The Tao of Mind

Once upon a time
In China of old

Fighting methods were created
And houses of combat were born

With the passing of time
Lineages grew longer and longer

And so another great tradition
Of pugilism was born

But with the passing of time
How do we know that

The great tradition that is maintained
Can be equalled to guarantee of quality

Of instruction to those
Seeking quality instruction

That indeed is a dilemma
For sometimes along the way

Principles are lost, altered,
Forgotten, misinterpreted etc

And a great tradition somehow
Lost something along the way

Yes, yes, they can still fight
But are they using the

Principles upon which the
Entire system is founded upon

That is the question I asked
Once upon a time when

Wandering through the taiji maze
Seeking the true instructions

Only to wander into more
Nooks, corners and deadends

Till I was forced to ask
If taiji not all that different

From other martial arts
That uses biomechanics

If so why the big
Ho-ha over the name

Perhaps history has played a trick on us
By spreading those tales of a superior art

I lamented and I prayed
And one day there was

A glimmer of light
At the end of my despair

And now I know
That tradition can sometimes

Lose its way
If the principles are not kept

Hence if its a choice between
Tradition or principles

I’d go for the latter
Coz principles make the system

And not tradition
Cause without principles

Tradition is
But a hollow shell