Martial Arts Philosophy - 9. Practice

This class is part of a new series that will cover key topics for internal martial arts philosophy. These topics are included in the core Principles of Practice (https://www.wudang.com/en/fundamental...) as well as in the classic works of Lao Zi, Chuang Zi, Mencius, and so many of the Western philosophers from Plato and the early Greek thinkers to those in the modern world. I'm going to start with the concept of heart 心 (xin). What does it mean to quiet the heart? How do we do that? What is the nature of the heart? How do the emotions and feelings we carry affect our practice? Which emotions? How does what we carry in the heart affect how we respond? How can we know what we should do? What do we care about? Why? In practice and in study, the concepts and skills that are fundamental to the martial arts require more than particular skills. They require judgement, ethics, moral character, a clear sense of right and wrong, and the ability to discern what is going on beyond whatever appearances may be presented. Developing the ability to quiet the heart, to still the mind so that it becomes possible to see clearly is one of the goals in practice. This class will focus on becoming quiet with a discussion and readings that reference this idea.