Justin Stone, originator of Tai Chi Chih, embodies the fluidity of clouds passing by in the movement bearing that name. To watch a master is mesmerizing. To practice the teachings of a master is the work. To achieve a glimmer of understanding is the living of the work. I am grateful to Jean and Richard, my two teachers of Tai Chi Chih, for their dedication to the practice and their gentle and loving teaching.
This morning I am sitting with the wisdom of another teacher, Mahatma Gandhi. I have few words. Like passing clouds, thoughts are coming in, moving through. Gandhi offered to us the four sustaining pillars of Ahisma: A (non) + Hisma (violence). Gandhi embodied the four pillars. I offer them to you today without additional comment. I have no words that reach to the essence of the teaching. Perhaps the four sustaining pillars will speak to you and absorb your thoughts, creating a meaning for you. This is what the pillars are doing for me.
- Sarvodaya = Justice for All Creatures
- Swaraj = Self-Rule
- Swadeshi = The Genius of the Local
- Satyagraha = Nonviolent Revolution