Today's illustrious band:

String of Pearls

Brought to you by the late Master Tung-Tsai Liang, who passed away last Monday at the age of 102. It was Master Liang who taught my T'ai Chi teachers, and through them teaches me.

Master Liang never confined his lessons to the training hall, or even to T'ai Chi in general. One of my favorites is "small loss, small gain; big loss, big gain." What this means is that a small setback can teach you a small lesson that will enable you to make a small stride forward. Similarly, a big setback can teach a big lesson that leads to great strides forward. (The trick, of course, is to figure out what the lesson is and then do the work of moving forward.) Hand-in-hand with this view goes the philosophy of learning to yield, or accept losses small and large, in order to attain the greater benefit that lies beyond. Of all the lessons of T'ai Chi and of life, this is the one I find most challenging by far.

My other favorite is the saying that one's T'ai Chi form should be like a string of pearls, each posture distinct and complete and seamlessly linked to the next. What he means is, finish what you're doing, and do it thoroughly, before moving on to the next thing. Give your attention to the present moment; the next will arrive whether you hurry toward it or not.

Many, many pearls made up the strand of T.T. Liang's life. He was a customs officer, prisoner of war, interpreter for Master Cheng Man-ch'ing (his own teacher) when the latter was a cultural liaison to the U.N., ballroom dance champion, martial arts teacher, scholar, calligrapher, author, father. This life was a thing of great beauty, complexity and value. He leaves a rich legacy to his students, and we thank him.