Meditation

Peter Southwood once told this story:

An archer happened to be watching an oil seller one day and noted how the oil seller could pour oil from the ladle into a thin-stemmed vase without spilling a drop. This was a stunning feat of accuracy and balance. The archer quizzed the oil seller about it, so the oil seller placed a coin on top of a vase and proceeded to pour oil through the square hole in the centre of the coin. The archer was amazed and wanted to know the secret of this skill. The oil seller could not explain or teach his ability; he just put it down to practice.

The archer spent many years in training and gained a reputation for being a master archer. No one could match his skill. Then one day he retired into the wilderness and never returned.

Some years later, a group of archers came across the master archer living as a hermit in the woods. They were surprised to find that the master no longer used his bow. The archer explained that he no longer needed it. Archery was simply a tool. It had served to point him in the direction of the way. When he no longer needed it, he put it aside.

We must treat the taijiquan this way. It is the means, not the end.