Sword dance after hearing the rooster

Zu Ti (祖逖) and Liu Kun(劉琨) were famous generals in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

When they were young, they were roomates. They like to discuss how to help other people and their country.

One night, they heard a rooster singing at midnight. It’s considered to be bad luck in China to hear a rooster singing in the mid of night.

Zu Ti said, “This is not a bad sound to hear. Let’s get up and practice swords.” Liu Kun agreed. From that moment on, they got up every day when they heard the rooster sing in the early morning. They either practice swords together or studied. Later, they learned enough to become knowledgeable in both martial arts and politics. We call this story “Sword dance after hearing the rooster.”

When you can’t get up early enough to do your Tai Chi, think about the midnight singing rooster.

Copyright Huan's Tai Chi '09

Find Peace within Nature

李白: 望廬山瀑布
View of a Waterfall at Mount Lushan
By Li Bai (701-762): Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong

日照香爐生紫煙
Sunlit is the Incense Summit, aglow in smoke and steam;

遙看瀑布掛前川
To afar, like a drape that glitters, a waterfall hangs upstream:

飛流直下三千尺
Flowing, flying, fluttering ~ plunging three thousand feet,

疑是銀河落九天
As if ‘twere the Silver River, falling from the heaven supreme.

This is one of my favorite poems by Li Bai. Although I haven’t been to the Famous Lu Shan, but I have been to many waterfalls here in new England. It’s very rewarding after a long hike, to reach the beautiful waterfall. I found it’s very pleasing and relaxing being in front of a waterfall. Negative ions and fresh airs flows around you. So quiet without any people around, yet noisy because of the sounds of water , but quieter because there are no other sounds. This is the power of nature. It relaxes you as opposed to man made things such as computer, phone and car. Only things in nature are truly beneficial to you; The real taste of food without any chemicals or spices. If you want to have a longer and more relaxing life, stay away from the computer, TV and cell phone( check your email only once or twice a day, silence your phone), stay close to nature. Visit your city park, go hiking, go canoeing, do your Tai Chi.

You can also try to bring nature to your home by having plants, or a little aquarium, and get a copy of a New Calendar I made - The Flow of Nature - Wisdom of Lao Tzu. Have a fun and relaxed Holiday and New year.

Copyright by Huan's Tai Chi 2009