The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of ten thousand things
Thus, constantly free of desire
One observes its wonders
Constantly filled with desire
One observes its manifestations
Shaolin Five Animals
Kung Fu or Gong Fu means "hard work". Sifu would bring this up when we were in the middle of a particularly brutal exercise. We'd be on our third set of push-ups and he would yell out, "What does Kung Fu mean?!" and we would answer "Hard work!"....
D.A.T.E.S.
Sijo Carl Totton would often tell us stories about his time training with Senior Grandmaster Ed Parker (The founder of American Kenpo Karate). Sijo clearly admired Ed Parker for his prowess as a fighter and for his generosity as a teacher but I...
Students and Teachers
I've always had an interesting relationship with teachers. I'm a natural skeptic and I tend to challenge authority (especially when I perceive an error in logic or method). I ask a lot of questions and I actively test boundaries to make sure I...