The Tree of the Bodhisattva
In between classes when we rest, I teach my students to plant trees. Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, this is the best time for this. Everyone is happy, despite being tired. A lot of trees were planted, a lot of our own trees here in Baimashan (White Horse Mountain) grow very large, but a special set of trees were sent from a previous student – Cheng Zhou, a martial artist and Thai boxing champion from Spain-. Cheng Zhou gave us Bodhi trees, he delivered the seeds and they are growing very well. The Bodhi is quite an auspicious tree, for the Buddha achieved enlightenment under it. Planting them in our Baimashan soil is especially precious and holds a lot of meaning; for one day it shall be the old students who will come, meditate under the trees and open the doors to their wisdom as well.
– written by Li Shifu
Cheng Hua Water Taichi First Reflection
Before I came here I was already on my spiritual path, refining my thoughts and abandoning my desires and any selfish feelings I still possessed.
But in society that is very hard, it felt as if the world was constantly weighing down on me, as though everything around me was trying to step up and stop my progress. Trying to get me angry, depressed, upset, frustrated, anything to stop my progress. At times I overcame these feelings and at times I did not.
The first thing I noticed about Bai Ma Shan was the lack of weight around me, the lack of pressure. No pressure from society trying to get me to act certain ways and desire certain things. The climb may have been difficult, and the conditions here may by some be considered bitter.
But, the way I see it, it’s not bitter here, it is society that is bitter. Here things that in society you are told are important to care about just don’t matter. It’s nice, simple. Gives me time to focus and improve my self without all the distractions of day to day life.
To anyone who is currently on their own spiritual path here is some advice that I hope will help you. The path upwards will always be open to you, but so will countless side doors. These side doors will at the start be easy to ignore, but as you grow they will get more and more persistent, more tempting. But these are crooked paths, they lead nowhere but downwards, and at times these paths could even make you think you are going up.
Know these crooked paths can grow stronger from the environment you are in. Thus, a negative environment could make it harder to ignore these paths, while a positive environment could make them easier to ignore. But no matter if they are hard or easy to ignore you still have to do so, you still can do so.
Even if the temptations are weakened and you are in the best environment you can be, you still have to choose to keep going up. And even if you are in a poor environment you still can find a way to keep going up. Remember these paths only have power over you if they can influence you. And they can only influence you if you let them. Know that the path up takes accountability, forgiveness and compassion.
