Last year David and I decided to put a blog on the website talking about martial arts, Chi Kung and philosophy. Even with the very first article I began to feel a struggle in my heart about how to write a blog. This struggle wasn’t about what to write but the fact that using words to talk about Tao and Zen is inconsistent with its philosophy. Tao and Zen can’t be described using words.
Lao Zi in the “Tao De Jing” Chapter 56 “Beyond Honour And Disgrace” told us:
“He who knows (the wise man) does not speak;
He who speaks does not know.
Fill up its apertures.
Close its doors.
Dull its edges.
Unite its tangles,
Soften its light,
Submerge its turmoil
-This is the Mystic Unity.
Then love and hatred cannot touch him.
Profit and loss cannot reach him.
Honor and disgrace cannot affect him.
Therefore is he always the honoured one of the world.”
In Chinese we said, “Wun Yi Tsai Tao” it means “literature is to convey morals” or “writings are conveying truth”. So every time I write a blog entry I worry about it being devoid of substance. The phrase “He who speaks does not know” always pops into my mind. This is because Tao and Zen need to be practiced in everyday life not just talked about. I am afraid that the short time I’ve been studying these philosophies only leads me to display my slight knowledge before the experts. But watching the statistics of my website shows my site is getting more and more visitors every month. I’m glad more people are reading the blog too.

There are two other sayings in Chinese I would like to share: “The closely involved cannot see as clearly as those outside” and “Just as bitter medicine cures sickness, so unpalatable advice benefits conduct”. I hope some of my articles have been a little bit of help to somebody. I would also like to say thank you. Thank you David for doing a great job setting up, maintaining and contributing to my website. Thank you Tanja (my wife) for helping edit my blog entries. Finally, thank you everyone who bought my Chi Kung DVD and who came to visit my website. I wish everyone good health in the coming year.

–Danny