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Tai chi Retreat 2010 Diary Part 3 of 3
July 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Day 3 (7 March 2010) Final day.
So today is the end to the trilogy. Or is it really the beginning of something new. The question is
“How Can You Keep a dew drop from losing?”
All of our destinies made us meet. We all come from different backgrounds and we are together in the Radisson Temple Bay resort learning from the Masters. The swimming pool waters are calm today, and by this time you would know that I am talking about myself when I say that. In two hours the Sunrise TaiChi will start with Master James.
Master James makes a Rooster call in the Golden Cock Stance. It was funny but I was not laughing. I was amazed at the solidity of his stance; he was put like a statue. Today’s Sunrise TaiChi had an musical accompaniment. Dr. Himanshu Vaz had this very beginning of the day relaxed music and it was quite apt with all the graceful moves we have with Tai Chi. What I am talking about is the external significance. Anybody who would witness the event would have been mesmerized. Internally I cared only about not falling and not screwing up my forms. Keeping up with Master James is by far not easy at all. He is so much in control and his movements are so solid and so very well defined. I was sweating profusely at the end of it. Good thing was that I was at the corner and I enjoyed all the space around me without the dreadful dread of bumping into another.
You could see Master James sweating so much so he almost had a puddle to drown in. We had an impromptu QA at the end of the Sunrise Tai Chi, I think there were some interesting questions but it flew over the stratosphere not an altitude where my brain flies. But this was all that I could gather from those moments. Chinese associate an animal out of the twelve they have to every hour of the day. When GrandMaster Fu and Master James practice it is the hour of the Rat which is 11-12 pm. At that hour there is a lot of energy scurrying all around that begins with the ending of a slumbering pig, 10-11 pm, which Master James says his wife calls him one. Goes to show what all wives think about their beloved husbands regardless of who they are even if one has Mastered Taijiquan. If you are shocked let me assure you it is Master James in his hilarious elements. For those who have the apprehension of being branded as part of the loony tunes practicing at that hour you settle for a practice when the sun rises, at the hour of the rabbit the furry distant cousin of the rat, and more in tune with Indian sensibilities of exercise. Dr. Vaz had a question and it was all medical with brain circuits and all that Master James couldn’t understand. I thought there was something interesting to understand. I did not understand no point talking about it. But I liked being in his presence and so did all of us who were there. We just liked it- all that leg pulling of Master James. This I understand.
Push Hands
The rolling hands practice on day 3 really clarified the push hands like never before- Having the privilege to do push hands with the GrandMaster Fu on day 2 and now the cherry on the cake push-hands with Master James. Its lot of hard work and one needs to have a very strong and flexible lower body. I do not yet know how to fathom what I have learnt in these days but the experience has only made me lot more curious and serious about Tai Chi. But one thing a veil has been lifted in these 3 days at the retreat, Tai Chi is a Martial Art and beyond those meridians and esoteric gibberish, beyond those abstractions and images. There is a lot of hard work and toil ahead mastering this body and these senses to really know what Tai Chi is.
85 forms
“launch away”->”Sit back”->”lei”->”Chi”->”Again” I lost count of how many times GrandMaster Fu ordered and we obeyed. Again and again and again… It goes to show what it takes to be perfect, practice and practice and practice and …This we did but the journey is far from over as it would become apparent on the lunch table.
FaJIng
We practiced FaJing and Master James had an interesting story to share. Sometime in the early 90’s the Chinese Media had come to GrandMaster Fu’s house. GrandMaster Fu demonstrated push hands with his then nineteen year old son Master James. GrandMaster got a little to excited that he threw Master James to wall like a piece of meat. Master James whispered to GrandMaster Fu that “I can’t go on anymore” but GrandMaster just went ahead with even more push hands and even more plops on the wall. Later that night Master James coughed blood and an internal bleeding and luckily their family prepare traditional Chinese medicine and in this case Shanchi powder was administered to Master James. This helped but it took Master James 3 months to recover. Mrs. Fu, Master James’ mother was all furious “How could you do this to your own son”. Later on Master James took his complaint to GrandMaster Fu to which GrandMaster Fu said only this much “You know Kung Fu?”
Kalari
There was a Kalari demonstration and I wouldn’t believe Asan of 72 year old could be so quick, flexible and so fierce. His students would almost wet in their pants when sparring with him. It was amazing. Then there was cultural exchange of Master James demonstrating Saber. All this was so amazing that in the words of the Dragon Warrior Po the Panda we were blinded by the overexposure to pure awesomeness.
Lunch Time
I admit I am a pest. I wanted to go where GrandMaster went, I wanted to sit with him and lunch and dine regardless of whether he called Mala as MOLA HA HA HA. Well I don’t mind having a Cantonese equivalent of my name. Thanks to the non-pests in the Bangalore contingent I too became a non-pest. However I was dying to be one. I invited Master James to lunch at our table and the non-pests were thanking me though wouldn’t care to admit it then or later. He regaled us with the stories of his experiences, his student winning an Olympic medal in 2008 (Wushu-Taijiquan), about his tryst in the media, teaching experiences. Needless to say his food was getting cold. He is one fun loving person and would crack anybody anytime with jokes and anecdotes, he had us in splits. The best part was what came out of the conversation on massaging GrandMaster Fu’s back. He said that his and Sifu’s fingers would hurt so strong was GrandMaster’s Fu’s back. He looked at me and said “You touch his back (pointing to DS’ back) and go touch GrandMaster Fu’ back”. For a moment I thought is that actually happening. I went to GrandMaster Fu with a fear of not offending him lest I would be a piece of meat on the wall. I took his permission and touched his back. Compared to the soft and cushy back of DS’ GrandMaster Fu’s back was as hard as a piece of Granite; I am not under any influence of alcohol or psychotropic drugs when I say that. He laughed his signature hearty laugh “HA HA HA” and then goes “TOUCH TOUCH” pointing to his forearm, it was three times my forearm and as hard as a ROCK. Then he again went again “HA HA HA” as if pointing me and saying “See Kid I am the Master, you are a Kid and continue to be one so HA HA HA”. But whatever happened was a dream and I even started laughing like him “HA HA HA”.
Photo OP
The photo Op. In the official group photograph you could see me seated 3 seats to the right of Simu. Where Master James goes humor follows. He swapped his wife for Simu and Simu boy she blushed the entire crowd was all in splits. Master James goes “that is a good exchange”. Simu would kill me next time she comes to Bangalore I am sure for bringing this up. After saying CHEESE we head back to complete the 85 forms correction.
Sword and Saber
We were just about to start the weapons and Master James noticed me carrying wooden sword and saber. He talked about the jin not travelling the length of the wooden sword and getting reflected from the handle itself. He demonstrated the Jin travelling the sword and rattling the tip. He asked me to do the same I did and the tip wouldn’t rattle. He goes “See, the sword doesn’t listen to you. Do it harder”. I redeemed by pride by going at it harder and rattling the tip. Then he demonstrated that he could rattle the tip without thrusting the sword. He would just hold the sword and the jin would emit out of his hands and rattle the tip. This was out of the ordinary and I was amazed. I go to KK and share my sorrow- “The sword doesn’t listen to me, my wife doesn’t listen to me” to which KK replied “and in my case my kids don’t listen to me”. I vowed then that one day I will have a real sword.
We had so little time for sword, so much got crammed into that time that my head was reeling. Master James himself felt that. Nonetheless that is the best we could do at that time. We went into saber and finished a routine. GrandMaster Fu suddenly out of the blue called everybody to grab any stick, hilt sword whatever and made them practice the saber. He just put everybody in a spot and we all did the first few forms. Again and again and again and…
Souvenier, Certificates and the closing
It dawned on us like all good things come to an end so would this retreat and all the happy memories from these three days would be revisited again and again and again …
My article “Discovering One’s Self”, of course edited to suit the fine discerning taste of the audience made it into the souvenir. I was shocked; the editors must have had a nightmare with that piece. The souvenir was too good. It looked like a top class coffee table book. The graphics were amazing and so were the articles and hats off to the Chennai Team to have brought it out so well and being such a gracious host to the proceedings that transpired. We got the certificates and the souvenir and were beat.
Dinner
This would be the last dinner under the star lit sky. A Bharatanatyam performance by kids with our Masters enjoying it thoroughly, explanation of who or what a Bengali is by DS- “Orey Baba Akashe Koto Tara” (translate: Oh My God The Sky has so many Stars), plans for the next day to head home or to check out the nearby lonely planet must see, and many such conversations dotted the night. I felt a bit light inside and the sea is just a distance away. So many good experiences- Master James’ jokes, GrandMaster Fu’s HA HA HA and the bonding in the Bangalore group. I just wanted to stop time and stay with the feeling of being in presence of the masters needless to say an infantile idea finding its root in my head. The time moves on what it will make me I know not. I know this much that I am very curious right that very moment something that will carry me more and more into the depths of the Yang Style Taijiquan ever getting into the depths until I get to realize the answer to question that began the Day 3 journey.
“How Can You keep a dew drop from losing?”
By throwing it into the Sea.
The Bangalore crowd ended the night doing a group meditation facing
the Bay of Bengal.
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