The following story is told in China: A hunter in ancient times was out on a moonlit night when he saw a tiger seated some ten meters away. Frightened, he tensed his bow and with all his intent he let loose his arrow, because if he did not kill the tiger fast, the tiger would surely kill him. He hit the target and the arrow sank into the body of the animal, but strangely, it did not fall to the ground. So he waited until the sun came out and discovered to his surprise that the tiger was actually a rock, and that his arrow had gone halfway into it. He tried to repeat the feat, but his arrows never went into the rock.
The story shows that the spirit can enhance the capacity of the energy. This is why ideas must be guided by one thing at a time. For example, having thought focused on one master, one movement, one idea, is better than having one hundred masters, one hundred movements, or one hundred ideas at the same time.
The word “spirit” can have many meanings. It can refer to the brain, thought, sensations, dreams, fantasies. In Martial Arts it is necessary to know the two senses mentioned above: memory and idea.
page 171 from
PaChi TangLang Chuan (Baji Tanglang Quan)
Eight Ultimate Praying Mantis Fist
by Master Su Yu-Chang
Thank you for this story! And for mentioning to focus on ONE! With some people I have the feeling that they think it is important to “collect” as many masters as possible in their CV!
This is a wonderful story.
Marvelous teaching! Very good