Rooted = Relaxed = Tai Chi Chuan Notes

These are part of the elaborated notes about Tai Chi Chuan (Mandarin) or Taijiquan (cantonese) Training that I am perenially working upon. The exercise is an effort towards improving my own clarity on the subject and to make it clearer for my students.

Rootedness- The Yang
Level-1 and Level-2 are the first two courses dealing with the empty hand forms. These levels address the root of the whole problem of ill health- weak foundation. If you are building a huge skyscraper bulk of the time is spent laying and building the foundation. Stronger the foundation quicker will you start scrapping the sky. The bulk of these forms get into building the thigh and calf muscle. With the 2010 retreat and with many classes with Sifu and with regular practice all of you are quite aware about the benefits of the additional set of hearts you get. For those who are new this warrants an explanation. A strong and thigh and calf muscle help in pumping the blood, in addition to the heart, whenever these muscle get squeezed when walking or when doing Tai Chi. The fluid movement of Tai Chi forms results in these muscle to get tightened and relaxed at an even pace. The result is that the heart muscle can now have much better performance as the cardiac muscle will see less of a load. As the liver is on the right side of the body the Tai Chi 85 forms is right side dominant and liver being the organ that purifies blood. The right thigh creates an immediate blood pressure into the liver when it tightens and sucks out blood from it when it relaxes. This quickens the pace of blood purification. This perhaps is the reason behind the expression “additional heart”.

Rootedness is also very important in order to execute the technique with martial intent. Unless one is stable defense, counter-attack or offense will not be efficient. Rootedness is also very important for speed. This is quite counter-intuitive. But it is quite simple unless one is rooted the weight transition during movement will not be efficient, inefficient weight transition results in waste of time in the actual movement as the body is too bothered about the balance. Rootedness gives simplicity to the movement without simplicity there is no speed and with no speed one is dead meat if you aspire to be a martial artist. You thought Tai Chi is slow- you have not been paying attention to the push hands video of Grand Master Fu Sheng Yuan or his “Cannon Shot” FaJing. A clarification is needed here rootedness is not the only pre-requisite it just one of the pre-requisites.

Relaxation- The Yin
We talk of Level-1 and Level-2 again. In addressing the lower body you must address the upper body as well. In performing the forms for better rootedness the upper body needs to relax more and more. Stiff upper body automatically means clumsy and robotic balancing act. An explanation in Physics is warranted here for the skeptics. Relaxed upper body means shoulders dropped chest settled there is a natural convex curve on the upper back, spine relaxed but straight. What this gives you is lower centre of gravity over and above what you have with the low squat. The muscles of the arms relaxed and not otherwise straining the blood flow in the arteries and the veins making the blood circulation system of the human body super fast and super efficient. Super efficient circulation system means sensitive central nervous system. Sensitive nervous system means more feeling, more feeling means clear Yin.

For the martial artist, clear Yin means high speed thanks to relaxed muscles and sensitive nervous system.

Qi- The Yin-Yang Interplay
Without rootedness there is no relaxation because one is too bothered about balance and without relaxation there is no feeling or awareness about ones’ rootedness. The interplay of this Yin and Yang and the Yang and Yin constitutes the Qi flow. When one walks there is Qi flow- solid to empty, empty to solid, one foot to the other. Qi is right there to be felt. Simple. Tai Chi Classics states it as “the movements constitute a wave emanating from the feet, governed by the waist and manifest in your hands”. Every movement can be viewed as the interplay between the solid and the empty. The transition from one to other has to be spontaneous rather than labored. It is this spontaneity that contributes to speed- as fast as the speed of thought. When one is in harmony between these seemingly irreconcilable forces, one is with the Tao. I just made the entire thing too mystical, the culprit being the language. When one practices one should see to it that there is clear distinction between the solid and the empty, clear Yang and clear Yin and there is no way one can achieve it unless there is Diligence, Perseverance, Sincerity and Respect- Words of GrandMaster Fu Zhong Wen, Motto of our federation and our academy.

Simply stated a good round of daily and regular practice, practice with the correct technique and constantly studying the movements are what is required to attain excellence or Kung Fu (GongFu). Without correct technique the body will be prone to injury. Injury means loss of practice; with loss of practice one is so much further away from progress. It does not matter how quickly one has learnt a form what matters is how correctly one has learnt it. Memory is funny. We forget. We may feel good getting right one time but one needs to go through the same grind all over again. It does not matter how much time you have given to Tai Chi what matters is how much time have you given to Tai Chi practicing with the correct technique. Hound your instructors do not make it any easier for them, question them ask them why. This will prompt them to ask questions to Sifu helping him manage centers across India more effectively and you learning and benefiting lot more. Observe Sifu carefully and keep your senses open and alert when he visits your centre. Tai Chi is not an ornament embellishing a practitioner. One may feel good by showing it off. Fact is that is hidden but yet it is right there for everyone to see. Once Bruce Lee was not satisfied with his technique, this bothered his student who asked him that he was already super fast, to which Bruce Lee answered “There are people who are lot more faster than me, what I need to work upon is deception”. It never ends.

Pointers to Good practice
Make sure the following points are met starting with the lower body proceeding to the upper body

1. Soles of the feet MUST be evenly solid whatever is carrying the bulk weight- heel should not dominate over toe and vice versa

2. Knees MUST be pointing in the direction of the respective toes

3. Cut back on the rotation hip to ensure that there is no undue torsion on the knee especially during Wave Hands like Moving Clouds. Use the knee to open like the Stork Dance exercise for executing turns during “single whip”, “fair lady works shuttles” and kicks.

4. Use the waist to turn the upper body not the hip- This ensures that there is sufficient exercise for the spine and the back muscle

5. Spine straight but relaxed

6. Be aware the of the weight distribution of the soles of the feet, make sure it is even and solid, this is especially true when making the kicks clear and effective.

7. For effective kicks the upper body has to relax, emphasis on the knee first then the heel or the toe.

8. Head is erect, gaze forward, relax your neck and shoulder

9. Focus yet relax (being in the moment), make sure the weight transition is continuous and clear- Clear Yin and Clear Yang

10. When unsure question the instructor and clarify. Observe Sifu and ask questions.

Weapons
Weapons are for the exercise of the upper body. But unless one is sufficiently rooted the expression of the Power (Jing) either subtle (Tin-Jing) or obvious (FaJing) will not be efficient. In my personal experience with the correct pace you really feel the upper body working out with Sword more so with the Saber. Ones awareness about rootedness grows, with practice and refinement of the 85 forms, the rootedness reflects in the Sword and Saber. For those practicing weapons try doing your 85 forms before and after the weapons forms. In my experience after a round of 85 and then the Sword and Saber the body works like high performance luxury car, 85 forms after that gets lot more accurate one can feel the sensitivity of the entire body. For progress in Yang Tai Chi weapons is important. It is a litmus test of how good your empty hand forms are. The sensitivity developed in the hands becomes important when practicing push hands. As Grand Master says- “Weapons no good, Forms no good. Weapons good, Forms good”.

Push Hands
With the sensitivity developed in the upper body with weapons practice you now get to using this added sense of awareness in understanding another person during push hands- How is he directing a force towards you? How good is yours and your partner’s balance? How good are your forms? Are you fluid when you sense the force? Are you aware of your rootedness when your force is evaded? Push hands is very important for a Martial Understanding of your body and your partner’s. Without constant observation of force and balance in push hands the martial aspects of Tai Chi will not be clear. Push Hands works the entire body and the body has to respond with clear Yang and clear Yin.

FaJing
When the upper body has sufficient sensitivity (acquired after diligent and regular practice) FaJing is important to progress in the study of Martial Aspects of Tai Chi. The controlled yet explosive expression of Power without well warmed up body and incorrect technique can be disastrous. By the time one is ready for the FaJing the muscles of the upper body have to be sufficiently strong. Without the training in FaJing one cannot attain the speed necessary to apply many of the forms in self defense. One has to be technically proficient in Tai Chi forms to sustain the forces that the muscles of the body need to endure. The muscle will have to be completely relaxed and the mind completely in the “now” before the pulse of power travels through it to the fist, palm, forearm, elbow, shoulder, knee, heel or toe.

Marshaling an Army
In my experience with Tai Chi practice taking the body through the rigor of daily practice requires one to have a good discipline akin to the managing an army. Your feet are your foot soldiers. They must be agile with a good weight transition and should be able entrench themselves in the terrain with a good rooted stance. The knees are there captains always in sync caring for his subordinates by pointing in the same direction. The hip is the Major of an infantry division effectively in sync with his captain by not turning to twist them and bringing them in harm’s way. So far then hierarchy is linear. The orders are straight no room for interpretation.

The waist is the Commander- imaginative, creative and always aware, straight as the major, captains and foot soldiers yet cunning and shrewd as his superiors. The shoulder is the Major of the Paratrooper/Commando division. He has little room to maneuver and has to use guile to cause the damage, the elbow is subtle but a devastating sniper waiting for the opportune moment to sting. The hands the commando, enters the enemy territory evading capture and accomplish the mission with devastating consequences.

The Head is the centre of the military intelligence, Eyes and Ears the spies. Always watchful and subvert any malicious intent of the enemy before an actual confrontation. The principles of operation are deception, subversion resorting to anything and everything to ensure a successful mission.

The Mind, the Monarchy in whom the entire well being of the human body both moral and physical is entrusted. The potential of all degradation or emancipation of human life is here. Ok human body does not look like an army it is the entire country. More the individuals of a country are healthy, healthier the entire country becomes.

Gond and I Row the Boat Gently down the stream...

2010, Tata Steel and Vedanta group, gang up with the Government of India to fight the indigenous Gonds in Dandakaranya forest- Arundati Roy's essay "Walking with the Comrades" on her experience with the "People's Army". Feels straight out of the James Cameron Masterpiece the Avatar(2009) script, the story set in 2154 in the distant planet the Pandora, Human Greed takes us on a mission to obliterate the Alien Bio-Diversity to obtain the un-obtainium, only to confront the indigenous Na'avi. Life imitating Art?

The GEO India May issue on the Economics of Bio-Diversity- All throughout the history we have taken Nature for Granted. The notion of value is nothing more than ability to profit, how do we measure this? The value that Nature gives is considered free- a premise that no longer is true. What if we acknowledge their value? 

Our country obsessed with IPL, Bollywood and sensationalist media. 

Thanks to Kingfisher, I now know that there is a security threat "perception" at the Bengaluru International airport. Sorry Kingfisher, I couldn't avail your 5 Star services, I postponed the flight to the next day, to Jet Connect, because of the security threat perception in my Rini's mind. Not that the Choice of Jet Connect had anything to do with it, I would have chosen Kingfisher non-stop but for the departure time. Jet doesn't bother me to message and hence the "ALL GO" from Rini. No wonder, 5 in the morning and there is a serpentine blockade for the taxis to pass scanned by the cautious eyes of armed to tooth CISF commandos, extra vigilant CISF officers at the Departure Entrance reading every detail of the E-ticket and the ID so much scrutiny that my in-animate ID card should feel nervous and have a cardiac arrest. The announcement over the PA System- "Your Security is important to us, please report any suspicious un-attended article or suspicious BEHAVIOR, to the nearest security personnel". There would have been all those Ninjutsu like commando officers dropping out of thin air and I will be on the mat lest I cry out BOMB.The Big Congestion in Security Check, the officers peering through the screen during the baggage scan flagging every suspicious consignment. The contraband of Edible Oil, Rice and Dal was caught and the culprit a 5ft tall frail looking gentleman who was clueless, a security threat indeed. I didn't know that they can be used as a weapon other than giving the un-suspecting victim a stomach upset. Today even the ordinarily compliant citizenry feels the pinch. But hey they don't run helter-skelter, they are non-violent swallowing the violence in the land of the non-violent Mahatma. Well actually its a breeze, we have been to trained by the 12+ years of "education" to make it through any security gate, we comply, we don't feel that it is a humiliation, we feel proud that we are contributing to the security of an airport. 


The Gonds, the tribal of Dandakaranya, do not have the luxury of the 12+ years of education. The 12+ years of conditioning in -patriotism, compliance, subservience, playing safe, never innovating, sustaining personal contradictions and in-securities, never questioning. The Gonds question the rationale behind the forest department's evictions, Government's support to the ambitions of the Mining companies, and the Salwa Judum. Salwa Judum is the Indian version of the Jewish Ghettoing perpetrated by the Nazis. But as with Indians its never original. Taken straight out of General Harold Rawdon Briggs journals from his experience in Malaya. Experience of the General of the Raj. Raj in India is never forgotten I guess. Salwa Judum perpetrated on the Gonds whose Haemoglobin count is between 5 or 7 (12-16 normal woman) and in whose infants suffer from Kwashiorkor. I remember by-hearting the disease names like Kala-Azar, Kwashiorkar and the rest of the gang for my Science tests in 8th Standard (read Grade if you are from the American System), but thats as far as I got to understanding the significance of the human condition. The entire media machinery and our Home Ministry and the Prime Minister calling them the "Gravest Security Threat to the Nation". There is even a debate about taking the services from the Airforce.


 I belong to the Indian middle class obsessed with the IPL, with Katrina Kaif, Pakistan Battering, keeping mum on Tibet, salivating on the "Development" for it means some more money in my Bank Account. My entire education enabled me to have a cushy job in a cushy MNC. I have plans for my self, cars, apartments, digital gadgets and the usual laundry list. I don't bother about what happens in the place where I live, I am clueless about my neighbors, I don't involve myself in the community. I crib about the central and the state Government, I jump the traffic light and honk the ears of the hapless mercilessly in the mean city streets of Bangalore and tail gate and yet I criticize the apathy of the people about civic issues, and complain of bad traffic sense and absolve myself. Thats me the Indian middle class with contradictions galore. 


Contradictions. Thats the sum total of my 29 years of conscious existence. Contradictions, blind as a bat to facts and tap dancing to the jingoism- add a lit bit of Sex and it becomes Hip-Hop. The Gonds on the other hand are not so blind, of course when you are on the sniper's cross hair, and your girl friend or wife gets raped you would even start having the ability to see in the dark. To bad odds are too stacked against the "Operation Green Hunt Hush Hush" personnel and don't worry there is a special consignment of Israeli night vision goggles heading their way. That should even things out. Contradictions, it takes 74 lives to be ambushed and their lives snuffed out to understand that the strategy of countering the Maos is flawed. Too bad we did not send the UAVs/Drones over the hungry and the weak for reconnaissance. Contradictions, between the cliched Devil and the cliched deep blue sea. The Gonds caught in the "Dharma Sankat" between the Indian Government and the Maoists, only that the Maoists are more benign for now. Arundati would disagree with my denotation "Benign" and would rather "Messiah". At the end of it all hope the Gonds have a blue throat as Shiva in this churning of the Dandakaranya forest by the Government (read mining lobby) and the Maos usurping all the universal wisdom in the process, the essence of it all.


All I can care for right now is to wait for the boarding call. There was a time when Bhagat Singh could wake up the British to the revolution by a smoke bomb. Today even the dastardly act of be-heading is not enough. I am still slumbering in the sweet lullabies of the Bollywood Songs, the drumbeats of IPL, the 24X7 News media, tweeting twitter and my facebook account. I don't research the genetic diversity of Indian flora-fauna to make a compelling case against industrial farming. Understand the damage of Big Hydel projects as Medha Patkar does. I do not dive to the depths to make a case against trade of Nautilus as Andy Dunston does through his 12 years of research. I do not value Nature as demonstrated in the May issue of the GEO magazine
   
"Nature maintains its value, like a factory that constantly renews itself"
                               -Dr Andreas Webber, Biologist and Philosopher, GEO Magazine


Making changes to the accounting practice taking the value Nature brings in consideration in formulating Economic measures would have perhaps saved Aral Sea, the once largest inland sea during the 1960s but today its a lake split in two, thanks to diverting the rivers into irrigation canals, for un-sustainable farming and profit and today profit from farming is impossible there. Funny I learnt about the Water Cycle in the 3rd standard I remember the river water heading into the ocean. I am curious to ask the impact of cutting of the river water to a 3rd Standard kid. What the kid learns today in our schools does it have a scientific footing in reality and not rely on half science and hearsays? 

As my friend once said

"The only solution to this Maoist problem is total elimination. We need a solution now."

I belong to this crowd that takes short cuts and guesses and little or no statistical study to question, understand and to have an insight. Why bother? Nuke those naked , poor and already starving bastards. Aristotle, Socrates, Plato all stressed to observe facts and question the premise. If theory does not observe with facts question the theory. But some how I learnt to question facts and abide by my premise. 


Oh Ya I forgot we work on deadlines. Ladies and Gentlemen the Western concept of progress- Progress Works on Deadlines my friend. If you can't give deadline then what the hell did you get all the degrees and experience for. Ya, we were evolved through millions of years for nothing and Nature is stupid and an idiot. Man is intelligent. Yes, intelligent enough to ignore facts and work out of "Systems" that was to give clean answers to clean problems, only problems is that there is no clean problem, so can we expect a clean answer? Nature is Stupid enough to design Honey Bees- not only they provide honey for "free" but also play a role as pollinators of flowering plants, fruits, vegetables and oil bearing plants. What a Moron!


I :We need factories, we need steel plants, and we need a Dam built in 6 months. It is so simple, it will give jobs, it will keep the people happy so what it the problem? 


Me: At what price? To loose a strain of wild rise that is only found in the valley to be flooded that is resistant to a new virus. If we crossbreed this strain with other strains then will perhaps help in providing food security to the people also providing a way for the tribals to sustain themselves by catering to the demand for this strain.


Myself: Nah, can't wait, build the God Damn Dam in 6 Months.


Told you. We cannot fathom the Stupidity of Nature to do things in its own sweet time, we need a deadline.


On the other hand the pockets where communists still rule the roost seem to have a solution - remove the only reason for all human evils, wealth, distribute it equally to everybody. A premise held dear, though statistically flawed given Soviet, North Korea, West Bengal and Kerela. All this premise gives in the minds of its practitioners is lethargy, laziness, dreamy eyed and intellectual masturbation. Despite the facts they would never correct the premise. So what is really the reason for all human evils? Are we studying it? Diligently?


I don't do any diligent study of Nature, about my contradictions, flawed premises. Thats me an Indian, Mera Bharat Mahan. We are fanatics behind building temples, be it Hindu, or Dams- temples of Modern India, drilled into our head. As I see it for the Gonds to survive they need to get trained to function in this contradiction. I have spent practically my entire life to be trained in the circus to be tax a paying citizen of India. They chose to be trained by the CPI(ML). 


Be as it may, Gonds and I are in the same boat living an illusion, like trained parrots singing praise of our respective ilk. Only that they have to plan for the next rendezvous or ambush and I have to catch my plane, like a trained circus animal- "This is the Boarding Call for all passengers travelling Jet Airways flight 9W2357..."

101 tips to survive a marriage, 1-10

This will be a series till the number 101 is reached. I am definitely sure that many will agree that surviving a marriage is no mean thing. This article is dedicated to my wife, soulmate Rini. Rini always wonders why I don't think more about her. It took her every sweat to prepare those bhajjis for me to elicit a blog entry Bhajji on Bliss, a Guest appearance in Elvis Karmapa and illusion 2.0 and no where to be found in Discovering Ones Self the Tai Chi Way or Retreat Diaries. She wonders do I think about her?...I do and I would share the wisdom for your benefit.

This is dedicated to her. Now I present my accumulated wisdom for you folks.

The First 10.

1. You can never know a Woman's mind neither a Woman know yours.


-Gentlemen, be on your toes always, never make an opinion about your partner. Your job is to listen to your partner carefully and in so doing you may or may not annoy her but do not bother, pay attention, go with what you know to what she is saying. Learn. Study hard. Do not bring in your prejudices and your opinions they do not have any place in a relationship. Acknowledge your mistake. Be careful about making promises because you may have to meet them. Surviving a marriage is about being in harmony, going with the flow, the minute you think you know about your partner, BOOM, its gone your ship has sunk. Keep learning something new every time, your relationship will be fresh, knowledge will only make things stale. Don't rely on a movie or rock star or Romantic Movies to tell you what love and relationship is all about. Nor any of those novels or philosophy helps. They only complicates matters. Approach your partner with a clear head. All the very best. If you take my word its a wonderful roller-coaster ride- Enjoy.

2. Remember Dates atleast her Birthday and your Marriage anniversary


-Take those memory pills, go do yoga, meditate, do whatever, never forget.

3. Women have mood swings don't take it against her


-Don't make too much of an opinion about her mood. There moods will swing, approach it rationally. You might as well enjoy it. Its like surfing those treacherous waves of Hawaii. It comes and goes but be ready for another.

4. Demonstrate respect to her parents


-Don't forget her parents. Be equal in your affection between yours and hers.

5. Complement her 


-Whether it makes sense or not complement. Then laugh with her.

6. Be yourself


-You do not have to be someone else and she has to learn who you really are in order to survive you. If you are a psychotic killer, wandering nomad, philosopher or a religious fanatic even then be your self find a partner that complements you else God Help You.

7. Help in house work...at least try


-I am not that much of a home improvement guy and I try not to get in Rini's way. I try and help at times it is difficult to remember the zillion details that go behind making a HOME. Appreciate this. Get of your bum and help her out. But hey do plan your quality Bum-ing Time, and remember after marriage the quality gets more important than quantity.

8. You will get on her nerves, accept it


-As Asop in one of his Fables rightly demonstrates "Familiarity Breeds Contempt". You are not going to be the Hero all the time. But there will be times when you will be, MAKE IT COUNT

9. Give Space


-Both the partners need there own space.

10. Fight and get it of your chest and forget it


-Fight tooth and nail. Get it of your chest. Do not bottle up. If it bothers so much that you are about to explode, please explode. If you had expressed yourself sooner there will never be a reason to explode in the first place.


Love, nobody can tell you what it is,...you got to find out for yourself

Elvis, Karmapa, and Illusion 2.0

The sunday saw the early morning trip on my favorite Shatabdi back to the land of my Karma- Bangalore. As soon as we return we find the home sweet home a tad dirtier, according to Rini's exacting standards. We unpack put the clothes to wash, alls well until I happened to see "Fun in Acupolco (1963)" on the Telly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-yZifpgCR0

Elvis, the quintessential 1960s and still relevant Casanova. Rini goes "Who is he?" With blinks in quick succession until I explain to her. Elvis is God. Women would fall at his feet. So famous that in scenes where Elvis features that were to be shot in public they had to use a body double. Charisma, the machismo, the aura, un-paralleled even today. And the voice. And the dance. Plenty of Indian movie stars aped him from Shammi Kapoor, to Shivaji Ganesan one way or the other. Rini agreed Elvis makes your head turn.

There is this song "Margarita" copied verbatim into "Kaun Hain Jo Sapno Mein Aaya" repriced by Mohammad Rafi. Not to worry there are countless others.

He is God nonetheless but God with foibles. Much later in life, when age caught up to him, drugs, women, the usual suspects during decline, gave him a divorce, loneliness and eventual death.

That had me thinking. If you are God how do you know that you are going wrong? A man who has never gone wrong how would he ever know that he is on the right path? I am no god I have people I look up to, people making and not making mistakes and sometimes I learn from them rest of the time I learn from my own. This kind of kept me on the even keel so to speak.

The rest of the day was spent in comatose. I did not have a good sleep for about a week and slept like a baby. Come evening- the thing I detest with the core of my heart- Shopping. This time my eyes lay on this face looking right at me, observing me keenly, alert, calm, the cover page of the GEO Magazine with the cover story on Karmapa as "The New Face of Buddhism".

GEO is not to be confused with NatGeo. GEO has a German pedigree and launched recently here in India.

http://www.geo-international.de/

                                                     H.H The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Its quite an interesting story. Karmapa is the head of the Kagyu sect and the Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelug Sect. It is the Gelug sect that represents the political aspirations of the Tibetans. Though Chinese have had no problems with the Kagyu, as historically Kagyu is a rival sect of the Gelug, Karmapa nonetheless chose to escape the Chinese.

"Naturally then, it was a great humiliation for the Chinese government when the reincarnation jumped out of his monastery window on the evening of 28 December 1999 and escape to exile in India"- quote from GEO

                                          H.H The 17th Karmapa with H.H The 14th Dalai Lama

The exile of Karmapa and Dalai lama have bought the rival sects more closer than ever.

Some many Births back the same Karmapa and Dalai Lama were sworn enemies. The Kagyu and the Gelug fought a bloody war to wrest control of Tibet, with help of Mongols and other clans. Buddhism was forgotten and lives were lost in a "Momentary Lapse of Reason". History is full of ironies, so is life.

The concept of re-incarnation. The story of Birth and identification of Dalai lama or that of Karmapa is nothing but fantastic. I am saying this not because whether I believe or don't believe but rather I am fascinated about the culture and the practice of the Tibetans, I am curious and skeptical but I do believe the story. There are multiple credible sources both popular and the not so popular that have narrated the same. Take for instance the Martin Scorsese Movie - "Kundan (1997)" based on the life of Dalai Lama and the Brad Pitt starrer "Seven Years in Tibet (1997)".

How did the practice come about? How did Tibetans come to believe in re-incarnation? When they test a subject for possible re-incarnation they give him a collection of old and new articles that were possessions of the Monk whose re-incarnation is being searched for. Unless the subject identifies the the articles correctly and other elements for example - the time of birth, the occurrence of rain bow at the time of birth or crow cawing on the tent where the subject was born and some such incidents hold. Fascinating. But Hey there is a actually a rival Karmapa. Somehow the top Disciples of the earlier Karmapa had a dis-agreement and each faction pushed there own Karmapa. Only the Karmapa on the cover page of Geo is recognised by the Dalai Lama.

Well images and imagery what is the truth? Truth is elusive, it sleeps through your fingers, your abstractions, your theories, your opinions, your understanding.

One interesting excerpt caught my attention

"The internet only brings an illusion of information. It also creates confusion. Often it is too much for me."- Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the "official" Karmapa.

and the other in the author's words

"A Buddha needs neither an inbox nor a Facebook profile. His medium is the face-to-face audience with his visitors"- Andreas Hilmer, Ethnologist for GEO

That I would call Illusion 2.0 and I am very much in it.

The article also discusses the political significance attributed to the Karmapa given the possible power vacuum after Dalai Lama and the intervening period when they search for the 15th Dalai Lama. Now thats politics and beyond my sphere of influence if you wanna know more, grab a copy- The GEO India, May issue. There are plenty of other interesting articles on Dentistry, Bio-Diversity, Culture and adventure, more on that later.

Discovering One's Self the Tai Chi Way

This is the un-edited version of my article that was published as part of the 2010 Tai Chi Retreat Souvenier. This also kind of got me back into groove as far as writing is concerned.

(* Lei, 
In nature there is always a beginning and an ending, birth and death
and the cycle goes on. Death ushering in a new birth- a larva, turning
into a Pupa into a Butterfly. This day today not only signifies the
end of a year but also a impending beginning of a new one. A new year
with the biggest event for our academy - Meeting the Grandmaster the
culmination of the years of dedication, sacrifice and an unwavering
resolve of our Sifu to take our academy to every city in the country
to add the continuity to the Yang Family's  vision of inclusive and
wholesome life style to every individual and show this amazing path
that Tai Chi is. I needn't add more because words are not the thing.
Let me share or partake my journey and I hope I would get to know all
your stories when I meet you face to face at the retreat. Everybody
has seen something that enabled every individual to transform their
lives completely. This amazing and marvelous thing called the human
body and how much of it I grasp or perceive now and how my
understanding has become deeper and deeper and continue to go deeper
and deeper. Not in terms of the those ridiculously complicated and fat
Biology text books in our schools with latin names (I wonder why
describe a living entity in a language that is dead) or the beefed up
or anorexic zero sized models in our media. Not accumulating in words
and knowledge. I am talking about the understanding that we get
without words, an understanding that we have when we learn with all
heart, gut and everything in us behind it. When we learn when our mind
does not think, is alert, aware and sensitive in every practice from
opening to the closing stance when the division between mind and body
ceases and is one.

My initiation into Tai Chi was really out of restlessness. I had a
back ground in Karate and with the absence of any credible practice
for 6 years I felt guilty within me for having ashamed Bruce Lee and
not smashing every curious punk on the street who had the temerity of
crossing my path and messing with me. For looking at the finger
pointing to moon and missing this heavenly splendor*. For not
upholding the highest ideals of Budo**. All the sacrifices of Li Mubai
and Shu Lian gone in vain***. By Jove I can laugh now :)
So started my Tai Chi, I wondered then was I taught correctly? Why is
there no strength in the punches you throw? Why are the movements so
lazy? What is Qi? Yin Yang? Should I learn Aikido? Look for Karate
Sensei?  However the practices moved on and Cecily (my instructor)
told me to slow down.
I did some background research. I checked Youtube videos and got to
see the grace and flexibility with which Tai Chi is practised and read
articles on the rationale behind the practice. It is believed that if
the body is relaxed and the practices is slow then the nerves get
perceptive and sensitive that contributes to speed when the actual
movement takes place in the heat of a conflict. This sensitivity and
awareness of every nerve impulse is what is continuosly sharpened
until the practitioner becomes aware of the energy or the Qi
This lit up a 11 Kilo Volt of Curiosity and I continually looking the
sensation of Qi in my practice. Practised I did very regularly.
However all these words created was a mental image of Qi. How could I
have known what Qi is when I have never felt it for myself? It
disappointed me, needless to say I did not find Qi in my practice.
However it did one thing my practice became a lot more regular and I
liked it. I paid attention to my practice. I started becoming
sensitive about my practice. Thats it. I became hooked. I met Sifu for
the first time and there it was years of practice and dedication, you
just know that its there you cannot put words to it. I started paying
more attention to what I learnt about my footwork, my weight
transition, balance and my waist- basically the very foundation,
basics the seemingly boring basics but there it was the essence of it.
Sifu's visit would keep shattering all the opinions and views I had
about any form and new set of opinions would take their place that
were again shattered in the next visit. This was an amazing experience
- the awareness that we are opinionated, prejudiced and the very
opinions and prejudices blocks learning- the perception of the new.
Sifu's visit continue to busts Myths and new ones take their place
albeit unfortunately.

 Its been 3 years of Tai Chi and now with the responsibility of
instructing fresh recruits. I hope I am doing a good job I am not
sure. But then again instructing busts Myths too. I look forward to
teaching because for me it is really learning. I learn with the
student something new always. Alas there is so little time in our
lives and so many habits, opinions, prejudices, bigotry in our heads
that need to be busted before we become one with the moment, neither
past, future or present but the NOW. Well learning never stops does
it? Tai Chi is one thing life is quite another :)
It will be my first meeting with the Grand Master and I am sure all
the grandiose pride that I have about my Tai Chi will be busted and
blasted big time into a zillion smithereens and this time both father
and son would get to do it. By Jove its going to be Tremendous. And I
will get to meet you all.
Looking back Tai Chi is not about sending a naughty curious looking
bad guy through 11 feet of atmosphere to crash on a hard side walk, or
not about exploding a million Agent Smith**** with a FaJing. Tai Chi is
about discovering one's self. What is it? What is it really?
Discovering, Questioning and Enquiring.
Sifu thanks
HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL
Enjoy With You Friends and Loved Ones
Remember The Next Year its gonna be great so don't bother
Get Your Restaurant Tables reserved and may you not have to wait for
long to be served
and
World Peace
Generous References
* Enter the Dragon
** C'mon you should know that Samurai's and whole of Japan lives and
dies by the Bushido Code :O
*** Crouching Tiger and Hidden Tiger
     Li Mubai - The Wudan Master the master of the Green Destiny
     Shu Lian - His unrequited love :( sniff sniff
**** Matrix of course
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU 

Miracle of Movement

As soon as we get out of bed in the morning, we stand we walk, we use the hands the wrist the fingers, elbows, knees the ankle, all of the joints. To move. The anatomy of the nervous system of the human body talks of the spinal cord supporting the main trunk line of the nervous system carrying the various electro-chemical impulses. The nervous system, interlink with the myriad muscles and the bones. The heart muscles controlled by the nerves and the heart in turn nourishes the nerves using blood. All interlinked all connected, the individual, the in-divisible, the human body. 


Socially too the movement in the voice box, tongue and the facial muscle convey images between any two human bodies and the perception of this image determines the action of those bodies. If the perception is that of a threat then the bodies look for security either by fleeing or fighting the action determined by what the human body has learnt effectively. If the perception is that of joy then there is laughter, dancing and the bodies in merriment. The walking body, running body, the dancing body, the acting body, the fighting body bodies in action one way or the other. Based on the perception that in turn depends on the movement of images from one body to the other. That in turn depends on what the bodies are doing at the moment the movement occurs. The bodies too indivisible part of this one giant movement.


Flight of a bird, galloping horse, cheetah's sprint, the turtle's relaxed pace, movements.  Sports men, the dancers and martial artists around the world are students-learning, looking and understanding movement. So are the poets. painters, thinkers-students of the movement of ideas, emotions, perceptions. Lovers, students of each other- caught in a passionate dance of emotions and of the body. Movements. 


We all see this movement some part of it, some claim that they see the whole of it, some don't and some don't know what to make out of it. 

Gratitude - Part 2

So we pick up the thread from where we left out. The stoic doctors. The operation theater- families confronting the fact of death. The hospital Sri Ramachandra Medical College and finding humanity.


Well speaking of which I do not know how to begin. I so very much want to make it clear through my writing. I see them all interlinked. I do not see the beginning or the ending. One begins and ends into another. For the general practice to make writing a sequential progression of cause and effect will only make the subject more obscure. The problem is to strike a chord with those who read this piece perhaps person has to live through it to understand, I do not know. That was just a guess. This brain I am not the expert to know the functioning of the brain or its anatomy. I can only live it.


April 23 morning. I was waiting for the procedure of AVR (Aortic Valve Replacement) on my father to get over and was waiting to meet the doctors. 


(For those curious about AVR here is a link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmnzhuYRjz8)


Sometime in the afternoon I get to meet one of the doctors in the team and inquired about how the operation went. The doctor was relaxed calm and he said "Not to worry he is fine all the vitals are normal now he has been transferred to the ICU". For me that was a relief. Another family just came up to meet the same doctor and I heard him say, with the same calm in his voice, this as I head back to my room- "Sister tell them that the patient is no more...". Something hit me the relief I felt was gone. Thats life and death.


The hospital here Sri Ramachandra Medical college is a big system constituted by different departments further constituted by individuals right from the lift man to the man on top. Every body is doing his assigned task day in and day out. The insurance, the pharmacy, the nurses stations in different wards, the case files changing hands, the doctors investigating, studying and administrating treatment, the various labs churning reports. To this system people with different backgrounds seek treatment of myriad ailments, afflictions, recuperation, rehabilitation, to give birth or to breath their last. Good news and the bad news at the same time. Your brain does not know what emotion to ride on. One may describe it as a confusion in which case you make choice to feel happy or sad, a conscious choice. Or you do not choose. This brain of humanity evolved over millions of years can be unfettered, set free, let go. Mind you read me carefully. I state again the "Brain" and not your "Consciousness" is freed. Your Consciousness is your memory, what you state as self is your memory. What you know. Your Consciousness put it in its proper place. Freeing of the brain, now what the heck does that mean? Hear the sounds that you never hear, see the things that you never see, feel that you never felt before, smell that you never smelt and taste that you never tasted before. The anxious or surrendered faces, the medical students anxious before the exams, wheel chairs and stretchers and the squeak in the wheels, the resigned patient who would go under the knife, the prayers to the divine, all that pushing and shoving in queues, the first smile of a new born, the heart beat of a premature born through the incubator, the people in the shadows- those peons or more aptly hygienists, errand boys, the nerves of the doctors and nurses in the Emergency, the bleeding heads, broken bones, the bloody entrails, the fast response of the medicos, the relief of the ambulance driver having reached the hospital. Hear them, see them, feel them use every sense of body to listen to them. Thats the sound of the humanity breathing. The brain does not judge anymore not caught in duality between good or bad, life and death, it does not see any contradiction anymore, truth is not judged, the brain lives it. 


Its 6:00 PM in the evening and visiting hours to the ICU begins.My mother anxious but strong would be the only person to visit him for they allow only one person. 


I visit my father 6:00 PM on the 24th and the site of the ICU of all Cardio-Thoracic cases, a huge spotlessly clean and a sterile room, seeing my father gasping for air and all the monitors and lights bleeping away with lines and tubes running from arms, legs, chest. He loves to talk, speaking is his profession and passion no wonder his 30+ years in teaching in various capacities at IIT Madras. He was waiting the whole day for 6:00 PM to strike and to meet me and to talk. All the machinery and lines and his human body was more akin to an abomination, grissly experiment gone wrong. The Darth Vader breathing that ominous breath ...sshhhhshshshhshs... He was frail. The pain killers kept him going. I spoke little tried hard to keep it short, he spoke till he easily ran out of breath. This is surgical technology mastered by human intellect through ages and still refined and my father went through it. Life finds a way always.


Then there are other stories that I had only a glimpse. The nearest bed from my father's had this very little baby with gauzes and bandages, life support, sleeping. That little life is going through the juggernaut of medication and pain. I wonder how the face could be so serene? As I learnt later from my father, the child would only wail out late at night and not stop till dawn. There were many others going through the seemingly gut churning obstacle course in this game of life and death.


 All this only humbles. We will never fathom it completely in our understanding and any idea of that nature is only infantile. But we live with this miracle of our body or our organs and their organisation that we choose to name as the individual. Its quite funny, if you go into the etymology of individual


 from in- "not" + dividuus "divisible," from dividere "divide."


individual - the single, not divided.


Not divided into various organs, not divided into the mind and the body, not divided into the conscious, subconscious or the unconscious, not divided into any dualities- good or bad, me and you, your religion my religion, your loss my gain, communists capitallists, hindus moslems. We choose a word that denotes us but does not represent us. 


An Individual is the whole humanity if he is not divided both from the inside and the outside. The totality. You save one life you save the entire humanity. You free one individual you free the entire humanity. So are we really an individual?


I thank Dr Richard Saldanha and his team, the A7 ward staff and the entire staff of the Sri Ramachandra Medical college to have helped us through this medical miracle.

Gratitude - Part 1

The days leading up to the my father's surgery had been quite an experience.  My father's reconciliation with the modern medicine as he goes under the knife. Perfect strangers and friends who are seldom in touch coming forward to help in my hour of need. The stoic doctors. The operation theater- families confronting the fact of death. The hospital Sri Ramachandra Medical College. In all this as all ways finding what being human means.

The procedure to be performed was Aortic-Valve-Replacement. Thats the prognosis. The diagnosis is stenosis due to calcification of the Aorta that led to his high blood pressure for over a decade. For my father's generation going to a hospital is in itself a dread and a surgery is quite beyond all comprehension. To top that the active lifestyle that he led with daily walks adds on the idea that one is impervious to any affliction. But as with any beliefs this to was on tenuous grounds and it did not hold. He had to face his fears- depending on someone else. When the going is good we keep to ourselves and do things on our own terms and not be bothered about someone else, self reliance is what we say. Self. The "image" about ourselves, how much water does it hold? We may never know, not until the image is shattered and then we do what we dread in my father's case depending on someone else, not being self reliant, we face the fears. But then life is funny you yield and every thing takes care of itself or rather, not risking getting misinterpreted or representing any belief, we come to terms with what FACT is and with the truth, studied, life seems to find a way.

The initial admission procedures went well-admission on 19th March, angio-gram on the 21st, and the operation on the 22nd. Then the problem- the hospital blood bank was out of A1+ve, this was because of a case of liver transplant that consumed 30 units of the Blood Banks' supply. Another problem- I was told about this on the 21st afternoon. One more Problem- my O+ve won't do. The Blood Bank had no A1+ve stock to trade with my O+ve. The first thing when a person is confronting a really serious problem and if the person is really serious, is that the brain becomes incredibly focussed. It actually stops thinking and ACTs. I and Rini get to act calling to Simu, my Tai Chi Administrator, Suresh an old friend, Shashi Kumar a BTech student from IIT Madras who moderates blood donation activities in the campus, Kanchan ex-cleegue of Rini, Helen current colleague of Rini, http://www.friendstosupport.org/index.aspx providing a comprehensive donors list, and my very good friend Desingh. My and my wife's phone was busy and phone call after phone call from the seeming impossibility of arranging blood, given the summer and the exams of students all over, in short notice slowly but surely kind gentlemen extend their hand to help. With the operation time slot postponed to the second slot (11 AM, first slot at 7AM) we found the 5 volunteers who would make it on 22nd early morning to donate A1+ve blood.

Myself and Rini, we thank Simu (Mrs Viji Thomas), Suresh, Senthil, Shashi Kumar and Kamal (2nd year, ECE, Anna University), Nasser, Kanchan, Helen to have helped us through the crisis.

Above all we thank the donors Mr Sravan Kumar (BTech, Mechanical 3rd Year, IIT Madras), Sreenidhi (MS, Electrical Engg, IIT Madras), Mr. Mahendran, Mr. Raghavendra (L&T Infotech), and Arun (2nd Year, ECE, Anna University).

We missed the deadline and the operation got postponed for the day but it was a relief that we had the requisite units of blood for the procedure to move ahead. I don't have the words to express the gratefulness I feel inside for these fine and exemplary ladies and gentleman. All I would say THANK YOU. I could now be relaxed to down the food through my alimentary.

Who is a friend and who is a stranger? The experience makes me question. The following gentlemen I have never met before are they stranger to me now? I guess not.

Senthil
























Raghavendra

Sravan Kumar
























Sreenidhi

Mahendran

Kamal and Arun

Images

For last few days a lot may have happened around us among which the most popular ones –Tiger Wood’s return to the Masters, the IPL controversy, Earthquake in China, the failure of the GSLV launch and the IPL matches. Others would add some more or less to this list which is understandable. The events of our daily lives make us form opinions and actions and all this collective opinion and action is the dynamics of our lives. There is research into the tweeter phenomenon- celebrity gossips, what is the dynamics of that? A bunch of friends meet and a lot get discussed about the latest happenings a lot in our heads is a result of how we come across them, through interaction, communication. Between long distance friends there used to be letters exchanged that would take weeks to find the reader apparently if the imagination can be stretched as Aparna Sen would have us believe in the Japanese Wife, a very intimate relationship could be shared through mere exchange of words. Well I wouldn’t say it as a stretch because you see words do provoke a reaction within us. The IPL concocto-versy for instance, people are curious, that is a reaction. We react to words. What is with Shashi Tharoor? What is with Lalit Modi? Questions- reaction that drives us to find more words and more questions.

J.Krishnamurty would say that all we know about the world are only images in the memory. All the conditioning, habits, fears, pleasure we acquire in memory determines our personality. How we perceive about things. In this dynamic world we acquire opinions faster than ever before thanks to the words and images that fly very fast through all the optical fibers criss-crossing the high seas and all the innovators and entrepreneurs who evangelized Web and their application the Phenom- Social Networking. The blog I am writing to is a result of that and you reading it. What does a person go through with all this image building exercise? Swami Nithyanand had quite a successful following. I was surprised some very talented and educated people were following him. Until Swami Nithyanand “seemed” to do something “un-Swami” like. Quite a few went bonkers taking to the streets. Arrest warrants issued and now there are court cases for Nithyanand to fight. So in addition to “Image building” there is also destruction of images leading to anger, rage, depression, increased heart rate, man vs man. Well apparently images are not permanent there are the Bull and Bear runs spoiling the party and that’s what a person seems to go through.

Everything is a function of the prevailing images; sentiments that take the stock market to rallies and crashes. Take the case of the conflict between the government and the Maoists- images hating images. Religions around the world would want us to BELIEVE. What Images? Notions? Biases? Bigotry? Image of what is righteous, virtuous? And when those are contradicted by others we blow each other up? Images. It is like the fiendish character in Batman Series- the Two Face, images- of pleasure or fear. Well with all this I better handle this image thingy with care, be careful with them, they seem to come in different sizes and shapes and these days in Bytes- K, M and G Bytes. They are thieves out to get to your peace of mind. Watch out even from the Morpheus who would give you the Red or Blue Pill.

Bhajji on Bliss

It was a particularly annoying evening with water shortage, power shortage, shortage of relaxation after a day's work of an ordinary Software engineer, however, there was no shortage of the rain when the heavens opened and quenched thirsting Bangalore with a collateral of course- Uprooted Trees, speaking of God's weird ways. Anyhoo, it does not call for a particularly navigable traffic with a Moong Dal to buy. My previous 2 attempts of buying Moong Dal to satisfy my particularly discerning Wife was a failure and I had to, had to get lucky third time around, it was time to act Amigos, get married and you would understand and make me your hero.
  
However all this I didn't know, I didn't know it was to rain, I didn't know that there will be power cum water shortage. I leave office a little late than usual with a dread- my wife would be hungry and hungry Wives are dangerous. It almost sounded like hungry wolves are dangerous isn't it?. I forgot to pack any food from the "The Bay Foodcourt" I had already started. As a discerning General of Corps Husbandry managing my front I had to gather intelligence. I call trying to be calm and composed and ascertain the topology of the husband-wife dynamics at the moment. The dispatch from the war zone read "No Water Stop Wife Cooking Bhaji Stop No Power Stop" the odds read 2 to 1 for TROUBLE. Thats not a bad odd considering I have dealt with far sinister ones and my wife is not going to be hungry...pooh pooh...I am a seasoned veteran.

With a successful raid for Moong Dal I march for home turf. I call up the security about the water problem.

"No Water Before 8 read 9 pm"

At home I actually find my wife,  Rini, not marshaling a regiment but actually scampering like a naughty kid with excitement and I melt General of Corps Husbandry is "AT EASE". After the precious husband and wife talk of day's events, gossips, love, Bangalore bitching and love, I start chewing on the Haldirams. Its raining and its dark with Rini blissfully frying away, the Chilly and Corn Bhaiji. For the first time in many months Bangalore is actually cool with a cool spray in your face standing on the balcony, rain, and Rini cooking away "Oh!! When will she be done and I start eating!!??!!!"

Sure I annoy her wits end bit Rini is very caring with the first batch of Chilly Bhajji and Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Chilly Sauce-Its Different. What did I do to deserve this but hey you don't mess with questions when the going is GOOD, you blend with the flow. Sure I have been hard on Rini plenty of times with her worldly likes and dislikes, wants and aspirations and me so philosophical, critical, and skeptical, and tad too patient. She a Ball of Energy and myself a more laid back leisurely. The proverbial Yin-Yang and myself and Rini in a Cosmic Dance creating the world we share together every second of everyday.

From Cosmos to 207 Aster, Rakesh Fantasy Garden, my favorite sauce and my favorite Bhajis and the rain outside and its all dark, awesome. Every bite melts in you mouth and the sauce and the hot chilly touch your tongue and the fireworks of flavor work your palate and nostrils and the dark misty rain outside and the cool chill soothing your very bones with more Bhajis to come. AH, This is Nirvana!!!!

My palate is all fired and the water is not enough to quench but still I devour and devour still more. Rini comes looks at me is all smiles. For a consummate cook all they want are happy faces with their food or pieces of Gastronomic Art in the patron's mouth. She had one or two intermittently and her mind was only on the rest- Corn Bhajjis. What Rini missed today in her attire is a artist's berret. What is a berret you ask? Its a kind of hat that looks like this

The moment, the experience would forever remain and possibly saved for posterity in this blog as for me I feel grateful for the moment I and Rini shared with the Bhajis. In this dynamics of the husband and wife this I would say is a song. I bless her all the more and I am grateful.

Guess your way out of uncertainity

No matter what religious scripture one reads after a while the entire subject gets more obscure than when one had started. The mind becomes more unsure of itself and the floodgates of question comes pouring over. The first 30 years of once life is I think is a breeze some really "gifted" individuals would denote it with much smaller number. Everything is so set and definite. You start your kindergarten, score good grades, move up the 12 standards of schooling to attain your right for a college education. Another 3-4 years of being called a bachelor, and more 2 years and call yourself a Master and another 5-10 years to call yourself a Philosopher. Or you hate being a Master/Philosopher get into the thick of action jump in into your careers. Get Married. All right. Easy Peazy Lemon Sqeezy. Everything is so hunky dory and then like Neo in Matrix you wake up. 


You touch upon on myriad Spiritualists, Philosophers, Thinkers, Rock Stars, God Men, Politicians, Communists, Capitalists, Socialists, Hollywood Movies, Bollywood Movies, 9-11 Bombings, War against Terror etcetera etcetera etcetera. Each time you touch and if you had been sensitive you are affected, extent would depend upon one's predisposition.If you are touched then you say something is wrong. Then you run behind the elusive, what is true? If your run had been rather a 100m sprint then you may be brandishing your AK-47, dropping bombs and killing babies or if your run had been a marathon one, you might be protesting on the streets, writing columns, blogs, tweeting, ..., to summarize you will be, not only you we all will be, voicing our inner self when our search for an answer stops. You stop when you think you know the answer and act. 


So from one well seemingly well defined system we realize "truth" and break away to something else. A different "System". A system nonetheless. Until one meets the next Contradiction and Mr.Transformation would seek our appointment again. According to the Advaita "Change is the Only Constant". I smell another system. 


This reminds me of a scene from Fiddler On the Roof

Avram: (gestures at Perchik and Mordcha) He's right, and he's right? They can't both be right.

Tevye: You know... you are also right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXIdamBEUJE

So why am I ranting today morning, the reason is the following link.


http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627550.200-enter-the-matrix-the-deep-law-that-shapes-our-reality.html


The science has created this marvelous system to explain nature. We have gone from Classical Theory, to Quantum Theory Standard Model, and now new theories to explain the unexplainable such as the string theory and the perennial search for the Unified Theory. In this search we hit contradictions along the way and the new scientist blog by the gentleman named Mark Buchanan describes a spooky way of guessing your way out a.k.a Random Matrix Theory. 


One particular pair of sentence struck me


" It means that while a large amount of information makes it easy to study everything, it also makes it easy to find meaningless patterns. That's where the random-matrix approach comes in, to separate what is meaningful from what is nonsense."


Geez, Does this mean that Lab Mouse that we are can get out of any contradiction/conjecture/problem by mere guessing?


Kaustav: Sense and non-sense are separated by a GUESS?
Tevye   :  You are right.

The Retreat Diaries

Cast

GrandMaster Fu Sheng Yuan and Master James

Sifu and Simu

G9- Gandi

DS- Devraj Sanyal

S- Sirish

PS - Priya Srivastava

RS- Rohit Srivastava

KG - Kaustav Guha

G - Ganesh

M - Mala

N – Neelima

S and S – Sathya and S

SFDN - Saifuddin

SK – Sachidev Kumar

SS- Sarvanakumar

NL- Nischol

Day 1 (5 March 2010)

The Tai Chi retreat had been a great experience and I do not quite put words to what touched me most but nonetheless I would take a shot at it. Why have we come to love the art of Yang Taijiquan? The reasons may be varied but we all have to come to love it. In my experience the practice of 85 forms has become an indispensible part of my life style and is a necessary ritual for me to function in this literally mad hectic world. It charges the body in the morning and there is enough energy to enjoy the simplest things in life at the end of the day. But the retreat tops all that. I am not alone in smiling at anything and everything and cracking the dumbest jokes for the heck of it like an idiot while and after the retreat. So many ridiculously passionate arguments over nothing! Thinking about which I smile and I knew that the grand ultimate Qi was flowing through my meridians like grade 1 white water torrent. I would share all those nonsensical-non-nonsensical gibberish that transpired in the course of my fooling around with that unfortunate lot who had to put up with me, juxtaposing with what transpired in the sessions.

The WarmUp

After the drive from Central over the beautiful ECR with G9 by me side, PS and RS at the back seat the entry to Temple Bay was "HERE IT IS- I am finally here and despite &^@%$%$$ I made it YES". G9 was almost a devotee of Sifu and shared some of his earliest experiences and about driving. That was short intro and pretty much sometimes you meet very interesting people and then they are unknown again. Sifu and Simu were really on the swords edge and this was to be pretty much throughout the retreat first of which is happening right there when I called my wife and extending commiserations - "How Sad that you couldn't make it" and "I miss You". The property is beautiful and as a Bengalurite I found Chennai COOL not that the beautiful Firangs who greeted us with a "Vanakkam" had anything to do with it. The rooms weren't ready and I suspect that with their 5 ishtarr procedure of cleaning up the room for 80 odd people is a rarity.

Day 1 went pretty much in serious registration and registering the moments of GrandMaster Fu Sheng Yuan and Master James’ presence amongst us. The session had primary focus on the warm exercises and the clarification of push hands most notably the Tin-Jin and single hand push hands. It looked like a large ball room dance with dancers at their romantic worst. We got to see Master James at his hilarious best when he poked fun, though good fun, at our exercise. Seriously it was really good stuff some very good insight into the principles of 13 forms, push hands. However Day 1 was just a breaking the ice day serious Tai Chi was still due.

“DS: Can you see an ELECTRON?”

Thus began the night one of the retreat. This was an argument that had been simmering for quite some time given my philosophical disposition regarding fundamental aspects of life in general- the author of this statement does not believe any system that will lead us to the truth be it organized religion or science. Any system is a pair of crutches that we rely on to understand what truth is but we can never stand the truth unless we forsake those very crutches. Obviously with the flowing Chi in our meridian (KG, DS and S) decided to have a serious intellectual head butting. So much so that the Chi spilled over the balcony of room #136 rattling unsuspecting passersby of which G and M responded and there Qi rattled us back. The gist of it

KG: To understand electricity one cannot rely on mere abstractions in physics

DS : So can you see an electron?

KG: Electron is a mere abstraction but not what IS

G and M: Who’s UP THERE?

DS, KG: Oh uhh errrr sorry did we bother you ?????

Bangalore Crowd

We at Bangalore come to the Tai Chi Class like a thief and leave surreptitiously. Its almost like a secret society so secret that our very presence in the class is a secret to ourselves. The retreat thawed this super-cooled chill amongst us, more on that later. The Day 1 was super good.

Day 2 (6 March 2010)

Sunrise Tai Chi

Mornings and at 4 AM. 4 AM? You ask what on Earth was I doing at 4 in the morning with S and S deep in their slumbers. I brought my @$%^& !& work to the retreat. In 2 hours the sunrise TaiChi was to commence. And I was in the balcony facing the pool I was looking at the ripples on the water which I think was the state of my mind right at that time. How reflecting!!

At 5:30 I am out on a waking spree, waking S and S, DS, S, G.

DS: “Why? Why? Why Mr Guha? Why? Why do you persist?

KG: “Because I choose to” ……

DS: Shut Up…I dreamt electrons last night because of you.

I had done my damage the next mission-finding the lawn on the beach.

Story Time

It was just past the Sunrise TaiChi, I see this small group looking at me and N practicing sword and the saber, more at N than me. Oh I had to make an impression right so there was quite a load to keep up with the forms. Well the group was impressed (they are only too kind) and thus began some interesting exchange of stories. The group had SFDN, SK, and others.

-Story 1: What is Zen?

Once upon a time, there had been a Zen practitioner though he had a business of his own and quite successful at that Zen for him was really a fad. But the more he got into it more bewildered he became. Then one day he could take it no more. He approached his master and harassed him “For Heaven’s sake what is Zen?” No matter what the master said couldn’t pacify the student. Finally the master said “If you want to know Zen then meet my master. He would be walking by the road on the mountain reaching the shrine. Meet him and he will tell you what Zen is. The student reached the appointed place and waited for the master’s arrival. Nobody arrived except a laborer with a heavy sack on his back. He waited for many days and he enquired people passing by, except the laborer, but everybody was negative to his query. Finally one day he asked the laborer whether he knew his master and he nodded yes. Then finally the student asked the master “It is bothering me for quite some time but what is Zen?” To this the laborer dropped his sack and was all relaxed with a serene face. The student was bewildered he asked him “What does it mean?” to which the laborer immediately picked up the sack and placed it on his back and walked away…

Some in the crowd got it and went Ahhhhh…and some went “What does it mean?” still carrying the burden

-Story 2: The Beggar

SK is a Rotary Club member and was distributing food and met a beggar once in his social missions. He gave him some sambar rice and other accompaniments to which the Beggar replied with a smile “What is this lunch?” and SK acknowledged him in the positive. The beggar had small morsel and gave it back to SK and said keep this in your pooja room. SK was moved, this is very odd, and nonetheless he took it his home and kept in the pooja room. A day passed the food was not spoiled and still the same, 2 days and 3 days passed and it was still the same it just wouldn’t go bad. Finally SK himself had a morsel and left the mystery alone.

-Story 3: The Wretched Lady from Assam

There was once a man quite accomplished in his life but as is life goes he had cancer. The doctor did not give him much hope and obviously of no help. His spiritual guru asked him to go to Kanyakumari and meet this tobacco chewing Assamese lady. She was with the dogs and living the very basic life. He religiously meets her and before he could introduce himself properly she asked how his guru was doing. After the small talk she gave her spit to him and asked to chew it and have dip in the sea and go home- “All problems will go away”. He does precisely that and he is fully recovered.

With that very warm exchange of stories we left to our rooms feeling something quite different.

With a quick bath we hit the breakfast halls and feasting on the sumptuous.

-Story 4: The Beautiful Sword

The most beautiful of sword is always sheathed.

28 forms and the pressure points and push hands with the GrandMaster

The description of the pressure points at either ends of the wrist is what we dealt in the 28 forms corrections. This aspect of pressure points was very illuminating at least for the seniors. I hope everybody is seriously incorporating the conscious awareness of the pressure points in their practice. And next was the Tin-Jin and my partner for the day SS. The Tin-Jin in Day-2 was a lot clearer than the usual single hand push hands and the sticky hands. I will admit I wanted bask in the masters presence and I was looking for every opportunity to interact though not risking being a pest. I pressed SS to practice as GrandMaster was just around making his rounds and then the moment I was waiting. Push hands with the GrandMaster, WOW it was surreal at his age to have the sensitivity shamed mine. That was a high point. I am not going to wash my hands that were privileged to be corrected by the Master himself. DS and I and I hope we are not alone we wondered why there should be any break. We just couldn’t have enough of it.

QA

The QA started with my query on single whip and Master James at his elements. He explained about the tail bone tucking in during the turning on the heel for single whip and his antics in explaining was hilarious- “You need to come to the bathroom to understand”. The high point of the QA was NL’s question on step up parry and punch. NL a big burly guy is stopped in his tracks by solid stance of Master James, Oh awesome stuff. NL was made to understand the meaning of his own name- stillness. The significance of why 85 forms is right side dominant (because liver being on the right side) and the other questions were placeholders compared to what was to follow- the history behind simplified Yang being the stuff of chicken fight rather than any real martial art. Oh this is serious Tai Chi at its very best.

Camaraderie of Bangalore

This was a great opportunity of serious bonding of the Bangalore contingent. Bangaloreans are a busy lot and the 3-4 hr of Tai Chi leaves very little time of any meaningful socializing. I discovered a lot of interesting things to learn about each of them. Ladies and Gentleman presenting to you the Bangalore contingent

Ramesh: I love to get on his nerves he is one serious Tai Chi and Buddhism freak. Imagine to check out the lawn of the Sunrise Tai Chi one must actually check it out by practicing 85 forms at 7 PM after the day’s toll on the body. Imagine that he is the person. Imagine, wouldn’t you love to get on his nerves. Every word or gesture of the GrandMaster Fu’s or Master James is as if the Buddha’s sermon at Bodh-Gaya. Mind you tread with caution with this guy, as far as internal martial art is concerned he is an expert of Xingyi and Bagua and always getting in contests with Harold is a testimony enough.

Krishna Kumar: KK, we call him. This guy has a hearty laugh and this makes pulling Ramesh’s leg even more enjoyable when you have a discerning audience such as KK. A Taekwondo expert you have one serious martial arts practitioner in him. He loves pulling Ramesh’s leg and you would understand when I say – “Jab mil baithe Teen Yaar, KK, main aur Ramesh Sir”.

Anand: I discovered a great friendship in him only at the Retreat. I had a brief and forgettable introduction at Bangalore. This man is an ace Tennis player and an ex-Karateka and has a big zest for life. You sit with him and if your wavelength matches the resonance is going to shatter any ear drum.

Devraj Sanyal- He is my philosophical adversary as is apparent, quintessential Agent Smith to this Neo, Tai Chi researcher who is not going to stop at nothing. He is going to go beyond the 4 quadrants of Tai Chi. A hearty Bengali whose is a vegetarian by choice?!!??!!!!! He hails from a family of freedom fighters who are accomplished in traditional stick fighting. Software engineer and loves his work. A astute student of Ramesh needless to say where the antagonism for me comes from.

Sirish- He is an introspective, much wiser for his age, sensitive, philosopher, jazz, blues, rock keyboardist and guess what 19 years of age. He is silent but listens and actually can stand me as a person. I can’t pull this fellow’s leg at all. I can’t believe it. He is one grand old man in a late teen’s body that is as far as I can get to pulling his leg.

Meera- A contemporary dancer, yoga enthusiast and in the hunt for spiritual bliss are all Meeras in the world like the Original or rather Authentic Meera Bai. Needless to say her Tai Chi is in her list of spiritual exploration. Exudes youthful exuberance and would you believe, she is a Mother of an 8 eight year old.

Venky – He is into Tai Chi for spirituality and philosophy. A person who is very clear about life in general. He picked up his 85 in a jiffy. If he hangs around there is lot in Tai Chi for him.

Murali- A top exec in a top company. He got 11 adverts for the retreat. A down to earth person, Tai Chi, Yoga enthusiast and has a zest for life.

Neelima- A very warm, kind and a mother-figure of our Bangalore contingent. Konkani studied in Shantiniketan has chaste Bengali tongue and a great baker. A perfectionist in 85 and her favorite the weapons. So choose you weapons carefully.

Priya and Rohit- They celebrated there anniversary in the Retreat Rohit is a hardcore Yoga and a Tai Chi enthusiast. Fearless and is sensitive about many issues that are plaguing our lifestyle – GM foods, stress in work and many others. As I am writing this please welcome Priya into our Tai Chi family no doubt the Retreat played a major part in convincing Priya to take up Tai Chi.

Shreeguru- One of the very senior students of our academy. Into lot of Yoga and as Neelima and I discovered into cooking with practically no oil and no salt???!!!!???

No oil and no salt??!!??

SaravanaKumar – S for short. Ex-Karateka and was pretty much busy with the sessions and his family, father of a cute girl with Happy Feet. Despite all that a serious Tai Chi practitioner and my push hands partner.

No oil and no salt??!!??

Santosh- Not much about him a silent and up to himself was a Chennai student and a Harold Rose protégé.

Sifu and Simu- They belong to Bangalore. Not much to say you all know them. The first couple of the academy and the reason why we are together.

No oil and no salt??!!??

Wanna Wanna Wanna WANNA

The dinner had a rock band singing my favorites “Cocaine”, “Smoke on water” and “We don’t need no education” and were murdering them, but somehow their innocence, youth and exuberance made it sound NICE. But they were good in their originals and a particular crowd favorite “Wanna” the Bangalore crowd obviously the most discerning rock audience enjoyed and even shook to some atrocious, pathetic leg, hand and hip movements, I wouldn’t call it dancing, I would call it… never mind that wouldn’t sound politically correct. But it was fun, really fun, really really fun stuff. Mind you the Chennai lot was equally culpable of dancers and was party to the crime.

Day 3 (7 March 2010)

So today is the end to the trilogy. Or is it really the beginning of something new. The question is

“How Can You Keep a dew drop from losing?”

All of our destinies made us meet. We all come from different backgrounds and we are together in the Radisson Temple Bay resort learning from the Masters. The swimming pool waters are calm today, and by this time you would know that I am talking about myself when I say that. In two hours the Sunrise TaiChi will start with Master James.

Master James makes a Rooster call in the Golden Cock Stance. It was funny but I was not laughing. I was amazed at the solidity of his stance; he was put like a statue. Today’s Sunrise TaiChi had an musical accompaniment. Dr. Himanshu Vaz had this very beginning of the day relaxed music and it was quite apt with all the graceful moves we have with Tai Chi. What I am talking about is the external significance. Anybody who would witness the event would have been mesmerized. Internally I cared only about not falling and not screwing up my forms. Keeping up with Master James is by far not easy at all. He is so much in control and his movements are so solid and so very well defined. I was sweating profusely at the end of it. Good thing was that I was at the corner and I enjoyed all the space around me without the dreadful dread of bumping into another.

You could see Master James sweating so much so he almost had a puddle to drown in. We had an impromptu QA at the end of the Sunrise Tai Chi, I think there were some interesting questions but it flew over the stratosphere not an altitude where my brain flies. But this was all that I could gather from those moments. Chinese associate an animal out of the twelve they have to every hour of the day. When GrandMaster Fu and Master James practice it is the hour of the Rat which is 11-12 pm. At that hour there is a lot of energy scurrying all around that begins with the ending of a slumbering pig, 10-11 pm, which Master James says his wife calls him one. Goes to show what all wives think about their beloved husbands regardless of who they are even if one has Mastered Taijiquan. If you are shocked let me assure you it is Master James in his hilarious elements. For those who have the apprehension of being branded as part of the loony tunes practicing at that hour you settle for a practice when the sun rises, at the hour of the rabbit the furry distant cousin of the rat, and more in tune with Indian sensibilities of exercise. Dr. Vaz had a question and it was all medical with brain circuits and all that Master James couldn’t understand. I thought there was something interesting to understand. I did not understand no point talking about it. But I liked being in his presence and so did all of us who were there. We just liked it- all that leg pulling of Master James. This I understand.

Push Hands

The rolling hands practice on day 3 really clarified the push hands like never before- Having the privilege to do push hands with the GrandMaster Fu on day 2 and now the cherry on the cake push-hands with Master James. Its lot of hard work and one needs to have a very strong and flexible lower body. I do not yet know how to fathom what I have learnt in these days but the experience has only made me lot more curious and serious about Tai Chi. But one thing a veil has been lifted in these 3 days at the retreat, Tai Chi is a Martial Art and beyond those meridians and esoteric gibberish, beyond those abstractions and images. There is a lot of hard work and toil ahead mastering this body and these senses to really know what Tai Chi is.

85 forms

“launch away”->”Sit back”->”lei”->”Chi”->”Again” I lost count of how many times GrandMaster Fu ordered and we obeyed. Again and again and again… It goes to show what it takes to be perfect, practice and practice and practice and …This we did but the journey is far from over as it would become apparent on the lunch table.

FaJIng

We practiced FaJing and Master James had an interesting story to share. Sometime in the early 90’s the Chinese Media had come to GrandMaster Fu’s house. GrandMaster Fu demonstrated push hands with his then nineteen year old son Master James. GrandMaster got a little to excited that he threw Master James to wall like a piece of meat. Master James whispered to GrandMaster Fu that “I can’t go on anymore” but GrandMaster just went ahead with even more push hands and even more plops on the wall. Later that night Master James coughed blood and an internal bleeding and luckily their family prepare traditional Chinese medicine and in this case Shanchi powder was administered to Master James. This helped but it took Master James 3 months to recover. Mrs. Fu, Master James’ mother was all furious “How could you do this to your own son”. Later on Master James took his complaint to GrandMaster Fu to which GrandMaster Fu said only this much “You know Kung Fu?”

Kalari

There was a Kalari demonstration and I wouldn’t believe Asan of 72 year old could be so quick, flexible and so fierce. His students would almost wet in their pants when sparring with him. It was amazing. Then there was cultural exchange of Master James demonstrating Saber. All this was so amazing that in the words of the Dragon Warrior Po the Panda we were blinded by the overexposure to pure awesomeness.

Lunch Time

I admit I am a pest. I wanted to go where GrandMaster went, I wanted to sit with him and lunch and dine regardless of whether he called Mala as MOLA HA HA HA. Well I don’t mind having a Cantonese equivalent of my name. Thanks to the non-pests in the Bangalore contingent I too became a non-pest. However I was dying to be one. I invited Master James to lunch at our table and the non-pests were thanking me though wouldn’t care to admit it then or later. He regaled us with the stories of his experiences, his student winning an Olympic medal in 2008 (Wushu-Taijiquan), about his tryst in the media, teaching experiences. Needless to say his food was getting cold. He is one fun loving person and would crack anybody anytime with jokes and anecdotes, he had us in splits. The best part was what came out of the conversation on massaging GrandMaster Fu’s back. He said that his and Sifu’s fingers would hurt so strong was GrandMaster’s Fu’s back. He looked at me and said “You touch his back (pointing to DS’ back) and go touch GrandMaster Fu’ back”. For a moment I thought is that actually happening. I went to GrandMaster Fu with a fear of not offending him lest I would be a piece of meat on the wall. I took his permission and touched his back. Compared to the soft and cushy back of DS’ GrandMaster Fu’s back was as hard as a piece of Granite; I am not under any influence of alcohol or psychotropic drugs when I say that. He laughed his signature hearty laugh “HA HA HA” and then goes “TOUCH TOUCH” pointing to his forearm, it was three times my forearm and as hard as a ROCK. Then he again went again “HA HA HA” as if pointing me and saying “See Kid I am the Master, you are a Kid and continue to be one so HA HA HA”. But whatever happened was a dream and I even started laughing like him “HA HA HA”.

Photo OP

The photo Op. In the official group photograph you could see me seated 3 seats to the right of Simu. Where Master James goes humor follows. He swapped his wife for Simu and Simu boy she blushed the entire crowd was all in splits. Master James goes “that is a good exchange”. Simu would kill me next time she comes to Bangalore I am sure for bringing this up. After saying CHEESE we head back to complete the 85 forms correction.

Sword and Saber

We were just about to start the weapons and Master James noticed me carrying wooden sword and saber. He talked about the jin not travelling the length of the wooden sword and getting reflected from the handle itself. He demonstrated the Jin travelling the sword and rattling the tip. He asked me to do the same I did and the tip wouldn’t rattle. He goes “See, the sword doesn’t listen to you. Do it harder”. I redeemed by pride by going at it harder and rattling the tip. Then he demonstrated that he could rattle the tip without thrusting the sword. He would just hold the sword and the jin would emit out of his hands and rattle the tip. This was out of the ordinary and I was amazed. I go to KK and share my sorrow- “The sword doesn’t listen to me, my wife doesn’t listen to me” to which KK replied “and in my case my kids don’t listen to me”. I vowed then that one day I will have a real sword.

We had so little time for sword, so much got crammed into that time that my head was reeling. Master James himself felt that. Nonetheless that is the best we could do at that time. We went into saber and finished a routine. GrandMaster Fu suddenly out of the blue called everybody to grab any stick, hilt sword whatever and made them practice the saber. He just put everybody in a spot and we all did the first few forms. Again and again and again and…

Souvenier, Certificates and the closing

It dawned on us like all good things come to an end so would this retreat and all the happy memories from these three days would be revisited again and again and again …

My article “Discovering One’s Self”, of course edited to suit the fine discerning taste of the audience made it into the souvenir. I was shocked; the editors must have had a nightmare with that piece. The souvenir was too good. It looked like a top class coffee table book. The graphics were amazing and so were the articles and hats off to the Chennai Team to have brought it out so well and being such a gracious host to the proceedings that transpired. We got the certificates and the souvenir and were beat.

Dinner

This would be the last dinner under the star lit sky. A Bharatanatyam performance by kids with our Masters enjoying it thoroughly, explanation of who or what a Bengali is by DS- “Orey Baba Akashe Koto Tara” (translate: Oh My God The Sky has so many Stars), plans for the next day to head home or to check out the nearby lonely planet must see, and many such conversations dotted the night. I felt a bit light inside and the sea is just a distance away. So many good experiences- Master James’ jokes, GrandMaster Fu’s HA HA HA and the bonding in the Bangalore group. I just wanted to stop time and stay with the feeling of being in presence of the masters needless to say an infantile idea finding its root in my head. The time moves on what it will make me I know not. I know this much that I am very curious right that very moment something that will carry me more and more into the depths of the Yang Style Taijiquan ever getting into the depths until I get to realize the answer to question that began the Day 3 journey.

“How Can You keep a dew drop from losing?”

By throwing it into the Sea.

The Bangalore crowd ended the night doing a group meditation facing
the Bay of Bengal.