​At first I take up Tai Chi Chuan as a hobby,
Gradually I became addicted to it,
Finally I can no longer get rid of it.
I must keep on practicing for my whole life-
    it is the only way to preserve health.
The more I practice, the more I want to learn
    from teachers and books.
The more I learn, the less I feel I know.
The theory and philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan is so
    profound and abstruse!
I must continue studying forever and ever...
It is the only way to improve and better myself. It is the only way to improve and better myself.
-T.T. Liang

​"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities,
but in the expert's there are few."

From Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by SHUNRYU SUZUKI
First Master of Zen Center, San Francisco and Carmel Valley
www.robertspahr.com/teaching/gen/zen.html

People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross-legged position, or to attain enlightenment. It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense.

​Skilled masters of old were subtle,
Mysteriously powerful.
So deep they were unknowable.
Just because they are unknowable,
All we can do is describe their appearance.
Their alertness was as that of one crossing frozen river,
Watchful, like men/women aware of surrounding dangers,
Courteous, like visiting guests.
Their relaxation was as that of ice at it’s melting point.
Simple as uncarved wood, open as the valleys,
They were as inscrutable as muddy waters.
Who can wait quietly while the mud settles and the
water clears?
Who can, long at rest, use the gradual enlivening of
movement?
Those who preserve this Way (Tao) do not want
fullness.
Just because they do not want fullness,
They can avoid wearing out and being replaced.

"The Tao does not compete; those who compete do not follow the Tao. The Tao is not grasping; those who grasp do not understand the principles of the Tao. If you compete, you will attend only to the differences in people's intelligence. If you grasp, you will always compare yourself with others. Concerned with petty matters, you will have abandoned the Tao and forgotten about virtue. The sage appears dull and dim, but his/her  wisdom is like a piece of hidden jade. In his/her interaction with others he/she is not competitive or grasping. Because his/her spirit is in balance, he/she is in harmony with the sky and earth in all season."