From Pi (11) to Tai (12)

[gavilancomun]

Hi.

I've spent the weekend at a qigong workshop, and my teacher surprised me in the middle of the exercises when he suddenly produced two pieces of card, with Tai on one and Pi on the other.

His advice to me was that my practice was more Pi at the moment and I should consider Tai.

I'd love to hear others' responses to this.

 

[gavilancomun]

Oops, got the numbers swapped there.

 

[bruce]

Not sure if I understand. So he said you were more Tai than Pi, and you should consider Pi? I'm sure he had a good reason, but I'm not sure what it was.

Pi is breaking away, while Tai is drawing together. Perhaps he was speaking of your release, your moving from rather than your moving to, leaving rather than arriving.

 

[jte]

Just curious, why don't you ask him what he meant? Your question *is* interesting, but isn't your teacher more likely to know what he meant than anyone here?

I think it's a nice luxury when we can get our (human) instructors to be specific, rather than mysterious.

- Jeff

 

[gavilancomun]

Oh, he did give some explanation, and also asked me to consider how to be more Tai.

I didn't want to "lead the witness", so to speak, by repeating what he said.

But as you asked... his explanation and some of my initial thoughts...

In taiji there is the expression, "Stand like a mountain, flow like a great river". A guiding principle for life, and also a specific instruction on how to be physically.

The base is rooted, solid, yang if you like. The top is soft, flowing, yin. This is exemplified by Tai, with yang lines in the lower trigram and yin lines in the upper.

Another aspect of the physical, in taiji the limbs
and body are described as "steel wrapped in cotton". So here the yang is inner and the yin outer.

Now the opposite is heavy mind, heavy heart, tight chest, yang. With a weak base, no root, yin. Thus, Pi.

 

[bruce]

So your original statement was correct, after all: consider more Tai?

What do you make of it, Gavilancomun?

 

[gavilancomun]

Mmm, got the names correct but the numbers wrong in the subject line. Tai is 11.

I've looked at three versions of the Yi (that Clarity recommends in her free e-course), to gather some perspective.

It strikes me that there is an aspect of sharing skills, of being a teacher in Tai as well. This as opposed to just training for self-improvement.

Also, like magnets, it's better to align opposite poles. So we have the sky above (yang), upper body (yin), lower body (yang), earth below (yin).

 

[bruce]

Ah, I gotcha now. Missed the mistake in the title.

11 and 12 have always fascinated me. Yes, two polar opposites, and we usually think of heaven as placed above and earth below, but the direction of each is the key to understanding this trigram arrangement.

 

[jesed]

Gavilancomun

Just in case the comment could be useful

Seems like there is a non-balance practice... too much "in the head"...(too much intentional effort?).

You could find useful the teaching about how to balance body energy in "The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth" from Master Ni.

Best wishes