Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 297
Knowledge and Trust
   Internal artists prepare daily for their death. We do not welcome nor hope for death, yet we prepare, and we do it in the same way we prepare for any encounter – with knowledge and trust.
  Internal artists spend most of their training time learning about themselves, their body, mind, and spirit, and translate this self inquiry into practical day to day applications. This training brings confidence, and with confidence comes the ability to trust.
   For death we must train and learn from the elders, the wise ones, and traditional teachers. There are even some who have died and returned to tell of their experiences. Elizabeth Kuber Ross wrote an excellent book on this topic, On Death and Dying.
   One of my dear friends, a poet, saw his death approaching and he made this his work, his gift to others. He kept a close eye on his feelings and emotions, as well as his physical transformation, and he wrote about it. He left his body with a smile on his face, and the name of God on his lips. His love enabled him to trust and this brought confidence that all would be well, and why not?
   So daily I train and prepare by doing my best, keeping my heart and mind open, and trusting that there is some reason for me to be here, and a correct time for me to leave. I thank my dear friend for his guidance.