A TALE OF TWO EQUIPMENTS
These series of post are mainly
my own LIMITED thoughts and experience from practicing Yiquan and should be
taken with a HUGE DOSE OF SALT.
Today, we shall talk about
vital pieces of equipment that are vital to the practice of Yiquan. This is
more in an abstract or philosophical sense, rather than something to take
literally. What are these two mysterious equipment, you ask? Simple:
Speedometer: A speedometer or a
speed meter is a gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a
vehicle.
Compass: An instrument used for
navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic
cardinal directions (or points)
In the practice of internal
martial arts such as Yiquan, sometimes it’s worthwhile to take a step back and
reflect on what we’re learning. Often times, as practitioners it is all too
easy to get overenthusiastic and put a lot of effort in order to see results as
quickly as possible. In other words, we often use the Speedometer as the gauge
on how well we are doing. We want to see results as fast as possible. The speedier
we are, the greater the accomplishment. And that is the conventional point of
view.
There is nothing wrong in
putting a lot of effort because we want to see faster and quicker results.
Indeed, if one goes too slow at something, we might give up halfway because the
incremental results are too negligible. It would seem that we’re wasting our
time or are not talented enough in this area.
Unfortunately, there is a major
flaw in focusing solely on the Speedometer. And I’m sure you see it by now.
Yes, often times it doesn’t matter how fast you’re going, if you’re not headed
in the right direction. If you don’t have a Compass to re-orient you in the
right direction, no matter how fast you are going, you’re not going to reach
your planned destination.
In almost all worthwhile endeavors,
you will find that progress doesn’t come steadily. There will almost be certain
roadblocks where you continue practicing without any progress made. What
happens is there is minute progress that you cannot see, but so long as you
practice, one day a major breakthrough will occur. This is what is often
called, as ‘two step forwards, one step back’. So long as your practice is
headed in the right direction according to the Compass, even if the Speedometer
shows you’re going slowly, that’s still alright.
Unfortunately if your practice
is stagnating, you need to ask yourself whether you’re heading in the right
direction. You will be banging your head on the wall both figuratively and
literally, if you’re not headed in the right direction. Most people might give
up. Some stubborn people might double or triple their efforts in order to
achieve the desired breakthrough. However, no matter how FAST you’re going, it
is USELESS if you’re headed in the WRONG DIRECTION.
Only the truly wise people will
have the mindfulness to consider whether they’re headed in the right direction
or not. If not, the best way is to ask your instructor or someone experienced
about your problems and see what is the best way to rectify them.
In summary, so long as you’re
headed in the right direction (COMPASS) and make reasonable effort in your
practice, you’ll get to your destination. If you’re headed in the wrong
direction, no amount of effort or diligence will help you. Be aware of this!