Taoist Sanctuary

The derivation of the Taiji name for this particular style of martial art originated in antiquity and is something practitioners should know. With time the laws of Taiji were extended to the entire form, including the principles of up and down, left and right, forward and backward in all the positions of the four limbs. All large-scale turns and movements in this art embody the Taiji motif, from which a full list of terms and meanings were derived. These terms correlated with moral laws which were strictly observed. The problems of later generations (arising from irrationality, imprudence, selfishness and arrogance) bear no relation to the concerns of the ancients, who strove only to become experts in the conditions of ‘no hard and no soft’. The ancients modeled their lives on the principles of Taiji to overcome the obstacles and hardships of life.

This is why I think only the divine wisdom of the ancients could have invented the Taiji motif. It would also be better to look toward Fu Xi’s figures (Bao Xi), the power of the Empress of the legendary Xia dynasty, the numerology of the Yellow River Chart and the Luo River Writings to gain insight into wisdom. Obviously, any shallow study of the knowledge cannot penetrate the depths of the old writings, added to the fact that the wisdom of the ancients is so fathomless even the explanations of the Yellow River Chart and Luo River Writings are inadequate.

Whilst this wisdom is essentially beyond words, the Book of Changes does state that the trigrams and hexagrams created by Fu Xi and the criss-crossing interaction of yin and yang through the six lines of the hexagrams, do manifest the spirit of the Changes set out in the Appendix to the Book, and also transmit the concept of mutual creation and destruction of elements constituting the Five Phases.

The names of the trigrams and hexagrams, the comments to the yao lines, the mutual creation and destruction of the Five Phases [68] and the nature and reasons for their similarities and differences can all be treated as evidence of both the profound and superficial conditions indicated by the numbering system.

However, the knowledge left by the ancients is so complex that it cannot be distinguished and structured in a way similar to the numbering system of the Chart and Writings, which allow us to create sequences of bigger numbers and complication combinations to explain the intrinsic reasoning and conditions behind different situations and circumstances.

Although there was no need for the explanation of mundane things , the ancients made efforts to describe the origin of Taiji clearly, not for the sake of illuminating martial techniques but to work out the all-embracing universal system. This system was named ‘quan’, that is, the way of cultivation through boxing.

The ancients freely and randomly revealed the principle of Taiji existing in the essence and vitality of various phenomena and conditions. The names of Taiji postures often indicate their application, much as the names of acupoints deepen our understanding of the body. All things correspond to Taiji’s applications and all follow it without exception, as if reflecting the same essence.

Though the most subtle and minute principles remain invisible, all situations under heaven return to the primal origin of the Universe, no matter their complexity. This is the wonderful principle of oneness.

Despite tremendous difficulty comprehending the legacy of knowledge from the ancients, later generations accorded them deep authority and respect for revealing the way back to the original source, using unceasing movements of the body, mind, fate and the other human elements.

It is said, “Martial skill is the small Way, while Taiji is the great Way.” From this perspective, dedicated practitioners will sooner or later arrive at a state of expansive movements, the eyes attentively open and the mind calm and tranquil. Deep and conscientious contemplation over a period of time will make boxing practice beneficial for people. How can we take it lightly?

So how can we obtain the knowledge of Dao? The Book of Changes was created in accordance with the principles of heaven and earth, and hence shows us the true course of things in heaven and earth and between them. Heaven and earth, through their preassigned positions, reflect the natures of all myriad things between them.

Contemplating the course of all myriad things, the sages saw the Way reflected in them. Contemplating the course of things in heaven and on earth, the sages saw the Way reflected in heaven and on earth. In its breadth and greatness, heaven manifests the way of heaven. In its breadth and greatness, earth shows the way of the universe, that is, the union of heaven and earth. In their breadth and greatness, all things co- existing between heaven and earth display the way of the myriad things in the world. In his breadth and greatness, man can realize the way of all things between heaven and earth. Therefore he who realizes the way of all things in the world can understand the way of the common people; he whose capabilities are expansive and limitless in the realization of the true state of heavenly things is named a celestial being; he whose capabilities are expansive and limitless in understanding the way of the common people is called a sage.

Since heaven is able to discriminate between all myriad things, it is called expansive and limitless; since the sage can distinguish between a great many people, he is called a sage. Since the nature of numerous people is similar to the nature of all things in the world, the sages do not discriminate between them; therefore they follow oneness (dao), which is in accord with the way of boundless heaven. Hence the way of a great many people follows oneness in accordance with the way of all things under the sky. The people of the universe and all myriad things make oneness.

To understand this principle means to obtain the capability of limitless heaven, when all myriad things and people are manifested through their natures, receiving their nourishment in full accordance with abundance of all the seasons. When the sages follow the Changes, Classics, poems and seasons according to circumstances, without being carried away by their currents, they rejoice in heaven’s rules and orders and know its ordinations, to finally transform into celestial beings. If sages were not the most spiritual beings under the sky, how could they be found doing all these things?

It is manifested in the benevolence of their actions which they conceal, and the storing up of their resources. The sages give the stimulus to all men in the world without having the same anxieties that common people possess. Complete are their abundant virtues and the greatness of their stores, the true mission of which is unknown by the common people!

The nature of man, being a creation of heaven and continually preserved, is the gate of all goodwill and righteousness. That which ensues as the result of their movement is goodness; that which shows it in its completeness is the nature of men and things.

The benevolent see it and call it benevolence. The wise see it and call it wisdom. The common people act daily according to it, yet have no knowledge of it. Thus it is that the course of things as seen by the superior being is seen by few.

Therefore of all the things that furnish models and visible figures, there are none greater than heaven and earth; of all the things that change and extend an influence on others, there are none greater than the four seasons; of all the things suspended in the sky with their figures displayed clear and bright, there are none greater than the sun and moon; of the honored and exalted there are none greater than he who is rich and noble; and for preparing things for practical use, and the invention and making of instruments for the benefit of all under the sky, there are none greater than the sages.

In accordance with this, the sages contemplate the brilliant phenomena of the heavens and examine the definite arrangements of earth. Thus they know the cause of darkness on earth and of light in heaven, and the causes for the obscure and bright.

They trace things from their beginning and follow them to the end. They perceive how the union of spiritual substance (shen) and vital breath (qi) form things, and the disappearance or wandering away of the soul produces the change of their constitution.

They know the characteristics of things (lei), and the distinctions between men and beasts, gods and spirits. The advantage of these characteristics arises in both external and internal matters, and is called shen (spirit). Therefore those sages, fully understanding the way of heaven and having clearly ascertained the experience of the people, instituted the people’s development by purifying their hearts with reverent caution, thereby giving more spirituality and intelligence to their virtues.

The great attribute of heaven and earth is the giving and maintenance of life. What is most precious for the sage is to respond to the highest place of the superior man and ruler, so that he can be the human representative of limitless heaven and boundless earth.

Contemplating the way the Taiji motif is depicted above and reading the inscriptions to each surrounding figure, we see first of all that Taiji divides all its qi energy into two spiral forms (Liang-yi) to produce the Four Symbols (Si-xiang) as well as the doctrine of the Five Phases (Wu-xing). This is done in accord with the pre-birth sequence of the Eight Trigrams (Ba-gua), the source of all myriad things emerging from this circular arrangement.

Whilst creating the root of all writings, the ancestors created the Taiji diagram to describe the nature of the universe through symbolic forms.

From the very beginning however, they noticed that the rulers of Zhou created the legend of Fu Xi and credited this legendary figure as the progenitor of the Taiji motif, in lieu of investing time and effort investigating natural laws. This is why the diagram has become known under the name of Fu Xi and not Xi Yi.

The Taiji diagram consists of the outer circle and the inner sphere divided into black and white spiral halves. These halves are separated by an s-shaped line symbolizing yin and yang substances interacting with each other. There is a white point located in the black portion and a black point in the white portion, representing the principle that within yin there is yang and within yang there is yin.

The idea of mutual influence and interaction of both elements as the source all vital activities in this world is symbolized by the commencement of the outer circle on the left of the diagram, that is, from Zhen at the northeast. The bottom strong line grows, going through the Li and Dui trigrams, until Qian is formed. Conversely, the bottom weak line of Xun grows as it travels clockwise down the right half of the circle, transforming into Kan and Gen until it turns into the Kun trigram.

There are four cardinal directions known as the Four Corners, according to which yin and yang substances manifest themselves in different measures and in different positions within the ingenious arrangements of the Eight Trigrams. So, how can an ignorant person penetrate the fathomless knowledge hidden in the depths of the Taiji motif?

The Taiji arrangement according to Fu Xi is not simply a motif that describes the existence of all things, but a model which explains the main principles underpinning mankind’s survival. A diligent scholar will find the yin-yang dynamic hidden deep within the motif, a constantly changing relationship which forms the core of the original nature of changes according to the pre-birth function.

Observing the Taiji sequence of the Zhou sages, we can see that the motif is used to represent external activities generated from the core of Taiji known as the post-birth sequence of changes. Thus the pre-birth function includes the post-birth conditions. One approach to interpreting the function of pre-birth heaven is to use post-birth qualities to penetrate into the chaotic arrangement of the wonderful pre-birth essence. otherwise, we have no other way to visually depict the unfathomable Taiji or Supreme Extremes.

To realize the Way (dao), we need to start with ourselves and go through the post-birth passage to understand the application of Taiji. However, any attempt to discuss the underlying mystery of the fathomless diagrams of Fu Xi and King Wen will yield little fruit. A better way recommended by the Zhou sages is to contemplate meditatively the mechanism of changes manifested in the alternation of day and night, of blowing breezes, of the subtle colour changes of the grass and so on. The person who spends twen- ty or more years in silent meditation will begin to understand manifestation of_Taiji_in natural phenomena occuring before his very eyes. Wasn’t it Confucius who said that manifestation of the entire Taiji transformation could happen in the twinkling of an eye? Therefore serious contemplation in the self-development process needs to be accompanied by a thorough investigation of the principles of Nature.

The forms of heaven and earth are depicted above and below respectively. Implements of Dao which can be defined are not the Dao. Dao is Dao and implements are just implements. However, implements can be understood and used as a manifestation of the Dao. In this case, the implements of Dao are chaotic and equal to the Void.

All endeavors to attain both sides of the coin simultaneously are ineffective. This is what the diagram is about. Assume the diagram is depicting a fall into the Void. In this case, the Two Forms, Four Symbols, Eight Trigrams and all myriad images would vanish into the darkness, the whole material world would sink into stagnation and come to a complete standstill, and all visualized figures would not correlate with the myriad things. So, what form would there be left to grasp? Hence the saying goes, “The course of heaven is one and indivisible.” As heaven has no sound or odor, so what need has it for a place to conceal itself? Where would all the created forms and images be displayed?

Going through the four seasons, a myriad things are born due to the harmony of spiritual substances, without which no changes nor transformations could occur. All myriad forms are the visual manifestations of oneness and vice versa. That is the meaning of this diagram.

With silent contemplation, one can attain the invaluable realization that the Taiji motif is the origin of all wonderful things and conditions in the world. The mechanism of creation and transformation between heaven and earth is under the dominion of the great sages, celestial beings and gods. However, instead of exercising full control over this, they make the system of the Three Powers (San-cai) equally available to all men and things in the world, to discern those who grasp it well and those who follow it devotedly.

In antiquity this formed the core of all scholarship, training, self-cultivation and development. Therefore how is it possible to ignore the significance of the Taiji diagram?

Dao is absolute good. Therefore all good things come out from this inex- haustible goodness, the fountainhead of Nature. Those things which emanate from this source are beyond the control of the destiny and dictates of the heavens. They emit chaotic sounds and strange odors; their appearance is crude and unworkable. Like an uncarved woodblock, they resemble a newborn babe, always beyond studying and cultivated knowledge. only thus can they be really good and return to the absolutely no-mind and spontaneous state of the true sage. True benevolence and righteousness can be attained only through a return to this state, when ‘the great carpenter does not cut,’ when he proceeds without using any strength or force. Everything goes as it should and he practices ‘letting go.’ Words are inadequate to explain this. Truly, the language of Dao is the language of all myriad things created within it.

The Taiji motif represents a dish upon which heaven and earth get combined in the past and present. In the twinkling of an eye, a tiny speck of dust can contain the entire world, here and now. How can this be understood by the intellect? The creative nature of heaven and earth, with their processes of growth and decline, fullness and emptiness, do not cling to any definite forms and there are no extremes that they cannot attain. This is what the diagram is all about. What is not shown in the diagram just follows it, and the diagram creates the forms and contents of the entire mechanism of reproduction.

The Ancient Taiji Diagram represents all aspects of the mystery of the cosmos through the microcosm of the human body. In heaven and on earth there are no giants nor dwarfs, neither past nor present, inhalation nor exhalation, permanence nor impermanence, distance nor closeness. In fact, neither forms nor symbols exist, only soundless and odorless nature that cannot be grasped even by the sages. Therefore they created the strokes and lines of yin-yang, weak and strong, close and open, wide and narrow, characteristics of the Two Forms, the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams, so that good fortune and calamity could be defined. The yin-yang method engenders the changes between yin and yang substances, and the weak and strong lines, which eventually combine to activate the spirit (shen).

For these reasons, the sages looked to the diagram to express a perfect vision of sagehood and the cosmos. Despite the frustrations occasioned by the incredible diversity of the diagram, they worked hard to find underlying principles in the sequence and to unveil the internal structure of the figures. In seeking structure in the diagram, they found structure; and where there was none to find, they invented structure to satisfy their need for coherence. What heaven and earth value is called good fortune; what the spirits and gods bless is called good fortune; what the Way of Man delights in is called good fortune. Whatever is despised and abhorred is called calamity. Therefore when there is too much vice in the period of good fortune, calamities arise correspondingly. How could the sages have realized this only through contemplation and deliberation?

The natural existence of particular apportionment found shape in the models and images seen on the He River Map (He-tu)[28] and the Luo River Writings (Luo-shu)[29]. The sages derived the diagram from the natural world by a process that may be considered a mythic paradigm for the investigation of things. The significance of the natural pattern also extended to other charts and diagrams associated with the Taiji diagram, the He River Map and the Luo River Writings. These were said to have been revealed in deep antiquity to Fu Xi. The He River produced forth the map, and from the Luo River emanated the writings. The sages took them as patterns or models. Legend has it that the He River Map emerged from the Yellow River on a dragon-horse when Fu Xi ruled the world. He accordingly took its design as a model in drawing the Eight Trigrams. The Luo-shu was the design displayed on the back of a spirit-tortoise at the time when another legendary cultural hero, Yu, controlled the flood. The design contained the numbers one to nine, which Yu used to set up the Nine Regions under heaven. The sixty-four hexagrams of the Book start with Qian (heaven), whose bottom line represents the Nine Dragons hidden in its core, symbolizing the pure embodiment of yang substance. Though the sixty-four hexagrams do not occur in a regular order, they can be grouped by pairs. In most cases, each figure can be paired with another, which appears to be the first turned upside down. In the case of eight symmetrical hexagrams that cannot be changed by inversion, pairs are created by changing divided (yin) lines to undivided (yang) lines. In the Great Appendix to the Book of Changes the sequence of the lines with their various yin and yang associations came to be regarded as the keys to understanding the esoteric meaning of the Changes.

In heaven and earth, good fortune comes from conforming to prevailing trends and calamity results from going against them. In the mountains and riverways, good fortune holds the low position while calamity holds the high. In the Way of Man, good fortune is seen as upright and calamity as perverse. This is why it is said that Qian symbolizes heaven which directs the great beginnings of things with ease, and Kun symbolizes earth, which brings them to completion in unhesitating response. It is by the ease with which Qian proceeds that it directs as it does, and by its unhesitating response that Kun exhibits such ability. He who attains this ease of heaven will be easily understood, and he who attains freedom through the laborious effort of earth will be easily followed. With the attainment of such ease and freedom from laborious effort, mastery of all principles under the sky will be attained. When such mastery is achieved, the sages enjoy their positions in the middle between heaven and earth.

The symbols speak of the most complex phenomena under the sky, and yet there is nothing in them that provokes a negative reaction. The explanations of the lines speak of the subtlest movements under the sky, yet there is nothing in them to produce confusion.

A learner of Taijiquan will consider what is said in the diagrams and reflect on them; she will deliberate on what is said in the explanations of the lines and then move. By such consideration and deliberations she will be able to make all the changes, which will then be undertaken successfully.

Externally, the structure of Taijiquan is arranged according to the square form, whilst internally the structure remains round. Hence, the upper part of the body is round while the lower square. Square is the form of Taijiquan, circular is its spirit. Above all else, this is what each Taijiquan learner should know. When practicing Taijiquan, most movements should be performed obliquely and in circular motions, whilst internally they contain square-like elements that remain unseen. This octagonal diagram depicts the spiral form of the Taiji motif. A circle is formed as a result of the interaction between the circle and square. This illustrates the principle of a square matching with a circle- the basis for the square diagram presented here.

Studying the circular Taiji diagram of the ancient Classics, I have realized the impossibility of learning Taijiquan without understanding of the silk- reeling principles of energy regeneration. The silk-reeling method consists of activating Zhong-Qi (Centralized Intrinsic Energy). Without under- standing this, the movements cannot be understood either.

The first pair of white and black paths represents the yin and yang forms of Taiji, freely existing within Wuji or No Extremes. The second combination of white and black paths represents Taiji engendering Two Forms (Liang- yi), which are actually the yin and yang substances of heaven and earth. The third white and black path is the symbol of Man as an embodiment of yin and yang qi, as well as the Five Phases of energy (Wu-xing) which enable humans to survive. The fourth white path is what Mencius called Haoran zhi Qi or Magnificently Refined Energy; whilst the fourth black path represents the blood (xue) and qi energy of humans, which when combined with morality becomes Zheng-qi or Truly Refined Energy, the core of a healthy existence. The fifth white path represents the way of the mind (xin), by which True Refined Energy is well governed. When qi becomes unregulated due to poor circulation and management, it becomes stuck. The general principle (li) lies within one’s nature (xing) and is called character. The fifth black path is the human mind/heart or what sages and men of virtue called the personal mind/heart (si-xin). The white point in the black portion of the innermost Taiji circle (Fig. 0.44.1) represents Ke-nian or restrained thinking, while the black point inside the white portion represents Wang-nian or deceptive thinking. Only sages are able to fully exercise restrained thinking and eliminate all deceptive thoughts. Deceptive thinking is what Gao-Zi called Shi Se-xing (nourishment of sexual desire). All humans have it. If a person can eradicate all selfish thinking once and for all, her pure or pre-birth nature can be regained from heaven. When this happens, she will be able to move fully in accordance within Nature’s structure (Tian-ji) during Taijiquan practice, and her performance will become natural and agile, revealing the original shape of Taiji concealed in her body.

The three large external circles stimulate the influence of yin and yang. The three internal circles indicate that yin and yang are being governed and represent what Man receives and holds in the third circle. This chart is not in fact of critical significance, but was created to aid people’s understanding of qi regulation.

The important point to note here is that all three internal circles rest within the third larger circle, whilst the third larger circle itself illustrates rests within the second one, which is placed within the first one, just like a set of nesting dolls.

Hence, this diagram serves specifically to illustrate how to guard the core of one’s life and the wonderful secret of regenerating_qi_— once you begin to get good at moving qi, you can protect your life; and if you can protect your life, then you will be able to restore your nature. once you can restore your nature by reproducing your intrinsic energy and accumulating it within yourself, you will be able to rely on your vital resources.

That is why Taijiquan is considered beneficial both for your body and mind, as well as for your nature and fate. The sages of antiquity used to say that training one’s body depends on the restoration of one’s nature. In other words, the ability to protect one’s life and regulate qi flow forms the core of a trained body, a cultivated character and a restored nature.

The empty circle I have drawn here (Fig. 0.45.1) is entitled Wuji or No Extremes. One may ask the reason for this. It is simple: heaven and earth and all myriad things in between have come out of nothing (non-existence) to become something (existence). But once in existence, all myriad things and conditions start to become countless. This correlates exactly to Taijiquan practice: the primary source of your skills is Nothingness, but after mastering some techniques that truly work, you can cultivate the state of ‘No-Minded Mind’ (wu-xin), the stage at which your transformations and internal changes can occur unseen without leaving visual traces. Hence what exists returns to non-existence; what is known as colour is actually colourlessness; what is known as colourlessness is colour; and so coloured colourlessness is the same as colourless colour. The empty circle conveys all these ideas at once. Taiji consists of the Two Forms (Liang-yi) represented by heaven and earth, yin and yang, closing and opening, motion and stillness, soft and solid, weak and strong, folding and stretching, coming and going, advance and retreat, existence and nonexistence, inhalation and exhalation, the changed and unchanged, empty and full, the visible and invisible, the healthy and unhealthy, the successes and failures.

Being concerned with the details of all terms and conditions regarding tension and relaxation, the relationship between vertical and horizontal, changes, transformations and so forth, Taiji practioners should know that to contract one must first expand, to cast down one must first raise, to seize one must first release. To develop in a way that is wholly integrated, one must seek first to stretch and expand, for only then can tightening and accumulating follow.

Do not become over-reliant on others and never give up.
Focus on accumulating strength, refining it into good quality energy which you can use to fill your existence to the brim. To accomplish this, you must first realize the way of fullness and emptiness through the visible forms of entering and leaving, and obtain spirit by transforming knowledge into wisdom, storing this internally by using the doctrine of Guest and Host, which illuminates the course of the Golden Mean, the way of true rulers.
The way of the true ruler is one in which authority and responsibility find a balance between full and empty, short and long. It is reflected in the way of the Divine Dragon, who, while coiling this way and that in unceasing transformation, takes measure of action and inaction, motion and stillness, pros and cons, and acts without fear nor emotion, not discriminating between muscles and skin, bones and tendons, before and after, back and forth, left and right, up and down, above and below.

Instead, the Dragon remains exactly in the center of the four cardinal directions, turning around lightly and with agility, attacking upward while defending downward, not fast nor slow but making emptiness significant and completely real.

This is indeed how qi is arranged in Taijiquan. When escaping, move smoothly with the natural flow using wide movements and allow purified energy to flow in abundance and unimpeded. You will find advantages in this and a good balance between direct and reverse rotations. To grasp these invaluable techniques which are immeasurable in time and space, tame and adopt them for yourself, absorbing them internally like a precious formula, an most secret treasure. ‘Move upward but strike downward’- an incontrovertible principle which must be adhered to. Listen to the east but attack to the west; look right but control the left; generate internal power but manifest it externally in gentleness. If there is an up, there must be a down; when advancing, take withdrawal into account; when striking left, be aware of the right. Movements upward must also have simultaneous downward intent. Alternating the two forces of push-pull severs the opponent’s root, leading to his quick and certain defeat. Insubstantial and empty yin must be clearly differentiated from substantial and solid yang. Wherever there is insubstantiality, there must be substantiality- indeed all places have both. Each phenomenon has its empty and full sides. The whole body must be connected through every joint without the slightest rupture. Cold is followed by heat and who can say when great antiquity turned into modernity? The only principle to follow is to obey to the order of the complete cycle, in which above and below are in balance cannot be explained by mere words. Only when the entire routine is set in order and arranged in proper sequence can one gradually enter true Thusness to discover the outermost limits of suffering and challenges one is able to overcome. By transcending the impure and mundane, one becomes able to act fast and with agility, twisting and turning beyond visible forms, attaining a quality that resembles the full moon in its perfect roundness. Practicing Taijiquan is absolutely the same: a small circle is limited by its boundary until one day it turns into the size of a full moon, forcing foes and opponents- all that is unreal- out of its infinite boundary. Hardship may return, however, if proper positioning is lost despite adherence to the principles of circulation. How can one defend against such faults and misfortunes? My limits are not lower nor higher than the doctrine of Nine Compromises. The sheep’s intestine, like a narrow winding trail, cannot be short nor insignificant, so leave it alone and let it go by itself. When men stand up, I immediately fall down, avoiding conflicts and quarrels which generally tend toward escalation rather than resolution. When the majority dictates to the minority, I rely on techniques to prevail over my opponents, avoid ways that lead others to lose their courage and bravery. I prefer to stick closely (nian) to my opponent, following all her movements by concentrating my spirit and mobilizing my pre-birth essence (jing) into my emptiness (xu) and agility (ling), both of which overflow and fill my entire body, enabling me to imitate all movements and styles, pretending to follow all the opponent’s forms and postures so to change the rhythm and direction of the her motion. To change postures and dominate over the opponent’s position- is it difficult to realize the emptiness within the fullness? Though we already know that fullness lies within emptiness, what is the mechanism which does not block nor support, limit nor extend, soften nor solidify, escape nor get involved? It may happen suddenly, like a person ignorant of his true nature feeling a great surge of intrinsic force sweeping everything upside down like a terrible but graceful windstorm. It is difficult to describe such things. The power one has in his hand must be light yet undeflected. At the same time, one’s heavy quality must possess true weight, like a tiger descending a mountain with penetrating eyes, crouching and ever-ready to attack. During one’s coming and going one must listen to Thusness and be able discern at a glance the opponent’s spiritual condition, her exact position, and all her posture’s shortcomings. If the smallest gap exists which you can penetrate, you must use this opportunity to break through the opponent’s defense, for it may not occur again.