KARITA SENSEI TAI CHI SEMINAR TONIGHT AT 6:30 PM."How to use the body"

Free class that is open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend.

The other day a student was telling me about a class that he had taken where he felt was a waste of time.  He said, "I didn't learn anything" and began to dissect the class and tell me how the class and the teacher could have been better.  The funny thing is that this person isn't even a teacher and he doesn't have any real world knowledge about not only the subject matter but how to teach.  The problem the student is having is that he can only see one side of the coin and hence his perception is colored by not only judgement but also by speculation.  I tried to caution him that having this type of perspective sets him on a path that only leads to wasting time but also a lot of suffering.  Having this type of perspective disables one from learning and thus it takes us longer to learn things or prevents us from ever learning things.

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" is an often quoted but possibly mistaken quote that is attributed to the Buddha.  Regardless of its origin it is apropos to this situation.  If we can enter the gates of knowledge with an open mind then we can see that there is something to be learned from every person and every thing - every situation becomes our teacher.  All it takes is a shift in our perspective.  If we can be ready and willing to learn, then we can learn from anything and thus the teacher will appear.

Tonight Karita Sensei is teaching a Tai Chi seminar on how to use the body that will be geared toward Aikidoists.  One might be thinking, "Isn't Karita Sensei a sword polisher?"  Yes he is, but he is also a Tai Chi teacher that has been teaching Tai Chi for something like 30 years.  Before you poo poo it and turn your nose upon it, try changing your perspective.  Think, "This just might be the thing that gives me the clue to something that I am working on."  If we can do that then the teacher will appear.  If not, and I know this from experience, you will not learn anything and just waste your time spinning around with your own judgements and speculations sitting there with your arms crossed while the good stuff just passes you by.  Nothing is more sad or expensive than regret.

In order to change one's life, one must change their perspective.  Changing the way we look at things opens the door for change and changing is the only way to improve.  Please be ready, willing and open tonight.  If you are, you might just see something that will change everything.