trying to force an issue or make something happen according to your wishes. Even if you do get your way, how do you feel being in conflict and competition with others? Was that the best approach for all involved?

4) Wu-Wei is an approach to life in which you observe the flow of energy and human behaviour and choose the most harmonious way of dealing with it. Observe the stream and how water flows by choosing the path of least resistance. How can you use this wisdom of nature to make your life and the lives of those around you more peaceful and harmonious?

Namaste

Mark

Consciousness and Love

Published 11/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

You, wayfarer in the universe
who go through life like a meteor,
make sure your fall into the void is not in vain
do not go straight from nothing to nothing
but give a meaning to your fleeting presence
in this fleeting reality
cultivating the most sublime of achievements
and the highest goal of Consciousness
which makes Matter great:
Love through non-attachment.
A buddha is inside you:
make him grow until you become
another of his incarnations.
In the eternal flow from nothing to nothing
make sure that between one nothing and the other
Consciousness and Love
take their place in the evolution
of this universe.

Giulio Cesare Giacobbe.

Namaste

Mark

Personal Energy

Published 10/09/2012 by inspiringyourspirit

Attune yourself to personal energy
Feel it flow like water,
Jagged stones of firm belief
Smoothed into nothing;
Cleansing, clearing, nurturing, healing.
Follow it faithfully, honestly, spontaneously,
Let it empower and serve.

Emotions are energy, too.
When they flow the most
They hurt the least.

Namaste

Mark