by Cheng Tong | Oct 27, 2021 | Stillness
I have lunch once a week with a dear friend. It is the only entry on my social calendar. Writing those two words just now made me smile . . . social calendar. We gather, enjoy a meal, and in 90 minutes solve the problems of the world. We congratulate ourselves... 
by Cheng Tong | Aug 8, 2021 | Stillness
At the conclusion of my first lecture on the cultivation of stillness, after I moved to the northern Berkshires, one of the first questions I was asked had to do with the practical application of stillness. I answered simply: “Life.” I meant that answer in the sense... 
by Cheng Tong | Apr 15, 2021 | Stillness
“The great Way is easy,Yet people prefer the side paths.Be aware when things are out of balance.Stay centered in the Great Dao.”Chapter 53, Dao de Qing, by Laozi In stillness, we find clarity. By bringing ourselves into the present moment, we see the... 
by Cheng Tong | Feb 2, 2021 | Stillness
During a recent class, a student and I were discussing softness. Over the preceding two classes, we had been investigating the important qualities of a taiji and qigong practice. Those qualities are slow, soft and smooth. They are integral to an... 
by Cheng Tong | Dec 8, 2020 | Stillness
?If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked. If you want to become full, let yourself be empty. If you want to be reborn, let yourself die. If you want to be... 
by Cheng Tong | Oct 12, 2020 | Stillness
Calm, but alert; Relaxed, but ready; Smooth, but sharp; Humble, but confident. This is martial arts. It is an integral part of our training at the Five Immortals Temple in China, where I lived as a monk. It is part of what I teach today in the Berkshires of western...