« You cannot step into the same river twice » Heraclitus
With every step the river is changed and so are you. It is easy to see how the river is different but how can you change in one step? You have new information now and reacted to that information already. Your balance is different, the souls of your feet are different, your perspective has changed and so on. Si Dai Gung Chong says that a person playing the piano for a single day is one day more experienced than someone who never played. I would add to that by saying they are no longer the same person. In the environmental world we say you cannot change just one thing and this is also true about that piano player. The piano is different, those listening are different, their future is different.
This is why « ichi go ichi ee » (once chance one encounter). This is a warning to prepare and be aware. You only have one chance in any each situation and that same scenario will never repeat itself… It is what it is.
Si Gung Yamanaka says « there is no right, there is no wrong, there is only experience » that is, there is no wrong way to handle that encounter, no judgement it is just what it is no more and no less. That does not mean you will like how you handled that encounter yet you are warned to get over it before you step again, learn from your actions and gain experience.
Stop taking things personally, stop taking yourself seriously, learn to laugh at yourself and dance. In kungfu, you stand in horse stance yet you are never standing still. You are growing and changing while holding that stance by polishing your mind, forging your spirit, building your strength.
The more you polish your mind the better you will reflect honestly in any situation. Last blog I spoke of true action. This is an action that is honest and comes with little regret because it reflects your heart. When you step with a true heart you are more likely to meet that encounter with honesty. Peter Urban said when you walk put your chi in your feet, when you talk put the chi in your voice and when you sit put your chi in your a….you get the picture. The other saying I like is « when you stand…stand, when you sit…sit, but above all don’t wobble ». Be decisive in your actions not because you are calculating but because you are reflecting a true heart.
No regret – because regrets are hollow since you can never return or step in the same river twice. Live with your encounters, learn from them and make your next step as a higher being.
Stay balanced!
Sifu