Monkey Moon Wanes
The "Monkey Mind" is a prominent concept in most every ancient spiritual system. Be it Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, or beyond, conquering the Monkey in our minds is a nobel spiritual feat. It speaks to the state of one's mind being chaotic and restless - to "Tame the Monkey" in this sense, simply means to hold a single minded focus without any distracting thoughts. Not easy.
As for the poetry of the moment, settle. It's actually not hard to conquer a Monkey Mind - the trick is simply not to fight it. The more you try to contain or restrain it, the more elusive and erratic it becomes - so what does Shifu do? "Give it a Banana!" It's not about control, it's about guidance - just give your Monkey Mind a meaningful task and it'll settle on it's own accord.
To make this make sense, lose yourself in something. Have you ever been so involved in a project that you lose track of time? Where you're having so much fun that hours can feel like minutes? That's the way. Get engrossed in an important task and channel that power towards a purpose. You'll never "beat the Monkey." You just have to keep it busy.
✧ Mastering the Monkey ✧
Get Interested: Pick something cool and exciting
Make it a Game: Challenge friends, keep it interesting
Do Better: Make every attempt a little better than the last
Have a Purpose: Do something that means something
Turn Off the Clock: Get lost in the moment
Mission Driven
Contents
⭐︎ Shifu Says: A brief word from our head teacher, Shifu David Wei.
⭐︎ Student of the Month: Could it be you? What did you do to earn it?
⭐︎ The Daoist Calendar: Special holidays and how to observe them.
✭ Tai Chi True or False: You've got a 50/50 chance. Is it Yin or Yang?
✭ Deep Steeps: Shifu talks about death with Professor Adisa Banjoko.
✭ This is How to Brew It: We've got an aged "Candlelight White" tea!
✭ Final Fortune Cookie: Big wit and wisdom from a tiny little idiom.
*click the image to join our Free Qigong classes every Monday and Friday
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