You already are what you want to become

You already are what you want to become
by Shifu Yan Lei
As I’m sure most of you know, the Shaolin Temple is considered the birthplace of martial arts and Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism. This doesn’t meanthat in order to practise Shaolin we need to be Buddhists but using certain aspects of Ch’an philosophy can help us to see our world with fresh eyes and enter our training with a beginner’s mind.
Oneof the Ch’an teachings that we can apply to our martial arts training is Aimlessness. This means: You already are what you want to become. Does a tree have to do something? The purpose of a tree is tobe itself, and your purpose is to be yourself.
We have everything. There is no need to put anything in front of us and run after it. So, whatever it is that you believe you want - good health, moreenergy or to be an exceptional martial artist - you already have.
Bring this energy into your practice and you will find that it will enrich whatever you are doing. Not only your Qigong or Kung Fupractice but also your work and family life. The Ch’an teaching on aimlessness helps us to stop putting our life on hold or waiting for the future when we think we will have more time or be lessstressed.
There is no future time there is only now. And now is the most important time we have. Now is the building block for the future. Instead of drifting into the future of “if” and “when”, we focus onthe single point of now.
For this month, check yourself and rather than constantly trying to improve yourself train from the perspective that you already are what you want to become. Relax. There isnothing to strive for.
Remind yourself that right now you have all the elements for your health, You simply have to apply the Shaolin techniques you are learning.
Shaolin Martial Arts helps us toreach the potential in ourselves that we only dreamt of before. Using the powerful life energy that exists inside our body we can make ourselves healthy and balanced. If you approach the Shaolin Arts...